master latin

I’ve been sending e-mail reminders to myself in Latin for some time. But the one from the other day? Yeah, that’s right. I used the future imperative.

“Ferto exempla libri gryllorum cras.”

Nice, right?

Oh, for my anglophone friends, “bring some samples of comics tomorrow.” We’re publishing a book of comics (shhh! don’t tell), so the boss wants to see what other publishers are doing.

Roberto Benigni! At least for accent. Ok, so he speaks Italian, and Latin is my thing. At least if I’m shooting for his speaking method, I’ll not be mistaken for dead or a native English speaker.

We had another Latin day: this time at the zoo.

Although I am now more conversant in common vs. scientific animal names, multum de biologia scio. So I had a chance to explain convergent evolution and sexual dimorphism in Latin. I think I managed to get the point across.

I really do feel more comfortable discussing stuff in Latin. It’s not natural yet, but more and more I forget that I’m working the syntax when I speak.

I organized an outing to the Art Institute in Chicago and we spoke Latin over lunch and in the museum. I learned some new words and got more comfortable with understanding and talking in real time.

Sometimes it really is easiest to just let go and let the words flow out. People will ask if they don’t understand.

Not many cats get this but Oshima taught me lots about being a person, so a Latin eulogy for the cat.

Ave atque vale, Oshima

I think I’m getting better at free prose composition. What do you think?

Like I know the word for “blonde.” Procul dubio, flavus.

But “brunette”?

At least my older students are wowed at how I can rephrase their homework into simpler Latin.

Along comes the supine.

Ok. Here’s the deal. I keep working and working. I think I’m getting better. I can read Catullus (for the most part) without too much trouble. Plautus is a vocabulary problem, but then, when does vocabulary acquisition ever stop? I can read lots of litrugical Latin nearly at sight. I feel much more natural with composition (http://pluteopleno.blogspot.com/) and am relatively conversant.

Then bang! All along, I’ve been saying “bene audire” for “good to hear.” Bzzt. Wrong. “Bonum auditu.”

It seems like no matter how much I learn, there’s always more. So the question is this: how do you know when you’ve mastered Latin? When have you got it mastered enough that you’re polishing it up? What is your standard for crossing this off the list as “done?”

And the first thing that popped into my head was, “Sum frigidus!” Not “I’m cold!” but “Sum frigidus!”

Scary, no?

I accidentally stumbled across Eutropius’s Breviarum of Roman History. In addition to being about an interesting subject, it’s pretty easy reading for Latin prose.

I’m already through Liber 1, and it took me two sittings. I’m finding I really don’t need the notes for grammatical explanation, nor do I need to go to the dictionary too often.

Well, I made it through the Lexington Conventiculum without speaking English during the sessions. I feel much better with actually speaking Latin, which in turn feeds my ability to read Latin. Euge!