by Milito » Fri Sep 05, 2003 1:43 am
[quote author=Lumen_et_umbra link=board=6;threadid=585;start=0#5211 date=1062533335]<br />I want to begin reading ancient works written by the likes of Cicero, Virgil, Livy, Catullus, Martial, and whomsoever of whom you may think; but each time I open such a book I am overwhelmed by a vast array of unfamiliar words. So my question is: Does any of you know a means by which I might ameliorate my Latin vocabulary (beyond sitting for hours, inefficiently - and boringly - memorizing dictionary entries) ? [/quote]<br /><br />I don't know of a book that does this, but honestly, just plain jumping in was a great way to "grow" the vocabulary. Yes, you spend a lot of time with the dictionary, but you do find your vocabulary growing, and over time, you find that you need it less and less. One caution I would give you about single methods of assisting your vocabulary growth is that every author whom I've encountered (I've jumped feet-first into Cicero, Vergil, Caesar and Horace thus far) uses a different sub-set of the Latin vocabulary. For instance, I started on Horace after working with Cicero pretty steadily for several months, and abruptly felt like I had no vocabulary at all. The two authors discuss such different subject matter in such different ways that their vocabulary is very different.<br /><br />You can, of course, choose the work you begin with carefully - a shorter work will, naturally, present a smaller vocabulary set to learn. It will also begin to set you up nicely to move on to longer works. (De Officiis is three books long, and several thousand lines, so I wouldn't recommend this as a "short" starting point.... I'm a little over a third of the way through the first book now, after about 8 months, and it's moved from "interesting project" to "challenge that I am determined to overcome".... Fortunately, it's interesting.)<br /><br />Kilmeny
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