Latin For Dummies E-Book

Clifford A. Hull

• Herausgeber: John Wiley & Sons
• Kategorie: Fremdsprachen
• Sprache: Englisch
• Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2011

Seitenzahl: 409

Beschreibung

Earn-lay atin-Lay? No, not that kind of Latin! You can learn trueLatin, with conjugations, declensions, and all those extrasyllables - and it's easier than you think.In fact, most people mistakenly think of learning Latin as perhapsthe most useless, tedious, and difficult thing to do on earth. Theycouldn't be more wrong. Latin For Dummies takes you back for a quick jauntthrough the parlance of ancient Rome, as well as discussing theprogress of Latin into church language, and its status today as the"dead" language that lives on in English, Spanish,Italian, and most other Western tongues. Written for those withzero prior knowledge of Latin, this snappy guide puts the basics atyour fingertips and steers clear of the arcane, schoolmarmstereotype of endless declensions and Herculean translations.Easy-to-understand sections describe: * Latin you already know * Grammar * Pronunciation * Latin in action * Latin in law * Latin in medicine * Latin for impressing your friends * And much more No dusty tome or other such artifact, Latin For Dummiesmakes learning fun and brings the language to life by presentingconversations in various Roman settings, as well as providing funfacts and stories about classical life. And if you feel you mayactually have a negative aptitude for the language, don'tworry; pronunciations and translations follow every expression, anda helpful mini-dictionary graces the book's last pages.You'll also find out about: * The quotable Roman * Latin graffiti * Latin authors who's who * Gladiator Latin * Latin in love, marriage, and family * From the mouth of Julius Caesar * Romans on drink * Helpful Latin-related Web sites * Fun and games exercises Designed to introduce and familiarize you with the languagerather than make you the next Cicero, Latin For Dummiesgives you all the tools you need to work at your own pace to learnas much or as little as you like. So noli timere (no-leetih-may-reh) - "have nofear" - and carpe diem ("pick upLatin For Dummies today")!

Leseprobe

Latin For Dummies®

by Clifford A. Hull, Steven R. Perkins, and Tracy Barr

Latin For Dummies®

Published byWiley Publishing, Inc.111 River St.Hoboken, NJ 07030-5774www.wiley.com

Copyright © 2002 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Indianapolis, Indiana

Published by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Indianapolis, Indiana

Published simultaneously in Canada

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Library of Congress Control Number: 2002103270

ISBN: 978-0-7645-5431-5

Printed in the United States of America

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About the Authors

Clifford A. Hull has been a Latin teacher for more than 23 years. He received a bachelor of arts degree, BA (Honours)(Latin) degree, and an HED (Higher Education Diploma) from the University of Stellenbosch (South Africa). He taught Latin and Classical Culture in South Africa at the high school and university levels for ten years. He came to the United States of America where he received an MA in Classical Studies, an MA in Classical Archaeology, and an MLS in Library and Information Science from Indiana University. Over the past 13 years he has taught Latin, Greek, Medical Terms, and Classical Mythology at both the high school and college levels. At the present time, he teaches Latin and Classical Greek at Park Tudor School in Indianapolis, Indiana, and Classical Mythology at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis. His main interests are Latin grammar, epigraphy, Roman architecture, especially Roman houses and buildings, archaeology, and Morris Minor cars.

Steven R. Perkins is an award-winning Classics instructor who has published numerous articles on Latin pedagogy. A member of Phi Beta Kappa and a former Texas Latin Teacher of the Year, he has taught Latin from the middle school through university levels. (To be honest, I hate this self-praise business, though I know it is helpful to add credibility for the book. Just to back up a bit of what I just said, I was awarded for excellence in Classics from Indiana University, was recognized for outstanding Classics instruction at the University of Texas, was twice recognized by the Austin Texas school board, was twice listed in Who’s Who Among America’s High School Teachers, and was awarded the silver chalice from Classics Technology on the Web for an article based on a conference presentation.)

Tracy Barr has been a part of the Dummies phenomenon for almost a decade. In that time, she has served as editor, editorial manager, writer, and consultant to the folks who write and edit For Dummies books. Most recently, she helped write World War II For Dummies with Keith D. Dickson and Vocabulary For Dummies with Laurie Rozakis. She lives and works in Indianapolis.

Authors’ Acknowledgments

Clifford A. Hull: Many thanks to all the people at Wiley for making this book possible, especially to Tracy Barr, whose help was invaluable. Thanks also to Esmeralda St. Clair for her help and input. Thanks to my co-author, Steve Perkins, and to his wife, Melissa. I would like to give special recognition and much appreciation to my wife, Lynn Thomsen, and my son, Clifford P. Hull, for all the time, help, patience, encouragement, love, and support they gave me. I could not have done this without them. Lastly, I would like to dedicate this book to the memory of my father, Stanley Clifford Hull. I love you, Dad.

Steven R. Perkins: I would like to thank my wife and Latin colleague, Melissa, for her loving support and critique throughout this project. “Ad exemplum tu mihi semper ades.” Thank you, too, Austin, for helping Daddy type his manuscript.

Tracy Barr: I would like to thank the following people: Steve Perkins and Clifford Hull, who made the writing a joy; Roxane Cerda, who made my participation in the project possible, and Tim Gallan and Esmeralda St. Clair, who made the editing (relatively) painless. I would also like to thank Larry, Adam, Sarah, Mary, and Alex for sundry reasons that have absolutely nothing to do with writing or Latin.

Publisher’s Acknowledgments

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Contents

Title

Introduction

About This Book

Conventions Used in This Book

Foolish Assumptions

How This Book Is Organized

Icons Used in This Book

Where to Go from Here

Part I : Getting Started

Chapter 1: You Already Know a Little Latin

Latin: Not as Dead as You May Have Hoped

Familiarity Breeds Comfort: Latin You Already Know

From A to Z: The Latin Alphabet

Soundin’ Like a Roman: Pronunciation

Talkin’ the Talk

Chapter 2: The Nitty Gritty: Basic Latin Grammar

Bending the Rules: All about an Inflected Language

Latin Nouns (Or Why You Should Love Your English Teacher)

Talkin’ the Talk

Lights! Camera! Action! Introducing Verbs

Talkin’ the Talk

Making Connections through Conjunctions

Chapter 3: Salve! Hello! Greetings and Introductions

Hello, Goodbye: Roman Salutations and Farewells

Being There: Esse (To Be)

Saying Where You’re From

Identifying Yourself

Talkin’ the Talk

Asking Questions

The Preposition Proposition

Playing the Numbers

Talkin’ the Talk

Part II : Latin in Action

Chapter 4: The Roman Family and Social Structure

Keeping It in the Family

Talkin’ the Talk

Throwing on Meaning with Adjectives

Talkin’ the Talk

Perfecting the Past and the Future

Talkin’ the Talk

Chapter 5: Food and Housing in Roman Life

Living to Eat and Eating to Live

Talkin’ the Talk

Dining Practices

To Be or To Eat: That’s the Real Question

Talkin’ the Talk

Welcome Home!

Chapter 6: The Roman Calendar

Planning Ahead with the Roman Calendar

Oh, That Able Ablative!

Talkin’ the Talk

Expressing Subjunctive Moodiness

Pleading Insanity: The Insanity Clause

Talkin’ the Talk

He Seems Like a God! Roman Deities

Chapter 7: The Roman Army

You’re in the Army Now

Fourth- and Fifth-Declension Nouns

Proceeding with Pronouns

Talkin’ the Talk

Chapter 8: Roman Entertainment and Sports

Let the Games Begin!

Talkin’ the Talk

Good, Better, Best: Never Let It Rest!

Standing Room Only: Roman Plays

Talkin’ the Talk

Chapter 9: Roman Government

Ruling the World

Getting Out of the Verbal Trap

Talkin’ the Talk

Passive (Aggressive) Voice

Talkin’ the Talk

Chapter 10: More Lasting Than Bronze: Latin Literature

The Written Word

Getting Grammar into Proper Condition

Telling It Secondhand — Indirect Statements

Talkin’ the Talk

Writing for the Rest of Us

Part III : Latin in the Modern World

Chapter 11: Latin in Law

A (Very) Short History of Roman Law

Listening to Latin Litigation: Words Used in Roman Courts

Talkin’ the Talk

Latin Words Used in English Courts

Talkin’ the Talk

Talkin’ the Talk

Chapter 12: Latin in Medicine

Parts Is Parts: Anatomical Lingo

Talkin’ the Talk

Understanding Common Medical Terms

At the Drugstore

Talkin’ the Talk

Chapter 13: Latin in the Church

Being Christian in Ancient Rome

The Early Church and Its Adopted Language

Talkin’ the Talk

Talkin’ the Talk

Chapter 14: Latin in Zoology and Botany

Classifying Basics

Talkin’ the Talk

Fauna and Flora

Chapter 15: Translating and Reading Latin

Word Order or Where in the Heck Is the Subject?

Making Sense of a Translation

Talkin’ the Talk

Talkin’ the Talk

Chapter 16: Mottoes, Sayings, and Quotes: Cocktail Party Latin

The Quotable Roman

Talkin’ the Talk

Advice in Latin: Words to Live By

Mottoes in Latin

Part IV : The Part of Tens

Chapter 17: Ten Loanwords from Latin

Chapter 18: Ten False Friends: Common Mistakes in Latin

Chapter 19: Ten Helpful Latin-Related Web Sites

Chapter 20: Ten Common Latin Abbreviations

Chapter 21: Ten Common Latin Prefixes

Chapter 22: Ten Important Latin Suffixes

Part V : Appendixes

Appendix A: Verb and Noun Tables

Noun Tables

First-Declension Masculine/Feminine Nouns

Second-Declension Masculine Nouns

Second-Declension Neuter Nouns

Third-Declension Masculine/Feminine Nouns

Third-Declension Neuter Nouns

Fourth-Declension Masculine/Feminine Nouns

Fourth-Declension Neuter Nouns

Fifth-Declension Masculine/Feminine Nouns

Verb Tables

First-Conjugation Verbs

Second-Conjugation Verbs

Third-Conjugation Verbs

Fourth-Conjugation Verbs

Appendix B: Latin-English Mini-DictionaryEnglish-Latin Mini-Dictionary

Appendix C: Fun & Games Answers

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Introduction

People fall into two camps: those who took (or are taking) Latin in school and those who didn’t (or aren’t). Which camp you fall into depends on how great your tolerance for pain is and how much delayed gratification motivates you. Why? Because Latin has a reputation of being hard to learn, boring as all get out, and not good for much once you know it, unless, heaven forbid, you want to become a Latin teacher.

But Latin has been given a bad rap. First, it’s not really hard to learn. Sure, you have to know a few rules and master a few tricks, but after you do, Latin is actually pretty easy to figure out. Second, it’s not boring. Latin was the language of the Romans, the movers and shakers of the ancient world. These are the folks who built a republic and then an empire that stood for hundreds of years; who created (and destroyed) Caesars; who produced the Colosseum, the Pantheon, and Hadrian’s Wall; and who can take credit for one of the most lasting man-made concoctions of all time: concrete.

Finally, knowing Latin is useful in many ways. True, you’re probably not going to speak it; after all, no one learns Latin as a native language any more. But Latin continues to influence the world through the many languages, such as French, Italian, and Spanish, that come from it. And Latin has had much influence on English, too, given that more than half of all English words are derived from Latin words. (In fact, you use Latin words without even knowing it.) One of the best-kept secrets about learning Latin is that not only does studying Latin help you understand Latin, but it also helps you understand English, too.

Not too shabby for a dead language.

About This Book

What’s great about this book? You decide where to start and what to read. It’s a no-holds reference that you can jump into and out of at will. Just go to the table of contents or the index to find the information that you need.

Each chapter is divided into sections, and each section contains information about some part of understanding Latin, like

How to decline Latin nouns and adjectives and conjugate Latin verbs

How to translate a sentence so that it makes sense in English

How Latin continues to influence English

All sorts of interesting tidbits about Roman culture

Conventions Used in This Book

To make this book easy for you to navigate, we’ve set up a few conventions:

Latin terms are set in boldface to make them stand out.

Pronunciations and translations are set in parentheses and follow the Latin terms. Within the pronunciation key, words of more than one syllable are separated by a hyphen. An italicized syllable tells you to stress that syllable. For example, exercere (ehks-ehr-kay-reh; to train or exercise).

Latin has two pronunciations: Classical (used in Latin literature and manuscripts) and Ecclesiastical (used in church): Except where noted, this book shows the Classical pronunciation.

Verb conjugations (lists that show you the forms of a verb) appear in two-column tables. The first column contains the singular forms in this order: the “I” form, the “you” (singular) form, and the “he/she/it” form. The second column lists the plural forms: “we” form, the “you” (plural) form, and the “they” form. Here’s an example, using the verb amo, amare, amavi, amatus (to love):

Language learning is a peculiar beast, so this book includes a few elements that other For Dummies books don’t include:

Talkin’ the Talk dialogues: One of the best (and most fun) ways to learn a language is to see it in action. Although you probably won’t be speaking Latin to many folks, you can still see how the language works. The dialogues under the heading “Talkin’ the Talk” show you the Latin words, their pronunciation, and then the English translation.

Words to Know lists: Memorizing key words and phrases is important in learning a language, so we collected the important words within the chapters (or sections) and placed them in these lists. Some things to keep in mind about these lists are

• The function of Latin nouns depends on their declension and their gender, so the nouns in these lists include the first two dictionary forms (which tell you the noun’s declension) and the gender. For more on gender, see Chapter 2.

coquus, coqui, m (koh-kwus, koh-kwee; cook)

• Because Latin adjectives have to match the nouns that they modify in case and gender, adjective entries show the masculine, feminine, and neuter forms.

frigidus, frigida, frigidum (free-gih-dus, free-gih-duh, free-gih-dum; cold)

• The translation of a verb depends on its conjugation, so the Words to Know lists include the four dictionary forms of the verb.

paro, parare, paravi, paratus (puh-ro, puh-rah-reh, puh-rah-wee, puh-rah-tus; to prepare)

Fun & Games activities: Chances are, you won’t have actual Latin speakers to practice your new language skills on. So we provide fun activities to reinforce what you learn. These word games are fun ways to gauge your progress.

Foolish Assumptions

In writing this book, we made a few assumptions about you:

You know no Latin — or if you took Latin in high school, you don’t remember a word of it.

You’re not looking for a book that makes you fluent in Latin; you just want to know some words, phrases, and sentence constructions so that you can understand basic Latin when you see it (or recognize it when you hear it).

You don’t want to have to memorize long lists of vocabulary words or a bunch of boring grammar rules.

You want to have fun and learn a little bit of Latin at the same time.

How This Book Is Organized

To help you find the information that you want more easily, this book is organized into five parts, each covering a particular topic. Each part contains several chapters relating to that part.

Part I: Getting Started

This part gives you the basics that you need to know to understand Latin — how to pronounce words, how to deal with an inflected language (which Latin is), and what the basic Latin grammar rules are. To boost your confidence, we also introduce you to some Latin that you probably already know.

Part II: Latin in Action

The Roman world was a fascinating one. In this part, we give you all sorts of info about Roman life and the language the Romans used relating to those areas. In Part II, you can find information on the Roman family, the mighty Roman army, Roman entertainment, and more.

Part III: Latin in the Modern World

Although it’s not a spoken language anymore, Latin is still used today in many professions. The obvious ones are the legal and medical professions, but Latin is used in the Church, too, and in the sciences, such as botany and zoology. Because you run into (or up against) Latin in so many places, this part gives you the terms that you’re most likely to hear. With all these words at your disposal, you’ll be able to translate Latin, so this part also gives you the lowdown on how to make sense of what you read or hear.

Part IV: The Part of Tens

Perfect for the person who wants useful info in digestible chunks, the Part of Tens gives you lists that you’ll find helpful. In this part, you can find ten Latin words that give people the most trouble, ten common Latin abbreviations, Latin prefixes and suffixes, and more.

Part V: Appendixes

This part of the book includes important information that you can use for reference. We include noun tables, verb tables, and a Mini-Dictionary so that you can easily look up words that you just can’t seem to remember. For those of you who want to grade yourself on the Fun & Games activities, we give you the answer keys, too.

Icons Used in This Book

To help you find information you’re interested in or to highlight information that’s particularly helpful, we’ve used the following icons:

This icon points out advice, suggestions, and pointers that you’ll find helpful as you learn Latin.

You find this icon next to important information that you’ll want to remember.

This icon appears beside information that you may find interesting but can skip without impairing your understanding of the topic. This is a standard Dummies icon.

Latin is full of quirks that can trip you up, exceptions that you need to know to translate the language accurately, or fuller discussions about grammar rules that can help you understand why Latin is the way that it is. This icon draws your attention to these grammatical quirks.

This icon highlights cultural tidbits and information relating to Latin and the Romans. Search this icon out if you want to know more about the culture that led to the Latin language.

Where to Go from Here

This book is organized so that you can jump in any where you want. You don’t need to start at the beginning and work your way through to the end. But if you wouldn’t know Latin if a tablet hit you in the head, then you should probably start in Part I, where you can find out the basic grammar and pronunciation rules of Latin. Beyond that, go wherever you want to go. Thumb through the book, flip through the index, or head to the table of contents. You’re bound to find a topic that interests you and information that increases your knowledge of Latin.

Part I

Getting Started

In this part . . .

Many people find Latin intimidating because they consider it so foreign. After all, how familiar could an ancient, dead language be to modern English speakers? We have a hard enough time figuring out medieval English (Shakespeare’s language), let alone old English.

The truth is that Latin isn’t as foreign as you may think. More than half of the words of the English language come from Latin. Many of the words we use are Latin words — that is, they have the same meaning, the same spelling, and the same use. Even some grammar rules (like not splitting infinitives or not ending sentences with prepositions) have their origins in Latin sentence structure. Still, Latin is different from English, and to be able to read or speak Latin competently, you have to understand these differences.

This part is a good starting place if you don’t know (or remember) any Latin. It helps you see how much Latin you already know and explains basic Latin grammar.

Chapter 1

You Already Know a Little Latin

In This Chapter

Spotting familiar Latin words

Recognizing Latin derivatives and loanwords

Finding out about the Latin alphabet

Pronouncing Latin

Using stress and accent

Take one look at Latin, and you might say, “That’s Greek to me!” You hear stories of demanding schoolmasters, and images of endless hours of memorization dance through your head. After all, Latin is not the language of intellectual lightweights. It’s the language of Julius Caesar, Marc Antony, Vergil, Ovid, and St. Augustine. Intellectuals, such as Thomas Jefferson and W.E.B. Du Bois, founder of the NAACP, used it, and Leonardo da Vinci used it as code by writing it backwards so that ordinary folks couldn’t read his notes. And in the movie Tombstone,

Noli timere! (no-lee tih-may-reh), the Romans would say. “Have no fear!” What do you think the slaves, gladiators, and working-class folks were speaking in those days? They used Latin, too, and so can you. In fact, you probably already know some Latin. This chapter takes a look at these familiar words and phrases. So sit back and enjoy this little jaunt back to the golden age of Rome.

Latin: Not as Dead as You May Have Hoped

An old rhyme about Latin goes like this: “Latin is a dead, dead language, as dead as it can be. It killed the ancient Romans, and now it’s killin’ me!” Well, Latin may have seemed deadly to the student who first penned those lines, but the rumors of Latin’s demise have been greatly exaggerated.

Latin was originally the language of a small group of people living in central Italy around the eighth century B.C. Eventually those people, the citizens of a town called Rome, spread their culture and influence across the Mediterranean world, making Latin the common language for many nations in antiquity.