The Art of Speaking Latin: Two Thousand Years of Latin Pedagogy

Undergraduate Honors Thesis

Citations

Citeable URL: https://scholar.colorado.edu/concern/undergraduate_honors_theses/4j03d107v

Abstract

This thesis examines Latin pedagogy over the last two thousand years. It begins with two case studies, one covering how the Romans taught Latin to Greek speakers, and the second, how Latin was learned in the Middle Ages and Renaissance. Second Language Acquisition research (SLA) is discussed and its discoveries in learning a second language. This research highlights the hypotheses of Stephen Krashen, Merrill Swain, and Rod Ellis. Furthermore, SLA research is compared to Roman and Renaissance Latin pedagogy to understand how the two converge. Finally, this thesis concludes with an interview of Terence Tunberg from the University of Kentucky, who is a proponent of spoken Latin. Professor Tunberg answers many of the common questions and critiques of spoken Latin, and the reasons why it is important to speak and write it.

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