Learning Latin with children’s books
May 17th, 2013 at 3:42 pm (Books, Language)
A desire has been growing in me for some time now to pick up a little Latin. And now with the spring semester at a close, I jumped at the chance to browse some beginning Latin books at the library.
The one I took home with me is “Teach Yourself Beginner’s Latin.” It starts out very basic and has you reading simple Latin from the first chapter. (By “simple” I mean “Dick and Jane” level, but far more interesting, as it discusses the antics of a monk and his mule in the woods.) Despite its simplicity, the feeling of accomplishment is satisfying. Mulus equos non amat. “The mule does not like the horses.” The book jumps right in with declensions (nominative, accusative, and ablative) but, curiously, reserves introducing gender for a few chapters later. So far, it feels comfortingly similar, yet intriguingly different, from my previous studies of French, Spanish, and Italian.
Once I gain some basic reading ability, I will want something to read. That is, something within a beginner’s reach, which probably rules out Tacitus.
My local library contains, to my surprise, two children’s books that have been translated into Latin: Tela Charlottae (Charlotte’s Web) and Winnie Ills Pu (Winnie the Pooh). The former is in juvenile non-fiction, while the latter is in adult non-fiction, due either to inconsistency or some guideline I have not yet grasped. The Library School won’t let me take Cataloguing to find out, until I take some required database class this fall! The non-fiction designation alone puzzled me, until I realized that these books are next to annotated or scholarly versions of various children’s (fiction) literature, so I guess a translation is similar in spirit.
There are also some good pointers to online materials for beginning Latin readers. This list led me to a delightful 1933 text called Cornelia, which is designed with a progressive vocabulary that makes a point of encouraging you to learn words by context as they are encountered. From the Author’s “Foreward to Pupils”:
Salvete, discipuli. This is the story of a little American girl named Cornelia. Her life was different from yours, but not very different. You will readily understand the things that she did. I hope that you will like her and that you will enjoy the adventure of finding out about her in a language that is not your own. Valete, discipuli.
Benigne, magistra!
Matthew said,
May 17, 2013 at 4:24 pm
I have a copy of the first Harry Potter in Latin and actually picked up a little book in a second book store in Heidelberg yesterday entitled “Ecce Roma: De Vita Cottidiana Romanorum”. I also got my daughter a book to learn Latin from at Xmas but cannot remember what is called off hand.
paola cresti said,
May 17, 2013 at 4:45 pm
That is cool that they have books of literature for kids. Kudos to you for jumping into that. I studied Latin for 6 (!!) years in school in Italy, but the way they teach it is horrible. We start with the declensions and then straight into translating sentences from Latin. No talking or making sentences, forget about it, a few times translating from Italian to Latin. Then jump right into Caesar (your easier to read of the Roman writers, he was a military man, direct to the point, no subterfuge, sarcasm or implied anything) and then progress to Tito (Titius? historian) to end with Catilina, Seneca and Cicero (Lawyers!). Result is that for 6 years of “studies” I have very little to show for it. I’ve often thought of trying it out on my own and just try to make sentences. To that purpose I brought some books with me, but I doubt they’d help you they’re in Italian. But I’d love to swap notes :)
David said,
May 17, 2013 at 5:27 pm
I second Paola’s version from my experience in Germany. The difference between those of my friends who took Latin and remembered it after a few years and me (and a number of other friends who didn’t remember much if anything) was whether the class had students actively write/talk in Latin. Essentially all of my curriculum was translating from Latin to German (many of the same writers as Paola), and I think that even your passive skills will stick much better if you actually form sentences in Latin yourself.
Donna Weimer said,
May 17, 2013 at 6:31 pm
The first book of Harry Potter is in Latin!! It is wonderful
Kiri said,
May 21, 2013 at 11:06 pm
I didn’t realize that so many of my friends have received a proper classical education! :) I definitely agree that active practice with a language helps it “stick” better.
And thank you, thank you, Donna, for sending me “Harrius Potter” in Latin! I can’t wait to relive the adventures of the “peur qui vixit.” :)