Latin for People : Latina Pro Populo [Paperback]

Paul Alexander Humez (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 30, 1978 | ISBN-10: 0316381497 | ISBN-13: 978-0316381499

Alexander and Nicholas Humez have fashioned an easy-going and satisfying introduction to the language that is the wellspring of the mother tongue. Their brief history of Classical and Vulgar Latin, explanation of the language's grammatical and sound systems, translation exercises, synopsis of grammar, and glossaries of Latin-English and English-Latin will enhance our understanding of every aspect of literature and the world of ideas. In addition, Latin for People contains two closing chapters, hailed as 'invaluable' by The Classical Outlook: one that translates all the readings in the book and one that suggests further readings.

Editorial Reviews

Language Notes

Text: English, Latin --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 206 pages
• Publisher: Back Bay Books (July 30, 1978)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0316381497
• ISBN-13: 978-0316381499
• Product Dimensions: 5.1 x 0.5 x 7.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #939,126 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

26 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A dead language? Minime!, May 18, 2003

By 

FrKurt Messick "FrKurt Messick" (Bloomington, IN USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Latin for People : Latina Pro Populo (Paperback)

This book, 'Latin for People: Latina pro Populo', is an engaging way of learning the basics of the Latin language. Humez and Humez intersperse history and story with grammar lessons to make them less intimidating and more accessible. Alas, you will still need to learn conjugations and some words (languages are like that, you know), but you will practice on translating such sentences as: An island is not a suitable place for an adulterer. For the record, they do not give advice as to what would be a suitable place.

In the chapter entitled 'Mood Music', one learns a bit about pre-Christian Roman music, including the forerunner to our do-re-mi-fa-so-la-ti-do, that being hexachordal ut-re-mi-fa-so-la (the unsingable ut being happily replaced now with the modern do). Other chapters bring in specific topics to deepen the vocabulary and quality of texts as well as explicate grammar points.

All the basics of a Latin grammar are included in this brief book, but there is always more to be had. Humez and Humez in the final chapter proceed to give suggestions, which include many of the classics (the Aenied, the Biblia Sacra, Caesar's De Bello Gallico) as well as texts such as Harrington's Medieval Latin.

This book certainly contains all the Latin a non-scholar would need, and goes a long way in making one appear much more educated than the average bear (especially if one supplements this with memorised quotations from Winnie Ille Pu!). It also is a good refresher for those of us who did the Latin course with such drier tomes like Wheelock.

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Latin for which people? Not most people., May 5, 2006

By 

James W. Picht (Louisiana, USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Latin for People : Latina Pro Populo (Paperback)

I'm inclined to like this book, but I really wish I liked it better than I do. The style is breezy and engaging. The background material on language is quite interesting, the grammar explanations are at least entertaining when they aren't outright fascinating. But really, this is no book for the novice who wants to teach himself Latin. It demands either a good teacher or a dimly remembered Latin class. Comments on the back cover ("[they] have fashioned an easy-going and satisfying introduction to the language...") and in the text ("this book is intended as a course in Latin for the nibbler and the glutton alike...") are misleading. This book is no introductory teach yourself Latin text.

What's wrong with it as an introductory text? In the first chapter we're given some very interesting history of Latin and the Romance languages, along with the probable pronunciations of the alphabet. These are followed in chapter 2 with all six cases, singular and plural, of first and second declension nouns and the complete declension of adjectives. There's barely a mention of what grammatical function the different cases serve, just occasional comments in passing - e.g., "agricolae is in the dative because the farmer is being given something. Dative comes from the verb "to give," of which dat is a form." Gee, thanks, now I'm ready to use the dative case. Then come the exercises, which show the authors' unfortunate predilection for word play. The reader is trying to get a handle on the declensional patterns of words like "liber" (free) and "malus" (bad), and the exercises use them in the meanings "children," "Bacchus," and "apple." Yes, we've been warned not to confuse the neuter nominative adjective "malum" with "apple," but it's hard on the reader when the authors go all playful on us with those words before we've mastered the basics of declension.

I teach Russian from time to time and am well aware of the difficulties of teaching cases and declensions. I think there's a very good reason that most texts present each case on its own, with lots of explanation about its use and exercises to help nail it down. This book doesn't do that. I don't really mind - I already know what the dative case is, thanks - but I have a lot of experience with different languages and a degree in linguistics. People without that experience and without prior exposure to Latin certainly will mind.

So if I'm so down on this book, why four stars? Because if we look at it for what it is and not for what it pretends to be, it's really a very good book. It's a refresher course for people who studied Latin, a supplement for Wheelock, a language book for professional and dilettante linguists. And in being those things it's well written and informative. I'm just going to put it aside until I finish Wheelock.

14 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars definitely not for the novice, May 3, 2001

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M. H. Bayliss "book queen" - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Latin for People : Latina Pro Populo (Paperback)

The title would lead you to believe that this book is for anyone who wants to get an idea of how Latin works. When you actually read it, you'll see it's really more of a grammar book that quickly explains many major grammar points and lists all declensions, verb conjugations, etc.... For someone who has never studied Latin, the information is not comprehensive enough to really learn it, plus it assumes that you have a pretty good head for grammar in the first place.

However, this book is much more useful for someone who has already studied a year or so of Latin and is searching for some non-stuffy explanations and examples of what they have already learned. The authors certainly aim to make these points more fun than authors of traditional textbooks. The problem is that sometimes you need a deeper explanation to really learn a point -- take the subjunctive for example. In my opinion they just gave an overview of the subjuctive which gives the student a rough idea, but to really master the subjunctive, you'd need to see a real list of rules and tenses. My favorite Latin textbook is the Moreland and Fleisher which is the comprehensive version of all Latin syntax and grammar broken up into 18 chapters. This book is a good supplement to a grammar text, but not a replacement for one.