Usus Linguae Latinae in Serie Animina Puella Magi Madoka Magica
"Usus Linguae Latinae in Serie Animina Puella Magi Madoka Magica"
"The Use of Latin in the Anime Series Puella Magi Madoka Magica"
I have been wanting to comment most on the title of this anime series for quite a while.
Here is a wiki that explains the title:
Facts and Observations
Puella Magi Madoka Magica
Puella Magi was supposed to be latin for "Magical Girl". However, if that was the intended translation, then "Puella Magi" is a mistranslation, and should have been either "Puella Maga" or "Puella Magica".
As-is, "Puella Magi" translates to "Girl of the Sorcerer".
Events of Episode 8 suggest that it may indeed be intentional. Disregarding the verbal gender of "magi" (male mage), when interpreted as "girl [form] of the sorcerer", it fits very well with the fact that Puella Magi are immature forms of witches. It even preserves Kyubey's pun in original Japanese to some extent, although a witch would be more conventionally called "melefica" in Latin, rather than "magus". If interpreted a different way, "the sorcerer's girl", it implies that the girls are being used - which they are, by Kyubey.
First of all, Puella Magi Madoka Magica in and of itself means "Magical Girl of the Mage Madoka." If they had stuck with puella magica ("magical girl") as an important term, which they did not, then things would be much easier.
Instead, they went with Puella Magi, which means "Girl of the (Male) Mage," where the Magi is a masculine word. The feminine form is maga, which is Magae in the genitive singular. If the phrase were Puella Magae, although "Girl of the (Female) Mage" would be a possible translation, the Magae could be a appositive genitive so that the translation would be "Mage Girl," wherein both words in Puella Magae refer to the same individual -- the person is a girl and a mage. But I doubt that anything like that was intended here.
So, yes, if "Magical Girl" be the intended translation, Puella Magi is incorrect. "Girl of the Sorcerer" is a good translation of that Latin phrase.
Puella Maga is another possiblity for "Magical Girl," although one might want to avoid using maga because of its ambiguity as either the feminine of a well-known noun or a not-as-common adjective.
Malefica (literally, "evil-doer"), not melefica has been used to refer to an evil-doing witch, traditionally the only kind out there (as in Malleus Maleficarum). An Ozian Glinda, a benefica ("good-doer"), apparently would be a contradiction in terms. Other Latin words for "witch" are sagana and striga.
Other than that, I cannot see anything else on which to comment.
If only they had decided to stick with Puella Magica! They were so close!
"The Use of Latin in the Anime Series Puella Magi Madoka Magica"
I have been wanting to comment most on the title of this anime series for quite a while.
Here is a wiki that explains the title:
Facts and Observations
Puella Magi Madoka Magica
Puella Magi was supposed to be latin for "Magical Girl". However, if that was the intended translation, then "Puella Magi" is a mistranslation, and should have been either "Puella Maga" or "Puella Magica".
As-is, "Puella Magi" translates to "Girl of the Sorcerer".
Events of Episode 8 suggest that it may indeed be intentional. Disregarding the verbal gender of "magi" (male mage), when interpreted as "girl [form] of the sorcerer", it fits very well with the fact that Puella Magi are immature forms of witches. It even preserves Kyubey's pun in original Japanese to some extent, although a witch would be more conventionally called "melefica" in Latin, rather than "magus". If interpreted a different way, "the sorcerer's girl", it implies that the girls are being used - which they are, by Kyubey.
First of all, Puella Magi Madoka Magica in and of itself means "Magical Girl of the Mage Madoka." If they had stuck with puella magica ("magical girl") as an important term, which they did not, then things would be much easier.
Instead, they went with Puella Magi, which means "Girl of the (Male) Mage," where the Magi is a masculine word. The feminine form is maga, which is Magae in the genitive singular. If the phrase were Puella Magae, although "Girl of the (Female) Mage" would be a possible translation, the Magae could be a appositive genitive so that the translation would be "Mage Girl," wherein both words in Puella Magae refer to the same individual -- the person is a girl and a mage. But I doubt that anything like that was intended here.
So, yes, if "Magical Girl" be the intended translation, Puella Magi is incorrect. "Girl of the Sorcerer" is a good translation of that Latin phrase.
Puella Maga is another possiblity for "Magical Girl," although one might want to avoid using maga because of its ambiguity as either the feminine of a well-known noun or a not-as-common adjective.
Malefica (literally, "evil-doer"), not melefica has been used to refer to an evil-doing witch, traditionally the only kind out there (as in Malleus Maleficarum). An Ozian Glinda, a benefica ("good-doer"), apparently would be a contradiction in terms. Other Latin words for "witch" are sagana and striga.
Other than that, I cannot see anything else on which to comment.
If only they had decided to stick with Puella Magica! They were so close!