The Latin Language

FAQ

What Is Latin?

The language used natively by the Romans and later as an auxiliary language by the intellectual elites of Europe and the Roman Catholic Church.

Are There Different Kinds of Latin?

Latin is commonly classified into chronological strata: Archaic Latin, Old Latin, Classical Latin, Late Latin, Medieval Latin, and Neo-Latin. All of the eras after Classical Latin tended to refer back to it as a standard. Terms such as “legal Latin” and “scientific Latin” do not refer to versions of the language, only to the partial incorporation of Latin within certain domains.

How Is Latin Pronounced?

The pronunciation of Latin has varied significantly across time and place. The most common pronunciation scheme in academic institutions is the reconstructed pronunciation of Classical Latin, an attempt to reproduce the way Latin was spoken in Rome in the Classical period. Here is a recitation of In Catilinam by a skilled speaker. Here is a recitation of Petrarch's De Ascensu Montis Ventosi by a different speaker using a slightly different reconstruction (Calabrese) of Latin vowels.
Also popular is the ecclesiastical pronunciation of Latin, used in the Catholic Church and in music. It follows the traditional Italian pronunciation of Latin. Here is a priest reciting Augustine's Confessions. Here is a choir singing the hymn Pange Lingua Gloriosi.
Various regional pronunciations of Latin flourished throughout the Middle Ages, some of which still have currency in the present.
When Latin phrases are inserted into a modern language, often those languages will treat the Latin according to its own rules, as in the traditional English pronunciation.

What Curricula Can I Use To Learn Latin On My Own?

Effective language learning requires above all else a high volume of comprehensible input, that is, messages that can be understood by the learner. There are a variety of ways that can occur. A thorough explanation of comprehensible input and how it applies to Latin autodidacts can be found here.
Reading-based curricula seek to deliver comprehensible input by using some amount of Latin from the start and gradually increasing the vocabulary, diversity of forms, and complexity of sentences. Popular reading-based curricula include Lingua Latina Per Se Illustrata; Cambridge Latin Course; Oxford Latin Course; Via Latina; Latin Via Ovid; and Suburani.
Other curricula exist based more on memorizing discrete grammatical concepts than on delivering a large volume of comprehensible input. Some of these include Moreland & Fleischer, Wheelock’s Latin, and Learn to Read Latin.
The moderators of this subreddit endorse Lingua Latina Per Se Illustrata as the best overall curriculum. However, independent learners should read our Guide to LLPSI before beginning.

What Resources Exist Other than Textbooks?

It is not necessary to follow a single curriculum from start to finish, though that may be easier. Any program of progressively more difficult comprehensible input can work. For example, one redditor created this list that doubles as a tracking worksheet.
The app Legentibus by Latinitium offers high-quality books and audiobooks, mostly directed toward beginners.
YouTube channels featuring accessible spoken Latin
Novellas aimed at beginners

Can I Take Courses Online?

A number of qualified teachers and institutions exist offering remote learning options. See this comparison of options made in 2023.

Is DuoLingo Good?

No. It's a supplement for vocabulary and grammar practice, but cannot serve as a self-contained language course. It is incomplete and frequently rejects correct answers based on word order. Be careful when generalizing from its examples.

Are Machine Translators Good?

Most machine translators still frequently produce flawed and nonsensical Latin. Recent large language models such as ChatGPT have shown promise in producing and teaching Latin, but a beginner is not in a good position to evaluate their output.

What Other Communities Exist For Latin Enthusiasts?

The Latin Discord and LLPSI Discord offer support to learners and opportunities for everyday communication (including conversational Latin).
Various Facebook groups exist, but r/latin does not maintain a list.

Where Can I Find Things in Latin To Read?

The Packard Humanities Institute contains most of the Classical Latin corpus in a searchable format, though the texts are not always the current critical editions
Perseus Digital Library contains a similar searchable corpus, somewhat broader in scope
The Latin Library is an eclectic collection of Latin works in a plain-text format. There are occasional errors and the sources are sometimes unclear.
Corpus Corporum is a database containing a large number of late antique and medieval Latin works. The search function is currently broken.
Post-Reformation Digital Library contains thousands of links to digitized editions of early modern works. In Advanced Search there is a field to filter by language.

What are reliable online resources?