AureliaeLacrimae

Latin Alphabet, Spelling and Pronunciation The Romans had taken the letters from the Greeks (via the Etruscans). In the beginning, there were only capital letters. In Cicero's time, there were only 21 letters of the alphabet (it ended with X). Y and Z were added later because of the borrowed Greek words such as Byzantium. Capitalisation in Latin: - proper names, their adjectives and adverbs: Latium (the area), Latinus (of Latium, belonging to), Latine (adv.) -first word in a sentence and usually first word in a verse (though in many Latin texts, this isn't observed) Alphabet and Pronunciation For the sake of easier understanding and different phonetic chart, I am going to give examples in English, where possible, and bold the letter pronounced. Only bear in mind that Latin consonants are more frontal than English ones - meaning that English alveolar t and d sound more dental in Latin and so on. A a car B b brother C c key (classical pronunciation) and German Zeit (traditional pronunciation - though only when c is found in combination with e (cena) and i (Cicero), otherwise, it's like in key) D d dark E e let F f foreign G g Greek H h head (again, more frontal than the English guttural h) I i feed K k key L l light (Latin also has the so called dark and clear l) M m mother N n nephew O o lot P p pay Q q key (in combination qu- quote) R r rot (without the English alveolar sound - Latin r is more like Italian) S s soft (classical pronunciation), both soft and zealous (traditional pronunciation) T t toy U u soot V v what (classical pronunciation), vigorous (traditional pronunciation) X x fix Y y lit Z z zealous Latin also has a very developed system of diphthongi, which are as follows: ae fight (classical pronunciation), let (traditional pronunciation - only longer) oe loiter (classical pronunication) red (traditional pronunciation - only longer) au loud ei fate eu let and soot together (sorry, I can't think of an example in English as it doesn't allow this combination, like many other languages) ui Louis (French pronunciation) Another remark: Combinations -ch-, -ph-, -th- were pronounced differently in these two standards. The classical pronunciation would be kh, ph, th, whereas the traditional would be h, f, t e.g. pulcher is pulkher (or trad. pulher), schola is skhola (or trad. shola), theatrum is theatrum (trad. teatrum) I know that at this point, it must sound obscure, but I wrote this hoping that eve nthose who don't know how to read Latin words can start somewhere. Those of you who speak Slavic languages will find this very easy as Slavic pronunciation of vowels and consonants is very similar to that in Latin. For the rest, try to think about either Russian or German consonants and Spanish vowels. It's best to choose one pronunciation. Traditional is used seldom. Still, I wished to tell you that there were more ways of reading Latin. Most countries have adopted the classical pronunciation, so that is what I would advise you to do. Here are some Latin words for you to practice pronunciation with using the ''chart'' above (I have used only nouns): mater, pater, frater, terra (land), stella (star), populus (people), liber (book), labor (work), acus (needle), bellum (war), ars (art), domus (home), Roma, Athenae

A little history is always good, isn't it? This is just a little bit about the Latin language, its origin and relation to other languages of the Indo-European family. Latin was, primarily, the language of the city of Rome and its vicinity, named after the tribe which lived in Latium. As the Roman state grew, so did its influence on other, smaller areas which soon started to adopt and favour Latin over other languages, some of which were Umbrian (spoken by Umbri of Umbria) and Oscan (the language of southern Italy). When the Roman Republic conquered the whole peninsula, Latin became the official language. As Rome expanded further to other areas such as Europe, northern Africa and western Asia, Latin became one of the world's languages. Latin is one of the Indo-European languages, among which are also Sanskrit (Old Indian language), Greek, the Slavic languages and Germanic languages (and many more). Latin shares a lot of the common things with these languages (e.g. lat. mater, si. matar, gr. meter, ger. Mutter, slav. mati, eng. mother). Romance languages developed from common Latin (spoken by common people). After the fall of Rome, Latin was used in science and literature throughout history mostly by scholars, historians and poets. Latin is no longer spoken but is still used for the purposes of sciences, especially in the terminology. There are also a lot of international words of Latin origin.

I too am a great fan of history. I absolutely love everything about it, especially the antiquity and the Renaissance period. I believe my BA thesis will be something from history as well. That's why I wish to study Old English, but that's impossible. Maybe one day, I'll get the chance, but right now, I'll be content with learning Latin. It relaxes me and makes me think about the history of Rome almost every time I work on the text.

I've noticed this too! One of my teachers is from Britain, from Oxford to be exact, and whenever I'm talking to her, my accent changes. Same thing happened when I was with several American students last summer, showing them around the city. I mentioned it to them as well and then we'd played a little game. I was to mimic British accent for as long as I could and they were going to do everything to distract me and make me switch. I'd managed for about an hour or so, but I had to think about my vowels constantly!

''Teachers share a significant responsibility in preparing young people to lead successful and productive lives'' - Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership points out. The role of a teacher is very important, crucial even - there's no question about that. So who would you have teaching you English? Your friends and children? The fact is that most of the English language teachers are not native speakers. Whereas before, the emphasis was on ''imitation'' of one of the accents - accepted standards of Englishes in Canada, America, Britain, Australia. However, this has changed, and in many ways, lessened the burden the teachers were carrying. Now, the emphasis is no longer on imitation, but proficiency is tested in other ways - everything else taken together. English is spoken worldwide. It is taught worldwide. The contemporary trend is to try to grasp this intercultural background. What do you think of this? Is this a good thing or not? Why? How important do you think becoming ''assimilated'' in one culture is?

I've noticed that there are people interested in studying Latin, however, there isn't much material to help them get started. I wish to change that. There are many reasons why one should study this language and I believe it's a shame we don't anymore. Schools no longer offer Latin for more than a few years in high school - which isn't enough. In two years of ''school learning'', the best you can manage is get to know a certain language. I am currently studying Latin as my major, and I've noticed how little my school had taught me. My true learning had begun in college. I would like to ''liven up'' this topic and get in touch with other students, potential students and enthusiasts of Latin. I'd like to share study tips, have us discuss grammar problems, texts, dictionaries or even history and culture. The ancient Romans had certainly left us enough to last for a lifetime - we can't possibly ''exhaust'' the topic. They say, you can't speak Latin. It's only spoken in Vatican. Yes, true. But the whole history of science is based on Latin. Latin had mediated everything. It was the lingua franca of the Academeia in the past. If nothing, by learning Latin you're honouring the past. But then again, learning all other Romance languages becomes easier after you know the Latin root - even English. There are so many words in English which had been taken from Latin, and I'm not taking about words like transmit and internal, but more obscure ones - such as sinister. This word had me confused for so long - it's most common meaning is ''left'', so why does it mean ''dark and foreboding'' in English? This was a mystery until I finally took the dictionary and checked it's meaning in Latin. It doesn't only mean ''left'' it also means ''foreboding'' in augury (bird watching). So there is a connection, even though we may not be aware of it. All topics are welcome. It would be amazing if we could liven this up. Let us bring back to life the language which many believe is dead for centuries. Latin is beautiful. Challenging, yes, but beautiful. Let us discover its beauty.

Curiously enough, I haven't seen this thread before. I am studying Latin at the university (it's my major) and I can tell you that grammar isn't really a problem. You can easily learn it. The problem is in complicated texts. Most of the Latin authors used ellipsis extensively, and at times, it's not obvious, which makes it difficult for translation, for example. What I find the most challenging is vocabulary. That had never been my ''thing''. I just don't like new words and so I always offer mental protest before learning them, which makes that painstaking process all the more difficult, and forgetting them as much easier. If you have questions, I'd be happy to answer them. I was at Latin section some days ago, but I don't think there's enough to satisfy the curiosity of many who are interested in learning the language.

Yes, you're correct. Subtitles do feel like cheating, don't they? However, if you're a beginner, you don't really understand what they're saying until you have the subtitles, for instance subbed anime, so this method is appropriate only for those who already have some knowledge of the elementary spoken Japanese. Same goes for manga, really. If you can't read Hiragana, there's no much point in reading manga in Japanese when all you would see would be meaningless symbols. I believe, as a beginner, that it helps a lot when you can follow the story properly. Subtitles are an excellent way to start somewhere. I once watched a cartoon without sound (I was bored). I found that I could follow the story, but I was guessing a lot. It turned out that some of my assumptions were wrong. So yes, we can get some insight by just following the clues they give us while watching, but we need other things as well to have the full picture.

Yes, when you put it that way, it makes sense. However, what I'm really wondering is why that is so. What is it about mobile phones that fascinates people? Are dictionaries of no use anymore? I remember trying to find the perfect dictionary for Latin - I had spent days in various antiquity shops, browsing, until I had found what I was looking for. I was among the rare customers. This truly makes me wonder - will books disappear throughout time? Why would people keep publishing them in print if no one would read them? It seems that the people read online nowadays (if at all).

I've noticed that lately everyone is obsessed with applications - apps for this, apps for that, for language learning, for vocabulary improvement, for tense practicing, for reading... What is it about these apps that everyone finds so fascinating? I can't but wonder. I've never really used them. I use my phone to send a quick message or a phonecall, and that only when I have to. Sometimes I can't even find my phone. Does no one use dictionaries anymore? Or write things down in notebooks? Are these apps really helpful? Do they make learning things easier? I must admit I am puzzled with this new trend.

Learning Japanese through Subbed Anime I believe that learning Japanese through anime is a good way of getting the gist of the spoken language, the simple sentence structure and pronunciation. Of course you're not going to talk to a teacher like that! That shouldn't even be mentioned - it's understood. Speaking to teachers requires a certain level of respect and formal language, but that is something you will learn in class. Anime is there to help you get adjusted to the language. I don't know why subs are ''difficult to follow''. I follow them easily. But then again, I live in a society where subtitles are a normal thing and every single foreign movie or TV show is subbed - be it English, Spanish or Turkish even (yes, a lot of Turkish soap operas lately - which I find really annoying at times, but oh well). I'm used to them. For me, it's natural to have them there, so I guess my attention isn't really divided. I have watched Esmeralda when I was three (yes, I could read when I was three) and so did my brother. Exposure to foreign TV was crucial here. I have found that Germans get distracted when they have subtitles, simply because all of their shows are synchronised into German and so they're not used to reading them and following the action. Perhaps this too is a factor which contributes to this. But as they say, practice makes perfect. Given time, anything is possible.

I believe Romaji is very helpful, especially when you are still a beginner. Learning a completely unfamiliar script is not that easy and practicing both ways can be very helpful (Romaji-Hiragana and Hiragana-Romaji). I am still learning Hiragana and Romaji helps me a lot, especially the exercise I'd already mentioned. Sometimes you can't immediately remember what a certain symbol means, and having it written in Romaji helps. Besides, that's a universally accepted way of transliteration - transliteration is very important and it's a part of your knowledge about a certain language. That's simply something you must know. When we were learning Attic Greek a few years back, we had transliteration exercises which were also a part of the tests. Of course you don't write in Latin script when you're doing the rest of the test, you use Alphabet, but still, knowing how to transliterate a word or a sentence is important.

Now this is much more realistic. Learning 23 new symbols a day is not that difficult - but learning their meaning along with the stroke order makes it more complex. I am still learning Hiragana and I'm taking it slow, because I want to do it properly. When I've tried the Kanji, though, just a few of symbols which kept repeating themselves in simple sentences, I started having problems. As I said before, this feat would require a lot of focus, dedication and ambition.

Well, that depends whether you want to pay for the app or not. I believe there are some good free apps out there, you only need to find them. I've made it a little easier and I've found you two links which could be very useful: http://appadvice.com/appguides/show/flashcard-apps-for-the-ipad and http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/6-flash-card-apps-for-android-compared-which-is-the-best/ The first one provides you with a list of few types of flashcards - some you have to buy, some are, however, free. The second link compares 6 of the applications and shows their pros and cons. Do some research and then decide which ones could work best for you. I wouldn't recommend buying apps until you've tested them and know for sure you'll use them - otherwise, it's wasted money. Evernote Peek sounds interesting. I'd check it out if I were you.

Which is why you must do the translation yourself. The long sentences are best translated manually. I know that it takes a lot of time, especially if you're translating a literary text, but it's necessary. There is no machine that can provide a good and accurate translation of a text and keep it's essence. That's something you must think about while working on it. I use Google Translate only as a tool to help me with unfamiliar words so I don't have to lose time finding them in the dictionary. The rest is my own syntax and the understanding of the text.

And most probably, you had to spend much more time learning Spanish than you did when learning other subjects, simply because there was no one to guide you. And when you have, let's say, ten subjects, you don't really have time to figure things out on your own, and somehow you keep postponing that one subject which isn't really important until you really have to work on it. Having a good teacher prevents this. You find yourself working on a regular basis and you understand much more - the lectures actually mean something to you and help you when you're preparing for the test. This is my opinion at least. With a good teacher, you even find yourself loving the subject, not just learning it because you have to.

It can be frustrating! I have a thing for foreign scripts, so I guess it wasn't that difficult for me. My first foreign script was Cyrillic (not Russian Cyrillic, Serbian, though the two are very similar). Then I got interested in the runes and learnt Futhark. I tried Alphabet next. I guess it's easier with practice. The more different scripts you learn, the easier it gets for you to learn new ones. That's also why it was easier for you the second time. You may believe you'd forgotten those first weeks of torment, but you didn't. And they came in handy

Hello Tom, Hope you'll like it here. There are a lot of interesting topics and discussions to find and choose from. Here's the link for German: http://linguaholic.com/german-language-learning/ Maybe you'll find what you're looking for. Viele Grüße aus Sarajevo!

I had German in school - four years in elementary school, four in high school. Then I enrolled college and seemed to forget about it. It's been three years since I didn't speak a word of German (I study English language and lit. and Latin language and Roman lit.). I've been to Germany twice, true, but I am not comfortable speaking German yet - may be because of the long break. I like it, though - I like Germanic languages in general. After all, English roots are Germanic as well. I've already mentioned it somewhere, but I wish I could learn Old English - that would be my dream. The second I'd heard our lit. teacher read Beowulf, I'd fallen in love with OE. It just sounds so... beautiful and mysterious. Hope you'll find what you're looking for. P.S. I know some of Attic Greek as well How long have you been learning it?

How very interesting! I've never even heard of it. What's your language like? And why did you choose learning Spanish, of all languages? I had Spanish classes last year as a part of my language studies at the university. It was fun, but we've covered only the basic grammar and vocabulary.

Greetings to you too! I must admit I was drawn to this post by its title. It's very original. I must admit, though, I wonder - why Paradise Island? What is it like there? Any ideas which language you're going to choose to learn next? Have you decided already or not yet?

Hello to you too! I was very excited when I found this forum. So far, I love it here. There are many interesting discussions. Only one question - Off-topic section? Do you know anything about it? I find it only at times and even then, I can't post anything there. It's a little odd.

I too have tried learning French and I agree with you on this one. For me, the tricky part was pronunciation. There are rules, true, but somehow it just never worked for me. French also has a complex preposition system and no cases (I find languages with cases easier than those without as then it is harder to determine the functions of the words in a sentence).

I love Old English the most. The way it sounds is beautiful. Unfortunately, there aren't many places where you can learn OE, so it's just a pipe dream. As for the language I dislike the most.... well, I guess that would be Macedonian. It just sounds odd. I never got used to hearing it.

Google translate is quick and effective only when it's used as a dictionary. Translating sentences can be very awkward. There is always something that the machine fails to recognise, especially if there are collocations and idioms used or sentence fragments. These can be very tricky. It's better to type the sentence in the search engine and wait - maybe something useful pops out.