Customer Reviews

Reading Latin: Text

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
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1 star:		(1)

 

 

This has been an excellent course (including the text and study guide) for me; well structured, clear and concise. I have been following this course, unassisted by a tutor, for the past 11 months and have completed over three-quarters of it. For pronunciation, I am using Transparent Language's "Latin Now" CD, which is okay, but not great (but after all, with how many people do you converse in Latin anyway?)

With these three books (i.e. the grammar, vocab. and exercises, the text, and the independent study guide) and a pronunciation aid (Latin Now or another), you should have everything you need to progress to a "lower"-intermediate level in the language. To add some context to what I mean by that, I, for example, am able to "struggle" through parts of the Aeneid (I am using Pharr's edition). I say "struggle" because while I take great enjoyment in following this course and learning latin, it is important to maintain realistic expectations. You will not be leisurely perusing your way through unadapted texts by Cicero or Virgil upon completing this course.

I have not reviewed Wheelock's latin course, and have nothing else with which to compare Jones and Sidwell's course. However, I can say that this course worked very well for me.

Please also note, however, that the language (and this course) require a significant amount of attention and dedication. As stated, I have been following the course for 11 months while also working a full-time job (40 - 80 hours a week). While my life did not change dramatically, I did find that completing this course in a year required me to: (1) watch significantly less TV, (2) spend virtually no time reading other books, (3) find creative times to study latin (e.g. studying on airplanes, flashcards on the walk into work, etc.), and (4) put up with abuse from friends and coworkers who can not understand why.

I have taught Latin 1-2 using Jones and Sidwell for at least ten years and continue to think it's the best text available, especially for self-study.

Pace Ryan Friesen, teaching the deponent verbs first is BRILLIANT; it's FAR easier for a student to get comfortable with deponents simply as an alternative form of the active verbs (which in a way they are), and THEN tackle the passive. Jones and Sidwell point out (somewhere) that traditional grammar books are based on description, not on how best to present the language to learners, and their whole approach is to get at what the student needs to learn and practice, and then build on that intelligently. (Other examples: they spread the ablative absolute and the subjunctive, and even nonne and num, over DIFFERENT chapters, presenting the easiest aspects first and then moving logically to the harder ones).

The book is not intended as a reference grammar, and it certainly can be difficult to find the right page for the explanation you want. But this is an unavoidable consequence of the (I think) intelligent choice to approach the language from the student's point of view. Wheelock is opposite: very concise, and thus very usable as reference, but you do not emerge with any abilty to read the language (deponents come as a final last-minute chapter, and thus remain a problem for students long afterwards).

The one downside of their approach is that the student reads relatively little "real" Latin. But the fact of the matter is that there are very few easily readable Latin texts that are very worthwhile, and it is far better, in my view, to present texts that give the student lots of practice with the most relevant constructions.

The book is not perfect, and I have long hoped for a second edition (with workbook, and perhaps computer exercises and audio cd). But it is the best I have ever seen. I have never met either Sidwell or Jones, but remain indebted to them.

I think the book is excellent for beginners; it is much better than the books I used when first learning Latin in high school. However, the course is also excellent for those who want to refresh their Latin. By using the running vocabulary as mandatory instead of optional and reviewing the grammar points, a former Latin student can quickly regain his/her proficiency in the language. In addition to covering major aspects of grammar such as the subjunctive, use of deponent and defective verbs, and future passive participles, there is increased focus on the reasons why cases (not just the ablative) are used in the ways they are. The text is engaging and slowly increases in difficulty, and best of all, unlike most Latin courses, the vocabulary is not merely setting you up to read De Bello Gallico, perhaps the most boring book ever written in Latin.

Having attempted previously to learn Latin on my own from Wheelock's, I can say that this text is far superior for anyone attempting self-study. The texts are enjoyable and, at times, funny (Plautus), scary (In Verrem), beautiful (Ovid, Virgil, etc.), and moving (Cirero, Ad familiares, 2.16). Rather than the dry, boring sentences and mutilated sententiae you find in Wheelock's, Reading Latin uses engaging texts and prepares you to read unadapted Latin as quickly as possible. Furthermore, I found introducing the deponent verbs before the passive rather nice. Upon encountering deponent/passive endings, it's better not to assume immediately that the verb is passive as Wheelock's trains you to. Along this line, the order of presentation is overall very good. Rather than presenting a new tense in pieces, for each conjugation, Reading Latin gives them to you all at once, making it far easier to remember the patterns. I finished the entire text in 3 months, spending only about 3 hours on it per day. While I'm not reading anything quickly yet, I can read Virgil, Ovid, Cicero, et al. using only patience and a dictionary (alas, vocabularly takes a while to build up no matter what language you learn).

This book, and its companion volume Reading Latin: Grammar, Vocabulary and Exercises, constitute in my opinion the best way to learn Latin for the university or adult learner. The programme is designed to build a good reading knowledge of Latin, and many of the earlier exercises are designed to help the learner read the Latin sentence in the order in which the words are presented. The Reading Latin volume contains a series of reading extracts, initially simplified, then moving closer to the original Latin as the book progresses. The first chapters draw their material from the plays of Plautus, then from speeches of Cicero and Sallust's history of the Catilinarian conspiracy. The final chapter contains a variety of original Latin pieces from the major Latin authors. All these are read with the grammar and vocabulary help from the companion volume - you need both. There is a very comprehensive range of exercises in the companion volume, and although the authors recommend choosing from them, you really need to do most of them to get full value from the course.

This course follows the format of the same authors' Reading Greek, but it is a pity that there is not the Independent Laearning Guide that you can get with the Greek course, which contains translations of the extracts. I did the first half of the course by myself, and the second half through a second year Latin course at the University of Western Australia. You can learn Latin by yourself with this course, though you definitely benefit from having an instructor to explain the subtleties.

I've tried several approached to Latin over the years, and this is the one that worked for me. A major reason is that the course is constructed so that you can feel yourself making progress, and the extracts themselves are inherently interesting, as well as providing an introduction to Latin literature.

My review of Reading Latin (No better way to learn Latin) expressed disappointment at the absence of an independent study guide for the course. In fact, The Independent Study Guide to Reading Latin has just become available, and I strongly recommend it for those using this course for self-study.

I've taught Latin for more than 10 years now, using both Wheelock's and Sidwell-Jones' Reading Latin, and I far prefer the latter.

Wheelock's follows the traditional grammar-translation method. It's grammar explanations are succise and clear, but that's the best that can be said about it. Language is meant to convey information. Somebody using Wheelock's Latin will find that hard to believe. The sole purpose of the single sentences that are supposed to help students practice reading Latin is to try to cram as much of a unit's new grammar in as possible. The so-called "real" Latin sentences at the end of each unit have been shortened to the point of unrecognizability.

In contrast, Sidwell-Jones are adherents of the reading method. They base their texts on three wonderful comedies by Plautus and later, e.g., on Cicero's Speeches against Verres. They start with simplified Latin sentences, but as the course goes on, the sentences become more complex and closer to the original. Relatively soon, they also manage to expose students to short bits of poetry (Catullus, Martial, later Vergil) and even to some early Christian texts (on of my favorites is the story of St. Patrick and the Loch Ness monster).

Anyway, whereas it was extremely difficult to keep students' interest alive while using Wheelock's Latin, it is no problem with Sidwell-Jones' Reading Latin. The book teaches not just grammar but makes a whole culture come alive.

Regarding the unorthodox presentation of the grammar, I also agree with my colleague, Professor Turpin. There are good reasons why the passive is introduced after the deponent. Most students have a hard enough time consciously to form the passive in English, so it makes sense to introduce first the deponent verbs with their passive forms, but active meaning and then later the real passive verbs with the same forms, but passive meanings.

In my experience, Reading Latin students have more fun learning the language, and they learn something about Roman culture as well. Finally, when Reading Latin students go on to intermediate Latin texts, they have an easier time with long, continuous texts than Wheelock students because that's what they have been reading all along. I am extremely grateful to Keith Sidwell and Peter Jones for writing such a successful Latin textbook.

This book is an excellent book for a person who would like to be aquainted with Latin. While meant for use as a text book, it easily adapts for self-study. I am still reading this book and can't wait 'till I'm finished! Don't think twice when ordering the book.

I've been looking for a book to teach myself Latin, mainly to help with my research while completing my Masters in Ancient History. Until now I haven't had a lot of luck until I found this book referenced. It is great and when you use it along with its companion Latin Grammar, the skies become clear and the rain stops falling. I hope that you like it as much and find it as useful as did I.

My hope is to review "Reading Latin, Text" that I took many years ago. The "Text" appears to be friendly and the content interesting;..... enough so that I may be able to communicate in Latin with 2 of my grandkids who are taking it in school.
it is amazing how this "dead" language comes back from the dead when you use this Text with its companion:"Reading Latin, Grammar, Vocabulary and Exercise"