Category:Latin language

Latest revision as of 00:35, 23 December 2008

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The language spoken by the Romans and adopted as Lingua_franca in most of the Roman Empire. Still employed by academics as a common scientific language, though this use is markedly on the decline.

The lingua Latina is the language of Rome. It is the most apt and only authentic vehicle to fully express Roman culture, to gain access to Roman literature, Roman ideas and philosophies, to immerse oneself in Roman ethics and virtues, to not only understand but also intimately adopt and perfectly embody her complete world-view and way of life; it is also the only language in which the Roman religious rites can be duly performed. Nova Roma shows the essential importance of this language in all its terminology; the different positions of government, the official names of the laws and decrees, the names of the virtues are all expressed in Latin. It is one of the the goals of Nova Roma to promote the Lingua Latina and its revival in all circumstances of life among its citizens.

Learning Latin

There is no need to fear taking on the study of Latin. Language learning is an innate capacity of humans that should be ever so natural and easy if only the language is taught the natural way, that is by actively using it, through listening to it and speaking it, as all other languages that people normally do learn. The Latin language is officially taught this way in Nova Roma at the Academia Thules by well experienced teachers to motivated students. Every citizen is most encouraged to join a course or to explore some of the many online resources for Latin.

Latin is taught in many places. Several well-regarded programs are the Fundatio Melissa, in Brussels, and the Schola Nova, an independent Belgian school where Latin is taught to the pupils from an early age. Nova Roma encourages its more affluent citizens to found similar schools for Nova Roman citizens.

Read more suggestions about learning Latin.

Using Latin

In Nova Roma

Some people think that Latin is a dead language, as dead as the Roman virtues or the culture it conveyed; but we know it doesn't have to be like that, not for the virtues, not for the culture, not for the language. Latin was the living language of our Roman ancestors, and it is a language like all others, that can be learned in a leisurely way and spoken in all situations of everyday life. Nova Roma wants progressively but seriously to promote this usage of Latin among its citizens. To this end we offer a beginner's tutorial "Latin grammar" with a "Latin phrasebook" and "Latin for e-mail" article. For everyone interested in Latin or classical philology, there is a Sodalitas dedicated to the promotion of Latin in Nova Roma, the Sodalitas Latinitatis.

Outside Nova Roma

The Societas Circulorum Latinorum is a worldwide federation of Latin Circles, informal gatherings of people who meet locally to speak the language. One of the founders of the society has reassured us that everyone is welcome to join their local group —or found one if there is no one close enough— and Nova Roma officially encourages all her citizens to do so in order to practice the language of our ancestors with experienced people. All levels are accepted. Please contact the society to find out about your closest Latin Circle.

There are also many summer seminars where Latin is the only language spoken. The Septimanæ Latinæ Europææ, for instance, include Roman cooking and feasting. A very complete list of such seminars all over the world, updated every year, can be found in the pages of the association LVPA.

Nova Roma citizens, as the rightful caretakers of the Roman culture, are most welcome and encouraged to attend such circles and seminars.