Concerning mottoes

[MacEanruig]

Although I have a latin motto already, I may from time to time ask for your gracious assistance.

[CDNSushi]

Through my vast Internet journeys I once discovered a neat, handy-dandy Latin motto generator site. Just input the words you'd like Latinified and Presto!

http://www.inrebus.com/latinmottogenerator.php

Although... You may want to get the grammar checked by the OP, and perhaps at least one other party before you get it tattooed onto yourself... Lest you find yourself flying with pigs with wings. ;-)

[MacGumerait]

So true CDNSushi , and a big " gratias ago tibi " for that .

[Tarheel]

I am still bound to the Latin of my Forestry, medical and Herbology background. I don't think to use Latin words that will so aptly describe ... everything. My wife would think I'm cheating during our Scrabble games if I started now. I'll get back to you after I get a decision/ruling from her.

[OKSooner]

Through my vast Internet journeys I once discovered a neat, handy-dandy Latin motto generator site. Just input the words you'd like Latinified and Presto!

http://www.inrebus.com/latinmottogenerator.php

Although... You may want to get the grammar checked by the OP, and perhaps at least one other party before you get it tattooed onto yourself... Lest you find yourself flying with pigs with wings. ;-)

I took a look, it's quite an interesting site. They got the ones I checked right, even though it was limited to more common ideas and phrases.

[CDNSushi]

I took a look, it's quite an interesting site. They got the ones I checked right, even though it was limited to more common ideas and phrases.

Yes, that is true... You have to choose from a drop-down list of words to put in, which makes it the limiting factor. I was thus unable to use the '(noun), (noun), and (noun)' option to generate: "Sex, Drugs, and Rock & Roll" and had to settle for a far more tame: Love, Knowledge, and Joy.

Amor, Scientia et Gaudium. Somehow lacks that bit o' flair though...

[Sir Robert]

If you look at my motto it is "Yo Mama" in French.

Latin?

[CDNSushi]

Mater tua.... I think... ;-)

That said, one of my all time favorite books is "Latin for All Occasions" by Henry Beard. It's a timeless classic. http://www.amazon.com/Latin-All-Occa.../dp/1592400809

The only complaint I have, is that if you use these Latin expressions, you are unlikely to find anyone geeky enough to actually appreciate what the heck you're saying.

Mihi ignosce. Nunc est mihi cum quodam negotium de cane.

Abeo.

[EagleJCS]

When I started looking into my family's history and came across Clan Scott, I thought it interesting that the Chief of a Borders Clan that was rather aggressive towards their neighbors (English and Scottish alike) would choose the Latin 'Amo' - 'I Love' - as his motto.

Since it would be difficult at best to find the original grant of arms (I don't know when the original grant of arms was done, or to whom, and it's not likely to include explanation of the choice at any rate), I prefer to think - and have suggested to others - that instead the motto may be the Scots word meaning 'among', or 'in the middle of', since one of the Scotts of Buccleuch (the chiefly line) was the Sheriff of the Middle March at one time. Also, the language of the Scottish royal court was Scots for a time, so it makes some sense (to me at least) that some grants were made with Scots mottoes.

That said, I appreciate the OP's offer of providing a translation upon request. Very kind indeed.

[Mike_Oettle]

EagleJCS, while you would wear your chief’s motto as part of your clan badge, if you are an armiger you are free to choose your own motto. A long-standing Scottish tradition is for such mottoes to refer to or reply to the chief’s slughairm (slogan), although this is not compulsory.
As for the Scots language being the language of the Scottish court: the term Scots was used because of an intriguing bit of nationalist expression.
When the Gaelic-speaking Scots came to dominate the four kingdoms of the north, they realized that most of their subjects spoke English (or perhaps more accurately Old English, which had been introduced by the Northumbrian conquerors).
So what was termed Inglis became the language of the court. But a nationalist reaction set in, and it was instead termed Scots (despite the fact that the word Scot had previously indicated Gaelic speakers, whether Irish or from Argyll.
In the centuries since then the word Scots has come to indicate a particular set of Lowland dialects, but in those early times, it was simply the common language of the north.
Regards,
Mike