Language of the Catholic Church and Western Civilization
This post details an "old" memorization method, one used by St. Thomas Aquinas, among many others, "back in the day." (So you know it has to be good!) It's not just for medieval scholastics, though: it will help your Latin studies in A.D. 2020 and beyond. I first learned about it from Dr. Kevin Vost's... Continue Reading →
This post is another excuse to mention and help you all use Fr. William Most's amazing textbook series Latin by the Natural Method. I highly recommend making the lists of vocabulary words in your notebook as he suggests in the Teacher's Guide. I certainly advocate using idea-mapping when studying each lesson. And I also think... Continue Reading →
This is my favorite Latin study-aid of them all, so we will begin this series with it today. And actually, I already have an example of a "mind map" or "idea map" on this blog, explaining jobs the endings of Latin verbs do. (It's here if you want to see it.) An idea map is... Continue Reading →
Don't groan--this is a highly-powered mega-vitamin for your Latin skills! There is no better way I know to feel like Latin is a spoken language than having a repertoire of pieces in your mind that you can hear with your "mind's ear." You've learned some Latin words with your textbook--very good. But you probably didn't... Continue Reading →
From Easy Latin for Sight Reading for Secondary Schools by Benjamin D'Ooge (1897) COMMON LATIN IDIOMS. The following idioms occur so frequently that it will be of much subsequent advantage and a great saving of time for the student to memorize them thoroughly early in his course. ad unum, to a man. aequo animo, contentedly,... Continue Reading →
Carpe diem! Now is the time…get ready to remember more, do better at your practice sentences, and even like your Latin studies.
How? With clever use of strategies and tools, of course! Organize your mind and your material, deeply encode new concepts, and actively use the vocabulary, word parts, and rules that you learn. These three things will make you master your current lessons.
#1: Create a Memory System
With a highly-inflected language, you are going to need to intensely organize your memory. Take learning nouns, for example: you’re going to have to remember the Latin word, its pertinent meaning(s), and also gender, declension, and stem for each noun. This kind of thing is impossible without creating a memory system.
At a bare minimum:
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Flashcards: the most over-used but under-utilized study aid. Latin students, I'm sure you've already been making use of them. But read through this list of ways to make sure they really work for you! Flashcards: Tips & Tricks Make the cards go twice as far. I got this great idea from a language-learning book: take the... Continue Reading →
I've found this wonderful piece (poetry? prose? something else?) in a couple places and just love it: AT FIRST I did not know PRIMO and ALMOST despaired of PAENE; BUT I knew SED; and WHILE I was studying DUM, I SUDDENLY recognized SUBITO and IMMEDIATELY STATIM became familiar. AT THAT TIME TUM seemed hard and... Continue Reading →
