Learning a Dead Language I: The Basics
I just received a request from a friend who wants to study ancient Greek. Â I had previously recommended that she stay away from recent textbooks that tend to be too gimmicky–and overpriced–and from New Testament Greek texts. Â There is no such thing as New Testament Greek, which is nothing more than a rather simplistic form of the Koine which served as a common tongue in the Mediterranean world. Â Similarly, it is not very useful to think too much in terms of Vulgate Latin or Church Latin. Â It is much easier to learn the classical (and thus most perfect) forms of the language and then go on to the simpler, later versions, than the other way around. Â For Greek, my advice is to go back to older texts like Crosby and Schaeffer, either an old edition or the reprint by Bolchazzi-Carducci available on Amazon.
Here are a few guidelines–or rather firm rules–which I drew up for my friend this morning. Â As I get further requests, I shall amplify these rules. Â I am also quite happy to discuss my textbook preferences and my aversion for beginning with Koine or Church Latin.
Some Rules of the Game
1) You must plan to put in 5-7 hours of serious study per week. Â If you slack off one week, you must make it up in the next.
2) The study must be distributed fairly evenly. Â Work at least five days out of the week and never allow a hiatus of more than a day.
3) Learn everything from English to Greek, not from Greek to English.
4) Before trying to do any of the exercises, be sure you have memorized both the vocabulary and the forms. Â If there are things you have to look up, either from the new or from previous lessons, take the time to relearn them.
5) Nouns must be memorized thus: nominative, genitive, gender.
6) Adjectives must be memorized by the 3 or 2 gender forms.
7) Verbs must be memorized according to the principal parts given in the vocabulary. Â In the early stages, they only give two forms, so that as more parts are introduced, you must go back and memorize all the forms. Â Fortunately, this is not too difficult, because most of the verbs introduced early in a book are regular.
Write down vocabulary lists and/or paradigms either on notecards or in a small notebook.  Carry the lists everywhere, and, as you are waiting to get your teeth drilled or–to cite an even more painful experience–listening to your child’s music lesson, or taking a walk, go over the lists, always testing yourself.  Put a check mark beside words you have really mastered–though you should test this mastery every one in a while–but also note witj ! the important words  you are having trouble with.
9) In memorizing paradigms of nouns, adjectives, and verbs, it may be helpful, in the beginning, to translate as you go along–e.g.:  luo, I loosen; lueis, thou loosenest:  luei, he-she-it loosens.
10) Whatever book you use, be sure to memorize noun cases in the traditional order: Nominative, Genitive, Dative, Accusative, [and, in Latin, Ablative]
11) Experiment with learning “styles.” Â Rather few people learn by simply reading a book visually. Â It is generally better to say things out loud. Â Others are helped by writing out or copying forms and vocabulary. Â Some even do better by moving their body, e.g., marching, as they recite.
12) Do not try to concentrate on one aspect of learning too long. Â Work on memorization for 15-20 minutes, then do some reading, then writing.
3) Writing Greek or Latin is perhaps the most useful exercise you can do. Â Do not skimp and check your work very carefully. Â Be sure to follow traditional word order.
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Category: Learning Latin, The Autodidact
Can you please post your suggestions for texts for Latin study?
Dear Dr. Fleming,
Can you share any tips on teaching seven and eight year-olds Latin?
Thank you,
Harry
Both these questions deserve longer answers than I can give here. For high school and college students, I can recommend Jenny & Scudder. The earlier editions are better than the new one, but if you get the new one, it can be amplified by my CDs and study guide, which we are still selling at one third price if you are taking part in the Vergil discussion. For Middle School and High School, the Oxford series is pretty good, though if you decide on that, please read the comments my wife, who has taught it many times, is going to post on how to use it. For younger children, Cambridge has a charming series, if you don’t mind the fact that nearly all the characters get killed at Pompeii at the end of the first volume. I have learned that Cambridge has also a much-celebrated babified Latin text, called Minimus (the name of the mouse who is the hero). We are ordering it to take a look at it.
There are two or three things to bear in mind, when teaching Latin to elementary school children. The first is that they don’t know that they don’t have to learn anything and can thus be pushed harder than you might think. The second is that while they are incapable of the rational analytic thought that is required for understanding grammar, they have excellent memories and can pick up Latin, if it is taught regularly, in a fairly natural manner. I did not do a very good job with my children, though they did learn a good deal of Latin. Starting early with Cambridge is good, but this can be supplemented by memorizing a lot of everyday vocabulary, some of it connected with class. Bolchazzi has a pretty fair book on Conversational Latin by John Traupman. If you order it from them, tell them I sent you. They send me all their books but we can rarely review them in Chronicles. We are going, however, to plug some of them on this website, along with other useful books.
Dear Dr. Fleming,
Thank you for the advice.
Harry
Dr. Fleming,
I have just completed my first year of Latin in college. The courses used Wheelock and we went through 32 chapters. This summer I want to maintain and increase my knowledge of Latin. I recently purchased a Primer of Ecclesiastical Latin by John F. Collins because I eventually want to be able to read Aquinas and the other great Catholic theologians and philosophers. I was planning on working through it, while also working on exercises from Wheelock. Do you think this is a good idea? Should I hold off on the ecclesiastical Latin until I have done more classical?
Yes, you should postpone Ecclesiastical Latin until you can at least read Cicero and Augustine. Wheelock, though fairly good for home study, is an unfortunate choice for a classroom. The presentation of grammar in some places is less than satisfying and the paucity of connected prose and Latin composition skew the class toward passive learning. I would slog through Wheelock as rapidly as you can and move on to a decent second year book with a grammar review and lots of connected prose.
What second year book would you recommend that I use?
Also, why do you recommend mastering classical Latin first, even if a person will mainly be reading ecclesiastical Latin?
In reverse order, there are several problems with learning ecclesiastical Latin: first, you never know what you are going to study in the future, second, some Christian Latin is quite classical, third it is much easier to learn the full grammar and then go into the more relaxed version than vice versa, and, finally, a lot of ecclesiastical Latin, it seems to me, is taught like Spanish, that is, as a bonehead language.
You could use an old edition of Jenny and Scudder.
Would you recommend that I buy the second year book, or start from scratch with the first year book?
No, finish Wheelock and then move on. J& S II starts with a review–you can be brushing up as you finish Wheelock, even–along with fairly simple stories from mythology and Roman history.