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The Open University

Getting started on classical Latin

The Open University via OpenLearn

Overview

This free course, Getting started on classical Latin, has been developed in response to requests from learners who had had no contact with Latin before and who felt they would like to spend a little time preparing for the kind of learning that studying a classical language involves. The course will give you a taster of what is involved in the very early stages of learning Latin and will offer you the opportunity to put in some early practice.

Syllabus

  • Introduction
  • Learning outcomes
  • 1 Learning Latin: study techniques
  • 1 Learning Latin: study techniques
  • 2 Links between English and Latin
  • 2 Links between English and Latin
  • 2.1 Latin and English: the Roman empire
  • 2.2 The influence of Norman French
  • 2.3 The Renaissance to the modern era
  • 2.4 Latin vocabulary
  • 3 The pronunciation of Latin
  • 3 The pronunciation of Latin
  • 3.1 Latin pronunciation and the Latin alphabet
  • 3.2 Learning to pronounce Latin
  • 4 Introducing grammar
  • 4 Introducing grammar
  • 4.1 Inflection
  • 4.2 Parts of speech
  • 4.2.1 Nouns
  • 4.2.2 Pronouns
  • 4.2.3 Adjectives
  • 4.2.4 Prepositions
  • 4.2.5 Verbs
  • 4.2.6 Other parts of speech
  • 4.3 Sentences
  • 4.3.1 Subject and verb
  • 4.3.2 Subject and object
  • 4.3.3 English and Latin: word order and meaning
  • 4.4 Unravelling sentences
  • 4.4.1 English prose: subjects and objects
  • 4.4.2 English poetry: subjects and objects
  • 5 Reading Latin: working with words and sentences
  • 5 Reading Latin: working with words and sentences
  • 5.1 The cases in Latin
  • 5.1.2 Nominative: the case of the subject
  • 5.1.3 Accusative: the case of the object
  • 5.1.4 Summary of cases
  • Conclusion
  • Glossary
  • References
  • Further reading
  • Acknowledgements

Reviews

4.0 rating, based on 1 Class Central review

4.5 rating at OpenLearn based on 77 ratings

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  • Al Amin Chowdhury
    This free course, Getting started on classical Latin, has been developed in response to requests from learners who had had no contact with Latin before and who felt they would like to spend a little time preparing for the kind of learning that studying a classical language involves. The course will give you a taster of what is involved in the very early stages of learning Latin and will offer you the opportunity to put in some early practice.

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