About Latin 1.1

Salve!

Welcome! (which is what Salve means in Latin)

Welcome to First Year Latin, First Semester.

You are about to take on both an exhilarating and demanding course. Latin will be exciting because you will become part of a 2753 year old tradition. Latin may be difficult because you will have to think like a Roman.

Everyone asks, "Why take Latin? It's old. It's dead. No one speaks it anymore." My answer to all of this is "Nugas" (Nuts). Latin is the entry to the understanding of English, Spanish, French, Italian, Portuguese, and Romanian. Our culture and government in the United States are based on Roman antecedents and traditions. Western art and literature have taken themes, stories, and ideas from Latin authors, especially from our main author in this course, Ovid. And Latin is the basis of over half of the words in the English language. By taking this course you will improve your knowledge of English grammar and vocabulary as well as learn the classical background of our art, music, literature, and government

Course Description

First Year Latin 1 introduces students to the syntax, vocabulary, and literature of Latin. They will read the stories of Ovid from the text, Latin Via Ovid. They will also improve their English vocabulary by recognizing Latin roots, prefixes, and actual words in English words. Students will understand how both English and Latin grammar work. Students will also investigate on the Internet the influence of Roman culture on modern history, art, architecture, music, and literature.