Spoken Latin: Learning, Teaching, Lecturing and Research by A

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Spoken Latin: Learning, Teaching, Lecturing and Research by A. Gratius Avitus

y experiences both as a learner and as Three steps to start speaking Latin communication in Latin, my second step Ma teacher of Latin have led me to the was to join the Grex Latiné Loquentium conviction that speaking Latin advances a (GLL). This is a unique on-line mailing Traditional approaches to Latin do not more nuanced understanding of the list for on-going discussion completely in aim at, and will therefore not of language, and leads to an enhanced level of Latin. It is also a useful source of themselves yield, spoken fluency in the reading fluency and greater ease in engaging information on all living Latin matters. language. Dedicated methods are needed closely with the text. Even after having Traditional Latin composition courses are to acquire and exercise the communicative studied the language to any degree of a good way to practise active use of the strategies that will enhance more competence in a passive capacity, bringing it language, but anyone who is aware of the traditional learning and teaching into active use does not come without some rôle of emotional involvement in learning experiences. After I completed my first investment of time and effort. With the will understand how much more efficient Classics degree back in 1992, I used the intention of facilitating access to the in developing your compositional skills it following course (a book and set of benefits of speaking Latin fluently, I have is bound to be to strive to put down in audio-recordings) as my springboard to set out some recommendations for those persuasive Latin your personal opinions in active usage: who would like to explore this approach, the context of a heated argument on and put together an overview of its recent some contemporary issue about which spread in formal teaching, and in research, • Clément Desessard, Lingua Latina sine you feel very strongly (Brexit anyone? around the UK and Europe. It is my hope molestiá, published by Assimil, now student fees?) than to just transfer into that in drawing attention to the rapidly under the simpler name of Le Latin: Latin someone else’s passage on Numa or increasing number of initiatives, this article http://fr.assimil.com/methodes/ Napoleon, Caesar or Coleridge. will promote cross-fertilisation of ideas le-latin-294#super-pack-livre-cd- between the disparate influencers in the audio-cd-mp3 • Grex Latiné Loquentium: http://www. field of Latin pedagogy. alcuinus.net/GLL/ I will first provide some advice, based I still believe this course provides the most on my own experience, on getting started efficient method available for developing After a period of passionately personal with speaking Latin. I will then share what spoken use of Latin, and I most writing in Latin, the third step must be to I know of the current developments in wholeheartedly recommend it. The actually start speaking it! Short of talking the UK, and provide guidance on extensive audio material is essential for to oneself, which a considerable number speaking Latin options available success, as the natural way for languages to of people do recommend in the absence throughout the world, and in our enter our brains is through the ears rather of anything else, it becomes necessary, and neighbouring continent in particular. than the eyes, certainly if those languages it is ideal, to meet other Latin speakers, After that I will contribute some are to make their way on to our tongues. and the more fluent the better. It was reflections on teaching in Latin at schools Desessard’s method is currently available through the GLL that I found out about a and lecturing in Latin at universities. Last through the medium of French (best surprisingly varied number of but not least I will give some pointers on edition), but also German and Italian. See international gatherings taking place every research, and conclude with an invitation below for support for English speakers. summer throughout Europe and America to greater sharing of projects, resources Once this course had helped me where Latin alone is spoken. Just a week and information. develop strategies for active of full immersion in the language can be

The Journal of Classics Teaching 19 (37) p.46-52 © The Classical Association 2018. This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives licence (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/), which permits Downloaded46 from https://www.cambridge.org/corenon-commercial re-use, distribution,. IP address: and170.106.202.58 reproduction, on 28in anySep 2021medium, at 19:45:55 provided, subject the originalto the Cambridge work is unalteredCore terms and of use, is properly available atcited. The written https://www.cambridge.org/core/termspermission of Cambridge. https://doi.org/10.1017/S2058631018000065 University Press must be obtained for commercial re-use or in order to create a derivative work. transforming, and I attended my first two (Licoppe, 2014), the only stable space to It was a remarkable event, and a particularly in 1998. Soon after that, I went on to exercise actual spoken Latin in the UK vivid example of the department’s found back at home the London Latin had long remained the monthly sessions commitment to innovation in teaching in Circle, for the same purpose of providing a of the London Latin Circle (http://www. line with the recent UCL Education regular space for practising speaking Latin. circuluslatinuslondiniensis.co.uk/). These Strategy 2016–21. Dr. Emily Chow- These were the beginnings of my sessions, taking place in the context of an Kambitsch, who convened the UCL own path to Latin fluency, a path I affable pub dinner, include social Living Latin Workshop, contacted me recommend. Inspired by the value of the conversation and discussion of Latin through the London Latin Circle. She was Assimil course in my own progress, and literature passages. The London Latin looking for a fluent speaker who could wanting to help others benefit from it too, Circle has always welcomed participants give a lecture on current active Latin I further established the free on-line Schola of any level of ability. resources, and who could also Latína Európæa & Úniversális (SLEU). At a A remarkable change of tide in the last demonstrate spoken Latin as a tool for slow or a fast pace, in two years or one few years, however, has brought about a teaching not only Latin language, but also respectively, it provides students with wider explosion of interest in spoken Latin Latin literature. After the success of this comments and explanations, exercises, finally spreading to schools and universities venture, some of the students who had tests, and real-time answers to queries too. This surge has gained momentum helped organise the workshop that year from volunteer experts. Those who have thanks to a rapidly growing number of wanted to continue to explore speaking no French, German or Italian can also successful endeavours, largely so far from Latin this year too, and I was requested follow the method with the SLEU in abroad, which people have either been again to come and facilitate their sessions. English or Spanish. Overall, working with experiencing in person or witnessing A group of around 15 students, and one the SLEU is much easier than trying to through social networks, and indeed also other UCL lecturer, have therefore been tackle the long and considerably dense thanks to the daring initiatives of a few regularly meeting once a week for the Assimil method alone. People from all praiseworthy scholars and the committed whole of the academic year for this over the world have long been benefiting interest of an ever more numerous body of purpose. We also use the textbook by from the course (Avitus, 2008) and students themselves eagerly asking for this Hans H. Ørberg, Lingua Latina per se practically all current members of the form of training in the UK. illustrata. London Latin Circle have completed it At Oxford, the so-called Oxford I understand that there are similar too. Their fluency bears witness to its Latinitas Project has recently been created. initiatives emerging at other universities success. Under the ægis of Regius Professor of and schools too of which I know less, and Greek, Gregory Hutchinson, and we all look forward to hearing about • Schola Latína Európæa & Úniversális: supported by the committed dedication them. Meanwhile I am really delighted to http://avitus.alcuinus.net/schola_ of a very active group of postgraduate report on the remarkable number of latina/ organisers, around 30 students (last time I Classics students at two of the top UK visited) are meeting up to four times a universities who are increasingly showing My advice to those wanting to develop week every week to activate their Latin. a proactive determination to develop fluency speaking Latin is therefore: a) to Three groups working at different levels spoken fluency in Latin. find a copy of Desessard’s Assimil book use the famous method developed by The story does not end here though, and audio, and to work through it with the Hans H. Ørberg under the title Lingua because in another proof of commitment aid of the Schola Latína Európæa & Latina per se illustrata. Those who wish to to innovation in Classics teaching, the Úniversális, b) to practise expressing your gather on a different day converse in Latin UCL Summer School 2018 will now for own thoughts and opinions, not someone over lunch in a group open to all abilities. the first time offer two academic modules else’s, in written Latin, through the Grex A further two groups read and discuss taught entirely in Latin. The modules are Latiné Loquentium or even a personal diary, classical authors in the original at two assessed and award credit (15UG) but are and c) to start attending spoken Latin different levels. The project also holds a also open to any interested applicants gatherings, seminars, events and courses, study day once a month on a Saturday. with a good passive knowledge of the for exposure and the necessary benefits In London, where I am a Senior language. The first module (2–20 Jul: of immersion. Teaching Fellow at the University College https://www.ucl.ac.uk/prospective- I will now enlarge on this last point, London’s Centre for Languages & students/study-abroad-ucl/summer- providing information about the wonderful International Education, there are also school/modules/latin-usage) will explore things that are being done in spoken Latin exciting initiatives to report. In 2017, the Latin usage and idiom through the works in the UK, and about the even larger UCL Department of Greek & Latin took of Terence, Cicero and Virgil, illuminated number of options to experience speaking on a pioneering initiative to run a Living by the writings of their Latin Latin throughout the world. Latin Workshop. This was filled to commentators, and by the most recent maximum capacity with 20 attendees scholarship on the matter. It will also from different backgrounds, and offered include some practical training in teaching Recent developments in the UK participants the opportunity to experience Latin idiom, again through the medium various pedagogical methods involving of Latin. The second module (23 Jul to 10 Although spoken Latin had been the active use of the Latin language for Aug: https://www.ucl.ac.uk/prospective- gathering some momentum for a number Latin language learning (https://www.ucl. students/study-abroad-ucl/summer- of decades in Europe and America ac.uk/classics/newsletter/Newsletter2017). school/modules/latin-literature) will

Downloaded from https://www.cambridge.org/core. IP address: 170.106.202.58Spoken Latin:, on Learning, 28 Sep 2021 Teaching, at 19:45:55 Lecturing, subject and to Research the Cambridge Core terms of use, available at 47 https://www.cambridge.org/core/terms. https://doi.org/10.1017/S2058631018000065 comprise an academic introduction to think English is part of his national to be reachable by train. I would like to British literature written in Latin, and heritage. A Briton may like Schiller, but make sure in this article that we all remain provide an overview of its periods and will never pretend that the German alert to this too, and so reap the fruits of genres. It will dwell on detailed language has a significant presence in his their decades of work in the area commentary and discussion of specific national culture. However, a Briton is (Licoppe, 2014). key texts (Monmouth, More, Francis aware that Latin has an inextricable and Two European endeavours stand out Bacon), and further explore the rich pervasive part in his national history and above the rest in their success and their cultural connection between Britain and is core to his cultural heritage. A German practical achievement, the Académía the rest of Europe (e.g. epistolography feels that Latin is intrinsic to his national Vívárium Novum, based near Rome between More and Erasmus). Once again culture too. A Hungarian considers Latin (Italy), and the Cursus Æstívus Latínitátis the module will be delivered in Latin. the very same way as well. It is a very Vívæ Matríténsis, held yearly in the These two modules constitute a giant powerful experience to meet Germans, summer in Madrid (Spain). stride for spoken Latin in the United French, Hungarians, Poles, and feel that The Académía Vívárium Novum Kingdom. In an intensive regime of full we are communicating in a language, the (https://vivariumnovum.net/) is based in Latin language immersion, they bring only language, that we can all feel is really a Renaissance villa next to ancient together ancient and modern scholarship ours in the same way, a language that Tusculum, and currently holds the to advance knowledge of two important automatically immerses us all in a culture greatest reputation in the spoken Latin areas: the genuine nuances of idiomatic that we all feel is our own in the same way. world, deservingly so on account of the usage in the Latin of the native period in For some reason, although the level of fluency participants reach. It classical Rome, and the often neglected British are known for their ease to travel hosts male youths under 24 for free and yet exuberant and momentous around the world, I have had quite a hard during the academic year (October to treasure of national British literature time trying to persuade fellow British June), and has an extended summer originally produced in the Latin language Latin speakers to go abroad to meet the school (four or eight weeks) open to all through the ages. wider international community we are a genders and ages. Many illustrative videos part of. I hope the readers of these lines can be found on YouTube. Most of the will be encouraged to be a bit more students behind the recent flourishing of The international dimension of adventurous. living Latin at Oxford have strong links When UK Latinists discuss with this academy. speaking Latin institutions that promote speaking Latin, The Cursus Æstivus Latinitatis Vivæ their hearts and thoughts often fly first to Matritensis (CÆLVM) is a now five-year- As we have seen, the British Latinist has the USA. This is understandable, but it old initiative in Madrid (http://www. an increasing number of occasions to get somewhat circumvents the experiences I culturaclasica.com/?q=caelum) which involved in spoken Latin at home. This was commending above that come from readers of this journal should mark as has to be celebrated, every local communing with Latin speakers of uniquely specialising in teacher training opportunity seized and all endeavours different mother tongues. for spoken Latin through intensive fostered. However, the larger provision is I am satisfied that good information summer courses of one week. It attracts still to be found abroad. This is not a bad has been gathered in the literature (Hunt, about 180 Latin teachers every summer. thing, for various reasons. It is not 2016; Lloyd, 2016), regarding the Some Spanish is used at the opening and uncommon to suspect that initiatives of Professor Terence Tunberg closing of the course, but all other communication in Latin is some kind of at the University of Kentucky (Institute course activity takes place in Latin. A pretence which only works because we are for Latin Studies & Conventiculum good sample video (more on YouTube) all thinking of the same English words Latinum), as well as those of the is this one from the 2014 event: and expressions hiding beneath the incomparable Reginald Foster’s disciples https://www.youtube.com/watch?v= amusing sounds. There is no better way to at the Paideia Institute, of Nancy 2f5VpyFoznU&index=2&list=PL6PTtr allay this suspicion than to start speaking Llewellyn at the North American Institute PBAg9xuW8733IZ3IzYKIcQEVcmF Latin with native speakers of German or of Living Latin Studies (SALVI), and of The Collegium Latinitatis (http:// Polish, and realise that we indeed the amazing Justin Slocum Bailey at www.collegiumlatinitatis.com/) is an understand each other in Latin through Indwelling Language. Information also initiative of a passionate group of Latin Latin alone, and that there is no circulates about the work of Jason Harris teachers from Valencia (Spain) closely underlying common language that could at University College Cork, in Ireland, and involved in the CÆLVM. They are explain the phenomenon. The Latin we Christopher Rico at the Polis Institute, in likewise intent on improving teaching have all been learning from our Cicero or Israel. The reader should easily be able to standards of Latin at all levels of our Seneca still communicates. This is in find much more on all of these wonderful education. They teach Latin literature in itself an experience of the vigour of the endeavours through the internet, and I Latin, and also organise guided visits in language worth going abroad for. But wholeheartedly commend experiencing Latin of the Museo del Prado in Madrid there is more. I am persuaded that living each and every one of them. (there are videos on YouTube). the international dimension of Latin is As Tunberg points out in his online The most veteran organisations essential to understand the real cultural videos though, the breeding ground of all however, which in many ways set the importance of this language. A Hungarian this was in continental Europe, where the foundations for all of the aforementioned, may admire Shakespeare, but will never initiatives still thrive, and which happens and which are still active to various

Downloaded48 from https://www.cambridge.org/core. IP address: 170.106.202.58Spoken Latin:, on 28 Learning, Sep 2021 Teaching, at 19:45:55 Lecturing, subject toand the Research Cambridge Core terms of use, available at https://www.cambridge.org/core/terms. https://doi.org/10.1017/S2058631018000065 extents, and so worth exploring, are in took place in Kentucky 27–31/7/2017). way that develops the linguistic instincts Germany and Belgium. Its website used to have a section aimed at conducive to fluency. It is also the method The Societas Latina Saravipontana of gathering information on all current living of choice for the aforementioned the University of Saarland is the child of Latin initiatives, but they seem to be speaking Latin initiatives of Oxford and late Cælestis Eichenseer, one of the most currently unable to offer such a crucially London. The enhanced version produced influential spoken Latin advocates of his needed service. The academy has suffered by the Académía Vívárium Novum is time. It still publishes the Latin periodical many vicissitudes in its long history supported by a tremendous wealth of Vox Latina and organises two spoken (Licoppe, 2014) and needs our resources: https://vivariumnovum.it/ Latin seminars per year (click on seminaria involvement in order to be able to provide catalogo/latino/corso-base Latinitatis vivæ at: http://www.voxlatina. a cohesive and effective centre for Ørberg recorded the text of his uni-saarland.de/). speaking Latin endeavours at an method himself with very good The Septimanæ Latinæ Europææ, international level. pronunciation, despite rather fast diction, now very popular and attracting a younger A good way to obtain further probably in an attempt to fit as much as crowd of school and university students, information and support for speaking possible onto every tape! Now iTunes has also has two spoken Latin seminars each Latin is through the many Latin Circles audio files of all of this, most of them year, at Amöneburg in Hessen and that spread from Seattle to Hong Kong. free: https://itunes.apple.com/us/ Freising near Munich (http://www. Their websites (not all of them active) can album/familia-romana-latine-audio/ septimanalatina.org/). be found listed in several places, and for 528790763 The Latinitati Vivæ Provehendæ instance here: https://www.google.com/ Ørberg’s method is somewhat similar Associatio (LVPA) also organised maps/d/viewer?mid=1IErsi89dopBy to the graded reading approach of Reading immersion seminars, often in Eastern 9tPtiW2h12stDWs&hl=en_US&ll=8.800 Latin, but is completely self-explanatory Europe (mostly Poland, although I once 841462142246%2C133.480009&z=1 in Latin, and so requires no use of any attended a wonderful one in Serbia), but Of course, even more information vernacular at all. I am uncertain about its current activities than this can be found through Google, Lingua Latina per se illustrata does not (http://www.lvpa.de/). and the scores of spoken Latin videos on refer to any modern contexts. In case of A now independent scion of the YouTube. any specific interest in that direction, a above is the Schola Æstiva Posnaniensis, good option, among a few others, would which organises summer courses in Poland be Robert Maier et al., Piper Salve, Cursus (https://scholaaestivaposnaniensis. Some notes on Latin school Vivæ Latinitatis, Recanati, ELI s.r.l., 1998. wordpress.com/). This was produced by the organisers of In Brussels, the long-standing teaching the Septimanæ Latinæ Europææ Fundatio Melissa (http://www. mentioned above. The website says it is fundatiomelissa.org/) hosts a Circulus Many good textbooks for teaching now out of print, but they have a new Latinus and publishes the Latin periodical Latin have been published and are in use version: http://www.maierphil.de/ Melissa. Also in Belgium, the Schola Nova in this country. A number of recent ones PiperSal/ (watch the video at: http://www. have included conversational elements, Of course, a wonderful method is scholanova.be/) is a private school that some dialogue and a grammatical the one I also mentioned above, offers a strongly Græco-Latin curriculum progression inspired by the advances in Desessard’s Lingua Latina sine molestiá; but with a living approach. pedagogy made in the vernaculars. this is more for self-study, and not so In the Netherlands, the Athenæum Examples of this go from the charming practical for an actual face-to-face class. Illustre (http://www.athenaeumillustre. Minimus to the Cambridge Latin Course. There is certainly still much room for org/) has organised since 2012 many Based on progressive reading, Reading improvement in the area of textbooks to spoken Latin conferences, with activities Latin also comes to mind. teach Latin in a communicative manner, in Amsterdam and other cities like Leiden; English being a global language, all and I and others have this very much in although, again, I am unsure about its of these methods are well known abroad, mind. However, a word of warning is current situation (many magnificent and have received praise. However, the necessary. Sufficiently good methods for videos on YouTube). method currently most widely and almost teaching classical languages this way were In Italy, the Schola Latina (http:// unanimously used internationally, both in already produced, here in Britain of all www.scholalatina.it/) is run by a number Europe and in America, by all those places, by W.H.D. Rouse, and as early as of previous partners of «Vívárium interested in spoken Latin is the the beginning of the 20th Century. A Novum» who have returned to Montella, following: number of reasons can be adduced to where it all started. They also offer explain why his attempts were not more summer courses. • Hans H. Ørberg, Lingua Latina per se successful. A crucial factor in the fate of This international network of illustrata, Hauniæ apud Museum those initial efforts would appear to have initiatives finds some coordination Tusculanum 1991 [1981] https:// been that, at the time (Rouse was active at through the Académía Latínitátí Fovendæ lingualatina.dk/wp/ Perse 1902–1928), the number of (http://www.academialatinitatifovendae. initiatives and opportunities to master org/). One of its greatest contributions is This method teaches classical Latin speaking Latin that we have today were the scholarly conference it organises fully grammar and the 3000 words most not yet available. No matter how good a in Latin every four years (the latest one frequently found in the classical texts in a range of textbooks we have, if the

Downloaded from https://www.cambridge.org/core. IP address: 170.106.202.58Spoken Latin:, on Learning, 28 Sep 2021 Teaching, at 19:45:55 Lecturing, subject and to Research the Cambridge Core terms of use, available at 49 https://www.cambridge.org/core/terms. https://doi.org/10.1017/S2058631018000065 teachers themselves cannot develop the Association for Latin Teaching (ARLT) before, because a lot of vocabulary and required skills to exploit them, then the Summer School, and did so again in 2017. most of grammar is there stored in their whole endeavour may not succeed. Now The interest generated this second time memories, however passively. The that Latin teachers are finally able to find was much keener. I intend to continue to attendants of the UCL Living Latin abundant relevant training for the use of cooperate with the ARLT to finally bring Workshop and at the ARLT Summer spoken Latin in the class, we have the the old designs of founder W.H.D. Rouse School 2017 were themselves surprised, opportunity to make communicative to their practical fruition. I know for a though I was not, that they could follow approaches flourish and deliver wider fact that the will is there very much alive. my lecture without trouble, and they success. A much needed resource is a proved this with their relevant enquiries. Required training in this context is database of schools interested in this During lectures delivered in Latin, threefold. First of all, those aspiring to approach. Only a few days before I sat to students can thus receive the content teach Latin in a living manner should be write this I was approached by a teacher knowledge imparted to them, and they fluent in Latin themselves to be able to do from a school in Italy trying to put further enrich their Latin enhancing their so. Recommendations on ways to achieve together a KA1 Erasmus + project for a familiarity with the language itself. this have already been provided. period of job shadowing of one or two There are unfortunately even fewer Even being a completely native teachers with a school equally interested instances of lecturing in Latin than there speaker of one’s own language does not in sharing experiences and comparing are of language teaching through Latin. automatically make one a good language results obtained by teaching Latin with Two shining instances of the latter teacher of the same. Specific training is the communicative approach. I was practice and its viability are exemplified in needed in the practical and effective unable to suggest any schools. I believe the delivery of a whole university teaching of that language. For a living she eventually found what she wanted, programme in Latin at the University of mode (communicative approach), this kind but interested schools should have a Kentucky, and the programmes offered by of training is widely and often very means to be in touch with each other and the Polis Institute that are accredited by conveniently available in the case of a know who else is trying this approach for supporting universities in Italy and Spain. global language like English. One of the sharing and support. Other than that, I know that some best things that those aspiring to teach university lecturing in Latin was taking Latin as a spoken language could be place in Germany, at least in three advised to do is to get one of those TEFL/ different universities, although I have TESOL courses under their belts, so that Lecturing in Latin at university struggled to find further evidence online. they can then transfer the strategies. Certainly a world-famous classicist, Finally, for the last five years there is Teaching of the language has generally Professor Michael von Albrecht, emeritus now also a specialised teacher training been seen as a pursuit for primary and from Heidelberg (https://de.wikipedia. course for spoken Latin, which should secondary education contexts. However, org/wiki/Michael_von_Albrecht), certainly be completed, even if it more and more universities are now lectured in Latin, and remains one of the means crossing the Channel for sunny having to teach Latin language ab initió, so most active proponents of living Latin Spain: http://www.culturaclasica. this is surely their concern too. Also, (many videos can be found in YouTube). com/?q = caelum universities are where the future primary The same can be said of Professor For the success of any attempts to and secondary education teachers of Wilfried Stroh, emeritus from Munich promote living Latin teaching at school, Latin receive their training in the (https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wilfried_ three efforts therefore need to be language. Effective Latin teaching is thus Stroh). I believe also Professor Axel undertaken: the responsibility and concern of Schönberger of Frankfurt lectures in university departments for these two Latin (https://www.uni-frankfurt. • training teachers to speak Latin fluently crucial reasons. de/43605276/schoenberger). and with complete practical I am further persuaded that speaking In Spain, the University of Valencia confidence; Latin is beneficial not only for language is integrating lecturing in Latin too. Dr. teaching, but for also the more specifically Jorge Tárrega shares online his notes, • training teachers in the effective and academic type of lecturing which deals bibliography, practical work, etc. for his methodologically up-to-date teaching with matters of literature, philosophy, courses on Sallust or Latin Morphology of languages, first their own, and then history, and the like. I provided and Syntax, which he teaches entirely in Latin; and demonstrations of this type of teaching Latin: http://jortaga.blogs.uv.es/ both at the UCL Living Latin Workshop In this context it will be a pleasure • producing textbooks which are and at the ARLT Summer School 2017 by for me to be able to contribute to the purposefully adapted (in the type of delivering a lecture-seminar on existing international provision the activities, progression, etc.) to the intertextuality between Geoffrey of aforementioned two modules of the UCL needs of teaching Latin as a spoken Monmouth and Virgil. The reason this Summer School 2018 which will be language. works is that even students who can only likewise delivered in Latin this summer. I communicate in Latin say to a 10% or hope to see many readers of this journal There is a lot of work to do, but also a lot 20% level of adroitness can actually taking the chance to benefit (http://www. of reason for hope. In 2005 I offered understand spoken Latin to around 80% ucl.ac.uk/prospective-students/study- three spoken Latin sessions at the or 90% if they have learnt the language abroad-ucl/summer-school).

Downloaded50 from https://www.cambridge.org/core. IP address: 170.106.202.58Spoken Latin:, on 28 Learning, Sep 2021 Teaching, at 19:45:55 Lecturing, subject toand the Research Cambridge Core terms of use, available at https://www.cambridge.org/core/terms. https://doi.org/10.1017/S2058631018000065 Owen written by Professor Jonathan G.F. Latin scholarship in Latin Powell, well-known editor of Cicero in Academic research on the practice the Bibliotheca Oxoniensis and for a time and benefits of speaking Latin Beyond lecturing as part of a fully- visitor of the London Latin Circle, where fledged university course awarding credit, he demonstrated some of the most The last section of my contribution must there are many international conferences impeccable use of spoken Latin I have go to the increasing academic activity where a number of public lectures are ever heard: written in the vernacular but about delivered in Latin. There is a greater spoken Latin. This is highly abundance of this type of practice in the • Jonathan G.F. Powell. (1986). De recommended reading for those area of so-called ‘Neo-Latin’ studies, Iohanne Audoeno, scriptore interested in this area beyond the where scholars are perhaps more attuned epigrammatum Cambrobritanno. In O. necessary confines of the present article. to the perennial use of the language, Dilke & G. Townend (edd.), Acta Most importantly, an absolutely although not only in that area. A couple omnium gentium ac nationum conventus sexti pioneering PhD thesis entirely on this of samples: Latinis litteris linguæque fovendis: matter was defended only last year: Britannia Latina. Kendaliæ, Wilson, • On Jacobus Pontanus (Naples) [see pp. 130–134. • Lloyd, Mair E. (2016). Living Latin: 12:12 onwards]: https://www.youtube. Exploring a Communicative Approach to com/watch?v = 8YC8dVMPtW4 A Google search attests that this is quoted Latin Teaching Through a Sociocultural in at least three subsequent pieces of Perspective on Language Learning: http:// • On Thomas More and his Utopia scholarship. oro.open.ac.uk/48886/ (Amsterdam): https://www.youtube. Scholarly periodicals like Mnemosyne, com/watch?v = wQbsB4zp_d0 Hermes, Museum Helveticum, etc. also still The editor of the Journal of Classics publish articles in Latin from time to time. Teaching himself had just the year before Many of these lectures are subsequently Again, just from friends (Polish and published a crucial book on Latin published in written form. In this context, Spanish), a couple of examples can teaching that devotes attention to the and although no longer strictly speaking illustrate this: matter of active use of the language: instances of spoken Latin, it is relevant to bring to mind the abundance of written • Hunt, Steven. (2016). Starting to Teach scholarship published in Latin. • Konrad M. Kokoszkiewicz (Mnemosyne Latin: https://www.amazon.co.uk/ Participation in that scholarly debate 58, 2005) A. Gellius Noctes Atticae Starting-Teach-Latin-Steven-Hunt/ necessitates a capacity to deal with the 16.2.6: tamquam si te dicas adulterum dp/1472537912 expression of new ideas in Latin which is negent (one among various others, the very much akin to the capacity to speak last one in Eranos 2010-11: http:// Beyond that, highly informative are also fluent Latin. Classicists not trained in www.obta.uw.edu.pl/ ~ draco/) the findings of a Census Latinus carried these skills cannot have ready access to • Jorge Tárrega Garrido (Museum Helveticum out in 2009, which were published just in much relevant scholarship, let alone 71, 2014) De hominum appellationibus 2017 too, with a new edition of the same produce it. in Ciceronis Epistulis ad Atticum: http:// expected to take place this year: To put but one example, not just a www.e-periodica.ch/digbib/%20 Latinist, a Hellenist as well, specialising view?var = true&pid = mhl- • Eduardo Engelsing, Census Latinus say in Homeric studies, should be able to 001:2014:71::143 2009: Goals, Data Collected, contend with the extensive Latin treatises Importance, Perspectives: https:// preceding the various volumes of Van der muse.jhu.edu/article/658989/pdf Valk’s edition of Eustathius’s commentary Although several universities still accept on the Iliad, Latin scholarship which is as PhD theses in Latin (certainly von A not so off-the-press contribution of 2012 recent as 1971. Students whose Latin only Albrecht’s Heidelberg), I am not sure also makes for very interesting reading: allows them to deal with classical texts for how often this option has been used (see which there are bilingual editions and above for the need of a compilation of • Neil Coffee, Active Latin: Quo translations are excluded from much that scholarship in Latin). The jewel in the Tendimus?: http://www.academia. is valuable. crown of this section must therefore be edu/3830834/Active_Latin_Quo_ I have long believed that a good the whole 400 pages of a recent PhD Tendimus research project would be the compilation thesis of 2015 defended at the of a comprehensive bibliography of all University of Valencia: classical scholarship written in Latin in the contemporary period (from 1789), • Mª Luisa Aguilar, Studia Varroniana: de Conclusion hopefully with a record/analysis of their titulis Varronis eorumque origine ac citation rates by further (Latin and rationibus (resumen in Spanish, pp. I hope this article can stimulate and guide non-Latin using) scholarship. I-XLIV, but body in Latin, pp. 1–389): readers in trying out the experience of While we wait for that, I will provide http://roderic.uv.es/bitstream/ speaking Latin and exploring some of the just a couple of examples from friends. I handle/10550/46825/tesis_mlaguilar. many possible avenues now open in this have in front of me an article on John pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y direction. Students are certainly

If you have enjoyed reading this, you might Vivat floreatque lingua Latina! also like to read: [email protected] Carlon, J. (2011). Educating the Educators. JCT 22, pp. 13–14. A. Gratius Avitus is a Senior Teaching Fellow at the UCL Centre Carter, D. (2011). Hans Ørberg and his for Languages & International contribution to Latin pedagogy. JCT, 22, Education. His several decades of pp. 21–22. experience encompass teaching of Spanish, Latin, Greek and Sanskrit, King, J. (2011). Latin speaking camps. JCT, as well as Translation Skills, and 22, p.12 Classical Culture. He is a passionate proponent of the spoken Macdonald, S. (2011). Krashen and Second use of the classical languages to Language Acquisition theory - a re-evaluation of how to teach classical improve learning efficiency and languages. JCT 22, pp. 3–5. advance reading fluency among students. He founded the London Mahoney, A. (2011). A Communicative Latin Circle and the free on-line Approach to Ancient Greek. JCT 22, Schola Latína Európæa & pp. 14–16. Úniversális, has contributed to the development of conversational Parsons, D. (2009). Inspiration from Rouse. Latin language methods, and is JCT 17, pp. 5–6. actively involved in promoting the communicative approach in Latin Peckett, C. (1992). The oral method. JACT at an international level. Review, 11, p.4–8.

Downloaded52 from https://www.cambridge.org/core. IP address: 170.106.202.58Spoken Latin:, on 28 Learning, Sep 2021 Teaching, at 19:45:55 Lecturing, subject toand the Research Cambridge Core terms of use, available at https://www.cambridge.org/core/terms. https://doi.org/10.1017/S2058631018000065