Latinum has created a space where you can have conversational practice in Latin.
The rules for the Whatsapp Locutoria will be the same rules as drawn up by the late John Doublier z'l and myself for the Schola Latin chatrooms ( now closed down) in 2008:
1. Latin and Greek only.
2. Focus on communication; focus on the message, not the grammar.
- Cum errare humanum sit, ne timueritis scribere, metu errandi permoti.
- Scripta autem aliena nolite corrigere, nisi auctor auxilium petit.
- Locutorium id agit ut Latine scribendi ars colatur.
- Ergo scribite tantummodo Latine.
ΔIAΛOΓOI ATTIKOI ΝΥΝ ΕΣΤΙΝ ΟΜΙΛΟΣ ΤΩΝ ΑΤΤΙΚΙΖΟΝΤΩΝ
Any of the Locutorium Latinum Latin and Greek chatrooms are open to anyone. If one is full, try the other one.
There is one rule for the chatrooms: Latin and Attic Greek only.
I set up the new Latin Whatsapp Chatroom on the 17th November 2019, and have been gratified to see it grow very quickly. A secondary overflow chatroom was needed, as after two days, subscriptions were approaching the 257 person limit. If the first chatroom is full, please join the second.
Si per WHATSAPP confabulari per litteras vis, habemus LOCUTORIA LATINA, et possis illic confabulari per litteras, picturas ad alios emittere, etc.
Junge Te!
Visne alios invitare? Ecce vincula ad gregem:
ΔIAΛOΓOI ATTIKOI ΝΥΝ ΕΣΤΙΝ ΟΜΙΛΟΣ ΤΩΝ ΑΤΤΙΚΙΖΟΝΤΩΝ
Even if you are a complete beginner, simply say hello. When you join, please introduce yourself
'Salvete, nomen mihi est _______________"
will be fine. :)
Seeing people chatting freely in Latin will inspire you to progress in your studies, as you will see before your eyes that Latin is not a dead language, but is still the living language of scholars that it has been since the fall of Rome.
WHY NO CORRECTING?
Why the rule about no correcting?
Modern language theory and evidence based research tells us that over correcting, even correcting at all, is usually counter productive in the early stages of attempting to communicate in a new language.
As long as you are actively studying the language as you go, errors will eventually resolve themselves. Fluency is achieved through action, through exposure to the language, and through struggling with using it.
If a learner is unsure, to the degree that they are scared to communicate at all, then they will think twice before even attempting to communicate.
You have to just wade in and take risks. No risk taking, no learning.
So, unless a user specifically asks for help, no-one is allowed to comment on another user's grammar or Latinity.
In reality, in the give and take of the real-time chatroom, this rule is relaxed somewhat.
HOW TO CORRECT SOMEONE POLITELY
A polite way to correct someone is to re-phrase what they said, correctly, as part of your reply, without explicitly saying you are making a correction.
