Ossa Latinitatis Sola

[Terry S.]

The book is finally out and so is the preview on Google Books.

https://books.google.ca/books?id=h4MnDQAAQBAJ&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_ge_summary_r&cad=0#v=onepage&q&f=false

 

[gedwimere]

Not all pages are available for preview, but from what I have seen, it seems to be a bizarre book.

It sets peculiar conventions, such as calling the tenses Time 1, Time 2, Time 3 and so on, instead of using the names under which they are more widely known; and it is extremely wordy.

The chapters (called "encounters") seem to contain no exercises.

I would be amazed if any beginning student of Latin managed to understand the poems of Horace and long prose excerpts from Latin writers that are the first reading sheets and are without commentary (perhaps the commentary is on pages unavailable for preview, but I doubt even this), having read only the preceding chapters: 150 garrulous pages, which contained almost no examples of Latin longer than a couple of words.

 

[Aurifex]

The bones appear to be hidden by a lot of fat and gristle.

 

[Aurifex]

I would be amazed if any beginning student of Latin managed to understand the poems of Horace and long prose excerpts from Latin writers that are the first reading sheets and are without commentary

I didn't get that far, gedwimere, but if things are as you say above then that certainly does make for a bizarre book.

Frankly, I think you would have to have fallen under some kind of spell to commit to learning Latin from a book like that. I suspect that most of the readers of the book will be people who know Latin already. They'd have to be, really.

 

[gedwimere]

I think you would have to have fallen under some kind of spell to commit to learning Latin from a book like that.

As for the commitment, apparently, the author even demands from his students in Rome and elsewhere to sign an "academic contract", which is also printed in the book and contains such clauses as:

"I refuse all sorts of foolish joint-study arrangements, group consultations, copying sessions with others, as well as aids from external texts, tutors or books."
and
"I pursue my chosen "Experience" to the very end [...]."

One is discouraged even from trying other books How will this "Experience" end?

 

[Pacifica]

????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????

 

[Aurifex]

How will this "Experience" end?

For many, unhappily, I suspect.

I can't really judge, though. I didn't get as far as the "Secunda Experientia", because my experience with the "Prima" wasn't sufficiently "secunda" to encourage me to believe the next one would be any better, in spite of its name.

 

[Callaina]

????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????

LOL, was this in response to some particular post or just the entire thing?

 

[Pacifica]

To the preceding post, the "contract" thing.

 

[Dantius]

Not all pages are available for preview, but from what I have seen, it seems to be a bizarre book.

It sets peculiar conventions, such as calling the tenses Time 1, Time 2, Time 3 and so on, instead of using the names under which they are more widely known; and it is extremely wordy.

The chapters (called "encounters") seem to contain no exercises.

I would be amazed if any beginning student of Latin managed to understand the poems of Horace and long prose excerpts from Latin writers that are the first reading sheets and are without commentary (perhaps the commentary is on pages unavailable for preview, but I doubt even this), having read only the preceding chapters: 150 garrulous pages, which contained almost no examples of Latin longer than a couple of words.

Yeah, I just looked through it, and I was amazed that after a whole bunch of sections on basic things they suddenly get into really difficult Horace poems. I couldn't quickly read those poems without some amount of effort, so why are you putting those in as peoples first reading? Are they expected to painstakingly look up every word in the dictionary, analyze it, and proceed through the readings so slowly? That doesn't seem like something that would encourage people to learn Latin or make it any easier at all...

 

[Callaina]

Are they expected to painstakingly look up every word in the dictionary, analyze it, and proceed through the readings so slowly? That doesn't seem like something that would encourage people to learn Latin or make it any easier at all...

That actually is sort of what I did way back when I was starting (I think that one paragraph took me several hours, LOL).

 

[Dantius]

I started that way, realized it was taking WAY too long, and decided to search for a different method.

 

[Callaina]

But awwww, they have the piggy poem! (Page 638).

 

[Callaina]

LOL, the "foggy future"? That's a new one on me... (page 529)

 

[Dantius]

The preview won't show me that page, what do you mean?

 

[Callaina]

The preview won't show me that page, what do you mean?

Which one?

 

[Dantius]

Foggy Future

 

[Callaina]

The future less vivid. Not sure why he calls it that, except to sound cute.

 

[Pacifica]

Lol

 

[Dantius]

Surely you mean, "mvr" (magna voce rideo).