Introduction to Lingua Latna per s

Illustrta
BACKGROUND
Hans rberg was a Danish pioneer in teaching Latin using the natural method. Rather than first
memorizing grammar rules and then applying them to practice sentences (as with Wheelock's
Latin Grammar or any other common grammar-translation text), students would first read
Latin sentences whose meaning could be inferred by context clues and margin notes and then
the grammar rules and paradigms would be learned and memorized afterward (or along the
way).

To accomplish this goal, he wrote two books which carefully and systematically introduced all
the Latin grammar and vocabulary (around 3500 words) a student would need to actually read
(and not just translate) almost any classical Latin text. These two books are called Lingua
Latna per s Illustrta: Pars Prma (Familia Rmna) and Lingua Latna per s Illustrta: Pars
Secunda (Rma Aeterna).

I am aware of no other Latin text, and there are literally hundreds of Latin textbooks out there,
which will allow a student to develop real fluency in the Latin language. By that I mean
that rberg's texts alone will facilitate the acquisition of reading, writing, and speaking skills in
the language. Moreover, they will enable a student to actually read, and not just translate,
Latin texts. As a testimony to the efficiency and efficacy of this text series, the premier world
educational institution of spoken Latin, Vivarium Novum, a school where Latin alone, and no
vulgar language, is spoken, uses rberg's texts to instruct its students.

After the two instructional texts, multiple other readers are available to continue a student's
Latin education. These include Vergil, Caesar, Lucretius, Ovid, Petronius, Cicero, and others.
Just using rberg's texts, a student could complete a college undergraduate degree in Latin (or
at least the equivalent of a minor).

All of this makes the LLPSI series (an acronym which stands for Lingua Latna per s Illustrta) a
tempting choice for teachers and schools around the world, including homeschoolers and
other independent learners. This site is aimed primarily at those independent students. Every
effort has been made here to make these texts accessible to everyone, even those with no
previous Latin experience and no access to a Latin teacher.

If you started learning Latin using another textbook, I hope that you will give Hans rberg's
texts a try. After a lesson or two, I'm sure you'll be hooked, as I was.

BUY
The LLPSI texts are distributed worldwide, and each world region has a different publisher. In
the United States, the texts were formerly distributed by Focus. Recently, Focus was acquired
by Hackett Publishing Company. Right now Hackett holds the exclusive publishing rights in
North America, and I recommend that all texts be purchased directly from them to ensure that
you are getting the correct, most recent edition of the materials you need.

You can get everything you need by going to the following site (which will open in a new
window, so you won't lose your place here):

http://www.hackettpublishing.com/lingua-latina-per-se-illustrata-series

To begin, you will need three texts:

1. The Lingua Latna per s Illustrta: Pars I: Familia Rmna textbook. You will be using this
text for many years, so buy the full-color, hardcover edition of the book.

2. The Lingua Latna: A Companion to Familia Romana text. This contains the grammar charts
(Grammatica), grammar explanations (Disco), and vocabulary you will need to study LLPSI on
your own. If you have the funds, also invest in Patrick Owen's Glossarium. It contains not only
the vocabulary from Familia Romana, but also from ancillary texts like the Colloquia
Persnrum which you may choose to use later in your Latin studies. It's also a lot smaller than
the Companion and can be transported more easily.

3. The Lingua Latina: Pars I: Exercitia Latina text. This contains all the practice exercises which
accompany the main textbook. There is a CD-ROM version of these exercises (I love the old CD-
ROM), but it does not work on most modern computer operating systems and it does not keep
track of your progress (no grades). There is an online version of the exercises, which are
partially graded, but they don't provide immediate feedback, and the all-important margin
notes and Latin-Latin answers are not included. So, I recommend the paper version of the
exercises.

Of course, if you're learning independently, you'll need access to the lessons and resources
provided on this site. The resources here will help you fully utilize the texts pro

NOTA BENE
The pages of this blog reflect my own personal educational philosophy and predilections. My
method has developed primarily in response to need. My students needed to learn
independently. Many of them were in integrated classes with multiple levels of Latin being
taught at the same time. Others only met with me once per week. Some met even less
frequently. They needed materials which would help them develop real linguistic fluency, but as
independently as possible. So I made what they needed. And I'm sharing what I made.

I see value in both inductive (natural) and deductive (grammar-translation) teaching and
learning methods. I use a hybrid approach. While LLPSI leans toward the natural method, it
does not exclusively embrace that methodology. Grammatical paradigms are learned and
applied in their entirety as the chapters progress. Some teachers are purists. I am not. And I
don't believe that Hans rberg was, either. I personally chose to front-load a lot of grammatical
material, having found greater success when students have the big grammatical picture in mind
before they get to the grammar lessons.

You may choose to follow my learning schedule (on the next tab), or you may pick and choose
the resources you find most helpful. I'm sharing what works for me and my students. I hope that
some of it will work for you.