Latin school
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Latin school was the grammar school of 14th to the 16th century in Europe. Emphasis was placed, as the name indicates, on learning to use Latin. Although the education given at Latin schools pressed mainly on grammar of the Latin language itself it would present it in a way to share meaningful or moral behaviours that were the norm of the time.[1] Latin school prepared students for university, as well, it was necessary to learn Latin to rise ahead for those of a middle class status, as such it was not uncommon for children of commoners to attend Latin schools, especially if they were expected to pursue a career within the church. Although Latin school can be seen as definite in the 14th century, prior to that the Church allowed for Latin schools for the sole purpose of training those who would one day become clergymen.[2] Latin schools have progressed from medieval in 1400 to renaissance in 1450. It would be a sole means of education for pupils who were willing to pay up until the 16th century.
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[edit] Medieval Background
Students often studied in Latin school for about five years, but by their third year students would be deemed as 'knowledgeable enough' in Latin grammar to assist the master teacher in teaching the younger or less skilled pupils.[3] Latin often appealed to Italians as eloquence for the public life in intellectual, political, and economic terms. Latin school formed the bases of education and an elite Italian city-states.[4] Schools were basically run by having appointing a commune which would then appoint a teacher and paid their salary. These schools usually had limited supervision of communes. As well, freelance Latin masters opened up their own schools quite frequently and would provide Latin education to anyone willing to pay. These freelance schools usually taught students in the masters home. Others taught as a tutor in the students household by either living there or making daily visits to teach.[5]
[edit] Latin Church Schools
Clergy would often fund ecclesiastical schools where clerics teach. Many historians argue that up until 1300 the Church had a monopoly on education in medieval Italy.[6] Church Latin schools seemed to appear at around the 12th century. However, very few remained after the 1300s as a vernacular, more definite form of Latin school emerged in Italy.[7]
[edit] Latin School Curriculum
The Latin school curriculum was based mainly on reading medieval authors. Students would have to learn the principles of ars dictaminis in order to learn how to write formal letters. Authors often had lists of books that should be used in the curriculum that would teach students grammar. These texts however, were often not the original texts, as more often than not, texts where changed to include moral stories or to display rules of grammar.[8] These would usually be in the form of fables or poems. New students would generally start off with easy basic grammar, and would steadily move into harder Latin readings such as the Donatus (ars minor stage), which was a syntax manual that was memorized, or even more advanced still, glossaries and dictionaries. Although many teachers used many books which varied from person to person, the most popular textbook would have been the Doctrinale.[9] The Doctrinale is a long verse of Latin grammar. This textbook dealt with parts of speech, syntax, quantity and meter, as well as figures of speech. The Doctrinale as well as a large sum of other books (though not nearly as popular) is often referred to as the 'canon of textbooks'.[10] Similarly, as the student advanced into the ars dictaminis stage more theory and practice writing formal or pose letters where focused on. Poetry was often a teachers favorite as it taught not only Latin, but mnemonic value and it teaches 'truth'.[11] Poetry was not chiefly studied during the medieval times, although some classic poems were took into the curriculum. However, during the renaissance, poetry was massively studied by pupils to learn metrics and style. As well, it was vies as a broader study of Latin grammar and rhetoric which often included concepts and analysis of words. [12]
[edit] Other Schools
Other schools, such as magnet schools, teach latin as a specilty. In Hartford, Classical Magnet teaches the classics and Ancient Latin and Greek.
[edit] References
- Grendler, Paul F. (1989), Schooling in Renaissance Italy Literacy and Learning, 1300-1600, Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press.
[edit] See also
[edit] Further reading
- Nellen, Henk J. M. (2005), “Short but not sweet: the career of Gisbertus Longolius (1507-1543), headmaster of the Latin school in Deventer and professor at the University of Cologne.”, Lias 32: 3-22.
- Verweij, Michiel (2004), “Comic elements in 16th-century Latin school drama in the low countries.”, Humanistica Lovaniensia 53: 175-190.
- Mehl, James V. (1993), “Hermannus Buschius' Dictata utilissima: a textbook of commonplaces for the Latin school.”, Humanistica Lovaniensia 42: 102-125.
