In April, I wrote the University of Toronto's PhD-level medieval Latin exam. (Here's a sample.) 3 hours, two pages Latin with complex syntax and vocab, no dictionary, 75% is a passing grade. It's considered one of the toughest exams at UofT, in any program at any level, if not the hardest. People try for years to pass this sucker. It's the international gold standard for Latin proficiency.
I passed it.
I never thought I would actually shriek out loud in someone else's office like that. And now I am bragging, because darn it, I've earned that right.
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Congrats! And now for something completely different:
quote: Centurion: What's this, then? "Romanes eunt domus"? People called Romanes, they go, the house? Brian: It says, "Romans go home. " Centurion: No it doesn't ! What's the latin for "Roman"? Come on, come on ! Brian: Er, "Romanus" ! Centurion: Vocative plural of "Romanus" is? Brian: Er, er, "Romani" ! Centurion: [Writes "Romani" over Brian's graffiti] "Eunt"? What is "eunt"? Conjugate the verb, "to go" ! Brian: Er, "Ire". Er, "eo", "is", "it", "imus", "itis", "eunt". Centurion: So, "eunt" is...? Brian: Third person plural present indicative, "they go". Centurion: But, "Romans, go home" is an order. So you must use...? [He twists Brian's ear] Brian: Aaagh ! The imperative ! Centurion: Which is...? Brian: Aaaagh ! Er, er, "i" ! Centurion: How many Romans? Brian: Aaaaagh ! Plural, plural, er, "ite" ! Centurion: [Writes "ite"] "Domus"? Nominative? "Go home" is motion towards, isn't it? Brian: Dative ! [the Centurion holds a sword to his throat] Brian: Aaagh ! Not the dative, not the dative ! Er, er, accusative, "Domum" ! Centurion: But "Domus" takes the locative, which is...? Brian: Er, "Domum" ! Centurion: [Writes "Domum"] Understand? Now, write it out a hundred times. Brian: Yes sir. Thank you, sir. Hail Caesar, sir. Centurion: Hail Caesar ! And if it's not done by sunrise, I'll cut your balls off.
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Thanks guys! I'm just bouncing around the house grinning and dancing. I'm going to frame the letter. (Adding to my happiness is knowing that a couple of my year-mates back at UofT passed and that I measure up. Also, I flew back to England overnight and haven't slept in over 24 hours so I'm pretty manic.)
Posts: 2849 | Registered: Feb 2002
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I'm very very happy for you! Many congratulations! That exam looks pretty tough, but I've never really studied medieval Latin. Just the silly old ancient stuff. Posts: 3932 | Registered: Sep 1999
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CONGRATS!!!! you must feel so proud of yourself - and rightfully so =). Can you explain, though, a little bit more about what makes it so hard (as opposed to learning just any language and translating a few paragraphs?)
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I'm not sure how to explain why it's so hard. It's taken me seven years of study to get to this level. I think part of what makes Latin in general so difficult is that it IS a dead language. You don't get the chance to speak it or hear it or use it day-to-day. Another thing that makes this exam difficult is that you never know what's going to show up on the exam - it could be from any genre and any region and any time period.
Really, I'm not sure how to explain why it's so hard to anyone who hasn't done at least a bit of Latin. This is part of the letter I got: "The Ph. D. standard indicates that the student is fluent in Latin, is completely sound on grammar (accidence and syntax), can handle complex sentences, has a wide vocabulary, and can be trusted to use Latin for research purposes efficiently and without error." When you think about what that means - completely sound on grammar, without error - you get the idea of the standard they hold us to.
I'm still over the moon and bouncy about it. I keep reading the letter (it's sitting right beside me) because I'm sure there's been a mistake.
Posts: 2849 | Registered: Feb 2002
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quote:Originally posted by BlackBlade: You've mastered a dead tongue, BUT CAN YOU MASTER A LIVE ONE? WAHAHAHAHA!
Congratulations!
As long as they teach it to me grammatically, and not "whole language," I should do fine. Actually, now that I'm as certified as it's possible to get (except for maybe Reginald Foster's Latin-immersion course in Rome), I'm going to turn my mind toward French, brush up on that (hurray for Canada!), and then learn German. So much research, so many languages...
Posts: 2849 | Registered: Feb 2002
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I heard that Reg might not do it after this summer.
Actually, I have no cause for the "eek" graemlin. It was never on my list of things to do, but I know a bunch of people who have done it. Besides, there's always summer in Kentucky. Posts: 3932 | Registered: Sep 1999
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Latin isn't completely dead... they speak it in Vatican City right? Hey, if the Jews can revive Hebrew, we can revive Latin! Posts: 4953 | Registered: Jan 2004
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I've heard that Fr Foster is going to retire soon, yeah. It makes me sad, because I'd probably apply next summer.
And no, Telp, it's not entirely dead! There's a Finnish radio station that does a weekly news broadcast in Latin, and I've heard tell of Latin-immersion courses somewhere in the States. Plus Reginald Foster, of course. But no one really speaks it in the Vatican, they just write in it. I, however, plan to teach my kids Latin while they are still young enough to acquire it (as opposed to learn it). I have a small and growing library of Latin kids' books: The Grinch, Green Eggs and Ham, Asterix Gallus, Harrius Potter, etc.
Posts: 2849 | Registered: Feb 2002
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quote:Originally posted by Carrie: Winnie Ille Pu?
Love that one! I used to use it to brush up before the end of summer to make sure I still remembered my grammar and vocab for the start of the new school year.
And I so wish I was fluent enough to speak it with my kids. That would be awesome.
Posts: 21182 | Registered: Sep 2004
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I'm reading The Natural History of Latin by Tore Janson in preparation for my history of Latin class this fall, and it is wonderful. You don't need any Latin before - everything is explained along the way, it's perfect for lay people, but it still has valuable information and is very well written. And the author does a great job of conveying the history of Rome and why we still bother studying this language and literature. In other words, it could be subtitled "Why Latin Is Cool."
This is my PSA for anyone reading this thread and thinking that Latin is cool but doesn't even know where to start - I'd start there. I'm thinking of giving out copies for Christmas.
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