How should one go about learning the Latin language?

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Daegus

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I noticed that there are 2 threads up about Latin (in general) in regards to the Church, but I made this thread to avoid derailing/hi-jacking the other threads.

How would one go about learning to speak Latin? I know that’s it’s pretty much a dead language outside of the Church but I’m actually really interested in learning it. I saw what a Tridentine (or TLM) looks like and I am astounded by how different it is from the normal mass (and I actually want to go to one but I wouldn’t understand a darn thing). So anyways… does anyone know how one can become more fluent in speaking Latin? Does the Vatican have a Latin speaking guide or something?

Just curious.

(Mods: Please feel free to move/close thread if it’s not in the right place or is inappropriate in some way)

Thanks.
 
The Cambridge Latin Course series of textbooks are by far the best way to make someone a fluent reader of the Latin language. I learned a wealth from them in the short 2 years of Latin I took.
Their website has some interesting tools to help learn, but look into the books. Here’s the link
http://www.cambridgescp.com/Lpage.php?p=clc^top^home

Peace
 
There are a couple of books and resources available to learning Ecclesiastical Latin.

Scanlon’s Latin Grammar is aimed at teaching the student to read the Latin missal and breviary.

Collins Primer of Ecclesiastical Latin is a great resource as well.

Also, there are missals that have both Latin and English so that you can follow along with the TLM. This is a popular one: Angelus Press Missal.

I have all three and all are good resources. I’m currently working through Scanlon’s. But if you just want to learn enough to go along with the TLM, I would recommend getting a Latin missal like the Angelus one I linked. I’ve only been attending the TLM for a few months and I’ve learned most of the Latin just by following along with my book. I basically only need the missal for the propers.

Lastly, don’t worry about understanding anything at the TLM to start. Try the mindset that the priest is praying on your behalf. Oh, and be prepared to be amazed!
 
As far as the Latin Mass, or Tridentine Mass (TLM) or Extrordinary Form (EF) goes. If you find adn attend one they will most likely have a misselette with both the Latin and the English translation. This will enable you to follow along. Most catholics, even onse who attend teh Latin mass don’t really know much latin per-se, they just know some of the prayers and responses.

However, since you are interested, this might help.

Beginner’s Latin This won’t be ecclesial Latin but it might get you started.

You might also find THIS Ecclesial Latin site helpful in pronouncing Latin words.

Peace
James
 
Daegus said:
I noticed that there are 2 threads up about Latin (in general) in regards to the Church, but I made this thread to avoid derailing/hi-jacking the other threads.

How would one go about learning to speak Latin? I know that’s it’s pretty much a dead language outside of the Church but I’m actually really interested in learning it. I saw what a Tridentine (or TLM) looks like and I am astounded by how different it is from the normal mass (and I actually want to go to one but I wouldn’t understand a darn thing). So anyways… does anyone know how one can become more fluent in speaking Latin? Does the Vatican have a Latin speaking guide or something?

Just curious.

(Mods: Please feel free to move/close thread if it’s not in the right place or is inappropriate in some way)

Thanks.
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I took Latin in school for 6 years. The easiest thing to start is find yourself a good book about grammar and maybe a school book.
My sister has to learn Latin for college right now and she is getting regular classes. That however is not getting her very far as Latin is mostly about learning vocabulary and grammar. It takes a while to get that part down and to understand Latin first of all. Speaking on the other hand is a completely new animal and that takes a lot longer, simply because there is nobody to control what you are saying.
If you really want to understand Mass I suggest you go ahead and find books on the grammar and a dictionary and then simply study the texts. That is by far the easiest way to do it and it would lead to your understanding without putting too much on your plate.
 
Something not mentioned here is possibly auditing or taking a college level class for no credit (or with credit if you’re still in school or possibly looking at returning. We had 3 people in our college level Latin class who were learning for personal reasons. They were a huge benefit to us and we really enjoyed having them!

Look into if any of your local schools offer Latin. You may be pleasantly surprised!!!
 
Good suggestions.

I would add these:

(1) Get as much exposure to the Latin as possible, through the EF or OF in Latin or in classes;

(2) Memorize a couple of short prayers, SANCTUS, GLORIA PATRI, etc. Repeat them often to yourself and learn to recognize the prayers.

and (3) Sign up to get a new Latin word every day:

transparent.com/learn-latin/

Here’s a video which may motivate you:

youtube.com/watch?v=HdjYBDD8b2I
 
You may want to look at the following link:

lms.org.uk/resources/latin

Simplicissimus is a 20-unit Latin course specifically geared towards the Latin of the EF. It used to be available as a free download but now appears to be available only by post. If you navigate on the website to “Items for sale” there should be details to allow you to purchase a copy. If you’re from outside the UK, if you e-mail the office, they may be able to give details of how to buy a copy.
 
Convince your child to take Latin in school and then help with the homework. I studied it for seven years when I was young and now it is a great way to refresh it. 👍
 
we used the cambridge latin books in my high school. I went to a public school and only a handful of highschools in the district offered latin. The teacher stopped coming my third year and we bounced around from sub to sub. A year after I graduated, they stopped offering it.

Be warned, the cambridge books smell really bad, though the drawings are unintentionally hilarious. I remember one picture that looked like osama bin laden with a unibrow!

Spero te bene facere!
 
It will take a lot of hard work if you really want to learn Latin. I hope you’ll do better than I did… g
Veni, Vidi, Dormivi…

The easiest thing to do is just learn specifically what you would need to understand things during Mass.
Some of the easiest things to learn are practical hints:
“Oremus” - “Let us pray”
“Dominus vobiscum.” “Et *** spiritu tuo.” - “The Lord be with you.” “And with your spirit”
“Qui vivis et regnas in saecula saeculorum.” - “Who lives and reigns for ever and ever.” → followed by “Amen”… “saecula saeculorum” is a good hint in almost all cases.

Other than that you might want to be familiar with these:
“Kyrie, eleison; Christe, eleison; Kyrie, eleison.” (Greek) - “Lord, have mercy; Christ, have mercy; Lord, have mercy.”

Sanctus (Holy)
Agnus Dei (Lamb of God)

The following are a little bit longer, but I always liked them. I got to know the text quickly due to the fact that I was part of the choir:

Gloria
Pater Noster (Our Father)
Credo (I believe)
 
One way I could learn latin is if the Closed Captioning on television were rendered in Latin.
 
I recommend Livemocha. I haven’t used it to learn Latin but it’s a very good website. It has learning courses and tests. Some parts of the tests can be reviewed by native/fluent speakers. The more you review other people’s work, the more courses they let you learn for free. It’s been compared to Rosetta Stone.
 
Rosetta Stone. Best of luck to you. I learned a little bit of Latin with the help of mass and websites, but to learn the language fully I would recommend a program like Rosetta Stone
 
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