by Jeanne Marie Neumann
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Product Description
This title provides a running outline/commentary on the Latin grammar covered in Book 1 of Lingua Latina (Familia Romana), and includes the complete text of the Ørberg ancillaries Grammatica Latina and Latin-English Vocabulary. It also replaces the student guide, Latine Disco. The book is designed especially for college students who approach Lingua Latina at an accelerated pace. The Exercitia may still be used as an additional source of exercises.
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Average Customer Review:
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
 Good book but misleading title, 2008-11-15
In the following review, I will discuss what this book contains, who it is good for, and its pluses and minuses. I hope it helps! "Lingua Latina" was a Godsend for me!
Neumann's "companion" book to the first volume of Orberg's "Lingua Latina" series (a total immersion Latin method) is a very helpful edition-for some people, namely the self-teaching (or for a teacher struggling to teach Orberg without much of a grounding in Latin). The fact is that it is really a substitute for a teacher. For this reason, the title is misleading, it ought to be "the autodidact's companion". However, if one does buy it (which I encourage the autodidact to do), it can replace the two books written by Orberg, "Latine Disco" and "Grammatica Latina." However, it would be best to study "Latine Disco as best as one can since the presentation preserves and strengthens the immersion method.
The whole point of "Lingua Latina" is that the student learns Latin from the inside as it were. Neumann's book functions as a sort of bridge for the autodidact, and as such it is in English. This fact alone impinges on the immersion method Orberg worked so hard to make. As such it is not an ideal book, and this and the fact that it's title is little misleading are the only reasons I gave it 4 stars instead of five. Ideally, one would have a teacher who asks questions in Latin, lectures in Latin, and demands answers in Latin, hence prodding the student to really live the language and internalise it.
However, we don't live in an ideal world, and even if one does find a teacher who uses the Orberg texts, he may not be a sufficiently trained teacher for the student to really know the material without a remedial text, such as is to be found in Neumann's book. It is extremely straightforward and crystal clear in its explanations.
So what exactly is in Neumann's book? It is a chapter-by-chapter grammar guide to the "Familia Roma" book, and it includes the vocabulary for each chapter presented in a more systematic fashion than is found in the main text and examples are given for each grammatical point as well as the occasional explication on some historic oddity. A morphology table is included at the end as is a vocabulary by chapter index and a Latin English dictionary.
I must emphasize, however, that the "Exercitia" are a vital part of the method and must be purchased and worked through to really get a grasp of Latin. The answer key is readily available and includes the answers for the main texts chapter homeworks, which is an added bonus for auto-didacts. For the self-learner or home-schooling parent, the following books should be used: "Familia Romana" (the main text", "Lingua Latina: A College Companion", and the "Exercitia." The CD is well worth buying as well because it features Orberg reading the text (and his reading is not dry or wooden) and it has an interactive version of the in-book homeworks. Be patient and don't study too much at once. Good luck!
4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
The Standard, 2008-02-19
Once a person understands the basic quirks, the grammar, of Latin, all he or she needs is Hans Orberg. Once they acquire Orberg's treasure, they need Jeanne Neumann.
College Companion is a cool drink in the desert of Latin material out there, somewhere, ostensibly--and it is well worth the money. 25 bucks and you have in your hands a book that takes you by the hand and walks you through the maze of Latin.
Did I say maze? Not anymore. If it were hardcover, this book would fetch northward of a hundred bucks easily.
Are you going to learn Latin by declining and conjugating till you're blue in the face? Go at it if you must, but there is a better way.
The better way is here.
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
Not just for college students!, 2007-11-08
Don't let the title fool you: Jeanne Neumann's guide to Hans Oerberg's Lingua Latina: Familia Romana isn't just for college students. I'm a homeschool parent and tutor, and the College Companion has cut my lesson prep time in half. The book brings together materials that were previously scattered among several small booklets, but the resulting whole is greater than the sum of its parts. Neumann's detailed and clear grammatical explanations make her book an indispensable guide to the Oerberg course for homeschoolers, independent learners, and teachers alike.
10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
Chapter by chapter hand holding through the direct method, 2007-11-01
THANK YOU. I received this a month ago and I am thrilled. I am self teaching, and this resource is making it so much easier for me to understand and move through the material with confidence I am learning and understanding what I should, chapter by chapter.
Many adult self learners and homeschool families have struggled with or passed on Lingua Latina because they do not have access to Latin teachers and/or have no Latin experience, as such, the 100% direct approach has been less attractive than traditional guided approaches. This guide provides the Latin experience of a teacher guiding you through the course. All the grammar that you are to learn in each chapter is explained, and the new vocabulary is defined chapter by chapter so you don't have to look it up in a tiny print glossary that was my only resource before. The Companion is in English - while I applaud the idea that one can learn Latin by total immersion, as a self-learner, I am much more comfortable having the grammatical explanations in English!
The sample pages at Focus Publishing provide a good feel for the how the entire book flows, it is well designed and easy to use. I never felt sure I was getting everything out of each chapter that I should until I went back and read through the related Companion chapters. It's caused me to review old material, but I am much more comfortable now with what I am learning.
Having failed miserably trying to self-teach with Wheelock's, I found Lingua Latina to be much more intuitive, enjoyable and doable, but I struggled to understand the grammatical structure, and the Latin-only support materials made it an uphill climb to construct this myself. The Companion has made this information much more accessible and ensures that this direct method course is an effective way to learn Latin for me.
Julie Brennan
San Diego, CA
10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
An Essential Addition to Your Latin Library, 2007-10-13
I have found Jeannne Neumann's book fantastic and indispensable in my own study of Latin and, of course, with use of Hans Oerberg's Lingua Latina. As a self-learner, homeschool mom and teacher to homeschool students, this book has given me excellent insight into the Latin language; perspectives I wouldn't have discovered on my own, and background/historical information that answers questions that have been lingering in my mind for eons! I believe a person could benefit from this and LL even if using another curriculum (perhaps hitting a trouble spot) ~ the explanations and readings are so thorough and helpful.
I can't recommend it highly enough.
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