INTRODUCTION TO THE LATIN LANGUAGE
Introduction.
This course is an introduction to the classical
Latin language. The first semester will cover the elementary
morphology (the study of forms) and the basic syntax (the formation of sentences) of the language, using Wheelock's Latin
Grammar (Sixth Edition).
The grading for this course is divided between the following elements:
Generally speaking, daily assignments will not be collected but they will
be discussed in class. You must be prepared to discuss these assignments
on a daily basis in order to get a full participation grade. Weekly
quizzes will be the main indicator of your current progress, and on-line
drill exercises will help you to study for these.
No grade is given for attendance per se, but you will be dropped
after the fourth unexcused absence. You will also be dropped after
failing three quizzes or the midterm. This may sound harsh, but
I want to keep you from wasting your time. Absences will seriously
affect your learning, and failed quizzes are a symptom that you simply
are not studying.
There are three required texts for this course (make sure you have the
stated editions). These are to be found at the UH bookstore (but
also any number of other places).
1. Frederic Wheelock. Wheelock's Latin. 6th
edition, Revised . Harper Collins,
2005. ISBN 0-06-078371-0
2. Anne Groton and James May. 38 Latin Stories.
5th revised edition w/corrections. Bolchazy-Carducci, 2000. ISBN 086516289-1
3. Norma Goldman and Ladislas Szymanski. English
Grammar for Students of Latin. 3rd edition. Olivia and
Hill Press, 2004. ISBN 0-934034-34-6
What You Can Expect from
LATIN 1301-2
The Good News.
Learning Latin is not an exercise in masochism. It can seriously
contribute to your education in the following ways:
-
As with the study of any foreign language, you will become more aware of
grammatical constructions in English, and this will certainly improve the
quality of your own writing and your ability to analyze texts. Many
students come to enjoy grammatical analysis and treat it as a kind of game
or puzzle.
-
Latin is especially helpful for building up a learned vocabulary (GRE words).
You will come to know more precisely how to use words like: inexorable,
inevitable, impecunious, tergiversation, prevarication, mendacity, etc.
Those of you with hopes for a career in law or medicine will especially
benefit from the study of Latin vocabulary. In addition, you will
understand many Latin expressions still current in English: habeas corpus,
sine die, eo ipso, per se, nihil obstat, etc.
-
The study of Latin will also greatly facilitate the study of a modern Romance
language, like French, Spanish, Italian or Portuguese. It will also
help you to understand many of the cultural references made in the literatures
of those languages as they are written in Western Europe.
-
Most of all, if you progress in your study of Latin, you will come to appreciate
the style, expressive power, and economy of a language that was for centuries
the main international language of the Western European intelligentsia.
You can go on to read some of the world's most famous poetry and oratory,
and can also enjoy the words to some of the world's best loved music (like
Mozart's Requiem). If you take a full two years of Latin, you will
be introduced to short pieces of Latin literature. Beginning in the
third year, all Latin courses are centered on a major literary text.
Believe it or not, we have had many students who take advanced level Latin
literature courses exclusively for their personal enjoyment.
HOW TO SUCCEED IN LATIN 1301-2
It is important for you to realize that this course will require you
to work at a steady and consistent pace all semester long. The study
of any language is not impossibly difficult as long as you keep up with
the daily segments. However, the moment you fall behind, things become
much more difficult because language learning is incremental; that means
that you must retain everything you learn, including vocabulary, as you
proceed through the material. You cannot afford to take a
week off. This remains true even if you have studied Latin before;
don't let prior experience make you lazy. If you must pass this class
in order to graduate, then I advise you to study; don't rely on my personal
kindness.
Here are some words of advice.
-
Learn to do all the assignments all of the time. This
will seem like a lot of work at first, but by doing these exercises, you
will be reinforcing what you have learned, thus guaranteeing that you will
retain this knowledge in the coming weeks.
-
Be prepared to spend an hour or so every night (depending on the
assignment) before class completing your assignments. If you cannot
spare this time, don't bother taking the class.
-
Make use of the appendix in Wheelock (pages 438-452) to review forms on
a regular basis, especially before tests. The format of this appendix
is quite convenient, and you can photocopy pages from it to bring with
you on the bus, to hang over your toilet, or to bring with you to the gym.
The more fluent your command of forms is, the easier Latin will be for
you and the more enjoyable.
-
Should you find some material impossible to understand, do not put off
asking me for help. You cannot let yourself fall behind this
way, and I cannot read your mind. I will not be sympathetic if you
come to me before the midterm or final examination and want me to reteach
you several weeks' worth of material.
-
Make a point of reviewing the week's material before the quizzes, especially
the vocabulary. Reread all the readings, as this will help you to
remember the meanings of words in a real context.
-
Make use of the drill program Latinitas, which you can find
in the Language Acquisition Center (AH 311). This will be a great
help especially to those who have difficulty learning forms.
Online Drills Available HereFor
Wheelock's Latin, 6th Edition
(more will be posted as the term continues!)
1301 Drills
-
Basic English Grammar Terms
-
Morphology Drill, Wheelock ch. 1
-
Fill-Drill, Wheelock ch. 1
-
Matching Vocabulary drill, Chapter 1
-
Latin Composition drill, Chapter 1
-
Morphology Drill, Wheelock ch. 2
-
Fill-Drill, Wheelock ch. 2
-
phrase drill, Wheelock ch. 2
-
sentence drill, Wheelock ch. 2
-
crossword puzzle, Wheelock ch. 2
-
Morphology Drill, Wheelock ch. 3
-
Fill-Drill, Wheelock ch. 3
-
composition drill , Wheelock ch. 3
-
phrase filldrill , Wheelock ch. 3
-
matching drill, Wheelock ch. 3
-
Transformation Fill-Drill, Wheelock
ch. 4
-
Vocabulary crossword puzzle, Wheelock 1-4
-
Sentence Fill-Drill, Wheelock ch. 4
-
Grammar and Morphology Drill, Wheelock
ch. 4
-
Verb Transformation Drill, Wheelock
5
-
Sentence Fill-Drill, Wheelock 1-5
-
Matching Drill, Wheelock 5
-
Verb conjugation drill, Wheelock 5
-
Noun declension drill, Wheelock 1-5
-
verb filldrill on sum, esse and possum,
posse for Wheelock 6
-
conjugation drill for Wheelock 6
-
matching drill for Wheelock 6
-
sentence filldrill for Wheelock 7
-
declension drill for Wheelock 7
-
preposition phrase drill for Wheelock
7
-
another declension drill, Wheelock 7
-
crossword puzzle, Wheelock 7
-
verb matching drill for Wheelock 8
-
verb conjugation drill for Wheelock
8
-
verb crosstraining drill for Wheelock
8
-
match drill, Wheelock 9
-
another cool match drill, Wheelock 9
-
exciting short answer drill, Wheelock
9
-
challenging filldrill, Wheelock 9
-
conjugations 3 and 4, Wheelock 10
-
vocabulary crossword, Wheelock 10
-
matching exercise for those m- and t-
words, Wheelock 10
-
Pronouns, short answer, Wheelock 11
-
Pronouns, matching, Wheelock 11
-
Demonstratives, Irregular adjectives
filldrill (Wheelock 11)
-
Perfect system of Verbs, Wheelock
12 (study that verb list!)
-
Perfect active indicative filldrill,
Wheelock 12
-
Perfect system filldrill, Wheelock
12
-
1302 drills:
Links to Latin Study Aids on the
Internet.
