Latin: A Language Far From Dead

Here is a 5 minute video lesson from the University of Arizona, accessible for everyone and available on iTunes U. 


You can find it here. 


It points out (once more) why Latin is a good subject to study. 

Featured Website

Latin Wordstock is a website which provides a list of vocabulary in an easy to use fashion, where you select a range of letters from the alphabet. Simple to use but a good selection of commonly used words and quite interactive


Also has a game that : 

is a  skill testing game is designed to test your knowledge of Latin Vocabulary and Derivatives. You will be asked six questions.

 Click here for the game

Featured Book

Latin Pronunciation by Harry Thurston Peck
Available on all devices with iBooks from iTunes for free

Featured Podcast and Website

I found this great resource about the whole Roman History, they have a series of weekly podcasts that :

traces the history of the Roman Empire, beginning with Aeneas's arrival in Italy and ending (someday) with the exile of Romulus Augustulus, last Emperor of the Western Roman Empire 

The podcasts can be downloaded on iTunes from here. 


They also have an accompanying website, that you should take a look at, its really good and has illustrations and photos to go along with the podcasts. 

The History of Rome Website

Featured Book

New Latin Grammar by Charles Edwin Bennett
Available on all devices with iBooks from iTunes for free

Featured Podcast

Vocabulary for "Learn to Read Latin" By K. Baratz. W. Lebowitz, A. Smith
Available on iTunes as an audio companion for vocabulary for Keller & Russell's "Learn to Read Latin"

Crosswords

Just found this great set of crossword exercises that can be completed online, and therefore checked, which go with Wheelock's Latin (6th edition) book. They are split by chapter where they appear, a great way to study and revise! 


Take Me to Some Crosswords!


It should be possible even if you don't follow that textbook, but let me know if this isn't the case! 


You can find the link to this and other interactive exercises here

Why Study Latin

A new perspective on why Latin is such a valuable language to learn, despite many people's argument that it is a "dead language" and it should remain that way....

This is by far the question Latin teachers are most frequently asked. Interestingly, however, it is only within the past century that this question has arisen. The fact is that until recent years, most considered Latin a necessary staple of a good education. In the 1700’s the University of Georgia, like many of its contemporaries, required of incoming freshmen, “a correct knowledge of Cicero’s orations, Vergil, John and the Acts in the Greek New Testament, “ (LaFleur, 985, p.341) in addition to English Grammar, Geography, and Arithmetic. This is requiring more than the familiar chanting of amo, amas, amat. This statement indicates a desire for an intimate understanding of the language and more than a passing familiarity with her greatest writers. Thomas Jefferson, himself a great supporter of quality education in America, wrote to J.W. Eppes in 1787, “In general, I am of opinion, that till the age of about sixteen, we are best employed on languages: Latin, Greek, French, Spanish.” As Mr. Jefferson suggested, up until the 1920’s Latin was a common course amongst elementary and secondary schools alike, oftentimes a requirement for graduation. However, the times have changed and it seems necessary to defend the virtues of Latin. Unfortunately, these are far too numerous for me to elaborate on here to my liking. So, I will offer the five most common reasons for the teaching of Latin in classical schools.

- 1. The most commonly regarded benefit is the great improvement in the understanding of the English language. We derive approximately 60% of our English words, and 90% of those words consisting of more than two syllables, from Latin.
- 2. If Latin is so helpful to students’ understanding of English, classified as a Germanic language, it only stands to reason that it would be of even greater help to those languages directly derived from Latin. There are five modern languages that call Latin their parent language. These Romance languages are Spanish, French, Italian, Romanian and Portuguese. 

- 3. Many are not surprised to learn that Latin significantly increases verbal scores on tests such as the SAT and even GRE exams, scrutinized carefully by prestigious colleges and universities everywhere. It may surprise them, however, that the analytical and problem solving scores, often associated closely with math skills, also increase significantly among Latin students.
- 4. Another truly wonderful feature of Latin is that it is not merely a means of communication, but a key to unlock the past. Through the writings of Cicero, Caesar, Livy, and others we learn so much about the world of ancient Rome and Greece; a world which has greatly affected our own.
- 5. Perhaps the greatest benefit that Latin affords is the great door it opens into the world of Literature.


To read the whole argument, you can find it on Classical Academic Press by Karen Moore