by Aldus Marius on Wed Apr 02, 2003 1:49 am
Avete Latinistae!
I have long (last twelve years) been an advocate of what is coming to be called "Living Latin". I used to tutor the kids in the neighborhood; I wrote an essay comparing/contrasting Latin with English, and I even had some very primitive lessons and worksheets. (If the Collegium is interested in any of these materials, point me to your Rector and I'll forward them along. I'm no Florus, but then, I was writing for ten-year-olds.) **blush**
My own approach to the language has been a simple three-step process, to whit:
- Pick up something in Latin.
- Throw myself at it until I understand it.
- Repeat with something else.
I guess there's actually a third-and-a-half step that goes with the others, and it may be the most crucial:
- Speak, sing, babble, train your dog, write, garden, etc. in Latin every chance you get--no matter how limited your vocabulary or how silly you sound. I attempted a translation of the Winnie-the-Pooh song while driving once. It was awful, and I shall not post it even under penalty of prolonged and painful death, but at least I did something Latinish that day, and every little bit helps.
(BTW, dogs seem to much prefer Latin commands to English ones. I've heard it said that people from Romance countries tense up when they come to England or the US, mostly because--without knowing what the words mean--the inflections and tones of voice common in English make the speaker sound like he is angry with someone! Could be Poochie likes the soothing cadences of "Sedete, catulle bone" better than the raucous "Shut up, Dawg!!".)
The net result of all this is that, after several years of casual study, I maybe know as much Latin as someone who's taken it in school for a couple of years. OTOH, what I do know comes much more naturally to me; were someone to creep up behind me and tickle me in the ribs (not recommended, BTW), I would be just as likely to freak out in Latin as in English, and considerably more so than in Spanish.
If you've got it, flaunt it, in the above manners or in a way completely your own; and sure enough, my little bit o' larnin' gets plenty of exercise. As I like to say: I ain't got much, but I'm willing to share.
The downside of my method is that I have no idea what all those grammatical terms mean. Then again, I wasn't thinking about them too hard when I learned Spanish or English at Mater's knee, either. No loss!
In amicitia,
Aldus Marius Peregrinus.