September 13 th , 2011

 Language of the ancient Latins and Romans.
 Spread to Europe together with the Roman Empire; foundation of “Romance” languages
(i.e. French, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, Romanian); Profound influence on the evolution of English.
 Language of literacy and scholarship in Europe down to 16 th century (emergence of vernacular literature, esp. Scripture).
 Language of science and international diplomacy well into the 19 th century.
 Indo-European language (i.e. One of a group of related languages sharing a common parent language and so common syntax, structure, morphology etc.).
 Indo-European languages include: Latin, Greek, Germanic (i.e. German, Dutch, Danish,
English etc.), Slavonic (i.e. Russian, Polish, Ukrainian etc.), Gaelic (i.e. Irish, Welsh etc.),
Persian (i.e. Pharsi), and Indic (i.e. Sanskrit et. al.).

Mother
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Latin = mater.
Sanskrit = matar.
Greek = meter.
Anglo-Saxon = modor.
Old Irish = mathir.
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German = mütter.
Russian = mat’.
English = mother.
Is
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Latin = est.
Sanskrit = asti.
Greek = esti.
Anglo-Saxon = is.
Old Irish = is.
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German = ist.
Russian = jest’.
English = is.

 Latin = an inflected language; English no longer inflected.
 Inflected Language – the role of a word in a sentence is determined by the form of the word and NOT by word order.
 English relies on word order to convey the role played by a word in a sentence.

“The dog bites the boy.”
 Dog = subject.
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Bites = verb.
Boy = object.
The dog is the one who is biting the boy.
“The man bites the dog.”
 Boy = subject.
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Bites = verb.
Dog = object.
The boy is now the one who is doing the biting.

 Role of a word in a sentence determined by its form (i.e. Its inflection).
“The dog bites (is biting) the boy.”
 Canis (dog) mordet puerum (boy).
 Puerum canis mordet.
 Puerum mordet canis.
“The boy bites (is biting) the dog.”
 Puer mordet canem.
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Canem puer mordet.
Canem mordet puer.
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Role of word in a sentence is determined by case ending for nouns, pronouns, adjectives, participles etc. (Nominative, Genitive, Accusative, Dative, Ablative, Vocative, Locative); Declensions.
Person (1 st , 2 nd , 3 rd , singular or plural), Tense (present, imperfect, perfect, pluperfect, future, future perfect), Voice (active, passive), Mood (indicative, subjunctive, imperative) determined by form of the verb; Conjugation.
Change in word order results in change in emphasis, not change in meaning.
Typical Latin word order places the main verb at the end of the sentence.

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Noun = Person, place, or thing.
Adjective = Word describing a noun.
Pronoun = Word standing in place of a noun.
Verb = Action word; can be active or passive.
Adverb = Word describing the manner in which an action is performed.
Subject = the one performing the action of the main verb.
Direct Object = the one receiving the action of the main verb.
Indirect Object = the one with an interest in the action of the sentence (i.e. For whose benefit, advantage, or disadvantage the action of a verb is performed).
Predicate = Word or phrase linked to the subject by the copulative verb “to be” (i.e. am, are, is etc.).

 The handsome poet gave roses to the pretty woman.
 The cowardly soldier quickly abandoned his post to the enemy.
 Julius Caesar was a remarkable Roman General.

 Crucial for research for any period of European history, culture, literature, religion etc. pre-sixteenth century.
 Deeper understanding of the nuances of Latin literature.
 Improves your understanding of English.
 Improves your understanding of other modern
European languages.

 Frederic Wheelock, Wheelock's Latin. 6th Edition. Harper
Resource ISBN: 0060783710
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James May, Thirty-eight Latin Stories Ancilla to Wheelock's
Latin: An Introductory Course Based on Latin Authors.
Bolchazy-Carducci Publishers.ISBN: 0865162891
 D.P. Simpson, Cassell's Latin and English Dictionary. John
Wiley and Sons. ISBN: 0020133405

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In Class Test 1: 5%
In Class Test 2: 5%
In Class Test 3: 5%
In Class Test 4: 5%
Midterm Exam: 30%
Final Exam: 40%
Participation: 10%
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Tests based on readings from James May, Thirty-eight Latin
Stories Ancilla to Wheelock's Latin: An Introductory Course
Based on Latin Authors.
Participation based on 1. attendance. 2. preparation of assigned exercises taken up in class.

 Be familiar with the syllabus: http://www.nipissingu.ca/faculty/richardw/
 Always prepare assignments to be taken up in class before class; make note of any difficulties, problems, and questions and bring them to class.
 Put in the effort in the beginning to memorize declensions, conjugations etc.
 DO A LITTLE EACH DAY. LANGUAGE BUILDS ON PREVIOUS LESSONS SO DON’T
LEAVE ASSIGNMENTS UNTIL THE LAST MOMENT. USE IT OR LOSE IT.
 Try to read a little Latin every day (i.e. 15 minutes).
 Start studying early; bring questions/problems immediately.
 Have fun – Don’t make it a chore – Make mistakes in class not on tests and exams.