DANTE ALIGHIERI COURSE OUTLINE (ADULT – APRIL 2014)
TEXTBOOK: LATIN VIA OVID
Te textbook for Latin 1 (Part 1), Latin via Ovid, can be previewed at:
http://books.google.com.hk/books?id=fORWW12AoTAC
My own website includes PowerPoint presentations introducing the stories in the each of the chapters
we will be reading (see http://linguae.weebly.com/adult-courses.html ). I will ask people to view
these, as well as reading the chapters themselves, in advance of each class and will provide a recording
of the passages. FOR COPYRIGHT REASONS, THE RECORDINGS SHOULD NOT BE PASSED
ON TO ANYBODY ELSE.
Latin via Ovid provides complete coverage of the vocabulary and grammar needed to begin reading
Latin poetry, particularly Ovid’s Metamorphoses, a collection of stories from Greek mythology, which
has served as a source of inspiration for writers and artists for two thousand years. The book is meant to
be completed in the 1st year of a university course, in which students would probably be attending 3-4
hours classes weekly. In Part 1 of the Latin I course, we are aiming to cover one quarter of the book in
10 2-hourly sessions. This should be enough time to cover many of the exercises but you will, in any
case, need to spend time in preparation between classes and reviewing what we have already done.
Individuals’ needs differ but you should aim to spend at least a couple of hours per week on this and
longer if you can spare the time (I realise this is difficult in Hong Kong!). You will be welcome to
email me (jw.blmcss@gmail.com) at any time if you need help between sessions.
The schedule below is a tentative one and the pace may be altered depending on the needs of the class.
Session 1(28/10)
An introduction to the language, its history, structure and the restored and ecclesiastical (`Italianate’)
pronunciations, exemplified in videos of a Harvard Commencement Day oration and videos of lessons
taught by Matthew Kiel in the USA and Luigi Miraglia in Italy. Outline of resources available on the
Web, including the Glossa and Oxford dictionaries. Overview of the Latin noun and verb.
Session 2 (4/11)
Chapters 1 and 2.(Charta Geographica and Europa) Nominative, Accusative, Genitive and Ablative
of 1st and 2nd. declension nouns. 3rd person present verb forms. Preposition in. Historic present.
Questions with ubi –ne and quis. Latin names for classroom objects
Session 3 (11/11)
Chapter 3 (Minerva et Arachne (I )) Dative case. Full pattern for 1st declension nouns. Command
words (`imperatives’). Use of dictionaries. Vocabulary learning with www.cram.com
Session 4 (18/11)
Chapter 4 (Minerva et Arachne II) Infinitives and present tense of 1st and 2nd conjugations, and of
sum. Revision of dative and ablative cases. Vocative when identical to nominative. Use of –que
Principal parts of verbs. .
Session 5 (25/11)
Chapters 5 (Minerva et Arachne (III)) Imperfect tense of 1st and 2nd conjugation and of sum. Dative
of possession and interest. Use of Cambridge website for additional reading practice.
Session 6 (2/12)
Chapter 6 Latona et Niobe (I)). Second declension masculine and neuter nouns, 1st/2nd. declension
adjectives. Number 1-12. Asking about numbers of persons and objects. Telling the time and daily
routine (Powerpoint: DIES MEUS)..
Session 7 (9/12)
Chapter 7 Latona et Niobe (II). Ablative of means, vocative in-e, prepositions with the accusative and
ablative, verb compounds.
Session 8 (16/12)
Chapter. 8 (Pan et Syringa). Numbers 20-90, 100 and 1000, future tense of 1st and 2nd. conjugations
and of sum, 2nd. declension nouns and 1st/2nd. declension adjectives in –er, word order with adjectives.
Session 9 (23/12),
Chapter 9 (Callisto-I) Perfect tense (1st and 2nd. conjugations), conditional sentences, suus and eius.
Contrast of perfect and imperfect tenses from Cambridge website.
Session 10 (30/12)
Chapter 10 (Callisto - II)) Numbers 13 to 19, irregular perfect stems of 1st and 2nd conjugations, perfect
of sum, the verbs adsum and absum.. The 3rd and 4th conjugations.