Conversational Latin for Oral Proficiency

by John C. Traupman

As the movement toward national standards for foreign language proficiency gains momentum, many states have already instituted their own guidelines which include oral proficiency among the requirements. (Read the author's note on this subject.) Traupman's book is an excellent resource for helping teachers introduce or enhance the oral experience in the Latin classroom. The Conversational Latin cassette is an hour long recording of the conversations from chapters 1-12 (all three levels) of the text (imperfect but acceptable recording). Special Features Multi-level dialogs
A variety of contemporary and ancient topics
Topical vocabulary for each chapter
Authentic Roman expression
A comprehensive glossary
Appendices on colors and numbers, colloquial expressions, and sayings and proverbs
New in the second
A chapter on transportation
Additional vocabulary in all categories (e.g. computer terminology)

Genres: History

256 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1996

Reviews

[max · Rating 4 out of 5]

Conversational Latin -- talk about an oxymoron -- is not impossible. If you and someone else really put your minds to it, you and that someone else can converse reasonably well (albeit in a limited way) in Latin.

Problem #1: Finding someone with whom to have the conversation;

Problem #2: Figuring out what to say;

Problem #3: Knowing how to say it.

Latin is typically not taught in such a way as to develop oral proficiency, so speaking in Latin requires great effort and determination to master a skill you very likely did not learn in school. I know this because I am a Latin teacher and the goal in my classroom, with the limited time I have on my hands, is to get students to the point where they can read Vergil, not converse in Latin.

This book is the essential guide to conversational Latin. There is none better of its kind. Many different areas of daily life are covered nicely, and there is also a wealth of idiomatic expressions. There are very few Latinists more qualified than John Traupman to author such a text, and he does admirably well here.

[William Herbst · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book of sample dialogues and phrase lists is not really a textbook for active oral Latin but an ancillary that a creative teacher can use to build such a course. I think it has too much sample dialogue and too little in the way of encouraging the creation of such dialogue.

[Courtney Handermann · Rating 3 out of 5]

Phrasing a little clunky sometimes, but who am I to judge.