Latin for the New Millennium
Latin for the New Millennium Student Text, Level 1
This new complete introductory course to the Latin language, suitable for both high school and college students, consists of two volumes, each accompanied by a teacher's manual and students' workbooks. The strategy employed for teaching and learning incorporates the best of both the reading approach and the more abstract grammatical method. The choice of vocabulary in each chapter reflects ancient authors commonly studied for the AP* Latin examinations. There are exercises designed for oral use, as well as a substantial core of more conventional exercises in each chapter. The readings, pictures, and supplementary inserts on cultural information illuminate Roman life, civilization, Roman history, and mythology, as well as the continuing use of Latin after antiquity and its vigorous literary tradition in such periods as the Middle Ages and Renaissance. Each chapter also includes derivatives, the influence of Latin vocabulary on English, and selected proverbs or common Latin sayings.
Level 1 Enrichment Text:
From Romulus to Romulus Augustulus - Roman History for the New Millennium
The Original Dysfunctional Family - Basic Classical Mythology for the New Millennium
Latin for the New Millennium Companion Website: this website has additional information about Latin for the New Millenniumincluding a "Teacher's Lounge". The teacher's lounge is a forum for teachers using and interested in using Latin for the New Millenniumseries textbooks, workbooks, and ancillaries.
Register for FREE Latin for the New Millennium webinars.
Scope and Sequence for Student Textbook Level 1 (download PDF)
Level 1, Latin to English Glossary
In response to teacher and student input and suggestions, the Latin for the New Millennium Level 1 student textbook 2009 reprinting contains a revised Latin to English Glossary (click to access glossary file). The revisions include the addition of all the Latin vocabulary from the "Reading Vocabulary" lists and for all the "Vocabulary to Learn" words, the chapter in which the word first appears is indicated. This revised Latin to English Glossary is also included in the 2009 reprintings of the LNM 1 student workbook and teacher's manual for the student workbook.
Sample pages of the Student Textbook Level 1
These samples pages are PDF documents for viewing only, they can not be printed or copied.
Table of Contents
Foreword and Preface
Authors and Contributors
Introduction
Unit 1 - Chapters 1-3
Chapter 7
Chapter 16
Sample pages of the Teacher's Manual Textbook Level 1
These samples pages are PDF documents for viewing only, they can not be printed or copied.
TM Frontmatter
Unit 1
Terence Tunberg and Milena Minkova's Latin for the New Millennium ('LNM') is a strikingly original and decidedly effective text for introductory Latin. In it, the authors claim to strike a balance between the inductive, or reading method, and the deductive method commonly used in Greek and Latin instruction, and they are successful in that (see p.vii in the Teacher's Manual). Though they do not mention it explicitly, they have also transcended the cultural aspirations of most reading-based texts with their successful adaptation of original passages to the needs of beginning Latin students, helping students to see for themselves some of what Latin literature has to offer them. In their choice of authors for their adapted passages, they go in a temporal sequence from Plautus to Boethius in level one, and from Bede to the early modern writers (such as Copernicus or the lesser known Ludvig Holberg) in level two. In doing so, they make a strong case for Latin by constantly holding before their readers' eyes the vast temporal reach of the language and its importance to European intellectual history. These aspects of the text are fairly obvious after even a passing glance. Much less noticeable initially, but of equal if not greater importance, is the text's uncommonly rich supply of exercises, both written and oral, which are as numerous as they are effective.
The text is suitable both for high school and university students. Representatives of the press (per litteras) say that university students could complete the first level (the text here under review) in one semester, and the second level in another (to be released in June 2009, according to the press). High school courses could take an entire year for the first level, and at least that for the second level. Because level two ends with ten sections of unadapted Latin from Nepos' life of Atticus, both texts together could conceivably be used over two or three semesters in university courses, and, for high schools, both levels one and two could be used over three years. The teacher's manual, which includes a reprint of the basic textbook, also includes oral, supplementary exercises, a key for all exercises, and translations of all the Latin readings. There is also a workbook, which itself has a teacher's key. Online aids are plentiful.
Each chapter begins with a quotation of the author who is the focus of the chapter. So, in chapter three, we find 'Homo sum: humani nihil a me alienum puto,' (Heauton Timoroumenos 77), followed by an adapted reading from Terence, and in chapter seven, 'Odi et amo', followed by an adaptation of Catullus 2 and 5. But the heart of every chapter is the reading adapted from that author. The reading contains the basic vocabulary to be learned, and its concepts and themes are often reiterated in practice sentences throughout the chapter. This repetition in the exercises also provides sensible and effective reinforcement of both vocabulary and new grammatical concepts. The adapted readings include the standard authors, Cicero, Caesar, Catullus, Sallust, Vergil, Horace, Ovid, Seneca, Tacitus, as well as the welcome additions of authors not so standard, including both Augustine and Boethius, as well as Apuleius and Ammianus. After the adapted reading, there is a gloss list on the facing page to help students navigate through new vocabulary and unfamiliar morphology. Because the reading includes elements of grammar to be introduced in later sections, the glosses often include translations of forms students would otherwise be unable to interpret on their own. Next come two or three sections, called Language Fact I, II or III, each providing an explanation of some new point of morphology or syntax. Each of these sections also includes at least one, and usually more, exercises to help students apply this morphology through transformations, translation of forms, and analysis or translation from Latin to English. Finally, the chapter closes with a dialogue of conversational Latin focused on common situations in everyday life: greetings and leave-takings, describing where one comes from, vocabulary and formulae appropriate to the classroom, and related items.
The basic arrangement of grammatical material will come as no surprise to any Latin instructor, and any changes to the standard presentation are subtle and welcome. The goal of the level one text is to present the basic morphology of nouns, pronouns and adjectives, the functions of the cases, indicative and infinitive verbs and the principal parts, the irregular verbs sum and possum, relative clauses, indirect discourse, and two participles (perfect passive and future active). Accordingly, the list of morphological and syntactic points found in the level two text is equally unsurprising: subjunctives, ablative absolute constructions, the passive periphrastic, other irregular verbs, comparatives and superlatives of adjectives and adverbs, and the present participle. The authors depart from the norm where appropriate. The concept of case and the names of the five Latin cases are explained quickly so that students can memorize whole declensions immediately (pp. 6-7). But the main functions of the cases are unpacked gradually over several chapters (the nominative and accusative in ch. 1, pp. 6-7; genitive and vocative in ch. 3 (p. 37); dative in ch. 4 (p. 62); the ablative in ch. 8 (pp. 128-129)). Again, the book introduces the accusative with infinitive construction relatively early (in ch. 7, pp. 116-19), so that students grow familiar with this over time and can add in new grammatical features as they are gradually revealed (such as perfect active and passive infinitives, pp. 354-357, and, later, future (active) infinitives, pp. 368-370).
A review follows every three chapters, and includes a vocabulary summary and exercises on the chief new material, followed by three sections, in English, which are cultural sidelights. These include, first, an account of one of the major Roman gods; second, a small bit of social history (such as slavery, Roman attire, cities and road systems, gladiators); and, last, a short summary of some aspects of Roman social, political or literary history, written by outside contributors. The contributions from William Anderson on Roman comedy and from James Keenan on Roman Law are particularly successful for their engagement and explication of the texts students have read, and that of Jacqueline Carlon on Roman families, for its constant recourse to Latin vocabulary. All three sidelights in these review sections will doubtless have a greater role to play in high school courses assessed through the National Latin Exam or other state exams, which inevitably include questions about the Roman Pantheon or Roman social and political history. But for the purposes of simple cultural enrichment, the adapted readings are often sufficient.
To give a better sense for the book's composition, it is useful to look in detail at a specific chapter, such as chapter 15. The chapter begins with an adapted reading from Seneca's Epistulae Morales (12). The reading is greatly altered from Seneca's original, but to good purpose. Vocabulary is pared down; subjunctives and tenses of the indicative not yet learned have all been removed. Futures of the third and fourth conjugation have been carefully added (one of the primary grammatical goals of the chapter). The reading is just long enough to capture both the humor of the passage as well as Seneca's central observation in the letter: the theme of memento mori. The adaptation is significant, but judicious. Although not the original texts, these simplified passages from ancient prose are a wonderful avenue for covering themes from the literature in the target language.
After the adapted reading in chapter 15, the first 'Language Fact' section presents the future active and passive of third, fourth and third conjugation -io verbs (p. 249). An exercise follows that requires transformations of present and imperfect tense verbs into the future (p. 250). The student is then required to translate both the original form and the derived form into English. The Teacher's Manual contains an oral exercise of similar transformations for additional oral practice (p. 249). Next is the vocabulary for memorization, a subset of the gloss list found at the start of the chapter. In every chapter, this list is followed by an exercise meant to teach English derivatives from the vocabulary.
The second 'Language Fact' section presents interrogative pronouns and adjectives, illustrated by some easy sentences of both types of words. Paradigms of each are then presented. Numerous exercises follow. In one exercise, students are asked to translate simple sentences into Latin which make use either of the interrogative pronoun or adjectives (such as 'Whose villa is old?' and 'Whose (plural) villas are old?') (p. 254). An exercise in the Teacher's Manual (p. 253) contains simple sentences which students are to read and then transform, orally, into questions by replacing underlined forms with interrogative pronouns and adjectives. Another brief oral exercise encourages active use of the interrogative pronoun. The teacher, it is suggested, could ask various students such pre-formulated questions as 'Quis es?', 'Quis sum?', 'Cuius liber est?' and so forth (Teacher's Manual, p. 252). Sample answers are given. This sort of exercise is a good example of the often charming hints tucked away in the Teacher's Manual which could help enliven an otherwise dreary grammatical point and present an additional way to help ground the students in the morphology. Another textbook exercise contains a skillful review of the reading: questions are asked (in Latin) about the content of the Seneca passage, and students are asked to pick the most appropriate response from among three possible answers in Latin (pp. 254-55). In yet another exercise, students work on translation and composition. They are to read a short dialogue based on the reading, translating Latin into English and English to Latin (p. 256). The grammatical points tested most intensively are third and fourth conjugation verbs as well as interrogative pronouns and adjectives, the chapter's main points. Such useful exercises, found throughout the text, form the backbone of the book.
Finally, the chapter ends with a short dialogue between the recurring cast of student characters. The topic is a trip to the country, an appropriate topic given Seneca's own trip to his villa in the chapter's adapted reading. It contains a mix of mostly vocabulary with ancient pedigree (rus, along with ruri and rure, semita, deambulare, sub divo, vehor) and occasional, but sensible neologisms (birota, mantica dorsualis, tentorium plicatile). Then follows an oral exercise based upon the dialogue, which tests the students' reading comprehension and reinforces vocabulary with simple Latin questions which the students are to answer in Latin. The final oral exercise is a short dictation based on the chapter's opening reading. Afterwards, the students may be asked reading comprehension questions to which they are required to give Latin responses.
As my review of chapter 15 indicates, the book's rich and diverse supply of useful classroom exercises is one of its most important contributions. The authors are careful to suggest a number of the tried and true oral drills: practice conjugations and declensions, work with principal parts, declensions both of isolated nouns and of noun phrases complete with demonstrative pronouns and adjectives, and basic translation from and to Latin. But there are subtle touches which improve their overall effect. In their translation exercises, they have been careful not to encumber students with multiple variables, as the sentences are normally focused enough that they help students exercise the specific skill currently being reinforced. Moreover, these exercises invariably use the vocabulary of the adapted reading, providing useful repetition. But in addition to these more standard drills, there are also a number of transformational drills and completion exercises ('cloze tests'), which prove to be extremely effective both for improving and testing comprehension. The teacher's manual contains even further exercises, including oral transformational drills and dictation exercises. A number of the 'Teacher's Tips' and almost all the oral exercises are enormously innovative and tremendously effective (for some examples, see p. 202, ch. 12; p. 223, ch. 13; p. 252, ch. 15; p. 291, ch. 17; p. 169, ch. 10). It would be difficult to think of another textbook which rivals this one in the number and quality of these transformation, completion and dictation exercises. The exercises should be of interest to all Latin instructors, whether or not they adopt the textbook for their courses.
The historical scope of the material contained in LNM is so vast that the textbook itself becomes an implicit argument for the value of studying Latin, given its longevity as a literary language and in various scholarly disciplines. The book, however, as far as can be judged in level one, adheres strictly to the norms of Classical Latin in its description of the grammar (the perfect is simply described as, e.g., laudatus sum, notlaudatus fui), and the vocabulary intended for memorization is straight from the canonical authors. The level two text will include Bede, Einhard, Abelard, the Gesta Romanorum, Petrarch, Erasmus, Thomas More, Sepulveda, and Copernicus. There too, it appears that the Latin texts of the standard canon will be given privileged status since the unadapted texts which begin to be used in the level two text are from the letters of Cicero and Nepos' life of Atticus. This primacy of both the grammar of Classical Latin as well as its literary monuments should be stressed if level two's vastly increased scope causes some hesitation for instructors deciding whether to adopt the text. If anything, Terence and Cicero seem to take on added importance as foundational authors in a two-thousand-year tradition of thinkers who expressed their thought in Latin.
The Latin dialogues at the end of each chapter are a helpful supplement to the text and succeed on two levels. Since they concern the daily life of students at roughly the age of those using the text, they will be contextualized by the reader's own experiences. As a result, they can be read with relative ease, giving students fairly rapid exposure to more Latin. Second, and less tangibly, their familiar content gives students a helpful psychological link to the language. The dialogues arm them, to some extent, with some of the vocabulary and modes of expression which they would be acquiring in a modern language class and, hence, often expect to learn in the Latin classroom. Incidentally, they are reminiscent of their medieval and Renaissance era counterparts, especially those of Erasmus, Corderius and Juan Luis Vives. Doubtless in the Renaissance, there was a pressing motivation to learn to use Latin actively, and there were plentiful opportunities for students aspiring to university studies to make active use of it. This is to say, one hoped from such colloquia to become a better speaker of Latin. But even Erasmus intended suchformulae loquendi, simple sentences for common situations, to be used as a preface to reading of ancient authors. The Latin dialogues inLNM serve a similar function by allowing for additional practice in the language and a closer connection to it before the hard work of reading unadapted authors begins.
LNM is an attractive text. On a physical level, the text is brilliantly illustrated. But its beauty is not skin-deep. The images are often as lavish as they are instructive, and the art gives students a sense of the deep importance of the Classical tradition for European education until the twentieth century. Its texts and exercises are clearly the fruit of years of thought and practice. The scope of the book itself reflects a long-standing belief on the part of Terence Tunberg for the need to broaden the canon covered in Classics departments to include medieval and Neo-Latin texts. Whether or not his arguments can gain traction, the text which Tunberg and Minkova have produced makes a strong case for Latin's enduring ability to communicate high-level thought, whether in ancient texts or in modern ones. Moreover, its exercises and dialogues, drawing on the authors' considerable experience and expertise in both oral and written composition, succeed in offering a tremendous array of classroom practice which can enrich any Latin classroom.
I had a total of 21 Gold medals over the five levels I teach, and 13 Silver medals. In fact, of the 66 students who took the National Latin Exam, 57 won awards.
I feel that Latin for the New Millennium's visual appeal, vocabulary, clear and concise grammatical explanations, abundant drill material, and engaging readings were instrumental in aiding my students to excel in the National Latin exam.
We have used Latin for the New Millennium for this year's Latin Elective Course. Because it is a Junior/Senior elective for students in French or Spanish III or IV or for those who need a third year credit but do not want more advanced modern languages, we have gone slowly and thoroughly through the first half of Latin I, and we expect to finish the year with Chapter 12. The five Juniors are determined to continue and finish the book with me even if they have to do it during their free period next year.
All the students agree with me that the book is "student-friendly" and a pleasure. Interestingly, they have been more interested in the grammar and vocabulary than in the historical material, but they are absorbing a good amount of it as well. Their strongest skill is translation Latin to English and the weakest is English to Latin, but I feel good about the amount they have learned and have enjoyed learning. Their suggestion for any second edition is to have more translation exercises from English to Latin.
Your on-line help has been a major asset.
LATIN FOR THE NEW MILLENNIUM
Hot off the presses from Bolchazy-Carducci, Latin for the New Millennium (ISBN 0865165602) is a unique and innovative new two-year introductory Latin program suitable for high school and university students. Authored by gifted Latinists Milena Minkova and Terence Tunberg, directors of the Institute for Latin Studies at the University of Kentucky, and edited by veteran teacher LeaAnn Osburn, it's no surprise that this series takes an entirely different perspective than other contemporary Latin textbooks. Unlike other recent series, which are centered around a connected story about a family at a specific time and place in the ancient world, LNM's organizing principle is the story of the Latin language itself, from the second century BCE through the Middle Ages to the Renaissance and modern world. Level 1 begins with adapted selections from the comedies of Plautus and Terence and progresses chronologically over a span of nearly 1000 years with excerpts based on works by Cicero, Caesar, Catullus, Nepos, Sallust, Vergil, Livy, Ovid, Seneca, Pliny, Tacitus, Apuleius, Ammianus, Augustine, and Boethius. This sequential approach to contextualizing the language makes it much easier for students to see the importance and endurance of the Latin language and to make connections between the ancient and modern world. Latin for the New Millennium, Level 2, which should be available in early 2009, will continue onward through history, presenting selections adapted from medieval, Renaissance, and modern authors as well as a work of original, authentic Classical Latin.
Latin for the New Millennium utilizes a "fusion" approach to language acquisition. By combining techniques from the traditional grammar-translation method with the contemporary reading approach, this course aims to teach students how to read fluently with grammatical accuracy and syntactical awareness. Each chapter begins with a Latin passage accompanied by a beautiful full-color fine art illustration, pre-reading material, alphabetical vocabulary notes and other clues, which encourage students to use context to develop efficient reading strategies. This target-language passage is followed by comprehension questions in English as well as clear explanations of important language facts, which clarify the morphology and syntax introduced in the reading selection. Conventional exercises encouraging memorization and grammatical precision are provided in both the textbook and the accompanying workbook. Vocabulary has been selected to prepare students from the beginning for Advanced Placement and university level courses. Conversational dialogues between modern students at the end of each chapter encourage oral use of Latin. Extension activities provided in the teacher's manual provide opportunities to promote active conversation and bring the language to life in the classroom.
The most exciting feature of Latin for the New Millennium is Bolchazy-Carducci's innovative online support system, accessible athttp://lnm.bolchazycom. Utilizing the popular Ning format, this interactive Teachers' Lounge provides a place for teachers using this new series to network and collaborate, participate in threaded discussions, create blog pages, upload lesson plans, worksheets, flashcards, photos, videos, and other multimedia, exchange activity links, and much more. This forum enables teachers to collaborate easily on new and useful materials to customize the course. For example, I would love to see more contextualized Latin drills (like those described by Paul Distler in his book Teach the Latin, I Pray You). I would also appreciate more Latin comprehension questions for the stories, in addition to the English ones, to encourage students to talk about the Latin authors in Latin. Teachers with the desire for similar exercises can easily work together with other instructors, anywhere in the world, to design activities, upload and share them. The LNM support site also makes it possible for the publisher to make important files pertaining to the series immediately available to teachers. Currently available for download are a Scope and Sequence (outlining the narrative, grammatical, cultural, and conversational components of the course) as well as documents correlating LNMto the Standards for Classical Language Learning and The National Latin Exam Syllabus. There are also MP3 audio recordings of passages and dialogues from the book. Even more exciting is the student section, which includes links to the Second Life Villa, the all-LatinWorld of Warcraft Guild, and the eClassics Social Network, where students may practice using their new language in a fun, familiar, and friendly setting.
To view sample chapters from the Latin for the New Millennium student textbook, workbook, teacher's manual and ancillaries, visit Bolchazy-Carducci at www.bolchazy.com. E-mail inquiries may be sent to info@bolchazy.com.
You may also direct questions to the publisher by contacting Bolchazy-Carducci Publishers, Inc., 1570 Baskin Road, Mundelein, Illinois 60060 USA, Tel. (800) 392-6453, Fax. (847) 526-2867
Description
Latin for the New Millennium Student Text, Level 1
This new complete introductory course to the Latin language, suitable for both high school and college students, consists of two volumes, each accompanied by a teacher's manual and students' workbooks. The strategy employed for teaching and learning incorporates the best of both the reading approach and the more abstract grammatical method. The choice of vocabulary in each chapter reflects ancient authors commonly studied for the AP* Latin examinations. There are exercises designed for oral use, as well as a substantial core of more conventional exercises in each chapter. The readings, pictures, and supplementary inserts on cultural information illuminate Roman life, civilization, Roman history, and mythology, as well as the continuing use of Latin after antiquity and its vigorous literary tradition in such periods as the Middle Ages and Renaissance. Each chapter also includes derivatives, the influence of Latin vocabulary on English, and selected proverbs or common Latin sayings.
Level 1 Enrichment Text:
From Romulus to Romulus Augustulus - Roman History for the New Millennium
The Original Dysfunctional Family - Basic Classical Mythology for the New Millennium
Latin for the New Millennium Companion Website: this website has additional information about Latin for the New Millenniumincluding a "Teacher's Lounge". The teacher's lounge is a forum for teachers using and interested in using Latin for the New Millenniumseries textbooks, workbooks, and ancillaries.
Register for FREE Latin for the New Millennium webinars.
Special Features
- the best of the reading approach and the grammar-translation approach
- one Latin passage in each chapter that is adapted from Latin literature
- clear, concise grammatical explanations
- abundant exercises, both Latin to English and English to Latin
- optional oral exercises
- vocabulary geared to the AP* examinations
- derivative and proverb studies
- inserts on daily life in ancient Rome and cultural information
- plentiful full-color illustrations, many of which are reproductions of great works of art
- study tips for students
- timelines of historical and literary events
Scope and Sequence for Student Textbook Level 1 (download PDF)
Level 1, Latin to English Glossary
In response to teacher and student input and suggestions, the Latin for the New Millennium Level 1 student textbook 2009 reprinting contains a revised Latin to English Glossary (click to access glossary file). The revisions include the addition of all the Latin vocabulary from the "Reading Vocabulary" lists and for all the "Vocabulary to Learn" words, the chapter in which the word first appears is indicated. This revised Latin to English Glossary is also included in the 2009 reprintings of the LNM 1 student workbook and teacher's manual for the student workbook.
Sample pages of the Student Textbook Level 1
These samples pages are PDF documents for viewing only, they can not be printed or copied.
Table of Contents
Foreword and Preface
Authors and Contributors
Introduction
Unit 1 - Chapters 1-3
Chapter 7
Chapter 16
Sample pages of the Teacher's Manual Textbook Level 1
These samples pages are PDF documents for viewing only, they can not be printed or copied.
TM Frontmatter
Unit 1
| Author Bios |
Milena Minkova has published books on medieval Latin, Latin reference, and Latin composition. She holds a PhD degree in Classics from the University of Sofia, Bulgaria, and a PhD degree in Christian and Classical Studies from the Pontifical Salesian University, Rome. She has studied, taught and done research in Bulgaria, Switzerland, Germany, Italy, Vatican City, and the USA. Currently, she holds a full-time position in the Department of Classical Languages at the University of Kentucky. Terence Owen Tunberg received his doctorate from the University of Toronto. He is an Associate Professor in the Department of Classical Languages and teaches in the Honors Program at the University of Kentucky. He has published widely on medieval and neo-Latin and is founder of the electronic Latin journal Retiarius. |
Comments and Reviews
Terence Tunberg and Milena Minkova's Latin for the New Millennium ('LNM') is a strikingly original and decidedly effective text for introductory Latin. In it, the authors claim to strike a balance between the inductive, or reading method, and the deductive method commonly used in Greek and Latin instruction, and they are successful in that (see p.vii in the Teacher's Manual). Though they do not mention it explicitly, they have also transcended the cultural aspirations of most reading-based texts with their successful adaptation of original passages to the needs of beginning Latin students, helping students to see for themselves some of what Latin literature has to offer them. In their choice of authors for their adapted passages, they go in a temporal sequence from Plautus to Boethius in level one, and from Bede to the early modern writers (such as Copernicus or the lesser known Ludvig Holberg) in level two. In doing so, they make a strong case for Latin by constantly holding before their readers' eyes the vast temporal reach of the language and its importance to European intellectual history. These aspects of the text are fairly obvious after even a passing glance. Much less noticeable initially, but of equal if not greater importance, is the text's uncommonly rich supply of exercises, both written and oral, which are as numerous as they are effective.
The text is suitable both for high school and university students. Representatives of the press (per litteras) say that university students could complete the first level (the text here under review) in one semester, and the second level in another (to be released in June 2009, according to the press). High school courses could take an entire year for the first level, and at least that for the second level. Because level two ends with ten sections of unadapted Latin from Nepos' life of Atticus, both texts together could conceivably be used over two or three semesters in university courses, and, for high schools, both levels one and two could be used over three years. The teacher's manual, which includes a reprint of the basic textbook, also includes oral, supplementary exercises, a key for all exercises, and translations of all the Latin readings. There is also a workbook, which itself has a teacher's key. Online aids are plentiful.
Each chapter begins with a quotation of the author who is the focus of the chapter. So, in chapter three, we find 'Homo sum: humani nihil a me alienum puto,' (Heauton Timoroumenos 77), followed by an adapted reading from Terence, and in chapter seven, 'Odi et amo', followed by an adaptation of Catullus 2 and 5. But the heart of every chapter is the reading adapted from that author. The reading contains the basic vocabulary to be learned, and its concepts and themes are often reiterated in practice sentences throughout the chapter. This repetition in the exercises also provides sensible and effective reinforcement of both vocabulary and new grammatical concepts. The adapted readings include the standard authors, Cicero, Caesar, Catullus, Sallust, Vergil, Horace, Ovid, Seneca, Tacitus, as well as the welcome additions of authors not so standard, including both Augustine and Boethius, as well as Apuleius and Ammianus. After the adapted reading, there is a gloss list on the facing page to help students navigate through new vocabulary and unfamiliar morphology. Because the reading includes elements of grammar to be introduced in later sections, the glosses often include translations of forms students would otherwise be unable to interpret on their own. Next come two or three sections, called Language Fact I, II or III, each providing an explanation of some new point of morphology or syntax. Each of these sections also includes at least one, and usually more, exercises to help students apply this morphology through transformations, translation of forms, and analysis or translation from Latin to English. Finally, the chapter closes with a dialogue of conversational Latin focused on common situations in everyday life: greetings and leave-takings, describing where one comes from, vocabulary and formulae appropriate to the classroom, and related items.
The basic arrangement of grammatical material will come as no surprise to any Latin instructor, and any changes to the standard presentation are subtle and welcome. The goal of the level one text is to present the basic morphology of nouns, pronouns and adjectives, the functions of the cases, indicative and infinitive verbs and the principal parts, the irregular verbs sum and possum, relative clauses, indirect discourse, and two participles (perfect passive and future active). Accordingly, the list of morphological and syntactic points found in the level two text is equally unsurprising: subjunctives, ablative absolute constructions, the passive periphrastic, other irregular verbs, comparatives and superlatives of adjectives and adverbs, and the present participle. The authors depart from the norm where appropriate. The concept of case and the names of the five Latin cases are explained quickly so that students can memorize whole declensions immediately (pp. 6-7). But the main functions of the cases are unpacked gradually over several chapters (the nominative and accusative in ch. 1, pp. 6-7; genitive and vocative in ch. 3 (p. 37); dative in ch. 4 (p. 62); the ablative in ch. 8 (pp. 128-129)). Again, the book introduces the accusative with infinitive construction relatively early (in ch. 7, pp. 116-19), so that students grow familiar with this over time and can add in new grammatical features as they are gradually revealed (such as perfect active and passive infinitives, pp. 354-357, and, later, future (active) infinitives, pp. 368-370).
A review follows every three chapters, and includes a vocabulary summary and exercises on the chief new material, followed by three sections, in English, which are cultural sidelights. These include, first, an account of one of the major Roman gods; second, a small bit of social history (such as slavery, Roman attire, cities and road systems, gladiators); and, last, a short summary of some aspects of Roman social, political or literary history, written by outside contributors. The contributions from William Anderson on Roman comedy and from James Keenan on Roman Law are particularly successful for their engagement and explication of the texts students have read, and that of Jacqueline Carlon on Roman families, for its constant recourse to Latin vocabulary. All three sidelights in these review sections will doubtless have a greater role to play in high school courses assessed through the National Latin Exam or other state exams, which inevitably include questions about the Roman Pantheon or Roman social and political history. But for the purposes of simple cultural enrichment, the adapted readings are often sufficient.
To give a better sense for the book's composition, it is useful to look in detail at a specific chapter, such as chapter 15. The chapter begins with an adapted reading from Seneca's Epistulae Morales (12). The reading is greatly altered from Seneca's original, but to good purpose. Vocabulary is pared down; subjunctives and tenses of the indicative not yet learned have all been removed. Futures of the third and fourth conjugation have been carefully added (one of the primary grammatical goals of the chapter). The reading is just long enough to capture both the humor of the passage as well as Seneca's central observation in the letter: the theme of memento mori. The adaptation is significant, but judicious. Although not the original texts, these simplified passages from ancient prose are a wonderful avenue for covering themes from the literature in the target language.
After the adapted reading in chapter 15, the first 'Language Fact' section presents the future active and passive of third, fourth and third conjugation -io verbs (p. 249). An exercise follows that requires transformations of present and imperfect tense verbs into the future (p. 250). The student is then required to translate both the original form and the derived form into English. The Teacher's Manual contains an oral exercise of similar transformations for additional oral practice (p. 249). Next is the vocabulary for memorization, a subset of the gloss list found at the start of the chapter. In every chapter, this list is followed by an exercise meant to teach English derivatives from the vocabulary.
The second 'Language Fact' section presents interrogative pronouns and adjectives, illustrated by some easy sentences of both types of words. Paradigms of each are then presented. Numerous exercises follow. In one exercise, students are asked to translate simple sentences into Latin which make use either of the interrogative pronoun or adjectives (such as 'Whose villa is old?' and 'Whose (plural) villas are old?') (p. 254). An exercise in the Teacher's Manual (p. 253) contains simple sentences which students are to read and then transform, orally, into questions by replacing underlined forms with interrogative pronouns and adjectives. Another brief oral exercise encourages active use of the interrogative pronoun. The teacher, it is suggested, could ask various students such pre-formulated questions as 'Quis es?', 'Quis sum?', 'Cuius liber est?' and so forth (Teacher's Manual, p. 252). Sample answers are given. This sort of exercise is a good example of the often charming hints tucked away in the Teacher's Manual which could help enliven an otherwise dreary grammatical point and present an additional way to help ground the students in the morphology. Another textbook exercise contains a skillful review of the reading: questions are asked (in Latin) about the content of the Seneca passage, and students are asked to pick the most appropriate response from among three possible answers in Latin (pp. 254-55). In yet another exercise, students work on translation and composition. They are to read a short dialogue based on the reading, translating Latin into English and English to Latin (p. 256). The grammatical points tested most intensively are third and fourth conjugation verbs as well as interrogative pronouns and adjectives, the chapter's main points. Such useful exercises, found throughout the text, form the backbone of the book.
Finally, the chapter ends with a short dialogue between the recurring cast of student characters. The topic is a trip to the country, an appropriate topic given Seneca's own trip to his villa in the chapter's adapted reading. It contains a mix of mostly vocabulary with ancient pedigree (rus, along with ruri and rure, semita, deambulare, sub divo, vehor) and occasional, but sensible neologisms (birota, mantica dorsualis, tentorium plicatile). Then follows an oral exercise based upon the dialogue, which tests the students' reading comprehension and reinforces vocabulary with simple Latin questions which the students are to answer in Latin. The final oral exercise is a short dictation based on the chapter's opening reading. Afterwards, the students may be asked reading comprehension questions to which they are required to give Latin responses.
As my review of chapter 15 indicates, the book's rich and diverse supply of useful classroom exercises is one of its most important contributions. The authors are careful to suggest a number of the tried and true oral drills: practice conjugations and declensions, work with principal parts, declensions both of isolated nouns and of noun phrases complete with demonstrative pronouns and adjectives, and basic translation from and to Latin. But there are subtle touches which improve their overall effect. In their translation exercises, they have been careful not to encumber students with multiple variables, as the sentences are normally focused enough that they help students exercise the specific skill currently being reinforced. Moreover, these exercises invariably use the vocabulary of the adapted reading, providing useful repetition. But in addition to these more standard drills, there are also a number of transformational drills and completion exercises ('cloze tests'), which prove to be extremely effective both for improving and testing comprehension. The teacher's manual contains even further exercises, including oral transformational drills and dictation exercises. A number of the 'Teacher's Tips' and almost all the oral exercises are enormously innovative and tremendously effective (for some examples, see p. 202, ch. 12; p. 223, ch. 13; p. 252, ch. 15; p. 291, ch. 17; p. 169, ch. 10). It would be difficult to think of another textbook which rivals this one in the number and quality of these transformation, completion and dictation exercises. The exercises should be of interest to all Latin instructors, whether or not they adopt the textbook for their courses.
The historical scope of the material contained in LNM is so vast that the textbook itself becomes an implicit argument for the value of studying Latin, given its longevity as a literary language and in various scholarly disciplines. The book, however, as far as can be judged in level one, adheres strictly to the norms of Classical Latin in its description of the grammar (the perfect is simply described as, e.g., laudatus sum, notlaudatus fui), and the vocabulary intended for memorization is straight from the canonical authors. The level two text will include Bede, Einhard, Abelard, the Gesta Romanorum, Petrarch, Erasmus, Thomas More, Sepulveda, and Copernicus. There too, it appears that the Latin texts of the standard canon will be given privileged status since the unadapted texts which begin to be used in the level two text are from the letters of Cicero and Nepos' life of Atticus. This primacy of both the grammar of Classical Latin as well as its literary monuments should be stressed if level two's vastly increased scope causes some hesitation for instructors deciding whether to adopt the text. If anything, Terence and Cicero seem to take on added importance as foundational authors in a two-thousand-year tradition of thinkers who expressed their thought in Latin.
The Latin dialogues at the end of each chapter are a helpful supplement to the text and succeed on two levels. Since they concern the daily life of students at roughly the age of those using the text, they will be contextualized by the reader's own experiences. As a result, they can be read with relative ease, giving students fairly rapid exposure to more Latin. Second, and less tangibly, their familiar content gives students a helpful psychological link to the language. The dialogues arm them, to some extent, with some of the vocabulary and modes of expression which they would be acquiring in a modern language class and, hence, often expect to learn in the Latin classroom. Incidentally, they are reminiscent of their medieval and Renaissance era counterparts, especially those of Erasmus, Corderius and Juan Luis Vives. Doubtless in the Renaissance, there was a pressing motivation to learn to use Latin actively, and there were plentiful opportunities for students aspiring to university studies to make active use of it. This is to say, one hoped from such colloquia to become a better speaker of Latin. But even Erasmus intended suchformulae loquendi, simple sentences for common situations, to be used as a preface to reading of ancient authors. The Latin dialogues inLNM serve a similar function by allowing for additional practice in the language and a closer connection to it before the hard work of reading unadapted authors begins.
LNM is an attractive text. On a physical level, the text is brilliantly illustrated. But its beauty is not skin-deep. The images are often as lavish as they are instructive, and the art gives students a sense of the deep importance of the Classical tradition for European education until the twentieth century. Its texts and exercises are clearly the fruit of years of thought and practice. The scope of the book itself reflects a long-standing belief on the part of Terence Tunberg for the need to broaden the canon covered in Classics departments to include medieval and Neo-Latin texts. Whether or not his arguments can gain traction, the text which Tunberg and Minkova have produced makes a strong case for Latin's enduring ability to communicate high-level thought, whether in ancient texts or in modern ones. Moreover, its exercises and dialogues, drawing on the authors' considerable experience and expertise in both oral and written composition, succeed in offering a tremendous array of classroom practice which can enrich any Latin classroom.
— Bradley Ritter,
Ave Maria University
Bryn Mawr Classical Review 2009.05.38
Ave Maria University
Bryn Mawr Classical Review 2009.05.38
I had a total of 21 Gold medals over the five levels I teach, and 13 Silver medals. In fact, of the 66 students who took the National Latin Exam, 57 won awards.
I feel that Latin for the New Millennium's visual appeal, vocabulary, clear and concise grammatical explanations, abundant drill material, and engaging readings were instrumental in aiding my students to excel in the National Latin exam.
— Kevin Finnigan, Latin Teacher
Skaneateles High School
Skaneateles High School
We have used Latin for the New Millennium for this year's Latin Elective Course. Because it is a Junior/Senior elective for students in French or Spanish III or IV or for those who need a third year credit but do not want more advanced modern languages, we have gone slowly and thoroughly through the first half of Latin I, and we expect to finish the year with Chapter 12. The five Juniors are determined to continue and finish the book with me even if they have to do it during their free period next year.
All the students agree with me that the book is "student-friendly" and a pleasure. Interestingly, they have been more interested in the grammar and vocabulary than in the historical material, but they are absorbing a good amount of it as well. Their strongest skill is translation Latin to English and the weakest is English to Latin, but I feel good about the amount they have learned and have enjoyed learning. Their suggestion for any second edition is to have more translation exercises from English to Latin.
Your on-line help has been a major asset.
— Ann Bradley
Duchesne Academy of the Sacred Heart
Duchesne Academy of the Sacred Heart
LATIN FOR THE NEW MILLENNIUM
Hot off the presses from Bolchazy-Carducci, Latin for the New Millennium (ISBN 0865165602) is a unique and innovative new two-year introductory Latin program suitable for high school and university students. Authored by gifted Latinists Milena Minkova and Terence Tunberg, directors of the Institute for Latin Studies at the University of Kentucky, and edited by veteran teacher LeaAnn Osburn, it's no surprise that this series takes an entirely different perspective than other contemporary Latin textbooks. Unlike other recent series, which are centered around a connected story about a family at a specific time and place in the ancient world, LNM's organizing principle is the story of the Latin language itself, from the second century BCE through the Middle Ages to the Renaissance and modern world. Level 1 begins with adapted selections from the comedies of Plautus and Terence and progresses chronologically over a span of nearly 1000 years with excerpts based on works by Cicero, Caesar, Catullus, Nepos, Sallust, Vergil, Livy, Ovid, Seneca, Pliny, Tacitus, Apuleius, Ammianus, Augustine, and Boethius. This sequential approach to contextualizing the language makes it much easier for students to see the importance and endurance of the Latin language and to make connections between the ancient and modern world. Latin for the New Millennium, Level 2, which should be available in early 2009, will continue onward through history, presenting selections adapted from medieval, Renaissance, and modern authors as well as a work of original, authentic Classical Latin.
Latin for the New Millennium utilizes a "fusion" approach to language acquisition. By combining techniques from the traditional grammar-translation method with the contemporary reading approach, this course aims to teach students how to read fluently with grammatical accuracy and syntactical awareness. Each chapter begins with a Latin passage accompanied by a beautiful full-color fine art illustration, pre-reading material, alphabetical vocabulary notes and other clues, which encourage students to use context to develop efficient reading strategies. This target-language passage is followed by comprehension questions in English as well as clear explanations of important language facts, which clarify the morphology and syntax introduced in the reading selection. Conventional exercises encouraging memorization and grammatical precision are provided in both the textbook and the accompanying workbook. Vocabulary has been selected to prepare students from the beginning for Advanced Placement and university level courses. Conversational dialogues between modern students at the end of each chapter encourage oral use of Latin. Extension activities provided in the teacher's manual provide opportunities to promote active conversation and bring the language to life in the classroom.
The most exciting feature of Latin for the New Millennium is Bolchazy-Carducci's innovative online support system, accessible athttp://lnm.bolchazycom. Utilizing the popular Ning format, this interactive Teachers' Lounge provides a place for teachers using this new series to network and collaborate, participate in threaded discussions, create blog pages, upload lesson plans, worksheets, flashcards, photos, videos, and other multimedia, exchange activity links, and much more. This forum enables teachers to collaborate easily on new and useful materials to customize the course. For example, I would love to see more contextualized Latin drills (like those described by Paul Distler in his book Teach the Latin, I Pray You). I would also appreciate more Latin comprehension questions for the stories, in addition to the English ones, to encourage students to talk about the Latin authors in Latin. Teachers with the desire for similar exercises can easily work together with other instructors, anywhere in the world, to design activities, upload and share them. The LNM support site also makes it possible for the publisher to make important files pertaining to the series immediately available to teachers. Currently available for download are a Scope and Sequence (outlining the narrative, grammatical, cultural, and conversational components of the course) as well as documents correlating LNMto the Standards for Classical Language Learning and The National Latin Exam Syllabus. There are also MP3 audio recordings of passages and dialogues from the book. Even more exciting is the student section, which includes links to the Second Life Villa, the all-LatinWorld of Warcraft Guild, and the eClassics Social Network, where students may practice using their new language in a fun, familiar, and friendly setting.
To view sample chapters from the Latin for the New Millennium student textbook, workbook, teacher's manual and ancillaries, visit Bolchazy-Carducci at www.bolchazy.com. E-mail inquiries may be sent to info@bolchazy.com.
You may also direct questions to the publisher by contacting Bolchazy-Carducci Publishers, Inc., 1570 Baskin Road, Mundelein, Illinois 60060 USA, Tel. (800) 392-6453, Fax. (847) 526-2867
— Sharon Kazmierski
Classical Outlook 86.1, Fall 2008
Classical Outlook 86.1, Fall 2008
