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The Perse Plays by R.B. Appleton

Classroom Latin

CLASSROOM PHRASEOLOGY
BY A. R. MUNDAY
Headmaster, The King's School, Chester

(See also New Classroom Latin)

It has been suggested at Summer Schools that it would be useful to have a pamphlet listing "question-and-answer" words and classroom vocabulary which are in common use in Oral Methods.

Such a list is given in "Via Nova" by W. H. S. Jones (Cambridge), which I have used extensively myself, but unfortunately this book is not generally available to-day.

As this article was going to press, I was fortunate enough to be shown a copy of a list of grammatical terms compiled by the late Dr. W. H. D. Rouse for a Summer School many years ago, and to check my own list against his and in some cases to modify and expand it.

Most, if not all, of these terms are familiar in Latin, but to some teachers are not so familiar in Greek. Accordingly I have tried to list all of those that I have found useful, together with some which I have not used, but which may be of interest to others. I hope that this list will be helpful to those who are themselves contemplating greater use of Oral Methods in their own work.

Reprinted from "Latin Teaching," Vol. xxviii, No. 4 February, 1953

A. QUESTION-AND-ANSWER WORDS

quis-quid, etc.? quo instrumento? quo? ubi? unde? quo modo? cur? quam ob rem? quando? qualis? quantus-a-um? quot? quotus-a-um? quotiens? quo consilio? qua de causa? qua condicione? utrum ... an?

who, what, to whom, etc.? with what ? to what place? in what place? from what place? how? why? why? when? of what sort? how big? how many? the "what-th"? how often? for what purpose? for what reason? on what condition? (whether) ... or?

(Case) (Ablative/Dative) (ad, in,) (in, Locative) (a, ex,) (Adverb) (quia) (ob, propter,) (Temporal phrase) (Adjective of quality) (Adjective of quantity) (Cardinal) (Ordinal) (Numeral adverb) (ut) (Gerund(ive) & causa) (Conditional clause)

 

 

 

Grammatical Terms

i verbum, nomen, adiectivum, adverbium, pronomen, praepositio, supinum, gerundium participium, --- ii Casus nominativus vocativus, accusativus, genitivus, dativus, ablativus, locativus iii masculini, feminini, neutrius generis singulariter, pluraliter prima, secunda, etc. persona vi tempus praesens, futurum, imperfectum, perfectum, plusquamperfectum, futurum et perfectum (or futurum exactum) vii modus indicativus, imperativus, subiunctivus, gerundivus, infinitivus viii voce activa, passiva, ix grades positivus, comparativus, superlativus x (conjugare), declinare xi sententia xii (Greek) xiii (Greek) xiv (Greek) xv oratio recta, oratio obliqua

Verb, noun, adjective, adverb, pronoun, preposition, supine, gerund, participle, article Nominative case, etc. of the masculine, feminine, neuter gender in the single, plural, first person, etc. tense mood voice degrees of comparison to conjugate, decline sentence direct, indirect speech

 

 

 

NOTES.—I personally use (i) Quae sunt partes principales for the principal parts of verbs and quae sunt partes for the comparative and superlative. (ii) (Greek) (iii) the cry ratio calling for a complete parsing of a noun or verb, e.g., Magister: Ratio "tulisses" Discipulus: secunda persona singulariter, tempus plusquamperfectum, subiunctivi modi, activa voce, fero-ferre-tali-latus-laturus — subiunctivus modus quia est post "cum". a quo verbo? calls just for the root word, e.g. fero and not the whole story.

Classroom words and phrases

ludus cella, conclave creta tabula (nigra) fenestra ianua, porta sella cathedra baculum charta, pagina liber libellus atramentum stiles, calamus magister magister summus, supremus toga magistri discipulus puella horologium tintinnabulum sonat salve-ete vale-ete conside, sede tace-ete noli exclamare pensum claude, aperi incipe perge, pergamus satis animum attende specta magna voce, clara voce recita noli dormire redi ad sellam veni huc mane hic abi tange, tangete pedes ita minime abi in malam rem nolite colloqui cape cretam scribe, describe in tabula intellegisne? explica quis explicare potest? Latine aliter Latine quid significat? iterum frustra fortasse quod tempus? quis modus? cuius generis? quota est pagina? quotus est versus? festina, celeriter

school room chalk blackboard window door chair master's chair stick paper, page book notebook ink pencil, pen master headmaster gown pupil girl clock the bell rings good-morning, afternoon goodbye sit down shut-up don't shout homework close, open begin go on, let us go on enough attend look at in a loud, clear voice read aloud wake up go back to your seat come here stay here go away touch your toes yes no disappear don't chatter take the chalk write, draw on . . . . do you understand? explain who can explain? in Latin in another way what does it mean? again in vain perhaps what tense? what mood? what gender? which page? which line? hurry up

 

 

 

This list could be extended almost ad infinitum and can never be complete. Some phrases are in constant use; others enjoy a brief period of popularity and then disappear, while some become bywords in the form and never fail to get their laugh.

It has been suggested that it is unnecessary to use the Latin grammatical terms but I have found that the boys ask for them and like to keep in the foreign language as much as possible.

Within a very short time they become commonplace and as easy and quick to say as their English counterparts. I use only the most common and obvious of these words since any real discussion or explanation of abstract grammar and syntax is naturally a matter for English.

Nor must it be supposed that the use of these terms in Latin or in Greek is essential for Oral Methods nor indeed that their use will of itself improve the boys' knowledge of Latin and Greek grammar.

I have given the Greek grammatical terms for the benefit of those who are interested in such things but personally, I never use them.

By the time Greek is begun, the Latin terms are thoroughly familiar and the boys are happy to stick to them in Greek — illogical, perhaps, but it works.

Some people may hesitate to use these classroom phrases on the grounds that to do so is to misrepresent the Roman world that the Roman word fenestra was something very different from a modern window, but to point out at a later stage, the difference between the two can be the occasion for a very useful lesson in background.

Other phrases which may prove useful can be culled from

• "Via Nova " by W. H. S. Jones Cambridge;
• "Latin on the Direct Method," Rouse and Appleton, University of London Press;
• "Initium" and "The Teacher's Companion to Initium " by R. B. Appleton, Cambridge;
• "Praeceptor" by S. O. Andrew, Oxford;
• "Scenes from Sixth Form Life," by W. H. D. Rouse, Blackwell; and
• "Principia" and "Pseudolus Noster" by C. W. E. Peckett and A. R. Munday, Wilding, Shrewsbury.

Offprints of this article can be obtained from the Editor, price ls. 0d. each or six for 5s. 0d. plus postage.