Conversational Latin for Oral Proficiency

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Summary: audio cassette "edition" is a supplement to the book only
Review: I have the audio cassette edition of "Conversational Latin for Oral Proficiency," and it's not a stand-alone product. It has pronunciations of all the Latin phrases inthe book, but not the English translations. You really have to have the book for the audio cassette edition to do you any good.

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Summary: Excellent Latin Conversation Manual
Review: Nowadays, many of the western schools close their Latin lessons or lectures because this extinct language is getting less important. I think, however, learning Latin is still very important because we cannot ignore our cultural heritage. However, learning this extinct language only through the written classic material would not only be cut and dry, but also be easy to forget. This book is quite different from the ordinary Latin manual. In this book, the Latin is not the extinct language, but the living one. With this book, we can learn Latin just like we learn everyday English. I would like to recommend this book for those who want learn Latin but feel very difficult.

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Summary: Wonderful for lusae like me!
Review: This book is one of the greatest purchases I have ever made! It provides what is sorely needed in the Latin language - a comprehensive conversational guide. Other foreign languages have no shortage of such books, but for some reason people think that no one needs to speak Latin. Even if you have no interest of speaking with Caeser, using this book will vastly help your comprension and understanding of Latin. Amo Latinam linguam!

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Summary: Only for the intermediate student....
Review: Unfortunately for me, classes in Latin language are not available at my school. I've always been interested in the language, so I thought that this book would be an excellent independant learning tool. Instead, I found it be extremely confusing. In each chapter, the reader is shown several dialogues, and is then given a list of vocabulary words. That's it! That's the whole lesson! Perhaps a person who has had a few lessons in the language would find it more useful. As for me, I'm shopping for a new reference book.

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Summary: Just what students want!
Review: You hear it time and time again, "why are you taking Latin? That's a dead language!" And though Latin is the language of the Classics, conjuring up images of ancient poets and orators, John Traupman's book proves that Latin is indeed still living. Unlike most texts, the chapters in "Conversational Latin" are not arranged in order of difficulty. Rather, they are organized by topic, and within each chapter the sample conversations progress in difficulty. This makes it easier for students, because they can look up topics quickly, rather than trying to remember how hard that conversation was. This also makes it easier for teachers, who can draw from this book wherever a topic coincides with something covered in class.

The vocabulary used in this book is not difficult, including some new words that are not usually covered in textbooks. However, these new words are strangely familiar. . .e.g. "sescentas gratias"--"thanks a million," or "Patientia, patientia. Tempus omnia sanat"--"Patience, patience. Time heals everything." Every word has all the accents so that students can pronounce them correctly. With topics from telling time to gossip about a new girlfriend, "Conversational Latin" is a great addition to any classroom, enriching the study of Latin through speaking and listening interesting conversations.