good latin books?

[tee_eff_em]

Does Learn Latin: A Lively Introduction to Reading the Language include culture and history? Also, how far does the grammar go upto? Does it cover like two or three years of latin? Or like 2 Ecce Romani books?

Though the book does give the merest overview of culture and history, I am sure it is not anything like comprehensive enough for the purpose you indicate above.

The book originated as a 20 week series of newspaper columns, geared to the masses, which makes it ideal for a self-study introduction to the language. Each chapter does include answer keys, and a section on "The World of Ancient Rome", but I repeat, not comprehensive. Nor is the grammar entirely comprehensive but does cover a lot -- Its goal is to enable the reader to appreciate selections from Catullus, the Bayeux Tapestry, the Carmina Burana, and the Vulgate Gospel of St John.

I do not know what sort of schedule you are working under, but I would judge Learn Latin could make an excellent jump-start to a more traditional Latin course covering the materials you desire. But it should not be your sole source.

(That is two cents from someone who does not recall learning much Roman culture/history from his high school course, but that was a lo-ong time ago)

tee

tee

 

[Decimvs]

All I can say is WHEELOCK'S WHEELOCK'S WHEELOCK'S.

Wheelock's Latin textbook 6th edition, Wheelock's Latin Workbook, and Wheelock's selections of Latin literature, and the 4 CD Wheelock's Latin set.

 

[RedRabbit]

I started with the Cambridge Latin Course. I read all the way through to Book 5 but got bored of it; the stories were terrible. I then started reading Teach Yourself Latin in 24 Hours in Borders. The Latin extracts were wonderful to read, but I was too cheap to buy the book. Eventually someone bought it and I found out that it was out of print. I moved on to Schaum's Latin Grammar and got through most of that; it was very helpful. Then I borrowed Teach Yourself Latin from my library and got through to Unit 9, until I lost the book. I haven't returned to the library since to explain this loss. To my good fortune, someone bought me the book for my birthday, and I have been working through it since. Although my progress has been stop-start, I am blessed to have read a variety of books. I recommend Teach Yourself Latin and Reading Latin (which I read in a bookshop once).

 

[otemporaomores]

is this the same as Jenney's First Year Latin? i do not have the book in front of me to compare publications or authors (though i could have sworn the author's name was Jenney). but, your description of the contents sounded very familiar.

Jenney's First Year Latin was my textbook all throughout high school (even though after four years we only made it halfway through) and i happened upon a copy a few years ago. i love the layout of this book even though i grant it took awhile for me to grasp the format. it starts out quite basic and builds as concepts are introduced.

i would recommend this book to anyone since concepts & grammar are well explained. i do not have much experience with any of the other books, but i have flipped through a friend's copy of wheelock's. i personally did not care much for wheelock's approach.

Agreed, the Jenney's book is excellent for anyone learning Latin at a beginner's level, with a decent grasp of grammar. The vocabulary is all useful words that you will still see later on, and the format of slowly building upon concepts learned is great. I learned using this book and also have taught using this book.

Nota Bene: the "newer" version of this book isn't as good, in my opinion, as the old one, which can be found on Amazon for around 25 bucks

 

[otemporaomores]

I've worked with students who have learned through Wheelock's, and although it's not a bad textbook by any means, we usually agree that Jenney's is a slightly better starting textbook. Wheelock does have some good workbooks and selections though.

 

[Gregorius]

One underrated introductory textbook is The Everything Learning Latin Book. This was the first book I ever used, and I subsequently moved on to Teach Yourself Latin. I use Wheelock primarily for reference or reading practice.

 

[cepasaccus]

I have experience with:

Instrumentum

This I had used at school. "Hic est Gaius." It uses the grammatical approach and it's not interesting for 99% of you because it is in German.

Reading Latin

It clearly focuses on reading. It also uses largely the grammatical approach, but targets to natural reading with reading aloud and exercising natural reading. To help reading each unit contains a reading vocabulary with words which don't have to be learned. Because the learning vocabulary is in English I did write them down in a file with German meaning and I used it with a perl script simulating flash cards. The first three chapters are modified Plautus plays, the last three are classic latin pieces. You need at least two books, one with the exercises and one with the texts and there is a third book with solution for many exercises.

I managed to get through one or maybe two units (out of the about 50 units) a week with intensive learning mostly on the weekend.

Lingua Latina

This goes some steps further than LL. It also does do loud and natural reading, but here everything is in Latin. The reduced amount of grammar is also in Latin. The philosophy of LL is to not learn with flash cards and not so much by scientific grammar, but more by reading text. I think is a normal modern language teaching method called TPRS. In LL there are many many books and even some audio and computer CDs and it not easy to get an overview what is necessary and in what order things should be used.

Regarding the computator CDs I can't say anything as I do neither have a windows nor a macos PC. The audio CD is interesting as it contains the first 10 capituli of LL 1 spoken by the author.

Books are there a lot and mostly thin and not expensive. There is Lingua Latina 1 and 2 and there are colloquia and additional texts. LL 1 are custom stories about a Roman family. LL 2 are classic roman texts. For LL 1 I use the LL 1 book itself, the guide, the vocabulary (available at least in German and English), the extended exercises and the solutions. (The solutions are downloadable as PDF.) I think the same is available for LL 2. Regarding the other things I have no opinion.

At the moment I am in capitulum 17. Out of the 35 capituli I manage to do 4-6 a week. More on the early capituli, less on the later. Maybe even less at the end.

Edit 1: The colloquia should be used together with LL1. This is written in Latin at the beginning of the book. This is not helpful for somebody not knowing Latin and beginning with LL1.

Summary

Instrumentum did not help me at school much. Maybe because I didn't really want to learn Latin. I was more interested in burning sulphur when reading about the Vesuv. RL is different, LL even more so. The result of both are I think not that much different. When I reread older units in RL I could read them as nicely as in LL. There might be a difference in learning speed, but it is difficult to compare. For children I am sure LL is more interesting as it shows more of the ancient life and has therefore probably also a more actively usable Latin. But I have a grammar problem with LL. I do not know very well the gender of the learned vocabulary and also not the conjugation(?) of verbs. Is fulgur m, f or n? is it fugio or fugo? (It is fugio, but that's because I learned it in RL. I just do not remember another -io word of third conjugation.) I think here flash cards are better, but I will just stick at the moment with the LL philosophy. It doesn't mean I will change some time back.

 

[anap40]

I am using Latin Grammar by Scanlon and Scanlon. It is ok, but I really wish I had an answer key to the practice exercises. Does anyone know if there is an answer key available either in print or online?

 

[Floreat]

Right now I'm using D'Ooge's Beginners' Latin, from Textkit.org, as well as Bell's First Year Latin, from Google Books. Both books give me a rather good foundation in my grammar, and seem to be quite incremental in their approach.

 

[LDV]

I am currently using:A Practical Grammar of the Latin Language; with Perpetual Exercises in ...
by George J. Adler :
http://books.google.com/books?id=GJgAAA ... frontcover

 

[cepasaccus]

Update to Lingua Latina:

With my given background (5 years Latin at school 17 years ago + 2 chapters Reading Latin this year) I worked through Pars I including Exercitia in two months mostly on weekends. I have to say without learning the words I remember them really well and reading of the texts of Pars I is now also rather well. Understanding of Latin Asterix is not fluent and requires lookup of some words, but at least I do understand 99% of it.

 

[Anonymous]

I am using Latin Grammar by Scanlon and Scanlon. It is ok, but I really wish I had an answer key to the practice exercises. Does anyone know if there is an answer key available either in print or online?

I've been a fan of the S & S volumes for years, even though many Latinists dismiss them as being out-of-date. My only complaint is the binding -- TAN uses that horrid glue binding that falls apart after only a few months of regular use. (My copy of Second Latin has been held together by rubber bands practically since I bought it about twelve years ago.)

I see that TAN has now published a better copy of Latin Grammar, which is wonderful. Now they need to do the same for Second Latin.

In any event, if you are interested in an unofficial answer key, please feel free to use the one I've started compiling.
Here's the link.

So far, Lessons I through VII have been posted (including the Review I answers).

I make no pretensions of being a Latin scholar -- only an enthusiast of many years. Currently, in addition to the S & S answer key, I am working on a translation of De Hierarchia Anglicana by Denny and Lacey.

Joe

 

[cepasaccus]

And one more -- negative -- note regarding Lingua Latina:

The texts show Roman culture, but what is shown is not without flaws, e. g. the drawing showing a Roman legionary looks more like a fake legionary used as a decoration for emperor Wilhelm the 1st opening of the Saalburg castle in the 19th century. So take the culture described in there cum grano salis.

 

[cepasaccus]

I found another very interesting book:

Piper Salve -- Cursus Vivae Latinitatis

It has been written by people of the Europaeische Lateinwochen, an event where people meet just for talking Latin. It is like all the old colloquia, just modern. It contains mostly sermones illustrated by some drawings, e. g. in "de rebus cotidianis -- de vestimentis I" there are drawings of modern pieces of clothing like bathing suite and shorts. In contains also an appendix of grammar and a bit of literature (Petronius, Martialus, Carbina Burana, et c.). Everything of it is in latin except the introduction, which is also in German, Italian, French and English and the added vocabulary, which is in my edition in Latin/German and German/Latin. There might be other editions available.

I think this is a very nice book I can recommend. Though I don't want to suppress its big disadvantage: The long vowels are not marked in this book. I think this is a big fault for a book which wants to help SPEAKing Latin. I have possible some training with the long vowels, but in words like nucifrangibulum I can only guess.

Oh, and there is a second disadvantage, it does not contain any colloquia de rebus cubiculi.

annum MDCCCCLXXXIV felicissimum habeatis

 

[Fulgor Laculus]

annum MDCCCCLXXXIV felicissimum habeatis

Fortasse volueris dicere: Annum MMDCCLXI AUC Felicissimum Habeatis! :browaction:

 

[cepasaccus]

Na, it is a reference to the new German communication data retention law.

 

[Anonymous]

Definitely Wheelock's Latin Course. Far better than the cambridge latin course.

 

[Anonymous]

Wheelock's Latin books are much better than the Cambridge Latin Course books. As Wildareal said . They've got just about everything in the Wheelock's Latin books.

 

[cepasaccus]

Is this the correct Traupman?

http://www.amazon.de/Conversational-Lat ... 865166226/

Conversational Latin: For Oral Proficiency: Phrase Book and Dictionary; Classical and Neo-latin (Taschenbuch)

amabo te

 

[Interficio]

For introductory passages and vocabulary nothing beats good ole Ecce Romani.

As for workbooks, I found Latin Verb Drills by Richard Prior to be extremely excellent as it provides four principal parts, an answer key, and it reteaches you all the verb grammatica