Latin language

Revision as of 11:15, 9 September 2008

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The lingua Latina is the language of Rome. It is the most apt and only authentic vehicle to fully express the Roman culture, to gain access to her literature, her ideas and philosophies, to immerse oneself in her 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

A greater number of people nowadays have had no previous contact with the Latin language during their education; but, of those who have had Latin as a subject before, most have ended up hating it, forgetting it, or both. This is no surprise, and shouldn't lead us to the wrong conclusions.

First of all, nothing can possibly be learnt without motivation, and the adolescents that are normally subjected to the study of Latin are rarely properly explained the purpose of it all. Its value within the catholic church —which has practically disappeared after the language reforms of the II Vatican Council— doesn't impress them anymore; and their teachers don't show overt support for any engaging set of ideals, Roman or otherwise, that might attract the students to the language.

Secondly, the teaching methodology is made so unnecessarily dry that it is a miracle if anyone actually does learn anything at all. The teachers have been so conditioned —and condition their students— to consider Latin a dead language that none of them can actually realize that language learning is an innate capacity of humans that should be ever so natural and easy if only the language was 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. They stubbornly try to teach the Latin language against the grain of any natural language learning, and they obviously fail.

The Latin language can be learnt in a more pleasant and efficient manner, and it 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.

Some other Latin learning resources on the Internet are:

Latin1, fabulous resources for beginning Latin students. Latin Background Studies, original studies and background essays on the Latin language by William Harris. About network search for "Latin" CSB/SJU Latin Language and Literature, from the Alcuin and Clemens Libraries.

In the real world, Latin is taught in many places; but, as we said, normally in an extremely dry fashion. Remarkable exceptions 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.

Using Latin

As we said, most 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 forefathers, and it is a language like all others, that can be learnt 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.

There is a Sodalitas consecrated to the promotion of Latin in Nova Roma, the Sodalitas "Latinitas".

The citizen of Nova Roma can also find other ways of putting Latin into practice through the Internet:

Grex Latine Loquentium, the greatest e-mail list for living Latin, where Latin is the only language allowed, and one can read the best Latin speakers the world over, and exchange messages with them.

Nuntii Latini, current news in Latin, that can be read or even directly listened to.

Ephemeris, online news, completely written in Latin and including numerous sections.

In the real world, 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 forefathers with experienced people. All levels are accepted. Please contact the society to find out about your closest Latin Circle.

There are also loads of 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 Roman citizens, as the rightful depositaries of the Roman culture, are most welcome and encouraged to attend such circles and seminars.