Learning Latin

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If i wanted to learn latin so that i could read the vulgate and the original texts of the Church, where might i start? I have watched a few videos on youtube called “latin with Virgil”, but what i’ve learned from those hasn’t really stuck. I know eventually i am going to have to find a practice book or something like that but i don’t know what resources i should use or where to find them. thanks
 
I am using Wheelock’s Latin textbook and accompanying workbook and supplement items. It is most helpful.
 
do the Wheelock supplement materials help with pronunciation? I am also interested in learning latin
 
RevertAlan said:
do the Wheelock supplement materials help with pronunciation? I am also interested in learning latin
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No, Latin textbooks nearly all use something called the ‘reconstructed classical’ pronunciation, which is based on how we believe Latin was pronounced in the Golden Age of Latin literature (well before Peter ever got to Rome). In the Church we use the Roman pronunciation, which is the pronunciation as it has been handed down in Rome over the centuries (much closer to the pronunciation of Italian today, although many of the consonant shifts were already occurring in the late classical period).

Caesar’s famous “Veni, vidi, vici” would be pronounced “when-ee, weedy, weeky” in the restored classical pronunciation, or “venee, veedee, veechee” in the Roman pronunciation.

Nonetheless, since Latin is learned as a written language there is no difficulty in using a classical Latin textbook, but reading it with Roman pronunciation. Pronunciation is really not the hard part when learning Latin!
 
MarkRA said:
If i wanted to learn latin so that i could read the vulgate and the original texts of the Church, where might i start?
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The original texts of the Bible are Hebrew, Aramaic and Koine Greek. We have perfectly good translations of these texts in modern English. So I cant see what possible benefit there would be in studying latin.
 
Dave_B said:
I cant see what possible benefit there would be in studying latin.
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The official documents of the Catholic Church are in Latin, including the declarations of the councils, papal encyclicals, and a great multitude of the writings of the saints. The official liturgy of the Church is also in Latin.

Perhaps this is somewhat analogous to reading the Guardian for your coreligionists? Imagine how much nuance would be lost if you were reading it in translation.
 
Have you checked the Sticky: [thread=173658]Latin resources[/thread]?

tee
 
Dave_B said:
The original texts of the Bible are Hebrew, Aramaic and Koine Greek. We have perfectly good translations of these texts in modern English. So I cant see what possible benefit there would be in studying latin.
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Nonsense. The very original texts or dictations do not exist, except in the case of the Dead Sea Scrolls. And sorry to tell you, there is not one perfect translation in Old English, Middle English, or in any other English.
 
MarkRA said:
If i wanted to learn latin so that i could read the vulgate and the original texts of the Church, where might i start? I have watched a few videos on youtube called “latin with Virgil”, but what i’ve learned from those hasn’t really stuck. I know eventually i am going to have to find a practice book or something like that but i don’t know what resources i should use or where to find them. thanks
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That youtube video is actually good and I wish there were more. One of the things I love about it is that is uses pictures similar to what Rosetta Stone uses. If you think about it, that’s very much the way we learned our native languages when we were young. At least that’s the way I learned Polish. Read and reread with spaced repetition. And those flashcards are becoming quite popular too.

flashcardmachine.com/language-latin.html

Also, I followed tee’s advice and bought “A Primer of Ecclesiastical Latin” by Collins. Some words and phrases are nicely analyzed and a nice presentation of verbs along with their prefixes show the multitude of possibilities with the verbs. For example,

cedo,cedere,cessi,cessus - go, yield
accedo,accedere,accessi,accessus - go to, approach
concedo,concedere,concessi,concessus -yield, grant, go with, concede
discedo,discedere,discessi,discessus -depart
incedo,incedere,incessi,incessus - go, walk into
praecedo,praecedere,praecessi,praecessus - go before, lead the way
procedo,procedere,processi,processus - go forth, proceed
recedo,recedere,recessi,recessus - go back

In this context, one might even get a better feel and better understanding for the English cognates of these verbs.
 
But please: If you come up with specific questions or want to discuss anything in the (closed) sticky, post here or in a similar thread.

tee
 
In a previous post I suggested:

A Primer of Ecclesiastical Latin - John. F Collins

amazon.com/Primer-Ecclesi…9867586&sr=1-1

I think this book is the best introduction to ecclesiastical Latin, and the easiest to work through. You will also need the answer key:

An Answer Key to a Primer of Ecclesiastical Latin - John R Dunlop

amazon.com/Answer-Key-Pri…9867586&sr=1-2

Another good book is:

Latin Grammar: Grammar Vocabularies and Exercises in Preparation for the Reading of the Missal and Breviary - Scanlon & Scanlon

amazon.com/Latin-Grammar-…9867418&sr=8-6

The answers to the excercises can be found online. This book can be used in conjunction with Collins’ Primer, but on its own is a little more complicated for a beginner. The second volume in this set is:

Second Latin

amazon.com/Second-Latin-C…9867543&sr=1-1

This is also very good and is geared towards theology texts etc.There is a mini dictionary at the back of both books which is also very helpful.

You will also need a dictionary - any of the standard Latin ones will do. However, there are dictionaries which deal more with ecclesiastical terms. These can be expensive, but a good one reasonably priced is:

Dictionary of Ecclesiastical Latin

amazon.com/Dictionary-Ecc…ref=pd_sim_b_2

I suggest also that you get a good Latin Bible. This one is excellent:

Douay-Rheims and Clementina Vulgata: English-Latin Bible

amazon.com/Douay-Rheims-C…3&sr=1-3-spell

It contains the Latin text on the left and the english on the right. Reading a section every day is a good way of building up vocabulary and getting used to Latin grammar.

The most important thing is setting time aside every day, even if some days you only read vocabulary or look over declensions etc. Also, when you start to read theology manuals be aware that some authors are harder to read than others. Start with the ones you can read without picking up the dictionary every other paragraph and when you are comfortable the harder ones will come easier. Good Luck.
 
I would also like to suggest these books for a little more relaxed study of the Latin language:

A Natural History of Latin, by Tore Janson. Subtitled “The Story of the World’s Most Successful Language.”

Latin Alive: The Survival of Latin in English and the Romance Languages by Joseph Solodow.

Both available from Amazon and also available for the Kindle.
 
MarkRA said:
If i wanted to learn latin so that i could read the vulgate and the original texts of the Church, where might i start?
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I am sorry to bump this thread from 3 years ago but this was one of the first ones I came across when I was looking into Latin. I am 26 yrs old and finishing up Year 2 of Latin. If you are fully committed to Latin then the best place I’ve found is Memoria Press. It’s a 4 year course but that’s based on school years. If you do it alone it takes 4-6 months per year so you can finish all 4 years in half the time.

memoriapress.com/curriculum/latin

I have found this teaching method to be amazing. I learn it and remember it. You learn the language from a grammar standpoint so it is a complete understanding. I have no idea if you will read this but if someone happens across this thread as I did 2 years ago I hope it helps!

Deus tecum et bonam fortunam!
 
Josephi_verbum said:
I am sorry to bump this thread from 3 years ago but this was one of the first ones I came across when I was looking into Latin. I am 26 yrs old and finishing up Year 2 of Latin. If you are fully committed to Latin then the best place I’ve found is Memoria Press. It’s a 4 year course but that’s based on school years. If you do it alone it takes 4-6 months per year so you can finish all 4 years in half the time.

memoriapress.com/curriculum/latin

I have found this teaching method to be amazing. I learn it and remember it. You learn the language from a grammar standpoint so it is a complete understanding. I have no idea if you will read this but if someone happens across this thread as I did 2 years ago I hope it helps!

Deus tecum et bonam fortunam!
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Thanks for posting this. I’d not ever heard of this Latin learning series, but it might be helpful for those of us who have had difficulty learning Latin. It looks like it’s not a Catholic organization, but that’s okay.
 
It’s a classical home schooling curriculum from a christian based homeschooling organization. I think it’s easier because it is a class type education experience at home which is how most people are comfortable and familiar with learning. However, all the pronunciation in this curriculum is ecclesiastical which is a huge benefit.
 
Josephi_verbum said:
It’s a classical home schooling curriculum from a christian based homeschooling organization. I think it’s easier because it is a class type education experience at home which is how most people are comfortable and familiar with learning. However, all the pronunciation in this curriculum is ecclesiastical which is a huge benefit.
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Is the ecclesial Latin pronunciation different from, say, the classical Latin? I’ve noticed in the Wheelock Latin book, the consonant ‘G’ is always pronounced as a hard ‘G’ as in ‘go,’ but Gregorian Chant, the ‘G’ is a soft sound, as in ‘gem.’ It’s confusing.
 
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