I have attempted before to describe my remarkable experience of learning Latin and how it revolutionized my perspective on language-learning. All this was due to the way I was taught: submersion in the language itself. No toe-dipping---complete submersion, head and all. The book I was taught from was Hans Ørberg’s Lingua Latina. Lingua Latina uses … Continue reading The Rubicon of Language-Learning
Tag: Latin
On “Comfort”
The word comfort is often used as a synonym for solace. When one comforts another, perhaps one who is grieving, he will possibly offer perspective or encouragement, or stand by him as a companion or friend, acknowledging their grief. But comfort has not always had this connotation. Etymologically, comfort means “to strengthen greatly.” Comfort is … Continue reading On “Comfort”
The Malum Malum Presents Its Case
It is common in western culture to depict the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil as an apple. However, a brief flip through Genesis will confirm that the forbidden fruit remains anonymous; there is no mention of an apple nor any other fruit. The universal use of the apple results … Continue reading The Malum Malum Presents Its Case
The Etymology of “Refuge”
A refuge is a place people run to when they require or desire protection or sanctuary. It is one of those English words whose meaning is so ingrained that the word ceases to be a word at all and becomes only the meaning. The word has dissolved and only the idea remains and the idea, … Continue reading The Etymology of “Refuge”
Convivial: An English Word with an Elvish Meaning
Convivial is one of those words whose etymology I discovered in a slightly backward fashion. I learned the Latin root word first (in situ while studying Latin) and then the etymology of the Latin word before I even recognised the English cognate. This is possibly one of the best ways to learn the etymology of … Continue reading Convivial: An English Word with an Elvish Meaning
A Love Story, or The Birth of My Perpetual Obsession with Language
I was but sixteen when I stepped into a virtual classroom headed by a tutor with more enthusiasm and vigor than my primarily-introverted self thought possible. I had been given a book in a language I knew not and a language which, had I paused to consider, would not have been my first choice to … Continue reading A Love Story, or The Birth of My Perpetual Obsession with Language
Remembered Lore 