I. Lingva Latina Per Se Illustrata Pars I: Familia Romana (30 Min.)
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Carlos M Bernal CI. Lingva Latina Per Se Illustrata Pars I: Familia Romana (30 Min.)
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Carlos M Bernal CLearning Latin with Lingua Latina, Familia Romana | Mauro Herrera, Colombian linguist and Latin Teacher
I. LINGVA LATINA PER SE ILLUSTRATA
PARS I: FAMILIA ROMANA (30 min.)
1. Rather than one single book Lingua Latina is a series of books. Familia Romana is just the
pars prima, which implies that there is a second part (Roma Aeterna).
2. Besides Familia Romana, the series includes: Colloquia Personarum, Fabellae Latinae, Latine
Disco, Exercitia Latina, Grammatica Latina, etc1.
3. High frequency vocabulary (around 2000 words) is presented throughout a gradual
learning process: we go from Roma in Italia est to Vivamus, mea Lesbia, atque amemus.
4. i + 1 methodology or the spiral path method: the grammar and vocabulary acquired in
chapter one is once again presented in chapter two, plus an additional element.
5. Reading each capitulum: 1) skim reading (get the gist of it); 2) extensive reading (good
comprehension of the story), and 3) intensive reading (mastery of every grammar detail).
II. POST-CLASSICAL PRONUNCIATION (30 min.)
1. There are two major ways of pronouncing Latin: The Classical Pronunciation 2 and the
“Ecclesiastical” Pronunciation (used from the 3rd or 4th century down to the present).
2. There are eight major vowel sounds:
Spelling Sound Example
A–a as in father Arabia
E–e as in met Europa
I–i as in hit insula
O–o as in off oppidum
V–u as in put ubi
Y–y like French u Syria
Ae – ae as in met Aegyptus
Oe – oe as in met Euboea
1See: https://www.hackettpublishing.com/lingua-latina-per-se-illustrata-series?mode=grid
2In case you are interested in the Classical Pronunciation, see:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Latin_phonology_and_orthography
Tuesday, 30 June 2020 | Capitulum Primum: Imperium Romanum
Learning Latin with Lingua Latina, Familia Romana | Mauro Herrera, Colombian linguist and Latin Teacher
3. Most of the time, one consonant letter represents one single consonant sound.
Sometimes, however, the same sound is represented by different letters:
Spelling Sound Example
B–b bilabial: bat Britannia
C – c + a, o, u strong c: cat capitulum
C – c + e, i, ae, oe soft c: church oceanus
D–d as in door Danuvius
F–f as in face fluvius
G – g + a, o, u as in goat Gallia
G – g + e, i, ae, oe as in gentle Germania
G–g+n like Spanish ñ magnus
H–h silent Hispania
L–l as in let littera
M–m as in minus magnus
N–n as in not non
P–p as in put provincia
Q–q as in quotation quoque
R–r slightly rolled Roma
S–s as in sing Sparta
T – t + a, e, i, o, u as in time Tiberis
T – t + i and a vowel as in tsunami tertius
V-v labiodental: value parvus
X–x as in six sex
III. CAPITVLVUM PRIMUM:
IMPERIVM ROMANVM (30 min.)
1. The copula (i.e. the verb to be) takes the singular form est and the plural form sunt
depending on the subject.
2. Both -ne and num are interrogative particles. The former is used when we really want to
get information; the latter, on the other hand, is used when we expect a negative answer.
3. Latin nouns are grouped into three grammatical genders: masculine, feminine and neuter.
The endings are as follow: masculine: -us (sing.) and -i (plur.); feminine: -a (sing.) and
-ae (plur.); neuter -um (sing.) and -a (plur.)
4. Adjectives can take any gender, depending on the noun they describe.
