Learning Latin
January 26th, 2010 · language, latin, learning, resolution
Got any New Year’s resolutions for 2010? I’ve got a few. Here’s my first one: I’d like to learn Latin.
Wish me luck.
I’ve always wanted to learn another language. I’m also really into grammar, especially English grammar. I figured that learning Latin would suit me well. It’s a language that was used by ancient scholars, and bits and pieces of Latin have found itself in the English language. I’d like to learn it, which is why I’ve given myself the goal to understand Latin at a beginner’s level by the end of the year.
A friend and I actually began this quest last year. We checked out Latin Made Simple from our local library and began reading chapters and working the practice exercises in our spare time. It worked well for a while, but once our schedules got busier, we no longer had time to continue reading chapters from the book. We even found a few errata in the book as we were practicing. When you’re learning a new language, it’s not good to have book examples teach you incorrectly. >_<
So, now it’s 2010, and I’d like to try again. This time, I picked out a book that was much easier to use with a busy work schedule. It’s called Getting Started with Latin, and while it doesn’t have the wealth of information the previous book had, the pages and exercises are very bite-sized. Each page is literally one tiny tidbit of Latin that you learn, along with a few practice problems. The pages are also incremental and build upon the previous pages. It makes it very easy to squeeze in study time, even when I have a busy day. I also have the Pocket Oxford Latin Dictionary, which I probably won’t be using very much until I learn more about the basics of Latin grammar.
For now, my goal is simply to learn how to read and write basic Latin. Speaking Latin and reading Latin literature are different hurdles altogether. Once I finish the book, my plans are to reinforce the learning by doing flash card exercises and by exploring some free online resources for learning Latin. There are plenty of resources out there (just do a Google search), and hopefully by the end of the year, I’ll have amassed a decent enough vocabulary to read and write basic sentences.
It’ll be interesting to see if I can stick to my resolution.
I’ll end this with a cool Latin phrase that I like:
Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?
(It means “Who will guard the guardians?”)
Photo by Shawn Econo.
