E pluribus unum:
Can One Text Do It All?

Cynthia White (University of Arizona)

Particular challenges to Latin instruction stem at least in part from the simple fact that modern language instruction has become more and more active and situational. Yet, we are training our Latin students to read a canon of literature, to analyze rather than imitate speech patterns. Moreover, the extant canon of literary Latin texts is formal and these texts were distinct from popular speech even when they were composed. Deductive texts, in general, make no apologies for this fact and offer snippets of “real” Latin from the beginning, along with instruction in morphology, grammar, and syntax; inductive texts are patterned more upon the modern language methodologies and appeal because the narratives are usually engaging and the ancillary material is packed with drills, projects, and activities that allow for differentiated instruction. Most students do not come to Latin with the kind of grammar background that allows them to move speedily through a deductive text and that is one reason that the inductive/reading method has been so widely adopted.

In our program, we straddle the methods. We use a reading text because it meets the learning needs of more students than the deductive texts, but we supplement the reading with more traditional grammar and vocabulary lessons. We also offer an honors course that is open to all (not only honors) students who want to move more quickly through the grammar, and in that course we use Wheelock, a more deductive text. In the intensive summer Latin course, we use Moreland and Fleischer: the class is fast-paced and the method highly deductive.

No matter the text, we insist upon a learner-centered classroom in all the basic Latin courses, even in the summer intensive course. Much of our TA training, in fact, is the advanced planning and preparation of materials that allows for in-class interaction with students and for their active participation in the lesson. To my mind, the real question then is not whether a new text should be deductive or inductive, or a bit of both, but whether a new text can motivate learners and support learner-centered strategies.

In sum, a new text that incorporates engaging stories drawn from the real Latin literary canon is key. But the text should also inspire its users (both students and teachers) with the confidence and the motivation to read independently and deduce grammar and syntax independently, one that is learner-centered and interactive.