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August 2008 Blog Posts (11)

School textbooks on various subjects written in Latin

As part of my general interest in education in Latin, I have started to collate a list of textbooks on various subjects written in Latin, that could be used in a hypothetical 'Latin School'. If you have a subject with which you are familiar, reading a textbook in that subject will, of course, be much easier to assimilate. For a beginner, who is just starting to find his or her wings with Latin, reading these textbooks would be a useful way of increasing one's fluency.

The texts… Continue

Added by Latinum Institute on August 30, 2008 at 11:40am — 6 Comments

Annus Novus, iterum

We are on the third day of a new school year, and I am still looking for my groove. Every year, each class takes on its own character eventually, but in the first few days we spend our time dancing around each other, trying to get comfortable. At present, my 2s and 3s are reviewing before we pick up with the next level, and my APs are diving in to Cat 64 for the last time (thanks to the AP Board, per deos immortales). We are all at that delicate stage where things are new and at the same time… Continue

Added by Matthew Moore on August 28, 2008 at 6:13pm — No Comments

Adler's Textbooks Now Available as Reprints

These two titles have been processed, here are the information pages for them:

http://www.publicdomainreprints.org/code/review.pl?req_id=665
http://www.publicdomainreprints.org/code/review.pl?req_id=704

The books are actually printed and sold by Lulu, but the ordering is through publicdomainreprints.
Both the Textbook, and the Textbook Key are now available.

Added by Latinum Institute on August 24, 2008 at 5:35am — No Comments

Cost Price Reprints of Google Books

I have just come across an amazing site for us Classicists - a company that prints cost price reprints of texts on Google Books and the Internet Archive - you tell them what text you want, they print it, and at a very low price.

I'm asking them to make Adler's textbook available, along with the Key.

There are so many amazing Latin texts out there on Google books. Now you can have them in your hands to read!
http://www.publicdomainreprints.org/

Added by Latinum Institute on August 22, 2008 at 8:29am — 1 Comment

Cartoon: Love Triangle

Added by Laura Gibbs on August 19, 2008 at 2:26pm — No Comments

Julius Caesar

Julius Caesar has been making a comeback in the last decade. Michael Parenti’s The Assassination of Julius Caesar and Adrian Goldsworthy’s Caesar; Life of a Colossus are just two of the recent treatments of this larger than life figure, almost legendary in his own day, mythic in ours. Philip Freeman’s stated purpose was to parse out the myths from the facts and his Julius Caesar is a brilliant and compelling narrative which will help the general reader realize just how… Continue

Added by Bill Parsons on August 11, 2008 at 9:50am — No Comments

The importance of auditory input when learning a new language

Tuning In To A New Language On The Fly: Effects Of Context And Seasonality On Songbird Brain

In this study quoted below, it appears that a new language environment - for birds and for humans, causes a physical change in aspects of the auditory system. This information gives ammunition to those who favour a more three dimensional approach to language acquisition, stressing in particular the importance of THROUGHPUT - of listening to huge amounts of the target language. Proponents of… Continue

Added by Latinum Institute on August 9, 2008 at 12:44pm — No Comments

Latinum hits 2 million

Latinum has just passed its two millionth audio file download, and the number of new users finding their way to the site continues to steadily grow.

Schola is now also more busy, with a number of academic neo-latinists now members of the site.

Added by Latinum Institute on August 7, 2008 at 10:15am — No Comments

Cartoon: Deity of the Month Club

Added by Laura Gibbs on August 4, 2008 at 11:22am — No Comments

"Latin undergoing a resurgence among students" article in Staten Island Advance, 3 August

Thanks to Ronnie Ancona for this link to an article about increasing Latin enrollments in the state of New York:

http://www.silive.com/news/advance/index.ssf?/base/news/1217757629139030.xml&coll=1

Added by Andrew Reinhard on August 4, 2008 at 10:23am — No Comments

Latin-Latin (monolingual) dictionary?

Does a good Latin-Latin dictionary exist, for student use?
I know Comenius wrote one a few hundred years ago aimed at students, but I can't locate an online scan of it. Once a student passes a certain stage, they should not be using a bilingual dictionary. An all-Latin dictionary becomes another text to read.
Maybe someone out there should write and publish one, as I don't think there is a modern one available?

Added by Latinum Institute on August 2, 2008 at 8:06am — 1 Comment