lingva-latina

LINGVA LATINA PER SE ILLVSTRATA, by Hans H. Ørberg, is a Latin course written entirely in Latin. It consists of two parts, FAMILIA ROMANA, the fundamental course, and ROMA AETERNA, the advanced course, with a volume of INDICES. The course is available both in book form and on CD-ROM.

FAMILIA ROMANA - a Roman Family

Part I, FAMILIA ROMANA, covers the essentials of Latin grammar and a basic vocabulary of some 1500 words. The 35 chapters form a sequence of events in the life of a Roman family in the 2nd century a.d. Each chapter is divided into 3 or 4 lessons (lectiones) and consists of several text pages followed by a grammar section, Grammatica Latina, and 3 exercises, Pensum A, B, C. At the end of the book there is a survey of inflections, a Roman calendar, and a word index, Index vocabulorum,

The CD-ROM Familia Romana contains the complete text of the book, an audio-recording of chapters I–XXXI, and a full interactive edition of the Pensa ( exercises).

An entertaining narrative

LINGVA LATINA provides a Latin text that students can read and understand immediately without any need for translation. In this text every sentence is intelligible per se because the meaning or function of all new words and forms is made clear by the context or by illustrations or marginal notes. This demands a carefully graded text, but to promote learning the content must stimulate interest and make it easy for the reader to visualize the scenes described. To meet these demands the chapters of Part I form an eventful and entertaining narrative, which captivates students so that they look forward to reading the continuation of the story. The reading of this Latin ‘novel’ also serves as an introduction to the life and culture of ancient Rome.

This direct method, based on understanding from the context, has proved efficient both for self-tuition and class teaching. An important factor is the satisfaction experienced by students when they discover that they can actually read and understand Latin immediately without translating or decoding. Such direct understanding gives the students self-confidence and develops their faculties of observation and reasoning, faculties that will be greatly needed as the sentences grow more complex. Reading in this way, they move on step by step toward the ultimate object of Latin teaching: the reading of Latin literature in Latin with real understanding and appreciation.

ROMA AETERNA - the Eternal City

In Part II, ROMA AETERNA, the subject is Roman history. A description of the city of Rome is followed by a prose version of Vergil’s Aeneid I-IV, with some important passages in the original, and Livy’s Book I supplemented with extracts from Ovid. At first Livy’s prose is gently adapted, but the main part of the book contains unadapted texts by Livy, Aulus Gellius, Cornelius Nepos, Sallust, Cicero, and Horace.

The volume Indices contains chronological lists of Roman consuls and their ttriumphs, Fasti consulares and triumphales, a name index, Index nominum, with short explanations in Latin, and an Index vocabulorum, covering all the words used in Parts I and II.

The CD-ROM Roma Aeterna contains the copmplete text, an interactive edition of the exercises (Pensa) with an audio-recording of questions and answers in Pensum C, and the complete booklet Indices.

(1) Colloquia personarum. An illustrated collection of supplementary readings matching chapters I–XXIV.

(3) Exercitia Latina I. Detailed additional exercises for each of the 133 lectiones in Familia Romána. Also available on CD-ROM.

(4) Exercitia Latina II. Detailed additional exercises for each of the 115 lectiones in Roma Aeterna. Also availabe on CD-ROM.

Latine disco. Student’s Manual, with guide to the pronnciation and instructions for the chapters in Part I.

These abridged annotated editions can be read by students who have finished Familia Romana.

These poems can be read by students who have started on Roma Aeterna (first 5 chapters).

Petronius: Cena Trimalchionis (abridged). To be read by students who are halfway through Roma Aeterna (cap. XXXVI–XLVII).

Sallustius & Cicero: Catilina Sallust’s Catilina and Cicero’s Catilinarian Speeches I and III. To be read by students who have finished Roma Aeterna.

The CD-ROMs Familia Romana and Roma Aeterna (XP/Win7) contain the complete text of the two books and interactive versions of all the Pensa (exercises). There is an audio-recording of 31 chapters of Familia Romana and of the questions (Pensum C) in Roma Aeterna with answers.

The CD-ROMs Exercitia Latina I and Exercitia Latina II are interactive versions of the additional exercises for the 133 lectiones in Part I and 115 lectiones in Part II.

The CD-ROM Lingua Latina (Macintosh OS X) contains the whole course: Parts I & II. Exercitia Latina I & II, Grammatca Latina, and Indices.