Learning Latin

[Backwoods Presbyterian]

Since I am slightly unhinged I have decided to learn Latin over the summer.

Anyone know of good resources?

 

[CredoFidoSpero]

A lot of adult self-learners do well with Wheelock's. I like the Cambridge books myself, though they can be harder to do on your own. Allen and Greenough's is my favorite reference grammar, but I'm not sure if you need that starting out. Cassells is a good dictionary - the smaller paperback is great, but the larger, hardback version is worth it if you're in it for the long haul. I know there are a lot more out there, those are just the ones that I have used, actually taught some homeschoolers from Wheelock's at one point. I haven't really looked at some of the newer, 'whole language' learning stuff that is out there, like the Rosetta Stone.

There a lot of good resources online. Perseus Digital Library is one of my favorites, includes some good references, Latin language has some more links. I'm sure there's more out there, but those are some good places to start. And, of course, a lot of the books at Christian Classics Ethereal Library are available in both Latin and English if you get to the point where you want to try to practice your own translations. I was looking at Calvin's Institutes there the other day, but haven't tried to tackle that yet .

I was never formally certified to teach, but I was actually pretty good at teaching/tutoring beginning levels, and I am trying to get back into studying it on my own, so I would love to talk about it if you have any questions.

 

[greenbaggins]

Depends on which Latin you want to learn. If you want Classical Latin, go with Wheelock. If you want theological Latin, go with John F. Collins's A Primer of Ecclesiastical Latin. He's a Papist, so if you can endure every other sentence being about the Pope, you will learn theological Latin very well. You should definitely have Cassell's Latin dictionary. Also, you need to download this parsing program, which is unbelievably helpful.

 

[jogri17]

What seminary do you go to?

 

[fredtgreco]

One word: Wheelock.

 

[Backwoods Presbyterian]

One word: Wheelock.

Bought it on Amazon.

 

[fredtgreco]

Bene, amicissime vir!

 

[Prufrock]

After Wheelock's, you might try Wheelock's Latin Reader, which contains selections from Classical, the Vulgate, the Middle Ages, etc; or, Hammond and Amory compiled a very nice beginning reader, Aeneas to Augustus: A Beginning Latin Reader for College Students, which also works well after Wheelock's.

 

[fredtgreco]

Another treasure trove is Textkit. There are scads of PDFs of old Latin (and Greek) primers and exercise books (like D'Ooge on Cicero).

 

[Prufrock]

Another treasure trove is Textkit. There are scads of PDFs of old Latin (and Greek) primers and exercise books (like D'Ooge on Cicero).

I hadn't heard of that before; I'll have to check it out.

Also, in general, for anyone who wants to practice or refresh Greek or Latin, you might want to look into the Bryn Mawr Commentaries; there are more for Greek then Latin, but they can be very helpful. They're also cheap. They're little paper-bound booklets with a Greek or Latin text with helpful annotations in the back. I've used many of them, and always found them helpful when you encounter a new period or style without a teacher to guide you.

 

[fredtgreco]

Another treasure trove is Textkit. There are scads of PDFs of old Latin (and Greek) primers and exercise books (like D'Ooge on Cicero).

I hadn't heard of that before; I'll have to check it out.

Also, in general, for anyone who wants to practice or refresh Greek or Latin, you might want to look into the Bryn Mawr Commentaries; there are more for Greek then Latin, but they can be very helpful. They're also cheap. They're little paper-bound booklets with a Greek or Latin text with helpful annotations in the back. I've used many of them, and always found them helpful when you encounter a new period or style without a teacher to guide you.

Those are great. That really brings back memories. I was using them almost 20 years ago!

 

[Kevin]

Ben, a friend of mine taught himself latin after his undergrad degree.

Three degrees later (incl a PhD from Notre Dame) & he is a medievilist in Texas!

Be careful what you start.

(insert clever latin phrase here)

 

[Prufrock]

Fred, it wasn't quite that long ago for me, but they certainly are great! And for $5 or so new, you can't go wrong.

 

[DMcFadden]

Do any of you have an opinion of using the Rosetta Stone program for a "dead" language? In general, one would think that it is a superior method for learning a "language." But what say you experts???

 

[Carolyn]

I saw a workbook that was written to accompany Wheelock's. I think I was at Border's.

I am taking a "Latin in a Week" course that goes through Wheelock's during that time. A co-teacher took the course last summer and found it beneficial. I will be teaching at the "Primer A" level, so I'm not worried about retaining material at the upper level. At the same time, I didn't want to have my knowledge limited to the level I will be teaching.

 

[DMcFadden]

I saw a workbook that was written to accompany Wheelock's. I think I was at Border's.

I am taking a "Latin in a Week" course that goes through Wheelock's during that time. A co-teacher took the course last summer and found it beneficial. I will be teaching at the "Primer A" level, so I'm not worried about retaining material at the upper level. At the same time, I didn't want to have my knowledge limited to the level I will be teaching.

Wow! I would love to be exposed to a "Latin in a Week" type introduction. Does anyone know of such a thing in DVD form? It would be a worthwhile investment of time.

 

[Whitefield]

I really like Collins. Everything I try to read in Latin is ecclesiastical anyway.

 

[tgoerz]

One word: Wheelock.

Bought it on Amazon.

Did you get the Workbook for Wheelock's Latin 3rd ed by Comeau and LaFleur?

Also, Wheelock's Latin Reader.