Use of Non Latin Proper Nouns

[Clay Suskalo]

How would I use a non Latin proper noun?

With normal Latin nouns: Regina laudat (the queen praises) or Reginam laudat (hsi praises the queen).

How do I do this with a non Latin noun?

Ex. Clay praises (Clay laudat), but how can I say 'hsi praises Clay'?

Clay cannot be declined because Clay does not belong to any declinsion.
So how do I indicate that 'Clay' is to recieve the action?

Thanks for any insight!

Ps. Same question for plurality. How do I indicate plurality on a non Latin noun, while in a Latin sentance?

[Michael]

There really isn't a general rule for how to do this. The Romans sometime put a foreign proper noun into a declension if they could do it easily, or they would make an irregular declension or occasionally make the word indeclinable. For modern English proper nouns, if it's a name, the easiest way is to make the name fit into one of the declensions. If you have learned third-declension nouns, that declension is often the easiest to use. For example, you could change "Clay" to "Clay Clayis," etc. A favorite of children (but often the silliest) way is to add -us (2nd declension) to a man's name and -a (1st declension) to a woman's name. Clay would be Clayus. Basically, whatever sounds good to you is okay, as you are essentially creating a new Latin word that Classical writers would never have used because, for example, they would not have met an English speaker named Clay

[mythopoeic]

Hi Clay,

You could also take the meaning of the name and find the latin equivalent. Since I understand Clay to mean precisely earthen clay, you could use as names the latin words lutum or argilla, etc.

Argillus sounds pretty neat.

[Michael]

mythopoeic,

While I doubt the Romans would have used Argillus as a first name, they may have used a word like that as a nickname or a title (Roman examples are Cunctator and Africanus). Personally, I like Argillus, and I like the way you came up with it. Very clever.