Stephen, it doesn't matter, of, course, but in the quoted sentence
Forma Chelyos utravis Minoritonibus apta, sed Prima resonantior both the former and the latter clauses lack a copula. With the predicative "resonantior" being in nominative case, however, and so its related word "Prima", which bears on "Forma", it is clear that also "Forma utravis...apta" is in nominative case (not ablative). That notwithstanding, you are right in saying that ablative abolute may be built with noun and adjective, only. I hasten to add, especially with adjectives describing states of being. In those cases, the participle form of "esse" is being left out. It wasn't used in classical Latin. You might also say it didn't exist. C. Iulius Caesar was the first to use participle forms of "ens" (abl form "ente"), which came to be commonly used in medieval Latin (Thomas' De Ente et Essentia comes to mind). What's perhaps more interesting, is that Chelys, which may also mean "LUTE", is in a Greek genitive case here: chélyôs (Attic Greek, like in pólis / póleôs). -- Mathias >> Nevertheless, your first choice meets the case. The copula is omitted. Abl >> abs would require perf participle. > I double checked one of a number of Latin grammars on my shelf (one in > German, just for you!), and Gaar Schuster in "Lateinische Grammatik" writes: > "Ausser Partizipien stehen auch Substantiva und Adjektiva als Praedikativa > beim ablativus absolutus." As an example he gives "luna plena" = bei > Vollmond, or "Quieta Gallia" = Da Gallien ruhig war. These two examples seem > to me to be no different from "forma apta." > > Once again, not that it really matters, especially on a lute list. > > Stephen Arndt To get on or off this list see list information at http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
