How can I practice Latin?
I mean, it’s not the kind of thing you can just strike up a conversation to practice… Basically, I’ve taken Latin on and off for a few years; my last class was this past Spring, and I won’t have any more time to take courses in it for the rest of college. However, as a medievalist-to-be, I really do need to keep it in working order—particularly medieval Latin, rather than Classical, which to me seems tricker to do, since there are a lot more texts floating around from Classical authors than medieval. Does anyone have suggestions—for texts, for how to figure out if I’ve translate correctly, for anything?
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Post a quote on Fluther. Always happy to deconstruct!
First of all: subscribe to this podcast. Regardless of your religious leanings, Dr. Foster will kick your butt.
Here’s an article about him, interesting guy.
And since medieval latin was basically “church latin,” a link to the Pope’s favorite page.
Beside all ‘dat, get thee to a library. Cave ab homine unius libri.
My son and his friends, four of whom were studying Greek and/or Latin (and one of whom is now teaching both), attended a weekend-long conference on classical languages in San Francisco a few years ago. Both languages were spoken all weekend, and papers were delivered in them. I have even heard Latin in use conversationally in my living room. I think you just need to find fellow students to practice with and look for events designed for medievalists-in-training. Probably one of your instructors can offer suggestions.
I feel like cheering aloud every time I hear of a student studying one or both of these languages. So hurrah for you, @MindErrantry.
Just to answer my own question for the benefit of anyone else who might ever be interested in this, I just had a recommendation from a professor at the University of St. Andrews—she told me of a book called Reading Medieval Latin, which I found at a bookstore the other day—it’s organized both thematically (‘The Bible’, for example) and by the different types of medieval Latin (Anglo-Latin, etc.). Apparently, it’s very helpful at explaining translations and enabling you to work through it on your own, so that sounds neat.
MEMORIZE!!!!, thats what i have to do.
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