Latin Everywhere, Everyday: A Latin Phrase Workbook

Latin Everywhere, Everyday #workbook

by Elizabeth Heimbach

This workbook of Latin phrases and mottoes is filled with exercises, projects, and games designed for students in grades 7-10. There are three parts to the sententiae or Latin phrases, abbreviations, and mottoes. The first section contains 180 Latin phrases, one for each day of the school year. There are five phrases on each page so that students can see a whole week's work at once. A variety of exercises helps students master each group of phrases. The second section of the workbook contains Latin mottoes of states, schools, colleges, and organizations. The third section reviews the 29 Latin abbreviations that were introduced in section one. All three sections are filled with interesting derivatives, engaging information, delightful facts, and ample exercises. An Ovid Workbook - ISBN 0865166250
A Vergil Workbook - ISBN 0865166145 For over 30 years Bolchazy-Carducci Publishers has produced the highest quality Latin and ancient Greek books. From Dr. Seuss books in Latin to Plato's Apology , Bolchazy-Carducci's titles help readers learn about ancient Rome and Greece; the Latin and ancient Greek languages are alive and well with titles like Cicero's De Amicitia and Kaegi's Greek Grammar . We also feature a line of contemporary eastern European and WWII books. Some of the areas we publish in Selections From The Aeneid
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152 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 2004

Reviews

[DrosoPHila · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is an exercise book designed to teach Latin loanwords and loan-phrases occasionally used in English, particularly in higher level academic and legal writing, etc.

This isn't Latin though – one would need to actually learn Latin grammar for that – it's English. Even though these phrases might be largely unfamiliar and are inter alia marked out in italics and “look foreign”, they are just loanwords being used in an English environment and in English this is far from being unusual ( Borrowed Words: A History of Loanwords in English ). Were one's primary aim to learn or teach Latin, this book would not be of particular assistance.

Furthermore, the book is geared towards rote learning a lot of phrases. Learning by rote, though sometimes necessary, is generally not great pedagogy, and in this case I think is largely unnecessary. Read enough high level texts and the just like any other aspect of vocabulary, lexis will be picked up naturally (see How Languages Are Learned ). Basically, first guess from the context; if you're still unsure you can use a dictionary, and if you come across a phrase often enough, you'll learn it – this is just applied common sense.

In addition to context, to help with decoding unfamiliar phrases, there are some ways in which some linguistic understanding can be of assistance. Much English vocabulary is cognative with Latin, more so for Romance languages. However, Heimbach never investigates how one might practically decode meanings of unknown phrases.

With its unnecessary American nationalistic overtones, focus on rote learning, ignorance of how people actually acquire their own native languages and with some superfluous content, this book is to say the least, traditionalist. Heimbach's having none of this fancy research-based modern pedagogy nonsense - kids'll rote learn because tradition. As a direct consequence, the book is a complete mess, though not without a few redeeming features, although these were probably largely unintentional on the part of the author.

Some of this might be useful in for learners of English as a second language, especially those who have to learn academic, but particularly legal English (English for academic purposes). It would help greatly though if a teacher could adapt the material first. It also might be useful, to those interested in language, as a “bathroom book” where one can learn one phrase per visit, breaking learning down into manageable chunks. Overall though, Heimbach fails to deliver on her apparent aims.

Finally, for one apparently so interested in language, there is a grammar mistake in the title. "Everyday" in the title should be two words, as it's an adjectival. Oops.

[Colin · Rating 5 out of 5]

A really good teaching text for Latin phrases and abbreviations, especially those used in English. It really does cover most of the very common ones (i.e, e.g., etc., A.M., P.M., P.S., and so on), and a few medical (like n.p.o. for "nihil per os" - "nothing by mouth" - meaning you don't get to eat during your hospital stay!) and legal. There are some odd choices as well, but really, it's a great starter kit. I used it in the classroom for years and now homeschooling my own child. It also has other sections with Latin mottos, like of the United States (e.g. "e pluribus unum"), or individual states (like New York's "Excelsior" or Arizona's "Ditat Deus"), or military organizations (Like U.S.M.C.'s "Semper Fidelis" - oorah!, or universities, or Scottish clans, and so on. Strongly recommended for anyone teaching Latin, really . . .