Can i learn to read Latin by memorising lists?

Question

I found a list of the top 1500 words that make up 82% of Latin literature. If i memorised this, and understood the grammatical structure of latin through another textbook, could i potentially learn to read very well in Latin?
Let's say i memorised 15 a day, and after just over 90 days i knew all the words, could i really now be very good at reading Latin?

Thanks.

Answer 1

IF you accompanied memorizing those words with studying the grammar, you might achieve your objective. Big IF! Just keep in mind that Latin is quite a bit more inflected than English. Most Latin nouns have ten forms, and even though some of them are the same, you would have to know the possible ways a certain form can be used to translate it correctly. As for verbs, each one has DOZENS of forms. In some instances the form of a word in the passage you're reading may be so different from the from you learned that you may not even recognize it.



Here's some advice: go through that list and sort out the parts of speech--nouns, verbs, adjective, adverbs, pronouns, prepositions You might mark each type of word in a different color.



Now go back and look at the nouns again. Does each one have a second form of the word after it? Or at least an ending--ae, i, is (probably a longer ending, but its last two letters will be is), us, or ei? If these are given, mark each noun with a number 1 through 5: ae is 1, i is 2, etc.



Now look at the verbs. Most of them will end in o. For the moment, set aside any that don't. Again, if you're lucky, each one will have another word, ending in re, after it. Or at least an ending--are, ere, or ire. If you have these, go through and number them, too. Any verb with that second form (the infinitive) ending in are is 1. If the first part given ends in eo, it's a 2. If it ends in o or io and the infinitive ends in ere, it's a 3. And if the infinitive ends in ire, it's a 4.



If your list doesn't give you these second forms for nouns and verbs, you'd better get hold of a dictionary and check them there. It will be very helpful to have that information and to have them numbered as you go on.



Now you're ready to switch to the grammar book. Actually, I don't recommend an actual grammar book but an introductory Latin textbook. Frederic M. Wheelock's Latin: An Introductory Course is excellent. As you begin, you'll probably find that most of the nouns and verbs in the passages you read are like those that you numbered as 1--first declension nouns, first conjugation verbs. If you've memorized that list, you'll probably already know most of the vocabulary for the readings. The varioius endings will be introduced in gentle steps, but Wheelock will soon have you reading reall Latin literature, even if it's in simplified form at first.



Good luck!

Answer 2

Probably not, though it's a possible approach. Vocab will only get you so far in Latin - it would be far more beneficial to learn the grammar thoroughly and work with a dictionary. It doesn't help that words in Latin have a vast number of different meanings depending on context - you can't just learn a single word as a standard translation and then use it every time it comes up. Even a word as simple as et does not only mean and - depending on position and context, it can mean as well, also, too or even (among others).

Answer 3

Well, I don't think there's a "real" Latin American Spanish. There are differences, but the grammar is exactly the same in Spain and in Latin America. The Royal Academy makes sure that happens. As for the accent, every country has its own accent and even inside the countries there different accents, as it happens with any other language. The main difference is the vocabulary, there are lots of words that are different, but as it happens with the accent, each country has its own words and slang and even those who speak the language do not understand some of the vocabulary used in other countries. -