DrivingWithDido:HowICameToReadLatinExtensively

Postedon
October18,2014
by
JustinSlocumBailey
NOTE1:AlthoughthetextsareLatin,the50principlesoutlinedinthisarticleapplytoany
language.Dontletthetitledeteryou!
NOTE2:Thisarticleisjampackedwithsuggestionsforspecifictextsandspecifichabits.Asa
result,itis,well,extensive.Ifyouprefertoreadofflineorwanttobeabletozoomorsimplylove
theCambriafont,youcandownloadapdfofthearticle:
DrivingWithDidoHowICameTo
ReadLatinExtensively
Ifyoufindthearticleworthsharing,Iaskthatyousharethelinktothispageratherthanthe
downloadedfile.Youmightalsocommentonthispageinsteadofusingtheemailaddress
providedinthepdf,sothatwecanallbenefitfromyourinsightorinquiry!Forrelatedthoughts,
seetheblogposts
DontRead,Reread!
and
WhyYourReadingHabitWorks
.

DrivingWithDido
HowIcametoreadLatinextensively
WhenIstartedteachingLatin,Icouldntreaditmyself.NowIcannotquiteasfastasIread
mynativelanguages,butneverthelessinrealtimeandwithgreatenjoymentandprofit.Seven
oreightyearsago,itmighthavetakenmeanhourtomakesenseofapageofLatinproselast
year,IreadCiceros
ProArchia
withgleeduringhalfaprepperiodandroutinelytooktheedge
offcomputerlabdutybyimbibingmultiplechaptersof
NoctesAtticae
ordialoguesofErasmus.
Onatwodayroadtriplastsummer,Ilistenedwithgustototheentire
Aeneid,
sometimesusing
thespeedupfeaturesoastoreachagoodstoppingpointintheplotbeforereachingagood
stoppingpointonthedifferentlyepicPennsylvaniaturnpike.
So,whatchanged?Basically,Idiscoveredsomesuitabletextsanddevelopedsomehelpful
habits.Whilesharingtheseinconversationsduringthelasttwoyears,Ihavebeenaskedmany

timestodescribetheminwriting,whichentreatieshavefinallyresultedinthisarticle.Itfollowsa
middleroadbetweennarrativetestimonyandnakedlistoftexts,withtheresultthatthecore
featureofthisdocumentisasetofspecifictextsIreadinmyfirstseveralyearsoflearningLatin,
eachofwhichrepresentsagenreoratypeofreadingpursuitandisaccompaniedbyspecific
KeyPointsaboutreadinghabitsorreadingselection.Thenarrativeintroductionandinterludes
canbeskippedwithlittleloss,butIincludethembecausemanyaconversationpartnerhas
foundthecontexttheyprovideenlightening.
Whatfollowsisnotaprescription,orevenastrongsuggestion,butmerelyadescriptionofa
particularpersonspath.Nordoesitaddressalltypesoformotivationsforreadingitfocuseson
theexperienceofExtensiveReadingfortheenjoymentofatextandthebuildingofones
fluency.Ihopeyoufindsomethingofuse!
HowItBegan
Aboutayearaftergraduatingfromcollege,whileattendinggraduateschoolinadifferentfield,I
decideditwouldbefuntolearnLatin.
IcouldnthavenamedasingleLatintextbookotherthantheGermanpublisherLangenscheidts
ViaNova
,ofwhichIcouldgetmyhandsonlyonvolumeI,soIsoughtthereferencesectionat
BarnesandNobleandboughttheonlyLatintextbookthere:
WheelocksLatin,
6threv.ed.,
alongwith
WheelocksLatinWorkbook
.Thusbeganthejourneywhosephasesareroughly
outlinedbelow.
Phase1ThisIsNotReading
WheelocksLatin
waswrittenforsoldiers,andIobeyeditsinstructionsasdutifullyasone.I
learnedtheexactpronunciationpropoundedintheintroduction,exceptthatIsubstitutedItalian
vowelsfortheAmericanapproximationsinthetextbook.
IthinkIamoneofthefewusersof
thebookwhoactuallyfollowedtheinstructiononp.5toreadeachsentencealoudfrom
beginningtoendandtoreadforcomprehensionbeforeattemptingatranslation.(My

generalpracticewastoreadeachsentenceorpassagefirstsilentlytwice,thenaloud,
thensilentlyagain,andthentowriteatranslation.)
WheelocksLatin
has40chapters.Ireadallthechaptersandcompletedalltheexercisesinthe
textbookandworkbookin40days.NowIwasreadytoreadLatin.
Iintendedtoprovethisformyselfbyproceedingto
WheelocksLatinReader.
SoIboughtthe
Reader
andflippedtothefirstsection,whichconsistsofexcerptsfromCicerosorationsagainst
Verres.Beforefinishingthefirstpage(thatistosay,thesmallsectionofLatinthat,togetherwith
themapandtheEnglishnotesandglosses,constitutesthefirstpage),Ihadmadetwo
discoveriesthatcruciallyalteredmyLatinlearningand,later,myLatinteaching:
First,whatIwasdoingfindingtheglossforeverythirdword,readingallthegrammaticalnotes,
andthentryingtofigureoutwhatthetextmightmeanwasnotreading.Atleast,itwasnot
readinginthesensemostpeoplemeanwhentheytalkaboutreadingabook.
Second,whatIwasdoingthenwasnotwhatIwantedmyinteractionswithLatingenerallytobe
like.
SoIdidwhatanyonewoulddo:Igaveupandtriedreadingthe
Aeneid
instead.Thelineswere
shorter,and,unlikewithCicerosVerrines,Ihadactuallyheardofitandwouldthinkitcoolto
havereaditinLatin.
Ihadthesamebasicexperiencewiththe
Aeneid
asIhadhadwith
InVerrem
,butIrecognized
thatabigpartoftheproblemwasmysmallvocabulary,soIstartedstudyingthevocabofthe
Aeneid
byfrequency.Thisgotmefarenoughtobeginaudaciouslytutoring
APLatin:Vergil
students,whichishowaparticularHeadofSchoolheardthatIknewLatin(hedidntknowthatI
merelyknewLatin),whichishowIendedupahighschoolLatinteacherlessthanayearlater.
ButIstillcouldntread,inanysensethatsatisfiednotjustmyintellect,butalsomydefinitionof
reading,the
Aeneid
oranyotherLatinIknewof.
Itsworthnotingthat,despitemyinitialinabilitytoreadthem,Cicerosorationswouldtakeona
valuableroleinmyLatinreadingjourney:asaCiceronianspeechhadbeenthefirstbitofLatinI

hadeverencounteredoutsideofanintroductorytextbook,aCiceronianspeechbecamemy
barometerformeasuringtheimprovementofmyLatin.ThespeechIusedinthiswaywasthe
firstCatilinarian,forthegoofyreasonthatImisremembered
InCatilinam,
ratherthan
InVerrem
,
asthetextIhadfirstattempted.Iapproachedandabandoned
OratioinL.CatilinamPrima
periodicallybeforefinallyreadingthewholethingafewyearsaftertheinitialtry.NowIcanread
andenjoyitinasinglesitting,asIdidrecentlyonaflighttoCaboSanLucas.(Therewas
somethingaestheticallyblissfulaboutreadingthatparticularspeechwhilevoluntarilyexiling
myselffrommyowncountry,notforabusingsomeoneelsespatience,buttorestoremyown.)
Ipraise
Wheelocks
foritsinsistencethatonereadLatinaloudandthatonereadand
understandbefore,notby,translating.Bothofthesewerecrucialtomyfledglingfluency.
And
Wheelocks
isupfrontaboutitsgoal:tobeabookwhichprovidesboththerootsandat
leastsomeliteraryfruitsofasoundLatinexperienceforthosewhowillhaveonlyoneyearof
Latinintheirentireeducationalcareer,andabookwhichatthesametimeprovidesadequate
introductionandencouragementforthosewhoplantocontinuetheirstudiesinthefield(xiv).
WhatIdidntknowIneededsomethingthatismissingnotjustfrom
Wheelocks
andits
ancillaries,butfrommosttextbooksofanylanguagewashundredsofpagesofcaptivating
readingateverylevel.
KeyPointsfromPhase1:
1.1.Knowwhatyouwanttobeabletodo.
1.2.Distinguishbetweenreadinganddeciphering.
1.3.Readaloud.
1.4.Identifyabarometertextthatyoucancomebacktoinordertogaugeyourprogress.
Textsthatplayedakeyrole:
WheelocksLatinTextbook,Workbook,
and
ReaderC
iceros
FirstCatilinarianOration
Vergils
Aeneid

Phase2Flow
miliaRomana
EarlyinmysecondyearofteachingLatinIhavenoideawhyittookthislongandIm
ashamedthatitdidIrealizedInotonlydidntreallyknowLatin,butalsodidntknow
howtoteachit.
SoIdidwhatanyonewould:ItypedHowtoteachLatinintoGoogle.Idont
remembermostofwhatIfound,butIknowIendedupontheLatinteachlistserv,whereIheard
ofthethenyounglatinbestpracticesYahoogroup.ThroughthelatterIlearnedofabookandof
anorganization(
SALVI
)that,incombination,helpedmefindmywayoutofattemptingmerelyto
decodeLatintexts.IsayfindmywaybecauseIwasgenuinelylost.IwassureIneededtobe
doingsomethingdifferentlyifIwasactuallytobeabletoreadLatinfluently,buthadnthadany
ideawheretoturn.IhadntknownasinglepersonwhoknewLatin.
ThebookwasHansrbergs
LinguaLatinaPerSeIllustrata:FamiliaRomana
(hereafter
FR
).I
judgedataglancethatitwouldntmakeagoodtextbook(notenoughexplicitgrammar
instruction,Ithought),butthatitmightmakeahelpfulreaderforsomeonelikemewhohad
alreadymemorizedtheparadigms.
Idecidedtotrytoread
FR
withoutattemptingtotranslateanyofitintoanotherlanguage,since
itwascleartomethatpartofthepointoflearningalanguageisnottoneedatranslation.Doing
this,Iwasabletoflowuntilchapter7or8atthatpoint,thevocabularybecameoverwhelming.
FR
introduces,onaverage,justunder50wordsperchapter,
allofwhicharemeanttobe
masteredbeforeoneproceedstothenextchapter.
Also,becauseofthesubjectmatterthe
dailylifeofaRomanfamilythereweremanywordsIhadntencounteredin
Wheelocks
orthe
Aeneid
.
Here,forreasonsIcantrecall,Imadeadecisionthatworkedwondersformyreadingability:
I
didntabandonthebook,butneitherdidIturnmyenergiestostudyingthevocabulary
thatseemedtobemystumblingblock,asIhadtriedwhengoingthroughthe
Aeneid.

Instead,Isimplystartedbackatthebeginningofthebook,andagainreadasfarasI
could.
Ifigured,correctly,asitturnedout,thatIwouldinternalizeabitmoreofthevocabulary
eachtimeIrereadthechaptersandthuswouldeventuallymakeitfurtherandfurtherthrough
thebookintheprocess,Ihoped,thesyntaxwouldbecomesecondnature.Imightread

chapters17threedaysinarow,thenchapters19fourdaysinarow,thenchapters112
severaldaysinarow,andsoforth.(Thereare35chapters,ofwhichthelastisagrammatical
dialogueadaptedfromDonatuss
ArsMinor.
)Inthisway,afterafewweeks,Iwasreadingup
throughthechaptersinthemidtwenties,atwhichpoint,fortimereasons,Ibegantodividemy
readingofthebookovermultipledays.Afterabouttwomonths,Icouldflowthroughtheentire
storyoverthecourseoftwoorthreedays,withoutanyproblemsofvocabularyorsyntax.
Eventually,IcompletedthesameprocesswithVolumeII:
RomaAeterna,
althoughittookalot
longerthanwithVolumeI
.
Bytheway,Iendedupconvincingmystudentsparentstobuythem
FR.

KeypointsfromPhase2:
2.1.Readwhatyoucansomethingeasyenoughthatyoucanflowthroughitandthusread
lotsofit.
2.2.Readthesamethingoverandoveragain.
2.3.Intextsofgraduallyincreasingdifficulty,keepstartingoveratthebeginninginsteadof
pickingupwhereyoulaststruggled.
2.4.Readthepassagesindifferenttextbookseries(e.g.,
WheelocksLatin,LinguaLatinaPer
SeIllustrata,CambridgeLatinCourse,OxfordLatinCourse,LatinforAmericans,EcceRomani,
LatinfortheNewMillennium)
differentseriesfocusondifferentwordsandstructures,and
startingatthebeginningofeachserieswillmakethereadingseasyenoughthatyoucanreada
highervolumeatasitting.
2.5.Bewillingtochangeyourapproach.
Textsthatplayedakeyrole:
Hansrbergs
LinguaLatinaPerSeIllustrata:FamiliaRomana
and
LinguaLatinaPerSe
Illustrata:RomaAeterna

Phase3SothatshowyousayitinLatin!
Throughreading
FR
IhadbecomeconvincedofthevalueofwhatIwouldlaterlearniscalled
ExtensiveReading,i.e.,spendingextendedtimereadingmanypagesofatextthatisinteresting
enoughandeasyenoughforonetodoso,asopposedtoIntensiveReading,whichinvolves
decoding,analysis,orboth,andthereforerequiresshorterpassagesatasession.Theproblem
wasthatIstilldidntknowofanyotherLatintextsthatIcouldreadExtensively.
JustbeforeSALVIsimmersionevent
RusticatioVirginiana2008,
IdiscoveredPeterNeedhams
translationsofthefirsttwoHarryPotterbooks,andIdecidedtoreadthemrightafter
Rusticatio
tomakethemostofmynewlyactivatedLatin.Therewasamajorpracticalobstacle,becauseI
departedtwodaysafter
Rusticatio
onathreeweekraftingandhikingtripthroughtheGrand
Canyon,butIstillmanagedtoreadaboutachapteradayin
HarriusPotteretPhilosophiLapis
and
HarriusPotteretCameraSecretorum
.Idecidednottolookupanywords,buttounderline
wordsthatIwantedtolookuplater.Flippingthroughmywaterloggedcopies,Iseeaboutone
wordperpageunderlined.
ItisimportanttoemphasizethatIcouldreadthe
HarryPotter
booksExtensivelyinLatinonly
becauseIhadreadtheEnglishoriginalsseveraltimesotherwise,manywordsperpagewould
havebaffledme.
Ivesincereadthetranslationslistedbelowmanytimeseachandhaveenjoyedrecognizingthe
waysinwhichmyownLatinhasimprovedalongtheway:IunderstandthingsIdidnt
understandbefore,IcatchmistakesIwouldnthavecaughtbefore,andImakeconnections
betweenthesetextsandothersthatIhavereadinthemeantime.
KeypointsfromPhase3:
3.1.Readsomethinginwhichyoualreadyknowwhathappens.
3.2.Readsomethingthatyouwanttoreadforhours.
3.3.ItsokaytoreadinauthentictextstheirLatinmightstillbebetterthanyours.

3.4.RereadtranslationsintoLatinandgaugetheprogressofyourfluencybothbyyour
increasedunderstandingandbyyourrecognitionoferrorsandofphrasesmoreredolentofthe
originalidiomthanofLatin.
Textsthatplayedakeyrole:
HarriusPotter(etPhilosophiLapis,etCameraSecretorum)
and
othertranslations(
WinnieIllePu,MysteriumArcaeBoul

,FabulaeDivales,
etc.)
Phase42300YearsOfGreatStuff
Theapproachofthisarticlechangeshere,becausereadingandrereadingallthosetranslations
gavemeagoodenoughideaofExtensiveReadingandadecentenoughreadingabilitytostart
readingwidelywithprofit,first,mainlypostclassicaltexts,then,classicaltextsaswell.
Fromhereon,titlesofassortedtextsoranthologiesIreadinthelastfiveorsixyearsand,in
mostcases,reread,arelistedwiththebriefestdescriptions,followedbyKeyPoints.Thisisnot
anexhaustiveaccountofmyreadingIveincludedtextsthathighlightparticularpointsabout
readingExtensively.ManyoftheKeyPointscouldbederivedfrommanyofthetexts,butIve
usuallylistedthemjustonce.IvetriedtokeeptheKeyPointsconciseifyouwouldlikefurther
explanationofhowtheyemergefrommyexperiencewiththetexts,pleaseinquireinthe
Commentssection!IamalsohappytorecommendmoretextsintheCommentssection.
Beesons
PrimerOfMedievalLatin,
ananthologyofmedievalproseandpoetry
Keypoints:
4.1.Enjoysomeoneelsesselections.
4.2.Readsomethingwhosevarietykeepsyoucomingbacktoit.
4.3.Discoverauthors,texts,genres,registers,andvocabularyyouhaventencountered.
thelatinlibrary.com,whichcontainscompletetextsofmanyclassical,medieval,
Renaissance,andpostRenaissanceworks
Keypoints:

4.4.Readstuffthatseasytoaccessandfreetoread.
4.5.Sometimes,justbrowsereadwithoutgettingthroughentiretexts.
4.6.Discoverauthorsandtextsofwhichyouhaventheard(e.g.,KarlMarxs
Matura
essay,
JohnOwenssepigrams,EdmondHalleyspoetry,Alcuinsriddles).
RenaissanceversionsofAesopsFables,e.g.,thosecollectedbyLauraGibbsin
Mille
FabulaeetUna
(ofwhichrecordingsareavailable
here
atIndwellingLanguage!)
Keypoints:
4.7.Readwidelyinaparticulargenre.
4.8.Enjoydifferentversionsofthesamestory.
4.9.Absorbdifferentstorytellingconventions.
Lhomonds
EpitomeHistoriaeSacrae
,asummaryofafewhundredbiblicalstoriesin
classicalLatin
Keypoints:
4.10.Readsomethingwithshortinstallments.
4.11.Readsomethingofwhichyoucaneasilyandquicklycreateaudiorecordings.
4.12.Readbiblicalstoriesrewritteninclassicalidiom.
NoctesAtticae
ofAulusGellius,amiscellanyoflinguistic,practical,philosophical,
mythological,legal,andliterarytidbits.
Keypoints:
4.13.Readsomethingquirky.
4.14.Readsomethingyouwanttoreadeveryday.

4.15.Readnoncanonicalclassicaltexts.
Fabulae
ofHyginus,shortproseversionsofmyths
Keypoints:
4.16.Readafriendsrecommendations.(IlearnedofthesestoriesfromElliotGoodman.)
4.17.Enjoyrecognizingatextspetphrases.
Colloquia
dialoguesbyErasmus,Vives,Heyden(audioavailable
here
atIndwelling
Language!),andmanyothers
Keypoints:
4.18.Readstuffabout(someones)everydaylife.
4.19.AbsorbdifferentregistersofLatin.
4.20.Readlotswritteninthe1stand2ndperson.
AFirstLatinReader
byH.C.Nutting,withreadingsfrombothRomanandAmerican
history
Keypoints:
4.21.Therearesomegemsoutthere.
4.22.Readthingsthatweredesignedtobetranslated,withoutactuallytranslating.
4.23.ReadinLatinaboutthingsyounormallywouldntreadaboutinLatin.
4.24.Learn/revisitsomenonEuropeanhistoryinLatin.
OrationsofCicero
Keypoints:

4.25.ReadsomethingsatisfyingorexhilaratingIsmiletomyselfonceortwiceaparagraphas
IenjoyCicerosturnsofphraseorhowhesetsupaconclusion.
4.26.ReadwhatformillenniahasbeenagotoexampleoffluidLatin.
4.27.Readlongishtextsatasinglesitting.Mygeneralpracticeis,ifatallpossible,toreadina
singlesittinganytextthatwasmeanttoberead,delivered,orperformedatonego.This
includesmostorations,letters,andplays.
LettersofCicero(
EpistulaeadFamiliares,adAtticum,adBrutum,adQuintum)

Keypoints:
4.28.Readtextsindifferentgenresbythesameauthor.
4.29.ReadeverydayeducatedLatin.
LettersofSeneca(
EpistulaeMoralesadLucilium
)
Keypoints:
4.30.Readshort,highdensitythings.
4.31.Rereadshort,highdensitytextsoverthecourseofaweek.Hereisasample5day
scheme:1.Read,2.Read+conductwordstudy,3.Read,4.Read+record,5.Read+
composeLatinresponse/reflection/exercise.
4.32.Dosomethingwithwhatyouread(cf.5dayschemeabove).
GeneralSuggestionsandEncouragement
1. Readinvariousways:sometimesaloud,sometimessilentlysometimesfast,
sometimesslowlysometimesforalongtime,sometimesforashorttime.
2. RecordyourselfreadingLatinandlistentoyourrecordingsinthecar,while
doingchores,whileshopping,etc.Icannotemphasizeenoughthevaluethis

hashadforme.(Youcanlistentoaselectionofmyrecordingsonthe
Latin
Audio
page.)
3. Readwhatinterestsyou.Youllreadmuchmoreifyourekeenonthe
content.
4. Exceptforaclass,ajob,orpersonaldiscipline,dontbotherreading
somethingyoudontfeellikereadingjustbecauseyouthinkyouresupposed
tohavereadit.Ifyoudiscoverafterstartingatextthatyourenotreally
interested,dontfeellikeyouhavetofinishit.
5. Figureoutreadinghabitsthatworkforyouandcultivatethem.
7Comments

NickT.
May7,2015at12:54pm

Reply
Excellentarticle!Thoroughlypractical.Thankyouverymuch.
WhenyouweregoingthroughOrberg,didyoudoallthepensa?Alsotheadditionalexercise
book?DidyoudothesameinRomaAeterna?

jsbailey
May7,2015at5:44pm

Reply
Thankyou,Nick!
Ididnotdomanyofthe
pensa
or
exercitia
for
FamiliaRomana.
For
RomaAeterna,
Idid
domostofthesupplemental
exercitia
throughCap.XLIV.Lookingbackat
Exercitia
LatinaII
forthefirsttimeinalongtime,IseethatIstoppedabruptlyatthatpoint.My
guessisthat,bythattime,Ihadfiguredoutthatdoingwrittenexercisesofalmostany
kindisrarelyasefficientassimplyreadingmore(orrereading).
Arethereanyresourcesorhabitsthatyouvefoundparticularlyhelpful?

NickT.
May7,2015at10:22pm

Reply

Thankyouforthefeedback.Ifeelthesamewayaboutwrittenexercises.Theyweregoodfor
metocheckmyaccuracy,butinthelongruntheyboggedmedown,causingmetoover
analyzethegrammarandstrippingthewordsfromtheirmeaningfulcontext.
ImademywaythroughFRafewyearsago,butIwenttooquickly.Thevocabulary
overwhelmedmeinthesecondvolume.ButoverallOrbergistheonlytextthatmademeread
latinaslatin.
AfterattemptingtoreadRomaAeternatooquickly(notrereadingenough),Itriedtoread
CiceroandyourexperiencewasexactlymineIcoulddecipherthemeaningafteragreatdealof
analysis,butultimatelyallpleasurewassuckedoutofthereadingandIwasnotreadinglikea
humanbeingwasmeantread.Yourpointaboutinteresting,evenenjoyablereadingishuge.
AfterIgetthroughOrbergImlookingforwardtoreadingIlleHobbitus.
ImgoingtogiveyourmethodatrybecauseitringstruewithwhatIhavefoundeffective.
Vocabularystickswithmewhenfoundinameaningful,interestingcontext.Forthisreason,
flashcardshavebeenofnohelptome,evenanimpediment.Teachingmylittledaughtersimple
commandshasburnedvocabularyinmymind.Recordingmyselfinsimpleconversationsand
respondinghavebeenveryhelpfulaswell.Attemptingtospeakwithfriendshasbeenhelpful
butitsometimesfeelsliketheblindleadingtheblind.Orbergsmethodoflatinsynonymsand
antonymshasalsobeenagreathelp.
Didyourereadallthechapterseachday?Ifsohowtimeconsumingwasthat?Icanimagine
RomaAeternatookafewyears!
Thankyouagainforyourservice.ThisissomeofthebestadviceIhavecomeacrossfor
learningthisbeautifullanguage.

Matthew
May15,2015at10:38pm

Reply
OneobstaclesometimesIfindwhenIrereadthingsisthatIdontreadwiththesamefocuson
thewordsbecauseIknowwhatisabouttobesaidandIworryImnotreallyreadingtheLatin

asLatinbutthe2ndor3rdtimeetc.justrememberingthecontentthatIlearnedfromreadingit
before.Inotherwords,Imightnotnoticeimplicitlythesyntax(i.e.Imightnotbereadingvery
carefully)butjustseewordsandimposethemeaningfromalreadyknowingthecontext.
Hopefullythismakessense.Doyouseethisasaproblemorknowofawaytoavoidthis?Ive
alwaysthoughttheperfectkindofthingtoreadwithOerbergwouldbeastorythatincludedall
thesamevocabofOerbergbutwithatotallydifferentplotoruseofthewords.

CharlesNankin
January14,2016at2:43am

Reply
Thankyougreatcircumnavigatoroftheworldvialanguages(notboat?).
SpeakingofresurrectedlanguagescanyourecommendanybeginnerstextsinmodernHebrew
thatmightfitinwithaCIapproach?
Kindthanks,

jsbailey
January15,2016at1:44am

Reply
Hi,Charles,itsnotfullyalignedwithCIprinciples,butIhavefoundthePimsleurcourse
forModernHebrewquitehelpful.Foralearnermotivatedenoughtolistentoallthe
sentencesaboutgoingtothehoteltodrinkwine,Pimsleurreallymakesthelanguage
soundnaturalfast.Buyingthecourseisexpensive,butIvealwaysbeenabletofind
Pimsleurcoursesatthepubliclibrary.

ioannalaeta
March5,2016at12:39am

Reply
JustfoundthisandamamazedathowmyLatinreadingjourney,stillinitsinfancy,mirrors
yours.ItoobeganbyteachingtheAeneid(fortheIBexam),andmyfrustrationwithusing
WheelocksinthatcontextledmetotheonlinediscoveryofOerberg.Iboughtanddevoured
FR,usingittoteachmorefluenttextcomprehensionwithgoodresults.Afterthat,Iplowed
throughRomaAeternathevocabwasntsuchahurdlebecauseIhadbeenstudyingLatinfor
years,butthematerialdidntinterestmethatmuchnevertheless,Ipersevered.Ithenattended

aConventiculum,whichintroducedmetoaspectsofcurrentlanguageacquisitiontheoryand
pedagogy,andwasmyfirsthaltingexperiencewithspokenLatin.Becauseofmybackgroundin
Latingrammar,decoding,andstudyofclassicalLatintexts,Ihavecloseto100%aural
comprehensionofevenadvancedlecturesandconversations,butmyspeakingstilllagsfar
behindperhapsnowhavingattainedanintermediatebeginnerslevel.Duringthisphase,I
readasmuchofErasmusColloquiaFamiliariaasIcould,withgreatdelightandprofit,aswell
asSulpiciusSeverusLifeofSt.Martinwhich,tomysurpriseandjoy,Icouldnowactually
readslowly,butfairlyfluently!Iwouldrecommenditforthispurpose.NowIamnearlyfinished
withamedievalLatinreaderpublishedinGermany(Schulz:MittellateinischesLesebuch),which
containsavarietyofshortandinterestingexcerptsfromsignificanttexts:EinhardsLifeof
Charlemagne,PaulusDiaconusHistoryoftheLangobards,Heisterbachscollectionof
hairraisingmiracles,deVoraginesGoldenLegend(LivesoftheSaints),OttovonFreisings
DeedsofFredericktheGreat,AquinasProofofGod,themostimportantearlyChristianhymns
andsequencesbyAmbroseetal.,troubadoursongsincludingtheCarminaBurana,and
historicaldocumentssuchaspapalbulls,theCorcordatofWorms,andtheMagnaCarta.Allof
theseIwouldrecommendaswell,accordingtoonesinterest.
IalsotrytolistentoasmuchgoodLatinonlineaspossiblee.g.yours,andLatinlecturessuch
asLuigiMiragliasandothersatEuropeanLatinconventions.Forabsorbingthemetersof
classicalpoetry,therecordingsofVivariumNovum(EusebiusTothssettings)arevaluable.
Iamtornbetweenseveralthingstotacklenext:themostcommonlyreadspeechesofCicero,or
someofhisletters,AulusGellius(inspiredbyyou),HarryPotter(!),ormoreErasmus
Onemoreenthusiasticpersonalrecommendation:AsterixinLatin!RubricastellanusLatinityis
decent,andthematerialisnothingifnotengaging,andconversationaltoo,sincetheyrecomic
books.
Finally,thankyouforyourincrediblyhelpfultips,recommendations,andmaterials.Theyarean
inspiration!