I was curious about this phrase which was so often used by my students in the mass communication program. Its provenance in the world of sematics signifies that the phrase was used "to point" something, something outside the consciousness. It could be an object (of affection, a simulcra of desires, etc.). Well, the Latin objectum (pronounced as obyectum) means "something being thrown" in front of our consciousness.
Objectum per se may not be an equivalent of "tua ra", for the former is a noun while the latter is an action word. It speaks of a subject as if reaching out, "desiring" what is presented to its psyche. It does not speak of an object being known, but a subject trying to point, understand or even learn what is being presented.
"Tua ra" is a recognition of presence, something that presents itself. And in the process of this prescencing, the subject is "amazed", and called forth to exclaim "tua ra."
Recalling when those words were uttered by students, I noticed that the expresion was about:
(a) discovery of something anticipated, when they suddenly see two people doing something in a movie;
(b) amazement, when they are overwhelmed by what's being presented both visually and aurally;
(c) acceptance of the real, when they know that nothing can be further from the truth.
Yes, I see also faces of people uttering these words in my class. Tua ra!
Discover new words to see the meaning of our world - what have you discovered today?
