Greek Rosetta Stone from 100 B.C.

[interprete]

The title is a bit tongue-in-cheek, not too click-baitish I hope, but I've been wondering: since the Roman elite were practically bilingual, were any Latin-language textbooks to teach Greek ever written in Roman times, and if so, have any of those reached us?
It would be interesting to see what kind of language teaching style was in vogue back then, and which state of the Greek language was taught (Attic or koine or something else?) to Roman kids.

 

[Pacifica]

Some Latin exercises by Greek-speaking students learning Latin as a second language have survived to us. I haven't heard of the reverse scenario, let alone of a whole textbook. But it would be interesting indeed.

 

[interprete]

Some Latin exercises by Greek-speaking students learning Latin as a second language have survived to us. I haven't heard of the reverse scenario, let alone of a whole textbook. But it would be interesting indeed.

Was Latin the Globish of the time that everyone needed to speak to look good, including for Greek speakers? Or the other way around?

 

[Pacifica]

Was Latin the Globish of the time that everyone needed to speak to look good, including for Greek speakers? Or the other way around?

Latin was the language in Italy, obviously, and I think western Europe, but Greek was the lingua franca in much of the empire (especially in the east). But I guess it was a bonus if you also knew Latin even there.

 

[interprete]

Interesting! So would you say that Latin and Greek enjoyed comparable prestige? Or were they associated with specific socio-linguistic clichés in terms of standing or domain-specific use?

 

[Terry S.]

Check this out Learning Latin the Ancient Way: Latin Textbooks from the Ancient World https://amzn.eu/d/cEoBOx1

I'm on my phone and can't see the preview.

 

[interprete]

Check this out Learning Latin the Ancient Way: Latin Textbooks from the Ancient World https://amzn.eu/d/cEoBOx1

I'm on my phone and can't see the preview.

What did Greek speakers in the Roman empire do when they wanted to learn Latin? They used Latin-learning materials containing authentic, enjoyable vignettes about daily life in the ancient world - shopping, banking, going to the baths, having fights, being scolded, making excuses - very much like the dialogues in some of today's foreign-language textbooks. These stories provide priceless insight into daily life in the Roman empire, as well as into how Latin was learned at that period

This is amazing!!!

 

[Pacifica]

Interesting! So would you say that Latin and Greek enjoyed comparable prestige? Or were they associated with specific socio-linguistic clichés in terms of standing or domain-specific use?

I don't know the details. The one thing I'm sure of is that Greek enjoyed considerable prestige with educated Romans: it was the language of the culture they admired, the language in which their beloved ancient philosophers and poets wrote. Some (many?) felt that it was superior to Latin and richer than it.

It's also likely, though, that Latin enjoyed some prestige among speakers of other languages in the empire because it was the native language of their overlords.

 

[Pacifica]

domain-specific use

For educated Romans, I guess Greek was the language of learning par excellence. But, as I said, it was also a lingua franca used for everyday dealings in the East.

 

[interprete]

Check this out Learning Latin the Ancient Way: Latin Textbooks from the Ancient World https://amzn.eu/d/cEoBOx1

I'm on my phone and can't see the preview.

Ordered! Thanks!

 

[interprete]

For educated Romans, I guess Greek was the language of learning par excellence. But, as I said, it was also a lingua franca used for everyday dealings in the East.

I do remember reading somewhere that Latin-language thinkers were sometimes literally at a loss for words and felt they had to use English Greek words instead to express their ideas more thoroughly. Sounds familiar... Although any comparison with modern times seems limited.

 

[Pacifica]

I do remember reading somewhere that Latin-language thinkers were sometimes literally at a loss for words and felt they had to use English Greek words instead to express their ideas more thoroughly.

Yes. Cicero (and perhaps others, but I know mostly about him) sometimes made efforts to render them in Latin, though. He coined some words that way, e.g.:

Qualitates igitur appellavi quas ποιότητας Graeci vocant...

 

[Devenius Dulenius]

And this tendency continued and increased once Christianity began to express itself in Latin. Not only are there many Greclsms in the Latin Bible (including the Vulgate), Christian writers used them too. But, you also see this before Jerome's time (4th-5th century A.D.). You see such terms in the early martyr's account of Perpetua and Felicitas (late 3rd century A.D.), for example.