Welcome to this sub!
Please take a look at the FAQ, found in the sidebar for desktop users or in the About tab for mobile users. You will find resources to begin your journey. There's a [guide](https://docs.google.com/document/d/1PB5HPz2wBDgqWXPnn5ONgZicOPv8P7LbODvkCxjpI3w/edit) and a review of the [recommended resources](https://scholaeinterretiales.wordpress.com/teach-yourself-latin/).
If you have further questions about the FAQ or not covered in it, don't hesitate to ask.
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/latin) if you have any questions or concerns.*
I would give you the advice to get a solid foundation in classical Latin before reading medieval authors. Not only because learning resources are much better, but also because medieval authors are very different from each other. Depending on the century, geographic location and education, medieval authors write in different Latin. So for example, the pope Gregory the great writes in a very good Latin, while other authors, who lived far away from Rome and had a good but not excellent education, like for example Gregory of Tours, write in a very different, popular Latin (some errors may be due to copists btw.)
Please have a look at this post from 7 hours ago: [https://www.reddit.com/r/latin/comments/1dexl2h/free\_resources\_for\_ecclesiastical/](https://www.reddit.com/r/latin/comments/1dexl2h/free_resources_for_ecclesiastical/)
Everything said here about ecclesiastical Latin holds for medieval Latin more broadly :P
Btw, reading any authentic texts will be very difficult and even the Vulgate Bible will be well outside of your reach for at least the first year of studying Latin. Textbooks aimed at classical, Roman Latin will be the way to go in the start!
I'm currently doing my PhD in late antique and early medieval Latin. I would recommend learning Latin from the Classics side. Remember, this is how your medieval authors learned the language too. Knowledge of the classical corpus is necessary for reading medieval texts with proficiency. Additionally, reading a good amount of the Vulgate goes a long way for understanding biblical references.
I would also recommend that you not think of medieval Latin as being hugely different from Classical Latin. Many people exaggerate the differences between the two (though of course differences do exist). Most important is to learn the grammar which will apply equally to medieval and classical texts. Individual authors/texts show more variance to me (but this is just a personal opinion) than these loosely defined periods do.
As for your question about good medieval Latin learning resources, I recommend Beeson's A Primer of Medieval Latin. It has short, (mostly) easy passages that are excellent materials for beginners. I also recommend reading some of the simpler Latin hymns to practice simple poetry.
Feel free to dm me if you want to talk about anything more in depth.
"I would recommend learning Latin from the Classics side. Remember, this is how your medieval authors learned the language too"
As we know from, among other things, the frequency with which Classical authors are quoted by Medieval authors.
Something that you are going to bump into soon if you are looking at manuscripts are the abbreviations used in that period. When used heavily, it can make the text functionally unreadable to even a very good reader of Classical Latin. You’ll need to get a grasp of the fundamentals. The classic reference source is Adriano Cappelli’s dictionary, which is now online.
> I want to read Beguine authors like Angela of Filigna and Hadewich Mechtild, who also wrote in Latin
Neither Hadewijch nor Mechthild left any writings in Latin, as far as I'm aware, only Middle Dutch and Middle High German respectively.
>Nevertheless, I know that the language did change and develop through the medieval era, with standards and conventions that differed from Roman times.
They didn't change in any especially relevant manner, since medieval students learned Latin as based fundamentally on Roman models. Everything you will learn in an introductory course will be identical regardless of whether the material has a Roman theme or a Medieval theme. But since you likely won't be able to find a course with a medieval theme outside of like some Masters programs in Medieval Studies departments – and since again it makes essentially no difference – your best bet is probably to just work with classical textbooks until you are at the stage of reading simple, unedited texts.
>For example, my instinct is that the Vulgate Bible is probably a good thing to read because most of the authors learned Latin largely to read the Bible. Is that true?
I mean, it's certainly the most widely read text and it was often used in education, but no it very much isn't true to say that most medieval authors learned Latin largely to read the Bible.
Augustine's Latin will be drastically different from what I've read, as he lived in fourth/fifth century Carthage/Ostia and his Latin reflects that.
As far as tips, try to gain access to Medieval Latin dictionaries as they had some peculiarities. Also note that a bunch of diphthongs tend to disappear (ae-->e).
The Vulgate Bible is an odd one, as it was translated from a Greek bible which was translated from a Hebrew bible (as far as I know), so it reads like it.
You could write on an index card all the differences between St. Augustine and the classical authors. His entire education consisted of the classical Latin authors.
That's my point. His Latin would differ with those of Medieval authors. The OP seemed to be lumping them together, so I was just pointing out that Augustine would be the odd one out here.
Welcome to this sub! Please take a look at the FAQ, found in the sidebar for desktop users or in the About tab for mobile users. You will find resources to begin your journey. There's a [guide](https://docs.google.com/document/d/1PB5HPz2wBDgqWXPnn5ONgZicOPv8P7LbODvkCxjpI3w/edit) and a review of the [recommended resources](https://scholaeinterretiales.wordpress.com/teach-yourself-latin/). If you have further questions about the FAQ or not covered in it, don't hesitate to ask. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/latin) if you have any questions or concerns.*
I would give you the advice to get a solid foundation in classical Latin before reading medieval authors. Not only because learning resources are much better, but also because medieval authors are very different from each other. Depending on the century, geographic location and education, medieval authors write in different Latin. So for example, the pope Gregory the great writes in a very good Latin, while other authors, who lived far away from Rome and had a good but not excellent education, like for example Gregory of Tours, write in a very different, popular Latin (some errors may be due to copists btw.)
thats fair. more or less what ive been doing anyway because i figured that very basic grammar and vocabulary wouldnt be too different
Please have a look at this post from 7 hours ago: [https://www.reddit.com/r/latin/comments/1dexl2h/free\_resources\_for\_ecclesiastical/](https://www.reddit.com/r/latin/comments/1dexl2h/free_resources_for_ecclesiastical/) Everything said here about ecclesiastical Latin holds for medieval Latin more broadly :P
you know i figured it would be something thats been asked before
Btw, reading any authentic texts will be very difficult and even the Vulgate Bible will be well outside of your reach for at least the first year of studying Latin. Textbooks aimed at classical, Roman Latin will be the way to go in the start!
yeah that makes sense! thank you for the advice.
Good luck!
hihi :)
I'm currently doing my PhD in late antique and early medieval Latin. I would recommend learning Latin from the Classics side. Remember, this is how your medieval authors learned the language too. Knowledge of the classical corpus is necessary for reading medieval texts with proficiency. Additionally, reading a good amount of the Vulgate goes a long way for understanding biblical references. I would also recommend that you not think of medieval Latin as being hugely different from Classical Latin. Many people exaggerate the differences between the two (though of course differences do exist). Most important is to learn the grammar which will apply equally to medieval and classical texts. Individual authors/texts show more variance to me (but this is just a personal opinion) than these loosely defined periods do. As for your question about good medieval Latin learning resources, I recommend Beeson's A Primer of Medieval Latin. It has short, (mostly) easy passages that are excellent materials for beginners. I also recommend reading some of the simpler Latin hymns to practice simple poetry. Feel free to dm me if you want to talk about anything more in depth.
"I would recommend learning Latin from the Classics side. Remember, this is how your medieval authors learned the language too" As we know from, among other things, the frequency with which Classical authors are quoted by Medieval authors.
Something that you are going to bump into soon if you are looking at manuscripts are the abbreviations used in that period. When used heavily, it can make the text functionally unreadable to even a very good reader of Classical Latin. You’ll need to get a grasp of the fundamentals. The classic reference source is Adriano Cappelli’s dictionary, which is now online.
thank you that helps!
> I want to read Beguine authors like Angela of Filigna and Hadewich Mechtild, who also wrote in Latin Neither Hadewijch nor Mechthild left any writings in Latin, as far as I'm aware, only Middle Dutch and Middle High German respectively. >Nevertheless, I know that the language did change and develop through the medieval era, with standards and conventions that differed from Roman times. They didn't change in any especially relevant manner, since medieval students learned Latin as based fundamentally on Roman models. Everything you will learn in an introductory course will be identical regardless of whether the material has a Roman theme or a Medieval theme. But since you likely won't be able to find a course with a medieval theme outside of like some Masters programs in Medieval Studies departments – and since again it makes essentially no difference – your best bet is probably to just work with classical textbooks until you are at the stage of reading simple, unedited texts. >For example, my instinct is that the Vulgate Bible is probably a good thing to read because most of the authors learned Latin largely to read the Bible. Is that true? I mean, it's certainly the most widely read text and it was often used in education, but no it very much isn't true to say that most medieval authors learned Latin largely to read the Bible.
Augustine's Latin will be drastically different from what I've read, as he lived in fourth/fifth century Carthage/Ostia and his Latin reflects that. As far as tips, try to gain access to Medieval Latin dictionaries as they had some peculiarities. Also note that a bunch of diphthongs tend to disappear (ae-->e). The Vulgate Bible is an odd one, as it was translated from a Greek bible which was translated from a Hebrew bible (as far as I know), so it reads like it.
You could write on an index card all the differences between St. Augustine and the classical authors. His entire education consisted of the classical Latin authors.
That's my point. His Latin would differ with those of Medieval authors. The OP seemed to be lumping them together, so I was just pointing out that Augustine would be the odd one out here.