# "Where something begins"



## prtzllife

Salvete!
My school has a motto that we would like to have in Latin, but as our Latin skills in Korea are poor, I come to you.
The motto is as above, "Where something begins" the place being our school, and the something being a myriad of positive things such as creativity, learning, friendships, etc.
While I'm here, could you also translate the name of the school, as well. Just for s***s and giggles, of course. The name of the school is "Charlie's Big Red House." Of course, Charlie should be changed to Charles (Carolus), I would assume.
I really appreciate any help you can give!
Gratias vobis ago!


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## Scholiast

salve prtzllife et bene venisti ad Forum Latinum!

I've been thinking about this for a day or two already. The thrust of your thought is akin to the English saying "From little acorns mighty oak-trees grow", for which I do not know (or, at my advanced age, cannot remember) an obvious Latin equivalent.

But - given that for a motto you need something short and pithy - you could try something along the lines of:

_ex coeptis humilibus _(lit., "From humble beginnings..."), with the rhetorically implied completion, "great things will grow";

or

_parva nata grandia fiunt_ (lit., "[things] born small become great"); another variant could be _ex coeptis humilibus grandia_, "From humble beginnings, great [things]".

If I have any other ideas, I'll put them in for your further consideration, but I expect others in this Forum can also make excellent suggestions.

As to the giggle-question, that is easy: _domus Caroli magna rubea_.

_bona fortuna faveat scholae isti.
_
Σ

Edited afterthought: _e seminario fructus _(lit., "From the seed-bed, fruit [/harvest/success]"); this would have the advantage that _seminarium_, "seed-bed", has in an academic context a useful double meaning.


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## exgerman

Somewhat less ponderous would be _ibi ortus "here is the beginning"_


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## Quiviscumque

With all due respect for prior opinions, I should say that the original poster asked for a translation, not an embellishment. And there is a word-by-word translation (not too elegant, however, is the original motto elegant?):

Ubi aliquid incipit.


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## Scholiast

Greetings (salvete!) omnes


exgerman said:


> Somewhat less ponderous would be _ibi ortus "here is the beginning"_



Why didn't I think of that? _hic ortus_ would also be acceptable.



> Ubi aliquid incipit.


This cannot work. It must at least be _unde_. And_ aliquid_ means "anything", which is not what is here called for.

Σ


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## Quiviscumque

Nor do I like "ubi". 

Concerning "aliquid", see L&S:

Praegn., somebody, something, considerable, important: atque fac, ut me velis esse aliquem, to be somebody: si vis esse aliquis, Iu.: Meas esse aliquid putare nugas, Ct.: Est aliquid ... A Diomede legi, O.: est aliquid Unius sesedominum fecisse lacertae, Iu.: dicere aliquid, to say something worth the while: adsequi aliquid, to accomplish something.—So, in colloq. lang.: fiet aliquid, something (great) will happen, T.—


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## Scholiast

salvete!



Quiviscumque said:


> Concerning "aliquid", see L&S:
> 
> Praegn., somebody, something, considerable, important: atque fac, ut me velis esse aliquem, to be somebody: si vis esse aliquis, Iu.: Meas esse aliquid putare nugas, Ct.: Est aliquid ... A Diomede legi, O.: est aliquid Unius sesedominum fecisse lacertae, Iu.: dicere aliquid, to say something worth the while: adsequi aliquid, to accomplish something.—So, in colloq. lang.: fiet aliquid, something (great) will happen, T.—



All granted - sorry, I was not thinking straight. Carefuller reflection pointed to _incipit_ as the problem rather than _aliquid, _for I supposed that _incipere_ had to be transitive. But consultation of L&S confirms that it can indeed be intransitive too, so I am doubly wrong.

But although lexically and syntactically pristine, something about _ubi_/_unde aliquid incipit_ still doesn't "feel" idiomatic. Can anyone suggest why?

Σ


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## Quiviscumque

Scholiast said:


> [...] But although lexically and syntactically pristine, something about _ubi_/_unde aliquid incipit_ still doesn't "feel" idiomatic. Can anyone suggest why?
> 
> Σ



I agree, as I said it's not terribly elegant (understatement mode on ) but anyway that is what the motto says.

If I could indulge in a little more liberty, I think my choice would be exgerman's and yours HIC ORTVS. Concise, oracular, mysterious but easily explainable. However, it is not exactly the original motto.


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## exgerman

Quiviscumque said:


> I agree, as I said it's not terribly elegant (understatement mode on ) but anyway that is what the motto says.
> 
> If I could indulge in a little more liberty, I think my choice would be exgerman's and yours HIC ORTVS. Concise, oracular, mysterious but easily explainable. However, it is not exactly the original motto.





Scholiast said:


> Greetings (salvete!) omnes
> 
> Why didn't I think of that? _hic ortus_ would also be acceptable.
> 
> 
> This cannot work. It must at least be _unde_. And_ aliquid_ means "anything", which is not what is here called for.
> 
> Σ


_Hic ortus_ (this is the source) is better than_ ibi ortus _(the source is here).


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