Yesterday I introduced you to the idea that you can master Latin just by spending a few minutes every day writing out and copying Latin (and the English translation).

If you’ve been wanting to master Latin in as short a time as possible, or you want to quickly get to the level where you can read a page of Latin without a dictionary or grammar book – copywork is exactly how I’d do it.

Copywork takes all the pressure off learning, because you just focus on the writing, knowing that your long-term memory and your unconscious are working together.

And, because you’re DOING something, it shuts up that voice that you sometimes get when you ‘just read’.

I know, I’ve had that voice too – even though I think ‘just reading’ is a pretty good method too.

So today let’s get extremely clear on what copywork is and what it should look like for language learning.

All the research points to handwriting as being an extremely effective way of learning.

In fact, approximately 20% of everything you hand copy GETS INSTANTLY STORED INTO YOUR LONG-TERM MEMORY.

Meaning it’s there forever.

What about the other 80%?

Well, that’s why you keep copying, right?

Over time, that 20% builds up – and the other 80% gets repeated, just by accident.

So if you copy 300 words a day (for example), you’re guaranteeing about 60 words are going into your long-term memory.

Over 30 days, that’s nearly 2,000 words in your long-term memory.

And 2,000 words, by the way, constitutes about 85% of all the words you’ll see when reading.

Okay, so writing is a great way to learn vocabulary.,

And, if you look up the Goldlisting method online, you’ll see that’s exactly how some people use it.

But if you only copy out vocabulary, you’re selling yourself short.

As I’ve talked about before, we think and communicate in phrases, not in single words.

‘Kicked the bucket’ is my favourite example in English – we hear the whole phrase and know it means ‘died’ – but none of the individual words tell us that.

It’s only the whole phrase.

So the best way to do copywork for language learning is either phrase by phrase or sentence by sentence.

That way you’re putting whole ideas into your head.

And, since handwriting puts ~20% straight into your long-term memory, you’re putting whole phrases and ideas into your long-term memory, not just random words.

And because handwriting is better for remembering anyway, the other 80% is more likely to be remembered.

Fun, right?

Now that you understand what copywork is, I’m going to show you how to create your own copywork study programme step-by-step.

You’ll see how simple it is, and how effective it can be, too.

I’ll dive into that tomorrow!

Alexander

P.S. I don't always remember to give you some reading -- I get so caught up in the ideas! Here's some reading for today:

In oppido sunt multa aedificia.

in the town there are many buildings

Quo in loco sunt multa aedificia?

in which place are there many buildings?

In oppido sunt multa aedificia.

in the town there are many buildings

Quot in oppido sunt aedificia?

how many buildings are there in the town?

Multa in oppido sunt aedificia.

there are many buildings in the town

Quae res sunt in oppido?

what things are in the town?

Aedificia multa sunt in oppido.

many buildings are in the town