The Latin language, despite the fact that it is considered dead, is studied and applied in many areas of human activity: jurisprudence, medicine, pharmacology, biology. The amount of knowledge a person needs depends on the scope and ultimate goal, but in any case, you need to know the basics. In this article, we’ll look at what the Latin for Beginners course looks like. The alphabet, a grammar review and practical advice are a necessary minimum that will help in independent study.
Alphabet and Phonetics
Where to start learning Latin? For beginners, it is important, first of all, knowledge of the alphabet. It includes 24 letters. Based on research, their pronunciation is unified and approximates the approximate pronunciation of the ancient Romans. Below is the transcription in Russian.
There are some features of their reading.
The vowel i is read as [and] and [th] before the vowels, h is aspirated, l is soft as in French, y sounds like [and]. The letter c is read as [c] before e, i, y, ae, oe or as [k] before a, o, u and at the end of words. S sounds like [s] between the vowels, x sounds like [x].
Diphthongs read like this:
- ae - [e]
- oe - [Ö]
- au - [ay]
- eu - [eu]
- ch - [x]
- ngu - [ngv]
- ph - [f]
- qu - [sq]
- rh - [p]
- th - [t]
- ti - [ty]
Stress
To read a word, you need to correctly emphasize, which depends on the position of the vowels and syllable. Vowel sounds, in turn, are divided into:
- short (pronounced quickly) - ă, ĕ, ĭ, ŏ, ŭ, y̆;
- long (stretched during pronunciation) - ā, ē, ī, ō, ū, ȳ.
Syllables are:
- open - end with a vowel;
- closed - end with a consonant.
Emphasis is placed on the first syllable if the word is two-syllable (it is never put on the last syllable). If a word consists of three or more syllables, then emphasis is placed on the second syllable from the end, if it is long, and on the third, if it is short.
Grammar
The Latin for Beginners course requires knowledge of the basics of grammar. In Latin, all parts of speech are divided into mutable (noun, adjective, verb, numeral, pronoun) and immutable (particle, preposition, union, interjection).
When you study grammar yourself, you should deal with those manuals that contain answers to exercises for self-examination. It is advisable to perform a large number of practical tasks, which will automate the skill of using grammatical constructions, and, as a result, the material covered will be remembered for a long time.
Practice
When studying the alphabet and grammar, a passive vocabulary gradually accumulates, which later needs to be activated when reading texts. At this stage, new words will appear, for the translation of which you will need an academic dictionary, for example, Large Latin-Russian. If you know English, then you can add Elementary Latin Dictionary and Oxford Latin Dictuonary. You must also have your own dictionary and periodically repeat the words from it.
Reading is the final stage of the Latin for Beginners course. At this level, reading texts such as:
- Fabulae Facilies.
- L atin Reader.
- De Viris Illustribus.
- The Latin Vulgate Bible.
Gradually, you need to complicate the task and move from simple reading to understanding without a dictionary. For this purpose, “Assimil” courses, Schola Latina Universalis and forums for students of Latin are suitable, where you can practice colloquial speech and get advice if something is not clear.