What is the best way to learn Latin?

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El_Zapato

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Hi all. New to the forums. I’m a student of Latin. Not the best, but I get by.

Just want to ask all those Latinists out there, in your experiences what’s the best way for someone to learn the language?
 
My best answer to that is get a time machine and go back to the 1960s and try to become an altar boy.ABs had to memorize the entire Latin mass.

It was not easy!

ger
 
latin is still being taught at some private schools at the junior high and high school level. I haven’t seen it in a public school in 20 years.
 
I agree with the above post. Purchase a Latin grammar (to which I’d add, study aloud, not just in your head). Go to Mass in Latin (whether that be the Ordinary or Extraordinary Form). Listen to a ton of Gregorian Chant and even learn to sing along. Music utilizes both sides of the brain and hence makes memorization easier. Also, studying aloud forces you to listen to yourself. So you end up with sight and sound memory being activated. 👍
 
Lutheranteach said:
I haven’t seen it in a public school in 20 years.
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It’s rare, but I believe there are a small handful of public schools that do.
Phillip_Rolfes said:
Go to Mass in Latin (whether that be the Ordinary or Extraordinary Form). Listen to a ton of Gregorian Chant and even learn to sing along. Music utilizes both sides of the brain and hence makes memorization easier.
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Listening to (and following along with) chant is an excellent idea. 👍
 
If you are going to time-travel, why not go to the 1st century BC, and hang out in Rome with Caius Julius Caesar. Just sayin’…
steboyz said:
My best answer to that is get a time machine and go back to the 1960s and try to become an altar boy.ABs had to memorize the entire Latin mass.

It was not easy!

ger
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As I am the Marketing Director for The International Society of Scholastics and we are offering a Beginners Latin course through our Sapientis on-line education programme I am not going to vote.

Although I do think that an on-line course must be the best option if it is hosted in a virtual classroom as our courses are.

The reasons are:

You get to study from home.
You have a lecturer to answer your questions.
You have home work assignments to make sure you understand the work.
All lectures are available as audio downloads so if you have to miss a lecture you don’t fall behind.
You can also listen to the lecture as many times as you need to. Last semester I did our Logic course and listened to my lectures again while driving, doing chores etc. It was amazing, 100 times better than my university experience.

OK so that is enough shameful self-promotion. If you want to see more go to

societyofscholastics.org/sapientis/sapientis_003.htm

One last thing I forgot to mention you can have as many participants as can fit around your home computer so the whole family can study for what is the price of a single course elsewhere.

That is it I am shutting up before a moderator hunts me down and hurts me grievously with a night-stick.

Christopher Cordeiro

In all honesty, on reflection, a personal tutor may be best if you can find one.
 
The company Rosetta Stone offers courses in Latin, but it is expensive. I am not plugging this product just offering an option.

rosettastone.com/learn-latin

On a side note I find it amazing the amount of Latin I remember from 45 + years ago.

I was not an altar boy either, nor was I very open to the idea of learning it.
 
Phillip_Rolfes said:
I agree with the above post. Purchase a Latin grammar (to which I’d add, study aloud, not just in your head). Go to Mass in Latin (whether that be the Ordinary or Extraordinary Form). Listen to a ton of Gregorian Chant and even learn to sing along. Music utilizes both sides of the brain and hence makes memorization easier. Also, studying aloud forces you to listen to yourself. So you end up with sight and sound memory being activated. 👍
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Great Post! 👍
 
The answer is: Whatever way you will best learn it.

And my first advice, no matter which method(s) you use, is: [post=2538477]Learn your native language’s grammar[/post].

I myself first learned in a high school classroom setting, and have recovered the material through texts explicitly designed for self-study, self-study of more mundane texts, and with on-line groups.

tee
 
And don’t forget the sticky at the top of the TC Forum Index 😉

All I’m interested in personally is the latin responses in the '62 missal and the correct pronunciation of them, but someday I’d like to learn to pray some traditional prayers in latin well.
 
Milt said:
The company Rosetta Stone offers courses in Latin, but it is expensive. I am not plugging this product just offering an option.

rosettastone.com/learn-latin

On a side note I find it amazing the amount of Latin I remember from 45 + years ago.

I was not an altar boy either, nor was I very open to the idea of learning it.
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But that’s Latin Latin, and not Ecclesiastical Latin.
 
Two other ways, by forcing yourself to read the Latin in the missal, occasionally glancing at the English for guidance, and playing a lot of mp3 Latin that you can find and download from the internet. Just type in “Latin mp3” in your yahoo or google search field.
 
Usbek_de_Perse said:
If you are going to time-travel, why not go to the 1st century BC, and hang out in Rome with Caius Julius Caesar. Just sayin’…
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They learned Latin using the upper case Latin alphabet and without spaces between words. TFM might know of other differences. Other than that, it’s pretty much the same Latin.

Just as an aside, our current system of government very much resembles the Roman government. Two parties, a Senate, a Cabinet, an executive head, use of Latin in legal documents, etc. And most have heard “Et tu, Brute” by now.
 
I bought the Latin Rosetta Stone set when it was on sale, and it’s pretty good. Someone else has already mentioned, however, that Rosetta teaches you Classical and conversational Latin.

I just received a copy of Lingua Latina and I wish I would have tried this book first (before getting Rosetta Stone). It is a great read and I’m having a hard time putting the book down (which is saying a lot, I normally don’t like to read).

I also second the recommendations of A Primer for Ecclesiastical Latin. I love it.
 
If I had my drothers, I’d go to Wyoming Catholic College and enroll in the Conversational Latin Language course. Thats the course where you speak ONLY latin while in class. You learn pretty quickly.

The few adjustments in pronounciation from Classical to Ecclesial latin should be easy to master. Example; hard c “k” to soft c “ch”.

Cheers
 
I remember a priest saying the best way to learn latin was to teach it. Don’t know if that helps?
 
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