Learning outcomes

By the end of the course, students will have mastered the principles of grammatical analysis (morphology and syntax) in both French and Latin. They will be able to analyze Latin words from the core vocabulary and to translate elementary-level Latin sentences.

Goals

Designed for students who have never studied Latin in secondary school or who lack a solid grasp of grammatical foundations, this course aims to develop mastery of grammatical analysis in French and Latin, as well as to provide an introduction to the fundamental elements of the Latin language. Emphasis is placed on vocabulary (the 1,000 ‘essential’ words), morphology, and syntax. By the end of the course, students will be able to:


  1. provide a complete morphological description of Latin words;
  2. identify their syntactic function within a sentence;
  3. translate sentences or short texts of low difficulty.


Content

The course covers the fundamentals of vocabulary (the 1,000 'essential' words), morphology (declension of nouns, adjectives and pronouns; conjugation) and syntax (case functions, construction of independent clauses and subordinate clauses). At the same time, the reading of sentences and short texts introduces students to translation techniques, while offering a few insights into Roman civilisation.

 

Table of contents

Refer to the syllabus.

Exercices

The course comprises 15 hours of exercises, plus weekly CAP sessions (https://www.unamur.be/lettres/cap). These exercises focus on points of morphology or translation techniques.

 

Teaching methods

The course comprises 45 hours of theory and 15 hours of exercises, spread over the first and second terms. Part of the teaching is based on the 'flipped classroom' principle: in the week preceding the lecture, students are invited to assimilate a point of theory (with the support of a Powerpoint and a video), which is then put into practice during the lecture.

In addition to the UE, the Cellule d'appui pédagogique (CAP) offers an optional weekly tutorial session (1 hour) with theoretical explanations and exercises on the subject of the previous course (https://www.unamur.be/lettres/cap). Sarah Bontyes is in charge of this practical session.

During the first four months of the course, students have the option of taking the "Ateliers grammaticaux", an optional practical course (1 hour) to reinforce grammatical analysis, based on French and Latin grammar. This course is taught by Anne Collard.

 

Assessment method

The teaching unit is subject to continuous written assessment. The 20 points of the final mark (in June) are distributed as follows:


  1. Test of mastery of the fundamentals of French grammatical analysis (during the January session): / 5
  2. Part-examination in January: / 7
  3. June exam: / 8

If a student fails the January part-examination, the material covered during the first semester is not reassessed in June; the January mark is included as it stands in the calculation of the final mark.

In the event of a signature at the June exam, the overall grade (June) will be recorded as 0-SG.

The examination in session 2 (August) does not include the various marks for continuous assessment. The August exam covers the entire EU (regardless of the result of the January exam).

 

Sources, references and any support material

The vocabulary to be assimilated as part of the course is compiled in a printed syllabus; it is also made available in an Excel file on Webcampus.

Theoretical presentations and exercises are based on PowerPoint presentations made available to students on Webcampus.

The following books are also recommended to students (without obligation):

 

  • A.-M. Boxus, Précis de grammaire latine, available online at http://bcs.fltr.ucl.ac.be/gramm/001.tabgram.html.
  • A.-M. Boxus, M. Lavency, Clavis. Latin grammar for reading authors. New edition with the collaboration of D. Longrée and G. Schouppe, De Boeck, 2014 (numerous reprints).
  • M. de Give, Latin Grammar, 15th edition, De Boeck, 2011.
  • Gaffiot de poche. Latin-French dictionary, Hachette, 2001.

Language of instruction

French