Latin for People / Latina Pro Populo

by Alexander Humez

Book Overview

Alexander and Nicholas Humez have fashioned an easy-going and satisfying introduction to the language that is the wellspring of the mother tongue. Their brief history of Classical and Vulgar Latin, explanation of the language's grammatical and sound systems, translation exercises, synopsis of grammar, and glossaries of Latin-English and English-Latin will enhance our understanding of every aspect of literature and the world of ideas. In addition,...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0316381497
• ISBN13: 9780316381499
• Release Date: July 1978
• Publisher: Back Bay Books
• Length: 206 Pages
• Weight: 0.60 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 5.1" x 7.8"

Customer Reviews

Goofy and Insightful

A wry, caustic, crusty survey of Latin as a functioning tool of communication, useful for berating, deriding, flattering, prevaricating, seducing, and expounding inter alia. Very well done! Useful, I think, chiefly for people who have reached a plateau in their studies of Latin, who can struggle through assigned passages of Caesar but can't get the whole gestaltus of Latin grammar. Many of the readings in Latin are humorous, occasionally anachronistic and/or racy.

Breezy introduction to Latin Grammar

What a wonderful book! I have Wheelock, the Wheelock workbook, Teach Yourself Latin, Teach Yourself Latin in 24 hours, Latin for Dummies, and some others. Yes, I do go overboard with buying books but I like to search for that nugget and unfortunately, you have to wade through a lot of rock and rubble to find it. I believe I have. To be fair, I am not calling the classics, such as Wheelock, rock and rubble. They are valuable and I will go through them, but for an overview of the language without the dreaded feeling of walking into the proverbial Lion's den (ave Caesar, morituri te salutant), I cannot but recommend Latin for people by the brothers Humez. Very quickly (amazingly quickly, I thought) I understood what the declensions were and why, I understood conjugation and why and I snickered every step of the way. This book does so much to strip away the stuffiness of learning Latin that I cannot but give my highest recommendation. A classic that belongs in the library of every Latin student.

Latin can be intimidating. Not with this book!

I teach Latin. This book explains Latin grammar with a sense of humor. It gives you the reasons behind the intricacies.This probably shouldn't be your only book on Latin. It may very well be your first.

A dead language? Minime!

This book, 'Latin for People: Latina pro Populo', is an engaging way of learning the basics of the Latin language. Humez and Humez intersperse history and story with grammar lessons to make them less intimidating and more accessible. Alas, you will still need to learn conjugations and some words (languages are like that, you know), but you will practice on translating such sentences as: An island is not a suitable place for an adulterer. For the record, they do not give advice as to what would be a suitable place.In the chapter entitled 'Mood Music', one learns a bit about pre-Christian Roman music, including the forerunner to our do-re-mi-fa-so-la-ti-do, that being hexachordal ut-re-mi-fa-so-la (the unsingable ut being happily replaced now with the modern do). Other chapters bring in specific topics to deepen the vocabulary and quality of texts as well as explicate grammar points.All the basics of a Latin grammar are included in this brief book, but there is always more to be had. Humez and Humez in the final chapter proceed to give suggestions, which include many of the classics (the Aenied, the Biblia Sacra, Caesar's De Bello Gallico) as well as texts such as Harrington's Medieval Latin.This book certainly contains all the Latin a non-scholar would need, and goes a long way in making one appear much more educated than the average bear (especially if one supplements this with memorised quotations from Winnie Ille Pu!). It also is a good refresher for those of us who did the Latin course with such drier tomes like Wheelock.

Great primer! A real gateway to the language!

This book introduces Latin to the reader through history, exercises, and jokes, yet the material covered is the equivalent of a first year Latin course. Buy this book before you move on to any other Latin textbook. I never thought I would enjoy learning Latin, but I did with this book.