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- Latin is in the languages lis…
Latin is in the languages list!
It has a flag. It has a description. It's 90% complete. It's due for mid September.
It's Latin! I love the flag choice (except that I would've chosen a gold background with the red leaves). That is an amazing description too!
Thank you, Latin-team! We all appreciate this!
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Yes, hold my beer. Kudos Latin team!!! Just a word of warning for the general public -- don't hold your breath for a mid-September release. I remember following the development of the Swedish course with much anticipation, and even after it had reached 100% it took months and months before it was released in beta.
EDIT: Oh my goodness, I was wrong, wrong wrong! They actually got it out today in beta, and it's still August (2019)! The tree is really, really short though. Anyway, Kudos to the Latin team!!!
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And the Vatican uses it, right? So it isn't dead when one thinks about it deeply. I am looking forward to this one!
the definition of a dead language is a language that is not spoken as a native language of any community when I searched it up and straight away it gave the example of latin but I guess so lol. I mean I won't really use it but I'm sure lots of other people will enjoy it. have some lingots
I don't think the pope is fluent in Latin. He has it translated, too. But speaking Latin passively is all you need, you can read so many ancient documents then, it is great.
Tony Stark and Pepper Potts were discussing that you can read and write Latin but you can't speak it in Iron Man 2. Then out of nowhere, Natalie Rushman(aka Black Widow)appeared and y'all know what happened...
They would say that.. Duolingo is a latin derivation. Nota bene: so is derivation. Ad infinitum
This is going to be fun. Even passive knowledge of this language gives you so many insights in the European languages. I am going to make time for Latin.
100% agree. Learning Latin first has made learning Spanish a breeze; every Romance language is just simplified Latin with a few changes.
I started out in Latin in my first year of high school, but changed courses mid year. You almost make me regret that decision
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Do not be so hard on yourself! My native Spanish language helps me a lot understanding some inscriptions in Latin. I can follow along a written article in almost any romantic language I have yet encountered. When it counts to pronunciation that's a different matter. I find Italian very easy to follow...also Portuguese from Brazil, French is a little harder but not so difficult. You didn't state what language you switched to....but if you picked any of the romantic languages, you will be all right! ¡Buena Suerte!
It's exciting to see Latin among the other languages here, but I'm dreading that it will also look as cheap as Hawaiian and Navajo trees :-/
I guess there will be a very large Latin community that can drive this forward so the tree will become fully developed.
I’m dreading that it will also look as cheap as Hawaiian and Navajo trees
I’m doing the Hawaiian tree and I don’t think it’s cheap. I’m enjoying it. Sure, the notes can be expanded a lot more and some of the lessons improved but I think I am building a good foundation as I am going slowly through the course.
The good thing about releasing a short tree first and then expanding it later is that feedback from the short tree can be used to improve the tree when it is expanded later on.
I still think they should be done well before release. Imagine if they released Haitian Creole or Yiddish years ago. We could have courses with only basic greetings for years.
Would you explain please what the reference to "trees" mean? I am pretty new to Duolingo. Thank you.
Amarinthim, the tree is the course from start to finish- it's not very like a tree, really, more like a long, straggly vine. As you progress, you climb along it. You could think of the different activities as leaves. That's what it seems to mean.
I would love more Hawaiian and Navajo! These languages need to be saved from extinguishing.
I am really excited and can't wait for the course to be released. Thank you very much, dear Latin team! Lingua Latina non mortua est. :)
Second time in a few minutes you made me laugh chaered. Thanks and keep up the fun!
Reaaally looking forward to do the course. I hope they use reconstructed pronunciation. For several reasons:
- It makes Latin easier to learn since there would be a very good correspondence between letters and sounds.
- It is the pronunciation of the classical period, the time of the standarisation of the language.
- Italian pronunciation is very anachronistic (um pronounced as /um/ but ae as /e/).
- Latin had as many regional pronunciations as countries (French, English, German, Spanish Latin pronunciations). Reconstructed pronunciation would be a more neutral choice.
- Not all of us are catholic and the Latin course should be religious-neutral (teaching both Roman and Catholic myths and rituals).
The real question is will it help me with my wingardium leviOsa? This feather has yet to levitate facepalm
Pro tip: bring your mouth close to the feather, then say wingardium leviOsa. ;)
I'm also really looking forward to it, and with sound it would be truly amazing!
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Meanwhile, I've been wondering whether there will be any audio at all! What are the odds that a Latin TTS even exists?...
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I think a link to your wonderful How I'm preparing for the Latin course is apt.
⠀• Here's the course on the language list: Add a new course - Latin.
⠀⠀(If we scroll all the way down, we can find it listed as "Hatching".)
⠀• The incubator status report: Latin - Status Report.
⠀• Learn about the Latin course, meet the contributors
⠀⠀and get notified when the course is available ☞ Here.
Here's the Duolingo Latin Language Flag:
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ 
【⦕Benediximus ad omnes!⦖】
And remember: Plenus venter non studet libenter... ;-)
My grandmother (which I love dearly and was an amazing woman) used to say this.
At the time I found it a weird phrase. (and disliked its truth. I still do...)
Now, I'm glad I've learned all of those phrases. Scientia potentia est.
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I used to be rather good in Latin when I was young - a long, long time ago :-). In any case, I am looking forward to dealing with this beautiful language again. Thanks to all the contributors and to duolingo.
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I'm excited for this course too, but we know that....In the beginning, there will be errors and problems in the course. We've to be patient!
It's at least based off of it. No eagle or SPQR writings, but it's a very befitting design for DL.
I have already pressed “notify me when Latin is available” ! I have waited ages for Latin! It’s my second favourite language and I can’t wait. The grammar is very hard, but that won’t deter me. Love the flag!
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How would you compare it to Italian? Do you find them to be even remotely similar? Also: Do you love French?
Yes, I love French, although it’s not very interesting (to me). Italian and Latin are similar but not very. Just same as Italian and French. Latin is a tiny bit harder in some ways, but easier in others.
I guess this will increase the total amount of Latin language learners a lot. Which is great.
I can't wait. My mom is making me learn Latin for High school. So this should be good.
I agree!!! I am taking latin in school and I cant wait for this to have latin too. I can learn latin faster!!! it is 94% complete.
im so excited! ive been checking up on the progress every week for the past six months or so and i just can't wait to learn it!
Awesome! Hopefully in the future I'll be able to read older chronicles as they were intended.
I took 2 years of Latin in high school in the 60's, I don't recall us using accent marks at all. As to pronunciation, that was back in the days before Vatican II when Catholic masses were still conducted in Latin and much of what the choir sung was was in Latin as well, so maybe I was already used to the pronunciation.
Our Latin teacher was also our Freshman English teacher, and he had a tendency to pronounce 'V' as 'W' even in English. When he was discussing Kipling, Rikki-Tikki-Tavi came out as Rickety-Tickety-Tawawi.
In my school book there were macrons in the vocabulary lists and grammar book. I didn't understand them then because we pronounced the non-marked vowels often long too. I doubt my teacher understood the theory about them.
The classical pronunciation of "v" was [w]. It only developed to a fricative later. Merging with /b/ between vowels like in Spanish and finally turning into [v] in most Romance languages.
I can't wait. In my university every student had to learn it. I didn't realized at the time the value of that language. Honestly even the basics can improve your language learning effeciency. I do not know how how but it does.
The etymology can help with related languages, of course - though native English speakers and speakers of Romance languages, especially those more literate, get a lot of that cognate bonus to start with. Otherwise, it works with any language really - the second one is easier because you get the basic idea of how to learn and what does and doesn't work for you.
I took Latin in high school and quickly forgot most of it. What I did retain really helped me with many University classes, especially my legal studies. I look forward to relearning the this language.
I am very grateful to you, Latin-team! It's a hackneyed question, but what about pronunciation? And will there be audio at all?
would be fun with Old or Middle English. maybe langue d'oil (old French)
That would be so good. Also Koine Greek would be good. In fact any ancient or extinct language would be amazing. Maybe someone could figure out how to teach something like ancient Assyrian...
Compared to Old English, Middle English is a piece of cake. You could learn it with online resources quite easily.
A Romance language in France. Named after the early word for "yes" that unlike in the north is not a form of "oui",
The neighbouring and nearest relative of Catalan. Has many forms eg Gascon and Aranés spoken in the Vall d'Aran (where it's joint official language with Catalan and Spanish)
There are courses in most of the ancient languages people are mentioning, on Memrise.
If someone from the Latin team reads this: Please mark long vowels like they did in the High Valyrian course (ā or â). You can accept answers without them but it's so important that you mark them.
For many people who are serious about the language this is essential and otherwise the course would not be very useful to us.
Grātiās agō
Without them we'd have to learn every single word and ending from a different resource than Duolingo. But we would like to learn Latin the Duolingo way! :)
If you agree: https://forum.duolingo.com/comment/33618227
They can be the difference of what the meaning is, so they are very important.
That's incredible! I will definitely devote quite a bit of effort to this course. I hope that it uses reconstructed ancient pronunciation!
And the meaning, it’s the difference between nominative and ablative sometimes.
I definitely disagree. You never need the macrons; they are just a crutch to try and help people but you will never encounter them when reading an original text or inscription. I have never used them and I know they have their fans but I think the context should give the meaning of the sentence/phrase when the form is ambiguous.
When reading aloud you definitely need to know which vowels are long, and which ones are short. Macrons are essential for beginners, and duo is a tool for beginners.
you always need macrons if you don't already know which vowels are long and which are not. and well, you need to learn it first to know it, and macrons a great help with this besides good audio recordings. and it is not so much about distinguishing different forms but about valuing the nature of the language.
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People are talking about phonetic symbols and which pronunciation should be used, but isn't it possible that there will be no audio whatsoever? (in the upcoming Duolingo Latin course)
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Shane, you're absolutely right. The Romans did not use macrons. They were added much later and only serve to confuse, rather than help.
romans did not use macrons, they used apexes that served the same function. but it doesn't even matter what romans did in this case, because they had all the information, that we want to acquire, in their heads. and how you get confused by macrons is beyond me.
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They did not use apexes in the same sense as macrons. They are crutches, mostly added by German 'scholars' . Most macrons, other than the line over the ablative 'a', serve to instruct on pronunciation, which is all speculation. Even when Ovid used Dactylic Hexameter, he didn't use macrons. We added them to help with meter.
It is not all speculation, it is based on prosody, the fact that in some texts there are indications of vowel length, and all sorts of other considerations such as what the vowels became in various romance languages. While it is true that we don't know the length of all vowels for sure, we know a lot about vowel length.
no, you do need the macrons to tell the difference between nominative singular and ablative singular. if it wasn't there it would be:
Sing: terra terrae terrae terram terra
Plural: terrae terrarum terris terras terris
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Thank you 'ChevyBarnes05' for the heads-up... however I'd have preferred an eagle on the flag... well, you can't have everything from life... have a nice evening!
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How cool! I would love to learn! I am not aware of the vowel issue, because I don't know anything about Latin, but I trust those here who are saying they should be marked - it sounds very much like these people know what they're talking about, so I trust they're right, and hope Duo follows their advice.
I was going to post something when I saw it, surprised it took people so long to find out. THanks for posting!
Excellent news. Almost finished Italian which will be good for holidays, but Latin will be useful in my work as a medievalist. Thanks!
I'm thrilled about this! I took Latin for two years in school but due to transferring, I will no longer be able to learn the language as my new school does not offer it. I look forward to this release, and I'm sure many others do as well!! :)
Gratiam Mangum!
Looking forward to when the Latin tree is released. I learned Latin for a year in high school. Unfortunately, I have forgotten most of what I had learnt.
Oh my, Jupiter! I'm so excited! Latinam amō! My Latin is so rusty; I will finally have an out-of-the-classroom resource for Latin!
The flag is a red background with golden leaves because it is the flag of the SPQR (The government of the ancient Roman republic)
it is in the language list of learning. It is still hatching.94% complete!!!!!!!
ıt is great that they almost completed the course. I have been waiting for it for a year and now we are really close to it!
I hope they Duo team updates other courses soon, like adding stories feature and some minor bug fixes
I can’t wait in fact I’m only doing other languages to bide time for the latine course
Does anyone know if they added a macron to the ablative singular 1st declention?
