Greta Posted October 16, 2009 Share Posted October 16, 2009 how do you do it? I guess I'm looking for inspiration and encouragement. We started Latin last year (3rd grade for my dd), and we are learning together since I had never been exposed to it before. I honestly had not planned on tackling Greek too because it seemed overwhelming. But dd wants to (she loves the idea of learning ancient languages), and now I have a new motivation to do so (in becoming a Christian and desiring to read the Bible in Greek). So can someone reassure me that, yes, this is possible? :D I have the first edition of LCC, and will probably attempt the recommendations in it. That means we would wait at least until next year (5th grade for her) to start Greek, and use Elementary Greek. Are the recommendations any different in the second edition of the book? Also, do you think I should go ahead and use either the Machen's or Mounce's texts to start learning ahead? I did not do that with Latin, we're just learning together. Is that a mistake? Can my brain really handle both of these? :lol: I've never considered myself the least bit talented with foreign languages. I took a tiny bit of Spanish in high school (I've forgotten all of it), and more French in college. I did fine in the classes but never approached fluency. It's amazing that you can make an A but feel like you don't get it! And I'm not really "getting" Latin yet either, just pushing through anyway. Is it crazy to think about adding another language under those circumstances? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WTMCassandra Posted October 16, 2009 Share Posted October 16, 2009 We have done Latin for several years (currently in First Form Latin) and have begun a co-op class using the college text Learn to Read NT Greek. I have Elementary Greek on my shelf but haven't used it--too chicken. What is helping me get over the hump is having someone more knowledgeable teach it and I'm just the aide. So my situation is different. But having said all of that, Greek is hard, and I am sooooo glad we had been doing Latin for a while first. So many things you learn in Latin help set you up for success in Greek. If I were you, I'd stick with Latin for a year or two before I added Greek. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greta Posted October 16, 2009 Author Share Posted October 16, 2009 But having said all of that, Greek is hard, and I am sooooo glad we had been doing Latin for a while first. So many things you learn in Latin help set you up for success in Greek. If I were you, I'd stick with Latin for a year or two before I added Greek. Thank you for this! That is great to know, and gives me motivation to stick with Latin as well as encouragement about taking on Greek. I will also start looking around to see if there are any Greek classes or co-ops available. That sounds like a great way to learn it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
forty-two Posted October 16, 2009 Share Posted October 16, 2009 I've never considered myself the least bit talented with foreign languages. I took a tiny bit of Spanish in high school (I've forgotten all of it), and more French in college. I did fine in the classes but never approached fluency. It's amazing that you can make an A but feel like you don't get it! And I'm not really "getting" Latin yet either, just pushing through anyway. I understand the feeling - I took two years of Latin in high school, and while I got high As, I never could actually comprehend a Latin sentence (let alone a Latin paragraph!) with any degree of certainty. I was translating in order to understand, not understanding in order to translate - ridiculous, of course, but I didn't know any better at the time. And so after two years of study, Latin was still a mysterious language that made no sense. What got me past that point was finding Lingua Latina (LL). It had nothing but pages and pages of Latin prose. And I could comprehend it! I just read the Latin words on the page and I knew what it meant. It was an awesome feeling :D. Seeing all those grammar rules put to work helped something to click in my brain. The Cambridge Latin Course (CLC) books are good for that, too. I *definitely* recommend getting some sort of reader - any beginning Latin text that uses a reading approach would work (LL, CLC, Ecce Romani, etc.) Also, reading an overview of Latin grammar might help you see the big picture. I've found The Intelligent Person's Guide to the Latin Language to be helpful (he also has one for Greek here). HTH Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MomOfOneFunOne Posted October 16, 2009 Share Posted October 16, 2009 My daughter adn I are taking LL together and love it, too! We're actually doing LfC on our own and LL online. At the beginning of next year, my girl will be in the sixth and have had two years online and three years at home of Latin (over lapping, not 5 years!). Next year we're scheduled to add Greek and I just can't imagine how we're going to fit it all in. I'm pretty sure LfC will have to go. I'm very happy with the online resource (lonepine classical) and my fears of studying a whole language approach to Latin have been resolved since we do a great plenty of grammar. Still each one has helped with the other so I hate to quit one. Still again, I'm already stretched . . . All that to say that I'm just popping into follow the responses! I, too, want to add Gk but am getting kind of chicken! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greta Posted October 16, 2009 Author Share Posted October 16, 2009 HTH Yes, it does! I have thought about using LL after we finish up this first book of the Latin Prep series that we're working on now. I appreciate the encouragement and info very much! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greta Posted October 16, 2009 Author Share Posted October 16, 2009 ... and LL online. ...(lonepine classical) Wow, I didn't know you could do it online. Thanks for mentioning this, I'm going to check it out! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura Corin Posted October 16, 2009 Share Posted October 16, 2009 The brain can certainly handle two languages. Hobbes started learning Mandarin by immersion at 4. He chose to begin Greek at about age 7. He started French at 8 and has begun Latin at 9. We haven't dropped any of the languages, but some are progressing faster than others. Greek is our lowest level language. I'm learning Greek alongside him, having never studied the language before. I have a background in Mandarin and French, with a less marked background in Latin. Best wishes Laura Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greta Posted October 16, 2009 Author Share Posted October 16, 2009 The brain can certainly handle two languages. I don't doubt that most can, I'm just not so sure about mine. :lol: No, really I appreciate your encouragement! You've reminded me of a good reason to go for it -- while I doubt the ability of my 35 year old brain to do this and do it well, I will be doing my daughter a world of favors by doing this for her while she is young. Among other benefits, she'll never doubt her ability to learn a new language. Thank you Laura! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lionfamily1999 Posted October 16, 2009 Share Posted October 16, 2009 Ds is doing great with both Latin and Greek, he's put French on his wish list for Christmas :lol: Me, though... well, he left me in the dust with Greek. He's using Hey Andrew!, and the only problem I have is that is seems too easy. He's completed 1 and 2 since May. I'm ordering 3 and hoping it will hold him over, at least till summer. If you wanted something that seems really easy to start with Hey Andrew! is what I'd recommend. Hth. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura Corin Posted October 16, 2009 Share Posted October 16, 2009 You've reminded me of a good reason to go for it -- while I doubt the ability of my 35 year old brain to do this and do it well, I will be doing my daughter a world of favors by doing this for her while she is young. I'm 46. Laura Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Faithr Posted October 17, 2009 Share Posted October 17, 2009 Hey Andrew gets markedly more difficult in book 3. Get ready to slow down! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iwka Posted October 17, 2009 Share Posted October 17, 2009 (edited) My dd 12 just started Grammar I (based on Latin in the first year and adding Greek in the second year) and Vocabulary I (real Latin and Greek, not just roots) courses at the CLAA. This is her first year of learning both and so far she enjoys it, especially Greek!!! I have looked around for a while before deciding on trying these particular courses. To think that in May I was not even sure why Latin and Greek should be studied and now getting into a very rigorous course of studying both it's a huge jump for us, but we are not doing it just for the sake of studying languages, but because of the higher goals in the future (logic, thinking, writing, but mostly philosophy and theology). Anyway, it is challenging, but very rewarding for her. I do speak Polish (my native) and Russian, and I had German and a little Latin in school, but I am learning a lot with my dd now. I would say that starting with Latin only and adding Greek after a year would be a good choice. Edited October 17, 2009 by iwka Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
profmom Posted October 17, 2009 Share Posted October 17, 2009 (edited) how do you do it? I guess I'm looking for inspiration and encouragement. We started Latin last year (3rd grade for my dd), and we are learning together since I had never been exposed to it before. I honestly had not planned on tackling Greek too because it seemed overwhelming. But dd wants to (she loves the idea of learning ancient languages), and now I have a new motivation to do so (in becoming a Christian and desiring to read the Bible in Greek). So can someone reassure me that, yes, this is possible? :D I have the first edition of LCC, and will probably attempt the recommendations in it. That means we would wait at least until next year (5th grade for her) to start Greek, and use Elementary Greek. Are the recommendations any different in the second edition of the book? Also, do you think I should go ahead and use either the Machen's or Mounce's texts to start learning ahead? I did not do that with Latin, we're just learning together. Is that a mistake? Can my brain really handle both of these? :lol: I've never considered myself the least bit talented with foreign languages. I took a tiny bit of Spanish in high school (I've forgotten all of it), and more French in college. I did fine in the classes but never approached fluency. It's amazing that you can make an A but feel like you don't get it! And I'm not really "getting" Latin yet either, just pushing through anyway. Is it crazy to think about adding another language under those circumstances? We study both. My oldest are two years apart. So, when my oldest was in 3rd grade, we started Latin with her (Prima Latina). Two years later, we started EG when she was in 5th and ds was in 3rd. (So, he started Greek in 3rd instead of Latin, and we added Prima with a group last year in 4th, and LC1 this year in 5th.) One mistake I made was not keeping up in Latin with my oldest. There were co-op classes available for LCI & II, so we went ahead and let her take them. I took a one-semester online class to try to catch up, but last year's attempt at Latin together wasn't as productive as I had hoped. This year she is taking an online Latin class for 7th. We are also continuing our Greek together (2 dc & me), and I'm teaching ds' LC1 class. I think it can work to learn together IF you stay up or a little ahead. I haven't worked ahead of the kids in Greek, but I do still want to. I have Mounce and have worked in it some, but not far. A Greek professor at a local seminary said I could sit in on his Bible translation class once I have finished Mounce! I also checked into an online class, but couldn't spend the money on it right now. I buy an EG workbook for myself and make sure I memorize everything and do the work that I assign for the kids. EG is one of my favorite homeschool curricula! It's easy to use because it's divided into daily chunks and includes a good amount of practice, an audio CD and flash cards. So far, with the exposure I've had to the two languages, they don't seem so different from each other, except for the alphabets! I'm not convinced that Greek is more difficult -- at least not the Koine Greek taught by EG. Both are infected languages with declensions, both have some picky rules about things like specific cases with specific prepositions, etc. Greek is my 5th grader's favorite subject! My motivation has been to read the Bible in its original language, but I see Latin and Greek everywhere now -- actual Latin and Greek, but mostly many derivatives! It's amazing to be able to look at a new word and tell what it means because of understanding the Latin or Greek roots! I'm excited that my kids will grow up seeing our language this way (in addition to reading the Bible in Greek, etc.) HTH! (Oh and my brain in 5 years older than yours. ;) ) Edited October 17, 2009 by profmom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buddhabelly Posted October 17, 2009 Share Posted October 17, 2009 (edited) Hi Greta, I just want to encourage you. I did not study Latin or Greek before my son, and we are both doing well with it. I did buy Henle for myself, but have never gotten around to doing it because other things in my life have priority (meditation and yoga). My son began Minimus and LFC in second grade. We alternated one week Minimus and one week LFC. That worked out well because LFC gets more difficult FAST, and if he had still been a young second grader, I don't think he could have kept up. You don't say which Latin program you are using, but I really like the LFC chants. Even though we are using Latin Prep now (after LFC A, B, and C, one year for each), we still use the LFC chants to remember our conjugations and declensions. Even the vocabulary: "neco, necare, necawi, necatum, I kill, to kill, I killed, KILLLED!!!" The newer revisions of the books and DVD's are better, if you can afford to buy new. Elementary Greek is really non-threatening. Extremely easy to implement, and very easy to complete each year. There are only 30 chapters, and especially in "Year One" it is very easy to keep up with Greek. The first several weeks are spent learning the alphabet: how to recite the alphabet, how to read the letters, how to write them. There is a CD that helps with pronunciation. The program divides the work into "days," that we are usually able to complete in 20 minutes, or 30 minutes at the absolute most. We are now doing Year Two and it is a little meatier, but we still have no problem completing Greek in about 25 or 30 minutes, depending on how long we spend with the CD. If you have a lot of time in the car, you could do the CD work in the car and that would make your Greek lesson even shorter. We are semi-LCC, so our mornings usually have math, Homer A (with GWG 5 until we finish it, then Analytical Grammar -- Homer requires a separate grammar text), Latin, and Greek. Then in the afternoon is violin practice (or violin lesson), either history or Chemistry, and some reading time. Extracurriculars are karate, chamber ensemble, student symphony and First Lego League. We didn't intend to do this much, but some friends asked him to be on the FLL team and it meets at (egads) 7:00 in the morning!! Only two times per week, but still....... I mention all this because you ask how do we fit it all in. If we get started at 8:30 or 9:00 a.m., it is really easy to finish it all before 3:00, including violin practice, two breaks, and an hour-long lunch break. I'm tired, so I'm probably messing this up, but ask questions if you have any. ETA: Oh my, are you using Latin Prep? I wonder how do you memorize the declensions? We still use LFC chants, though we have to add in the vocative separately because LFC didn't teach the vocative. Also, I remembered what else I was going to say. The memory verses for Elementary Greek are all from the Bible, but my son didn't mind that. A lot of the vocabulary revolves around New Testament stuff like "sinner," "apostle," "baptize," but since the New Testament is the text we will someday be able to read in the original, we are okay with learning the vocabulary of it. There are not a lot of other books written in Koine, you know? Julie Edited October 17, 2009 by buddhabelly Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abbeyej Posted October 17, 2009 Share Posted October 17, 2009 ... I'm not convinced that Greek is more difficult... I absolutely agree. I think Greek is more intimidating for a lot of adults who fear learning another alphabet (but it's not another *system*, it's just a slightly different phonetic alphabet -- it works just like our alphabet, though the phonetic rules are simpler than English, and many of the letters are exactly or almost exactly the same). Children rarely seem intimidated by the alphabet, though. They just love the "secret code" aspect of it! And I definitely don't think ancient Greek (regardless of dialect, though Koine especially) is more difficult than Latin in terms of learning the grammar and the vocabulary. As you get in deeper, there are some differences grammatically, but if you already have a decent understanding of the basics of the grammar system of one of these two languages, the other will come fairly easily. (I have two students this year studying Latin Prep 3 from Galore Park and Elementary Greek -- they started with 1 this September and will finish all three levels this year -- and they keep *cackling* to each other about how *easy* it is compared to the Latin they're doing! But the real trick is that they've already learned *how* so much of this works, all they have to do now is memorize and it all falls into place.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lionfamily1999 Posted October 17, 2009 Share Posted October 17, 2009 Hey Andrew gets markedly more difficult in book 3. Get ready to slow down! Good! Thanks for the heads-up :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greta Posted October 17, 2009 Author Share Posted October 17, 2009 I have read and treasured every reply, and I am feeling so much better about this prospect! I've gone from "I don't wanna! I don't wanna!" to "I can't wait!" :D Thank you all very much for both the general encouragement and the feedback on specific resources. This has been such a help! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greta Posted October 17, 2009 Author Share Posted October 17, 2009 ETA: Oh my, are you using Latin Prep? I wonder how do you memorize the declensions? Yes, we could use some help in this regard! We both really enjoy Latin Prep, but don't really have a method for memorizing the declensions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buddhabelly Posted October 17, 2009 Share Posted October 17, 2009 I hope Laura Corin will pipe in to answer this one. We are "starting over" with Book One, so except for a few things (like using the ablative and knowing what it means), it is all review. But it is already more meaty than LFC Primer C in terms of the translation practice. We do the workbook as well, because we're in no hurry. I suspect that Latin Primer teaches the declensions not as a whole ("mensa, mensae, mensae, mensam, mensa......") but rather has you practice each one so much, translating from Latin to English and English to Latin, that you just remember them. I would slow way down, though, and really make sure you know each case (or conjugation) you are learning and you aren't referring to the chart in the book. You know what I mean? So you and your child would talk about how to make the singular dative and the plural dative before doing the exercises. And don't go on to the next case until/unless that one is solid. You're only going to be working in the first declension for a while. But maybe you are farther along in the book than we are. I also wanted to say that knowing Latin really helps with Greek. All of the grammar has been the same thus far, so for example the genitive is used for possession, the nominative is used for subjects and predicate nominatives, etc. We are only learning four cases in Greek so far; I don't even know how many there are. We are in Week 8 of EG Year Two. Have fun! Julie Yes, we could use some help in this regard! We both really enjoy Latin Prep, but don't really have a method for memorizing the declensions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura Corin Posted October 17, 2009 Share Posted October 17, 2009 ETA: Oh my, are you using Latin Prep? I wonder how do you memorize the declensions? We still use LFC chants, though we have to add in the vocative separately because LFC didn't teach the vocative. We review them regularly. We use the UK order, as we are now living in Britain. Laura Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buddhabelly Posted October 17, 2009 Share Posted October 17, 2009 Is there perhaps a CD that I am missing? I wouldn't feel confident about the pronunciation if I hadn't used LFC. If there is a CD, do they chant the declensions on it? I'm not Greta, LOL, and perhaps she can answer this too! Julie We review them regularly. We use the UK order, as we are now living in Britain. Laura Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greta Posted October 17, 2009 Author Share Posted October 17, 2009 I suspect that Latin Primer teaches the declensions not as a whole ("mensa, mensae, mensae, mensam, mensa......") but rather has you practice each one so much, translating from Latin to English and English to Latin, that you just remember them. Yes, I think this is the idea, and it worked really well for the first declension. Once we got to the second declension it got a bit more muddled. So we took a day off this week for just review, and I think I might make that a regular practice. I would slow way down, though, and really make sure you know each case (or conjugation) you are learning and you aren't referring to the chart in the book. You know what I mean? Yes, and in fact, we have been going so very slowly that I would be quite embarrassed to tell you where we are in the book! (given that this is our second year in it!) We took it super slow last year, and I would like to pick up the pace a bit this year, but I don't want to go so fast that we miss things either. It's hard to find that perfect pace sometimes. But I think that idea of setting aside one day per week for just review and extra practice might help. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greta Posted October 17, 2009 Author Share Posted October 17, 2009 Is there perhaps a CD that I am missing? I wouldn't feel confident about the pronunciation if I hadn't used LFC. If there is a CD, do they chant the declensions on it? I'm not Greta, LOL, and perhaps she can answer this too! Julie No, I'm really glad you brought this up! That's another area we need help! :lol: If there is a CD, I am not aware of it. Of course there is a pronunciation guide in the beginning of the book, and this helps, but I am clueless about which syllable to stress and things like that. I've been doing my best guess, which is probably not that good! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura Corin Posted October 17, 2009 Share Posted October 17, 2009 (edited) There's a download, but I haven't heard it. I had classical pronunciation drummed into me at school. ETA: there's a sample on the above website. Laura Edited October 17, 2009 by Laura Corin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yslek Posted October 17, 2009 Share Posted October 17, 2009 There's a download, but I haven't heard it. I had classical pronunciation drummed into me at school. ETA: there's a sample on the above website. Laura I went ahead and bought the download and had dh burn me a CD of it. (Before that, I tried to buy the CD from Amazon, but it was on indefinite backorder.) The download has the dialogue sections from the book; I find it to be very helpful. (Too bad there are no audio companions for Latin Prep 2 & 3.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greta Posted October 17, 2009 Author Share Posted October 17, 2009 There's a download, Wow, thanks! I had no idea! The exchange rate makes it a little pricey, but I'll see if I can work it out. Sure would be nice to have. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buddhabelly Posted October 18, 2009 Share Posted October 18, 2009 Thank you Laura, I purchased it. Quite helpful! Julie There's a download, but I haven't heard it. I had classical pronunciation drummed into me at school. ETA: there's a sample on the above website. Laura Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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