LA 1100 · Trivium: The School of Grammar — Module 2: The Letter and the Syllable

Led by Priscian of Caesarea Simulacrum

The school changes hands. Priscian objects to the order Module 1 was taught in, and begins at the bottom — sound, letter, syllable, word, sentence — with every claim established by citation rather than assertion.

1. Module 2

   The Letter and the Syllable

   Led by Priscian of Caesarea Simulacrum

   The question

   Nine sittings on Priscian's Books I and II. You begin by defending

   Outcome

   The student can give the ascending account from sound to sentence —

   Sub-units

   1. ○ 2.1 Why Begin at the Bottom Open this unit → ✓ ↻
   2. ○ 2.2 Vox: What Can Be Written Down Open this unit → ✓ ↻
   3. ○ 2.3 Littera: Name, Shape and Power Open this unit → ✓ ↻
   4. ○ 2.4 Syllaba: Quantity Open this unit → ✓ ↻
   5. ○ 2.5 Accent, and the Rule That Follows From Quantity Open this unit → ✓ ↻
   6. ○ 2.6 Dictio and Oratio: The Top of the Ladder Open this unit → ✓ ↻
   7. ○ 2.7 Nihil Sine Auctore Open this unit → ✓ ↻
   8. ○ 2.8 Latin Against Greek Open this unit → ✓ ↻
   9. ○ 2.9 Review: The Account From Sound to Sentence Open this unit → ✓ ↻
   Begin the course → Print certificate of completion

   Practice scenarios

   The Greek Pupil and the Article

   A pupil with fluent Greek and three months of Latin is translating, and has begun inserting *ille* and *is* wherever his Greek would carry an article. The results are grammatical Latin. They are also unidiomatic in a way he cannot see, and he is producing them systematically, because he has formed a rule: *ille* equals ὁ. He is pleased with it; translation has become much faster.

   Your goals

   • Establish what his rule actually predicts, by getting him to state it
   • Find the passage where it produces Latin no author would write
   • Explain what Latin does instead of an article, without simply saying "nothing"
   • Say why the rule felt right and produced fluent results for three months
   • Decide whether to let him keep it as a crutch or break it now

   Practise this scenario →