Reading Latin (Jones and Sidwell): Steep Climb, Lovely View

Reading Latin by Jones and Sidwell

Challenging yet rewarding are the words that come when I look at the Reading Latin Series by Keith Jones and Peter Sidwell. Challenging because, as we’ll see below, it can be a rather steep climb. Rewarding, at least potentially, because in the hands of the right students it can provide a powerful pathway to a reading knowledge of the Lingua Antiqua.

Let me start with a caveat. Most of the books that I’ve reviewed here are books that I’ve used myself. I first learned Latin as a high school student using Jenney. I later used the same text as a teacher both in the classroom and working with homeschooling students. I’ve employed the Oxford Latin Course in both of those contexts as well. At various times Latin for the New Millennium, Wheelock, and Latin for Americans have also served as the primary text in my classroom. I even tutored a prison inmate using Latin Via Ovid.

A Powerful Concept

I was not even aware of the Reading Latin series , however, until a reader recently asked me to review it. I did have some experience with the Reading Greek text that provides its model. My intro Greek teacher used that as a supplement to the more traditional introductory text that was our primary resource. That was during the 1980-1981 academic year, however, and I’m afraid I don’t remember how useful it was. Aside from learning a couple of naughty Greek words from the excerpts from Aristophanes’ Lysistrata, that is.

In any case, I have to say I love the concept. Reading Latin really does try to combine the best of the reading approach and the grammar-based approach to learning the language. There are two books (and a third for DIY, that is, Do It Yourself learners). The first is a reading text. The readings are modelled closely on works by classical authors. The first three sections draw on three plays by the Roman comic playwright Plautus. The last three sections closely follow Cicero and the Roman historian Sallust. The second volume, the Grammar/Vocabulary/Exercise book (GVE) has sections that correspond to the readings. By the way, I’m working with the first edition. In the second edition the vocabulary is in the same book with the Readings.

A Reading-Based Text

As is the case with other reading-based programs, students should do the reading first, then move on to the explicit grammar instruction. The idea is that they infer as much of the nuts and bolts part of the lesson as they can on their own from context. That way the direct explanation will be more meaningful and the exercises more fruitful.

Now, at this point Reading Latin probably doesn’t sound that different from other reading-based Latin programs. But it is. Let’s look at the reading first. Books such as Cambridge and Ecce Romani start with very simple readings that have little or no connection to actual Latin texts. Latin for the New Millennium has readings drawn from actual literary works, but these are also very rudimentary at the beginning. Also, each author gets no more than one 10-20 line snippet, except Cicero and Vergil. The Big Two classical authors get two snippets each. And there’s only one of these snippets per chapter. Latin via Ovid provides an extensive exposure to one author, but in other respects it’s like the other texts.

An Immersive Experience

Reading Latin, on the other hand, aims for a much more immersive experience. Students read large portions of each play in Latin. Yes, it’s adapted and simplified, but much less so than in other books. And there is much, much more of it. For example, students will read 17 pages of (mostly) Latin dialogue from Plautus’s Aulularia. And that’s just section 1.There are English summaries of the parts of the play that are not provided in Latin. The result gives a much better sense of what it’s like to read a literary work in Latin than even the other text-based programs.

Don’t worry, though. Students won’t be reading all 17 pages of Section 1 all at once. Section 1 comprises six sections, starting with the introduction. The introduction includes the dramatis personae for the play. That is, the names of the characters and a very brief explanation, in Latin, of who each is. Then come sections numbered 1A, 1B, and so on. These smaller sections are 2-4 pages long.

And a Grammar-Based Text?

Whatever other reading-based programs may do, Reading Latin doesn’t skimp on the direct grammatical instruction. The section of the GVE that corresponds to the Section 1 Introduction presents the present tense forms of sum, explains person & number and the present tense endings, the implications of word order variations using the verb sum, and subject complements. There are also exercises involves morphology and both English to Latin and Latin to English translation.

*The beginning of the grammar lesson for section 1A (from 2nd edition)*

And that’s just the beginning. Section 1A in the reading book contains about three pages of text. The corresponding section of the GVE introduces:

-The present, active, indicative of the 1st and 2nd conjugations. Along with forms, we see explanations of what conjugations are and how to translate the present tense.

-A two-page explanation of what cases are and how they work in Latin. We also learn about gender forms, what declensions are, all case forms for the 1st decelension as well as the forms for 2nd declension masculine nouns ending in -us.

That’s the equivalent of several chapters, or more, in other textbooks.

How It Fits Together

Here’s how everything fits together. Students read through the Latin with the help of the running vocabulary in the GVE until they understand it thoroughly. At that point they turn to the GVE for grammatical explanations and exercises. Each section (1A, 1B, etc.) of the GVE is set up as follows:

-1. Running vocabulary – all the words necessary for students to understand the reading. As they learn more vocabulary, this list will include only new or infrequent words.

-2. Learning vocabulary. Students should memorize these. They are also included in a glossary at the end of the book.

-3. Grammar and exercises. The explanations here are thorough and rigorous, as I note above.

-4. Deliciae Latinae. Further readings for interested students. Among these are brief excerpts from the Vulgate Latin Bible, medieval Latin, mottoes, etc.

Finally, after working through the relevant section of the GVE, students should go back and go through the reading again. Ideally, they can fully understand at this point how it all fits together.

For the Do-It-Yourself Learner

Again, I’ve never used this program myself, either as teacher of student. It certainly looks like it could prepare you quite well to read Latin literature . . . if you really do the work. It’s a very (very) rigorous program. Most Do It Yourself students would find it nearly impossible, at least using only the two primary texts.

Fortunately, Jones and Sidwell haven’t forgotten the DIY students. There is a third volume, the Independent Study Guide. This volume includes simplified explanations of the grammar. Honestly, these would be helpful to many traditional students as well. There are also keys to most of the exercises (except the optional exercises) and English translations for most of the readings (except the Deliciae).

Taking It as It Comes

One thing I like about the English rendering of the readings in the first section is its format. Notice I don’t call it a “translation.” Jones and Sidwell encourage students to read Latin as its written. That is in its original word order, instead of jumping around to approximate English word order. When in Rome, after all, read like the Romans do. In keeping with this philosophy, the English translations for the first section follow the Latin word order. For example:

Alas! Today the-marriage-rites of-daughter my I prepare. The whole household it-hurries. Here and there-run-about boys and girls, I cooks and pipe-girls I-call.

The words follow the original order, and hyphens are used to indicate that two or more English words are represented by a single Latin word.This arrangement compels students to get used to taking the Latin as it comes.

Whether the Independent Study Guide offers enough structure and support for most DIY students I can’t say. It certainly has to help. The course would certainly be extremely difficult to navigate without it. Here again, I welcome input from anybody who has used Reading Latin.

Pros and Cons

So, let’s wrap it up. On the positive side, this program offers a lot of reading material that, even from the very beginning, is quite close to original texts. Students are really reading real Latin, and much more of it, much earlier than in other reading-based programs. At the same time, Reading Latin‘s explanation and presentation of Latin grammar is as thorough and rigorous as even the most thorough and rigorous old-school grammar-based texts.

On the negative side, that’s a lot of work. Now, that’s not really a negative for those who have the time and motivation to do the work. Learning how to read Latin is a lot of work, after all. But you need to be ready for a steep climb. I also wonder about the selection of authors. Why use Plautus for the entire first half of the program? I understand why they start with him. His comedies provide light and accessible material for students just beginning the study of Latin. On top of that, the language is relatively simple because it’s colloquial. But that also means that it is unrepresentative of most of the rest of Latin literature.

Plautus’s near-contemporary Terence is considered a much better model of Latin usage, but his plays are also harder to read. Extended reading from the same author isn’t bad in itself. In fact, I consider that a plus. But three plays by Plautus is a bit much. I believe that students would be better served with only one of the comedies. Other authors could take up sections 2 and 3. Maybe an adaptation of some of the fables of Phaedrus, or one of Horace’s satires?

For Those Up to the Challenge

My overall assessment of the Reading Latin program is positive . . . for the right students. As I say above it’s a steep climb. Think of it as a steep climb, rigorous and demanding, but offering a splendid view when you get to the top. Younger students will probably find it too much. Less motivated students will also not be up to the challenge. For more mature learners who are willing to commit themselves to the program and follow through, however, Jones and Sidwell’s program can be a very fruitful way to learn reading Latin.

Rating Reading Latin

My rating: ★★★★ for mature and motivated students. Take off ★ (maybe ★★) for younger or less committed learner. Reviewers on Amazon.com rate it slightly higher. They give it 4.4 stars.

★	Includes a clear, rigorous presentation of Latin grammar. The presentation is very clear, and very rigorous. It tends to be more detailed than most other series. The Independent Study Guide is a big help here.
★	Provide students with ample opportunities for reading Latin prose (and occasional poetry) that is as authentic as possible for their stage in the learning process. Again, I don’t know of any other program that matches Reading Latin in this category. It lives up to its title.
★	Present the Latin Language as an ongoing, living literary medium over the past two thousand years. Yes – the inclusion of medieval and Biblical Latin in the Deliciae sections sets this apart from other resading-based texts.
1/2★	Provide a reasonably comprehensive view of the literary and historical context that produced and continued to nourish the Latin language. A lot is embedded in the readings. There is also some explanation, but the historical context is not one of the main focuses of this course.
1/2★	An inviting and lively invitation to the study of the Latin language. The heavy emphasis on Plautus means that much of the material is inherently lively and inviting. The authors, however, designed the book for mature, serious, students. They do strive for pleasant tone, more so in the Independent Study Guide. They’re not concerned with visual appeal, however: there are no photographs and few other pictures.