<p>did anyone do this? im thinking about teaching myself latin, maybe not to an AP level, but atleast enough to be able to read and comprehend some latin texts. </p>
<p>if you self-studied a language, how did you do it? what books/software/methods did you use/reccomend? Was it a beneficial experience or would you reccomend taking a course instead?</p>
<p>I've done this many times. I usually just use a textbook and the supplementary language labs, workbooks, and teaching manuals that come with it. It's a lot of work, but it's worth it in the end. If it's a languag ethat's not completely foreign to you, (as in it uses the Latin alphabet, etc), you may be able to get by with just using the textbook and doing all of the exercises. I highly recommend any textbook published by Houghton-Mifflin. If you're doing Latin, I definitely would suggest only using the book since it isn't a spoken language anyway (I am learning French and Japanese for the same reason as you--to comprehend literary texts; however, I would like to carry conversations in these languages as well ^^). Hope that helps.</p>
<p>If you ever need help with getting started, feel free to contact me.</p>
<p>I would combine a textbook where you learn latin vocab and grammatical rules with a reader series that has stories that progress from simple to complex epics.</p>
<p>I have never taught myself a language before, but I am in my fourth year of French. My advice is to take a class, especially if you don't have the basics of the language. If you have people around you speaking the language, like at home, it is possible to teach it to yourself. From my perspective, I think it is very hard to teach yourself a language because you need to hear somebody say the words. You can get a bunch of different books, but it's not the same as hearing somebody else speak it. Also, if you have other people talking in the language, it is good reinforcement and practice. Once you have the basics (maybe the first year of the language), it is much easier because everything builds on everything else. The basics help you understand pronunciation, which is an essential part of learning a language.</p>
<p>I tried to learn sign language by teaching myself, but it didn't work very well, because I don't know any deaf people and I only use it once or twice a year- not enough to actually learn it. Good luck with everything. This is just my advice and I'm not saying it's impossible to learn a language by yourself, but it is very hard. If you are a very motivated person and are willing to work really hard, go right ahead. Also, if you do decide to learn it by yourself or even if you don't, check out websites with forums in other languages. This helps you speak and write the language while meeting people all over the world. You can also read real news and listen to music in that language. It is very helpful and interesting.</p>
<p>Also, if you have a natural ability for languages or learned more than one simultaneously as an infant (like myself) you could probably work as quickly as you wanted to using the methods I described above. TO illustrate how effective they are, I was able to complete a second year French course in three weeks and I got a 98 on the final. I'm not saying this to brag, but simply to underscore the fact that learning a language is less about intelligence and more about how much work you put into it. The more you put into it, the faster and more easily it will come to you.</p>
<p>latin is easy to self study. get this book called Wheelock's Latin.</p>
<p>thanks for the help everyone. i think i will start this summer with wheelock's latin and grote's comprehensive guide. my goal is to be reading virgil by summer of '08, lol.</p>