Saturday, September 10, 2011

Diederich Ranking of Latin Words by Frequency

It's now three weeks into our semester and it's clear that I just won't have the time/focus it takes to add materials to the actual Scala during the school year, so I am going to leave that where I stopped at 3000 (a nice round number, thank goodness). I would like to keep doing something here, though, so I have decided to do a frequency-based presentation of the proverbs, based on Paul Bernard Diederich's listing of the 300 most frequent Latin words (see below). In some ways, while this is less elegant than the Scala, it might actually prove to be more useful for Latin students and teachers! I'll add one word every day, based on which new word yields some new proverbs and sayings. :-)

Note that my list below is slightly different from Diederich because I consolidated the different forms of the personal pronouns under the first listing of each one, and in cases where the number of citations is identical, my ordering may be different from Diederich.

1. -que, 6771
2. qui, quis 6553
3. et, 6412
4. sum, 4853
5. in, 3481
6. is, 1998
7. hic, 1995
8. non, 1827
9. cum, 1567
10. ad, 1563
11. ille, 1461
12. ut, 1450
13. omnis, 1184
14. a, ab, 1128
15. suus, 1111
16. dico, 1068
17. nec, 1056
18. de, 935
19. sed, 924
20. ipse, 876
21. si, 825
22. per, 820
23. possum, 789
24. facio, 785
25. video, 768
26. meus, 756
27. habeo, 654
28. ego, 626
29. tuus, 625
30. e, ex 624
31. se, 610
32. deus, 600
33. tu, 591
34. me, 590 = see ego
35. res, 578
36. iam, 572
37. do, 566
38. atque, 565
39. aut, 544
40. alius, 536
41. dies, 536
42. noster, 529
43. rex, 494
44. tibi, 492 = see tu
45. venio, 470
46. multus, 466
47. unus, 429
48. magnus, 419
49. autem, 412
50. ne, 400
51. homo, 398
52. tempus, 391
53. etiam, 390
54. ac, 389
55. quidam, 389
56. tu, 382 = see tu
57. primus, 370
58. enim, 369
59. tamen, 367
60. fero, 367
61. tantus, 361
62. volo, velle 354
63. ego, 354 = see ego
64. sic, 351
65. locus, 349
66. nullus, 342
67. pater, 341
68. dominus, 340
69. nunc, 333
70. manus, 321
71. modus, 319
72. vero, 315
73. animus, 314
74. terra, 308
75. vir, 300
76. idem, 297
77. domus, 296
78. vel, 294
79. quia, 294
80. neque, 291
81. totus, 288
82. audio, 287
83. pars, 284
84. vita, 282
85. nox, 282
86. sibi, 279 = see se
87. bonus, 278
88. nam, 277
89. at, 277
90. inter, 268
91. corpus, 266
92. malus, 262
93. nomen, 260
94. amor, 257
95. quod, 252
96. iste, 252
97. ago, 249
98. dum, 247
99. mors, 245
100. solus, 245
101. sine, 244
102. annus, 244
103. puer, 243
104. nihil, 242
105. longus, 241
106. caelum, 239
107. ita, 232
108. filius, 230
109. ubi, 229
110. quoque, 225
111. ante, 224
112. carmen, 224
113. quidem, 221
114. nos, 219
115. O, 218
116. urbs, 216
117. quisque, 215
118. post, 213
119. sub, 213
120. aio, 212
121. aliquis, 208
122. capio, 207
123. eo, ire 203
124. teneo, 202
125. amo, 202
126. nisi, 201
127. miles, 200
128. semper, 198
129. nos, 197 = nos
130. causa, 196
131. verbum, 195
132. tunc, 194
133. quaero, 193
134. tum, 192
135. accipio, 192
136. pro, 192
137. quantus, 191
138. vis, 190
139. bellum, 190
140. pono, 190
141. fio, 189
142. mater, 189
143. frater, 189
144. iubeo, 188
145. talis, 188
146. peto, 187
147. os, oris 187
148. opus, 186
149. tam, 185
150. duco, 185
151. verus, 184
152. sanctus, 184
153. lego, -ere 180
154. credo, 178
155. cura, 178
156. mitto, 176
157. plus, 175
158. scio, 175
159. vinco, 175
160. vivo, 175
161. mens, 175
162. maximus, 174
163. ignis, 174
164. puella, 174
165. hostis, 173
166. fortis, 173
167. ceterus, 172
168. arma, 171
169. mos, 171
170. saepe, 169
171. voco, 168
172. genus, 167
173. amicus, 167
174. -ne, 164
175. vox, 164
176. alter, 163
177. magis, 162
178. scribo, 162
179. duo, 161
180. sequor, 160
181. summus, 159
182. moveo, 159
183. ars, 159
184. caput, 159
185. quam, 158
186. novus, 158
187. dulcis, 158
188. natura, 157
189. doceo, 157
190. maior, 155
191. loquor, 155
192. iuvenis, 155
193. populus, 154
194. pes, 154
195. -ve, 153
196. ergo, 153
197. invenio, 150
198. labor, laboris 150
199. aqua , n 150
200. refero, 149
201. virtus, 148
202. gravis, 148
203. Romanus, 147 (this has 147 citations; I don't know why it is not on the list!)
204. ibi, 147
205. mare, 147
206. via, 144
207. consilium, 143
208. debeo, 143
209. sol, 143
210. natus, 143
211. super, 143
212. inquam, 142
213. coepi, 142
214. certus, 140
215. sto, 140
216. medius, 139
217. sicut, 139
218. sacer, 139
219. pectus, 138
220. vos, 137
221. altus, 137
222. cunctus, 136
223. oculus, 135
224. satis, 134
225. valeo, 133
226. senex, 132
227. vester, 132
228. puto, 131
229. studium, 131
230. gens, 131
231. publicus, 130
232. secundus, 130
233. redeo, 129
234. equus, 129
235. numquam, 127
236. fugio, 126
237. quisquis, 126
238. orbis, 126
239. itaque, 125
240. quasi, 125
241. gratia, 125
242. regnum, 125
243. relinquo, 124
244. miser, 123
245. dux, 122
246. fortuna, 121
247. igitur, 121
248. simul, 121
249. littera, 119
250. lex, 119
251. bene, 119
252. respondeo, 119
253. gero, 118
254. unde, 118
255. aurum, 118
256. cano, 116
257. quisquam, 117
258. soleo, 117
259. honor, 117
260. tres, 117
261. munus, 117
262. fatum, 117
263. apud, 116
264. civitas, 116
265. laus, 116
266. fides, fidei 116
267. patria, 116
268. aetas, 113
269. ingenium, 113
270. mons, 113
271. finis, 112
272. parens, 112
273. ratio, 111
274. iter, 111
275. reddo, 111
276. quicumque, 111
277. signum, 110
278. nosco, 110
279. deinde, 109
280. adsum, 109
281. ferus, 109
282. orior, 108
283. licet, 108
284. anima, 108
285. inde, 107
286. melior, 107
287. timeo, 107
288. mereo, 107
289 Caesar, 107 (I guess Diederich did not include proper names)
290. ullus, 107
291. uterque, 105
292. plenus, 105
293. usque, 105
294. dignus, 104
295. placeo, 104
296. seu, 104
297. castra, 103
298. paro, 103
299. levis (light), 103
300. propter, n. 103
301. fleo, 103
302. prior, 103

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