Latin For Dummies

by Clifford A. Hull, Tracy L. Barr, Steven R. Perkins

This title provides complete coverage of all Latin language essentials including grammar, usage and vocabulary to have readers reading and speaking Latin in no time. There are many examples to give readers language skills they can use immediately, no matter what their reason for studying.

Genres: Reference, Language, Nonfiction, Education, History, Linguistics

384 pages, Paperback

First published January 22, 2002

Reviews

[La Crosse County Library · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review originally published October 2005

“Researchers from University College, London, studied the brains of 105 people - 80 of whom were bilingual. They found that learning other languages altered grey matter - the area of the brain which processes information - in the same way exercise builds muscles.” –BBC

Not a day goes by where we don’t hear about exercising our bodies, but we often don’t think about exercising our brains. I recently checked out Latin for Dummies in order to keep up with my second grader, who is learning it at school.

Studies also show that the younger a person is, the more grey matter increases when learning a second language. Needless to say, his young brain is retaining a lot more than my old brain. But that isn’t keeping me from trying!

So maybe Latin isn’t your thing, but we have materials on French, Norwegian, Spanish, Hungarian, Japanese, German, Hmong and more! With the colder months ahead, it’s good to use your time constructively while indoors. This is the opportunity to give your brain a workout!

Also, if you plan on vacationing in a foreign-speaking country this spring or summer, now is the time to brush up on those language skills. You’ll have all winter to practice and it will pay off while you’re away.

As the old saying goes, “Use it or lose it!”

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[Alex Kartelias · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you're looking for a way to introduce your self to basic latin vocabulary and grammar, this is a necessary book. What I've always loved about these, "dummie" books is that they can spur a lot of interest in a subject that can very well be dry and methodical. This book is filled with quick facts from roman history, quotes from famous latin philosophers and poets and illuminating translations of latin words- used in church, law, anatomy, botany- that are within the arsenal of the english language. Probably the biggest advantage of learning latin- especially from this book- is that it sets a foundation for future language learning- primarily from the romance languages. It will never replace any 1000 paged- textbook, but this is the best way to start.

[Kbord · Rating 3 out of 5]

I learned a few things from this book--mostly concepts (such as declensions) more than actual vocabulary. I get the feeling that this book would do much better as a refresher for someone who actually studied Latin in school than as a textbook of sorts for the absolute beginner.

I finally gave up on the grammar stuff (after about chapter 2) and flipped through the book reading the historical and cultural side bars, which were interesting to me. Heck, I even enjoyed some of the inside jokes for Latin students.

Perhaps if I'd given myself several days to go over each section of each chapter, the information would have sunk in and made more sense in practice (the book has examples to practice on) rather than just in theory.

However, I must say, my Classical pronunciation is much better than it used to be.

[Wendy Joyce · Rating 2 out of 5]

Far too much of the book surrounds using Latin in casual conversations--which most people aren't looking to do--and far too little of the book addresses Latin's use in medicine and law--which would have been beneficial.

[Casey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice overall, really cool.

[Grace · Rating 3 out of 5]

Latin is a fascinating language and a stepping stone to understanding many other languages, like the Romance languages in particular. So it was nice reading this book. I already know Latin a little bit since starting a Duolingo language for Latin. I just thought this might help a little bit, especially with the sentence structure, which takes some getting used to. (For example, if I'm getting the structure right, " pueri beatam ludere in parco" "means the happy boys play in the park". The sentence, if translated with just the word structure would be "the boys happy play in the park" You have to know when to reverse adjectives and Latin phrases don't use articles as much as English.) I would've found it more helpful, besides casual phrases, if they had more Latin words involving medical terms and animal classifications since that is what Latin is mostly used for in modern times today. other than that, a nice summary explained in an interesting way.

[Michael Summers · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a quite helpful review of a language that I studied most seriously almost fifty years ago. The dialogues were instructive and sometimes amusing. A few times I wondered about the accuracy of idiomatic translations. The chapter that explained how classical and ecclesiastical Latin differ will help me going forward, since I plan to read both. The tables for conjugations and declensions will be a a valuable reference. I appreciated chapters that described Latin's continuing impact on English, law, and medicine. I look forward to exploring internet resources for additional study of classical and ecclesiastical Latin that were introduced in another chapter. This book will be a useful quick reference for me going forward.

[Erin Lynn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overall, this is not a bad introduction to the Latin language. It provides a decent amount of vocabulary and history of Rome, while being informative about the language in a way that’s easy to understand.

The huge drawback is that none of the Latin text in this book includes the macrons. I know they weren’t used in Rome, but as someone who’s been studying and teaching Latin for almost a year now, they’re included in most Latin texts today. I think a third edition is warranted to make those adjustments.

Also, they put examples in at the most bizarre moments. I was in the middle of reading important information about the grammar, and BAM, there’s just a connection. They could wait with those until after the main text.

[Patricia · Rating 2 out of 5]

While I could not really study with this book, it actually really helped me figure out the WHY I need to study the language as it ties it rather nicely the Latin language to (Roman-)Christian culture/faith. I'd recommend the book to those of you who want to start getting into the language, though it is more beneficial to learn about the culture that comes with Latin than with the language itself. The book discusses both, though: the language and, especially the culture.

[Dants · Rating 3 out of 5]

A nice book to start Latin with. However, it went from 0 to 100 very quickly. The beginning was nice but it goes directly to hard difficulty and at some point I really needed to read many times to understand what's going on.

The best thing about this book is the examples they put in it and they are usually very profound statements. Good stuff but not the best book for my taste. As I said, the build up wasn't balanced and it got hard very quickly and frustrating very quickly.

[Ed Barton · Rating 4 out of 5]

As with most Dummies books, it’s long on entertainment and cultural information and light but informative on Latin language information. Well written, interesting and decent for background information, you won’t walk away reading or speaking Latin, but you will have a better basis for learning it.

[Jason · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tiring of needing a parental shot.

[Amelia Bruce · Rating 3 out of 5]

Im to big of a dummy to even understand this

[Riobhcah · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was quite disgusted that in this book, the macrons over the long vowels were not used. Even the Ancient Romans used them and the beginning student certainly needs to learn them as a part of the spelling of a word, just like in French, for example, one needs to learn the words with the accents. If the macrons had been included, I might have considered giving this book four stars, but without the macrons, it is not possible for me to do so. It is so much easier to learn to do something right the first time then to learn, go back and unlearn what you were taught and then learn it all over again. For beginners who are serious about learning Latin, I would suggest getting started with "Wheelock's Latin" and learn in correctly the first time.

[DrosoPHila · Rating 1 out of 5]

Somewhat different from a traditional Latin textbook such as Wheelock's Latin . Instead of containing pedagogically badly presented material relevant to its irrelevant subject, this instead mostly consists of irrelevant (or at least tangential) material, with a few grammar tables thrown in, maintaining the long tradition of awful pedagogy in Latin instruction, albeit in a slightly innovative manner.

[D.J. · Rating 4 out of 5]

After having studied Latin language for eight years I bought this book as a refresher course. It is not a bad deal for $11 from Amazon.com. However, it leaves a lot to be said and explained. I think the author could've included more written examples of Roman classic prose and poetry. This book is basically perfect for those that have never taken any Latin courses and are not familiar with the Latin language at all.

[Adam82 · Rating 4 out of 5]

After watching the movie The Exorcism of Emely Rose, I was inspired to learn Latin, Greek, and Hebrew. This was the best way at the time to learn. It has a lot of historical facts that I would strongly recommend reading.

[Alexis Nguyen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I usually find the Dummies books too elementary, but this one was nice. It's a good brush up on latin if one hasn't had to deal with it in many, many years.

[Dori · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an on going usage - wonderful guide to have if you write alot of botany based and medical based articles or just love languages.

[Regina Hunter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pretty easy, and it actually works with things you already know and goes from there.

[Ari · Rating 5 out of 5]

Life-saver.

[Jeremy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read in preparation for my Latin course in 2013 summer. Lots of spelling/punctuation errors (average of about one glaring one per chapter).

[Jenine]

Maybe another time. Couldn't commit to learning declensions. Enjoyed the pronunciation guide even though I will not retain it.

[Ann Keller · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent resource! I learned a lot about how the Romance languages are related to each other and derived from Latin, as well. Very informative about Roman culture and customs, too.