Hello all, a little update on my post from 6 months ago about learning Latin. I shared enthusiastically that I was embarking once again on an attempt to learn Latin. I had applied a tip that was ostensibly from a neurological expert to implant desires into the subconscious, and I acted on these suggestions with alacrity and built some momentum that got me through the first tercet of the year with some regular study of the language. The steam having dissipated, I think it would be useful to me to reflect on why, and I’ll use this poet blog to do such.
As I’ve shared before, this is not my first time trying to learn Latin. Including this attempt, and staying conservative in my estimation, I will say this is the third concerted effort over the last 5 years that I’ve made to learn the language. I’ve used learning techniques that are scientifically backed, that I’ve used before when I got my degree in Spanish studies: using separated repetition systems (SRS) with intricate digital flash cards to help me memorize the gender of words along with their meanings and to help me memorize conjugations and declensions. I have always been a sponge of sorts when it comes to information. I’ve hardly ever had to study to pass tests (just quick cramming sessions before an exam). Once I memorized 1600 questions for a high school quiz bowl in the span of a couple weeks. Focusing on memorization seemed to be a natural fit, and it worked for that one opera singer whose book I had internalized. I had great success with Spanish, so, why is Latin so much harder?
I’ve come to a difficult conclusion: I don’t believe that these separated repetition systems are helpful to me in learning Latin but actually disturb my natural enjoyment of the language. It’s a weird conclusion to come to seeing as how I relied on this method for learning Spanish. Maybe it was because I was in an academic setting, and so these methods of learning slotted into my pace of life more seemlessly? I do wonder though if I could have been more successful at learning Spanish had I focused my efforts elsewhere. I’m starting to believe that other dimensions of my studies were more responsible for my learning back then, especially the language-immersion housing I lived in. It was never in doubt that this housing greatly supplemented my Spanish learning, but I thought my cards and SRSs were giving me an edge, not a hinderance.
When I think of things I’ve naturally memorized, like my new address or Dickinson’s “Wild Nights” or Millay’s “Afternoon on a Hill,” the method used was no method at all. I simply had several instances of needing the information for transactional or emotional purposes. They’ve become less a tenant of a the mind but a native of the heart.
That’s not to say that intentional practice to maintain memory isn’t desirable, but what is far more desirable is immersion in the enjoyment of the language. I’ve felt much pleasure and fulfillment even in this attempt while learning ancient words and tracking those roots to modern words. I love knowing how I drag my little shadow around in the rain to keep myself dry. These SRSs, however, have sapped my strength, and my focus on upfront learning to understand what might come later in whatever chapter I’m at in my workbook shifted over time the whole experience from delightful to daunting.
I’m picking up where I left off, in chapter 15 or so. I’m releasing the pressure valve of knowing, allowing myself elation. I’ve overfocused on memorization and will now let mysefl love. Hopefully in 6 months time, I can write you a paragraph in Latin 🙂
M. Anthony
Over/Poetry 