Rosetta Stone

Here you can discuss all things Latin. Use this board to ask questions about grammar, discuss learning strategies, get help with a difficult passage of Latin, and more.
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UT09
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Rosetta Stone

Post by UT09 »

Hello everyone. I have absolutely zero experience with latin. I plan ont aking Latin in college starting next fall. I want to have a decent feel for the language before I go in cold to the classroom. I was looking at the Rosetta Stone software and it really caught my eye. I tried out the demo and it taught me a few basic words in a great innovative way. For instance it would have "Canis" "Femina" "Vir" and then have pictures and you match them up. It has pronounciation and everything. It seems elementary but just by doing the demo those words seem to have been etched into my memory. Does anyone reccomend that I stay away from this type of software and stick to Wheelock or something.

Im worried that the software will not be very heavy on grammar which would be a negative but I this would only serve as a stepping stone. The drawback is this software costs 200 dollars. So can anyone reccmomend this for an absolute beginner?

Barrius
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Post by Barrius »

Some people learn differently, I've done the same online course, for me it seemed to reinforce what I had already learned. I did like hearing the words in the lessons. If you want it buy it and use it. If it's not for you, sell it on EBAY, donate it to Textkit.com for a contest prize, or offer it here privately.

cweb255
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Post by cweb255 »

You can only learn so much with Rosetta Stone, and it's very costly if you actually get the entire thing. Learning Latin via libri vel magistri est melius.

yadfothgildloc
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Post by yadfothgildloc »

The idea is sound - you learn foreign langauges better when you attach the words to the cocncepts that they denote, rather than the word in a different langauge ("canis -> dog - > "fury four legged barking thing"" is harder to remember than "canis ->"fury four legged barking thing""). Grammar could be a problem though and if the voacbularies don't match up, then you could have some additional difficulty.

adz000
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Post by adz000 »

I've played around with the Rosetta Stone (Latin, and a few other languages) a bit and it's got some pros and cons as you'd expect.

The two huge advantages with Latin are that (1) you're treating Latin like any other functional foreign language, and (2) that the pronunciation is far more accurate and consistent than what you'd find in a high school or even (horribile dictu) university Latin course.

The disadvantages are linked to the advantages. Really the biggest one is that, like every Rosetta Stone course, the syllabus follows along the exact same objects as for a course in Spanish or Turkish. Which is great, if Latin is the language spoken at your dinner table, but knowing the names of vegetables won't help you much with Cicero or Caesar. Also the grammatical complexity is pitched at a much lower level than is necessary to read good Latin.

It's probably best used in conjunction with a traditional textbook that will explain grammar. A multiple-track approach is great with any language. Rosetta Stone emphasizes an active command of the language and it helps you achieve that through drills that you can't do with a textbook. And I'd add that the Rosetta Stone is an excellent place to pick up pronunciation (with regard to the placement of the accent and the differentiation between long and short vowels).

UT09
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Post by UT09 »

Thank you for the replies. Im going to order the Rosetta Latin Online Course which provides full access to materials for 3 months for $90. I figure that 3 months will be sufficient enough to provide me with a solid base for approaching Wheellock or Latin Intensive Course.

I will report back to everyone on how the online learning goes for me. Im going into this with hopes of basically achieving the ability to pronounce most words, and get a small base to start from.

I will have to start university latin within 6 months so I hope that 3 months of Rosetta and 3 months of Latin an intensive course or Wheelock will help me keep up with everyone who has had 4 years experience in high school.

adz000
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Post by adz000 »

Good luck!

You'll find Latin pronunciation to be incredibly transparent and easy. The only subtlety is remembering when certain vowels are long and short, which in turn affects where the accent is placed.

Do you have any idea of what you want to read in Latin?

Rex
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Post by Rex »

I invested in the Rosetta Stone software last week. I am very happy with it except that it does not provide English translations. It relies on the perceptive skills of the user to discern sentence structure.

I agree that supplementary materials are necessary for a well-rounded learning experience.

skullaria
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Post by skullaria »

I've been enjoying the Rosetta Stone. I like the fact that it is everyday language. I think this method must just really work best for me - but I did also invest in a few other books so I could figure out what was what.

I've had a few dreams in Latin, so it must be good for someone very visual like I am.

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