ArLT Summer School 2007
Taking things as they come
Bob Lister
22nd July 2007
Using the linear approach to reading Latin with first and second year undergraduates.
How to me from linguistic competence to reading texts fluently.
Background
15 years in schools, including A level teaching in big sets. Last 16 years teaching PGCE in Cambridge. Past examiner and 5 yrs as GCSE moderator.
What students have to say
On spoon-feeding v. individual study.
We are in exam culture, so not a criticism of teachers.
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Cambridge I think requires a lot more self-motivation and self-discipline than A level as we won't be spoon-fed ..
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I expect I'll have to work far more independently .
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The safety-net of school is not there.
On reading texts
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I am concerned that I won't read the set texts fast enough...
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In learning to read rapidly I had to shake off the analytical habit, not looking at
each word but making sense rapidly of a sentence at a time ...
Why come to language classes?
Some come up to Cambridge having learned Latin since age 8, others from 14.
- From choice (desperation)
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I'm very dodgy even on the basics
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Because I had a gap year, have forgotten everything and the A level result was a fluke.
Many are insecure, not confident. Fluent reading needs confidence.
Most are not shaky on basics.
The University Challenge
from 2 texts in 2 years to 5 texts:
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Aen 9,
- Catiline 1-2
- Amores 2
- Annals 4
- De Rerum Nat 1.
Aims for 1st year students?
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Extend vocab
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consolidate accidence and syntax
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sensitivity to word order
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improve fluent English
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develop exam strategies
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become confident fluent independent readers.
What dictionary do they use?
Do an hour a week with OLatinD doing it thoroughly - language gym
Read others texts with Loeb
E.g. opening of Cat 1.
tandem=I ask you
abutere=(range of meanings, inc. perform a sacrifice!)
What is the most appropriate translation?
The accidence - present or future 2 sing.< />
nihil repeated - makes sense when you read quickly, otherwise you lose the point.
Making predictions - reading for sense
We do it all the time in English. Do it in Latin. Don't necessarily 'hunt the verb'.
When .... (is it question or a temporal clause?)
When he (verb)
When he began (infinitive)
When he began eating (object)
etc.
Obiageli started to sing quietly to herself.
Later in the example 'never' was omitted (typo) - easy to spot what is missing.
When faced with list of trees in Latin, use Loeb rather than dictionary.
Using context to guess meaning. Sometimes easy, but when many unknowns in a passage it is hard.
Horace: Diffugere nives. Year 11 couldn't 'read' that. But later they should be able to. How do you make the jump?
Difference between translation and reading.
Different types of reader
In last 50 years much work done on reading.
Top-down readers
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- rely on background knowledge and linguistic intuition
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- freq experience diff when meeting authentic texts
Bottom-up readers
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- rely on knowledge of parts of sech, morphology, syntax
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-often fail to make connections between one sentence ... often don't expect a Latin text to make sense.
Linear approaches
Latin by stave analysis, Schofield
Waldo Sweet 1950s USA
Linear approach in action
Pliny passage.
quod (first word) not because (given the fact that....)
quod semel atque iterum consul fuisti similis antiquis
, ....
quod (tricolon?)
