If you’ve gotten any email from me since the pandemic, you’ve probably noticed that I’ve added a new sign-off phrase: Scripturus te saluto.

Where did it come from?

I blame the pandemic, myself. You see, the pandemic didn’t change all that much about my day-to-day life. I was already spending all day in a room by myself, with my keyboard,

But I started hearing about how other people were using it to learn new languages and skills and the like. And I’ve always enjoyed learning languages.

Around the time I was deciding to work on a language again, my local community college finally offered Latin. At the same time that they’d gone entirely online.

I was quick to sign up, and enjoyed two semesters of that ancient language with an excellent instructor. We even continued the class for a time when the CC failed to offer a third semester.

If he hadn’t had to move, we might still be going.

Anyway, while studying any given language, I always try to get myself thinking in it, outside of class exercises. (No easy feat with Latin. It’s a complex language.)

It was while playing with the language outside of class that I came up with that phrase.

What Does It Mean?

There’s a famous saying, said by gladiators to the Caesar before their match began: morituri te salutamos. It means, “We, who are about to die, salute you.”

I was thinking about those words while we studied the verb tenses involved in the sentence’s construction. As practice, I tweaked it into scripturus te saluto. “I, who am about to write, salute you.”

I like it as an email sign-off phrase, because when I finished an email, odds are good that the next thing I’ll do is write something.

Is This Your Official Latin Motto?

Dear gods no. It’s just something I do for fun. What can I say, this kind of thing amuses me.

I periodically play with the idea of selecting a Latin motto, but have yet to decide on one that I feel suits me.

I do like the idea of a Latin motto, though. Not necessarily something I’d put on a business card, per se, but something I could say to myself when I need to. A way to gather strength and confidence, in times of uncertainty.

I’m not sure that’s supposed to be the point of a Latin motto, mind you. Just what I would do with one if I had one.

For now, though, scripturus te saluto.