Spoken Latin

[Gaius]

Salve,

I just ordered "Polis" which is a book that attempts to teach Greek through speaking. I have had instruction and reading courses in Greek and Latin, but would like to become more fluent. Is there a similar course for Latin? I saw there is a Rosetta Stone, but I doubt that is of the same caliber as a grammar-based, oral Latin course.

Multas gratias vobis ago,
Gaius

[bedwere]

I think that Cursus Linguae Latinae Vivae is the best.

Cursus Linguae Latinae Vivae
Page in English

It uses the Italian/ecclesiastic pronunciation.

[Gaius]

Bedwere,

Thank you for the link. The Cursus looks promising. Have you tried the Bolchazy Carducci Conversational Latin for Oral Proficiency? That text seems to be more idiomatic, but I haven't worked through it.

Gratias tibi ago,
Zach

[bedwere]

I saw it, but I haven't used it, Zach.

Vale!

RL

[Carolus Raeticus]

Salvete!

I was wondering if anyone knows the method advanced by Clément Desessard and used by the Schola Latina Universalis.

That is (or was) the method used by the Assimil-courses. The French Assimil-course for Latin now uses a different sort of book, but the Italian site still offers the Desessard's version (with Italian text for the grammar), although at quite a hefty price. Well, at least the Audio-CDs seem to contain the dialogues not only in the ecclesiastical pronunciation (yuck!) but also in the reconstructed version.

Has anyone used this method?

Valete,

Carolus Raeticus

[gerases]

Has anyone used this method?

Yes, I used it at Schola Latina Universalis. It's not bad, but I doubt one will speak great Latin after following through with it. Much is needed to speak I think. I never finished the course, but I went through the book almost completely. I don't know if there's one book that will do the job completely. Only through lots of reading and a good grammar can it be done I think.

[metrodorus]

Plenty of people here have used Adler....as far as I know, the publishers of the old Assimil course have not given permission for the material to be used.

[Sinister Petrus]

Bedwere,

Thank you for the link. The Cursus looks promising. Have you tried the Bolchazy Carducci Conversational Latin for Oral Proficiency? That text seems to be more idiomatic, but I haven't worked through it.

Gratias tibi ago,
Zach

Think of Conversational Latin for Oral Proficiency as more of a phrasebook. It has three set dialogs per chapter followed by a topical glossary (if memory serves). It's an interesting book, though I'd not class it as a properly useful textbook.

[adrianus]

I have the book, Conversational Latin. I think it's well written and well structured. Its subtitle is "Phrase Book and Dictionary". I find it very useful for conversational Latin. I'm glad I bought it. Not everyone wants to learn conversational latin and I don't teach Latin but imagine it as a very useful classroom resource, as Lingua Latina is a useful resource. It (Conversational Latin) belongs to a core set of books that I often refer to. I also have Piper Salve: Cursus Vivae Latinitatis (1992-98) and refer to that book less often, partly because vowel lengths and stress aren't marked in Piper Salve but they are in Conversational Latin and I think that of vital importance.

Hunc librum, scilicet Conversational Latin, habeo et eum bene scriptum bene compositum esse considero. "Phrase Book and Dictionary" subtitulum est. Perutilis mihi est et emptio laeta. Sunt ei quibus non curae est viva latinitas, porrò eandem non doceo (nec capax ego). Credo autem et utilis ut instrumentum pergulae est liber unâ cum aliis ut illo de Orberg. Alius liber ei similis est Piper Salve: Cursus Vivae Latinitatis (1992-98) quem et teneo, at minùs utilis ille quod carent notae vis vocalumque longarum quae magni momenti his rebus sunt, ut opinor.

[Gaius]

multas gratias vobis ago!

There have been a lot of replies; thank you for the discussion and resources.

Adriane--you prefer learning with macrons? Or you just like it as a resource for a correct pronunciation? I found macrons to be an obstacle after learning Latin from the OLC and then going into readings. The OLC was easy reading with the markings, so I never fully learned which words had long e's, a's or i's.

[adrianus]

Adriane--you prefer learning with macrons? Or you just like it as a resource for a correct pronunciation? I found macrons to be an obstacle after learning Latin from the OLC and then going into readings.

I think books for learners (for me as a learner) on conversational Latin are better with macrons marked, Gaius, because macrons are guides to pronunciation.
Si latinè loqui vis, praeferendi, ut opinor, Gai, sunt libri ad usum tironum (in quorum numero sum) in quibus nota sunt signa macrona, quod curam recti loquendi augent macrona.

[Gaius]

Mea culpa, Adriane. I was thinking of my transition in reading from a macron-filled grammar to unmarked literature, which I found particularly difficult when I got into poetry. Macrons will definitely be helpful in speaking. Thank you for recommending the text.