Introductory Latin

Dates and Times: Thursdays from 7-9pm beginning February 8

Location: Traill College, 310 London Street, Peterborough

https://trentucontinuinged.corsizio.com/c/65312ab75dc28f34781856d0

Why would I want to learn Latin? No one speaks it anymore. This might’ve been your reaction when reading the title of this course. But this isn’t really true. While no one may speak Latin in its original form, many modern languages, including French and Spanish, have deep roots in the Latin language. Many words in use today in English have come to us from Latin. Learning Latin will definitely help improve your vocabulary, spelling, and grammar. Understanding a new language, even one this old, will expose you to new ways of thinking and perceiving the world. You’ll also have the opportunity to read and appreciate ancient texts in their original form.
In this course, you’ll learn fundamental Latin grammar, syntax, and vocabulary, as well as read various passages from ancient authors. We’ll be working primarily from chapters 1–4 of Wheelock’s Latin. However, I’ll also provide additional exercises and readings.

Week 1 – Introduction: Common Latin Phrases
In this session, you’ll be introduced to the history of the Latin language, pronunciation, and we’ll look at common Latin words and phrases you already know. By the end of the class, you’ll actually be reading short Latin sentences!

Week 2 – Verbs
This week, we’ll look at verbs, including terms such as person, number, tense, mood, and voice. We’ll also start learning some basic vocabulary from the first chapter of Wheelock’s Latin.

Week 3 – Vocabulary
For this class, the focus will be on vocabulary building and reading original ancient Roman sentences.

Week 4 – Nouns and Cases
In this session, we’ll talk about how nouns are formed in this inflected language (the word ending, rather than word order, determines the meaning).

Week 5 – Agreement of Adjectives and Syntax
For this class, we’ll concentrate on adjective endings and how sentences are formed. You’ll be able to write your own sentences and read a few in the original Latin.

Week 6 – Second Declension Masculine Nouns and Adjectives
This week, the focus will be on learning a new group of nouns and adjectives, as well as how to construct more complex sentences.

Week 7 – The Verb “To Be”
In many languages, the most complex verb is “to be.” For this class, we’ll concentrate on learning this irregular verb. Also, we’ll look at new types of adjectives.

Week 8 – Final Readings
For the final class, we’ll take everything we’ve learned and read some fun Latin texts in the original format.
About the instructor:

Cara Jordan has a PhD in Classics from the University of Toronto where she served as a teaching assistant and instructor for over six years. While currently working as an academic editor for an online company, she also teaches woodburning and basketmaking workshops at the Art School of Peterborough, The Canadian Canoe Museum, and A Gift of Art in Newcastle. She is not a Trent graduate; however, she has worked with a number of Trent ESL students to help them improve their writing and language skills, as well as their artistic abilities.