Lingua Angelica is an excellent Christian Latin reading and translation course. The CD & streaming audio contains 4 Latin prayers and 24 Latin hymns, beautifully sung by a six-voice a capella choir. The Student Workbook provides facing vocabulary, space for interlinear translation, and grammar word study exercises. In addition to well-written instructions on how to use the course, the Teacher Key contains answers to the Student Workbook, making the teacher’s job easier. We have also included a song book with the musical scores and short histories for each piece. All 4 Latin prayers and 12 of the Latin hymns are covered in Lingua Angelica I. (Additional hymns are covered in Lingua Angelica II.)
Lingua Angelica introduces your students to translation in a systematic and doable method. Christian Latin should always be the first step in learning to translate Latin literature because it has shorter, simpler sentences and clearer word structure than classical authors. Just like you wouldn’t study calculus before you learn algebra, you shouldn’t approach Caesar, Cicero, or Virgil before you conquer Christian Latin. As Cheryl Lowe put it, “Christian Latin is infinitely easier to read than classical authors, so why would you start anywhere else?”
These hymns and prayers are so timeless and beautiful that all students begin by memorizing the Latin verses and English translations. Because these hymns are set to music, your students learn them faster and remember them longer than a traditional memory exercise. Lingua Angelica is designed for all ages, so even preschoolers can learn to sing and memorize Latin hymns. Beginning Latin grammar students can also add hundreds of words to their vocabulary and use the workbook as a beginning translation text. More advanced students will study various examples of Latin syntax and grammar by translating the complete hymns.
By learning these hymns and prayers early, students will be introduced to grammar forms and syntax that will help them advance more quickly in their Latin studies. Later, when you introduce ideas like the passive voice or subjunctive, you will be able to point it out in several of the hymns they have already memorized and studied. Your students will understand these concepts faster and better as they realize they already know how to use them. By using these hymns as an introductory translation text, students in our school have made huge leaps forward in their Latin grammar studies and advanced through new material with less frustration and confusion. We wouldn’t conduct a Latin class without it.
Just imagine, in a few short months, your child will be reciting and singing some of the greatest works of Christian and Latin literature. And, to help your pocketbook, the same song book and CD used in Lingua Angelica I are used in Lingua Angelica II. You will only need a new Student Workbook and Teacher Manual. Lingua Angelica II covers more advanced pieces through the same organized and doable method.
Note: This is not a replacement for a Latin grammar course. It is a wonderful translation course for all ages, designed to be used along with any Latin grammar course. (Of course, we recommend First Form Latin.) Also, by having your students memorize and sing the songs in Lingua Angelica, they will have a great head start before they even begin a Latin grammar course.