Sign up below to get immediate access to FREE video training and supercharge your Latin fluency!
Don’t I need to know the grammar?
|
All this week I’ve been talking about how and why you should use hand copying (called copywork) to become fluent in Latin reading. Why is this such an effective method for you no matter where you’re at right now? One reason is that doing this guarantees you’re spending your time reading and understanding real Latin, not the Latin of textbooks. It also means you’re READING – understanding – not just translating. Another reason is that copywork practically forces what you’re learning into your long-term unconscious. Now, yesterday I outlined a 5-step process for creating and implementing your own copywork practice. And it raised another important question: “Don’t I need to know the grammar and syntax?” I hear this question all the time – and I hear the answer ‘yes’ from teachers all the time, too. But here’s why that’s a load of crap: If you talk to any of your (non-Latin-studying) friends, you’ll find that 10-1 they know practically ZERO grammar. And they probably don’t even know what syntax means. But do they know English? You better believe it. Now, I’m not railing against grammar in all circumstances. I know grammar – including English. But it wasn’t grammar that made me fluent in English. Nor was it grammar that made me a good writer. How did I learn English? Exposure. My unconscious mind worked out the rules of grammar and syntax for itself. How did I become a professional speechwriter? I read good writing. A LOT of it. The same rule applies to Latin. If you can know English without thinking of grammar before you speak, you CAN (and SHOULD) know and read Latin without thinking of grammar. Grammar is an analysis tool – not a learning or comprehension tool. It’s for linguistics – not language. So if you’ve already studied grammar, don’t worry. You’re not broken. But you DO need to put the grammar aside for 30 days and immerse yourself in understanding. And see what happens. When you can pick up a page of, say, Seneca or Caesar, and not need a dictionary for more than a few words – then you’re ready to go back to the grammar. But if you do it before that, you’re not helping yourself. Cold hard truth right there. Do you have any other questions about copywork that I can answer? Just hit reply. I’ll read everything and then answer the biggest questions for the group. I also have a couple of things I’d like to add tomorrow – some ‘secret sauce’ stuff. Talk to you tomorrow! Alexander P.S. Today's reading! Circum Trojam sunt muri alti. around Troy there are high walls Quales sunt muri? what kind are the walls (what are the walls like)? Alti sunt muri. the walls are tall Quae res sunt circum Trojam? what things are around Troy? Muri alti sunt circum Trojam. high walls are around Troy Circum quam rem sunt muri alti? around what are there high walls? Circum Trojam sunt muri alti. there are high walls around Troy |
Welcome to Decoding Latin!
Sign up below to get immediate access to FREE video training and supercharge your Latin fluency!
Most textbooks talk about ‘graded reading’. But as anyone who’s worked through a textbook and tried to read a real Roman author can tell you – graded reading is a lie. The idea sounds great… start with really easy Latin, then make it gradually harder until you can handle even the most complex author with ease. Beautiful. Or at least – it would be, if it worked. But it doesn’t. 1. Because to construct a true graduated reading programme from zero to fluent would take WAY more time than any of...
If you want to become fluent in Latin – then I recommend handcopying, one phrase or sentence at a time – alongside its translation. Especially if you don’t have as much time to devote to Latin learning as you’d like. This is honestly the most efficient method I know when you’re on your own. I’ve been using copywork for years. For writing – hand copying great writing. For philosophy – writing out the ideas and arguments. I’ve used it for language learning, history, science, and so on. It’s...
Most Latin learners try to learn by studying grammar and memorising vocabulary, and then translating. This is understandable because this is the way most teachers and textbooks give you. And it CAN work – but it’s a LOT of work. But I’m here to tell you there’s a simpler, easier – and faster – way to Latin fluency. I’ve talked about the importance of huge amounts of input before, so I’m not going to go into that in too much detail. But the simple point is that we learn as human beings from...