Preparation for first class of the term

I have had a couple of e-mails about the start of term. I had neglected to reaffirm that we would read the Chronicle by Isidore (M.M. pages 84 - 85), and then start on Andomnan (R.M.L. 6.3). As usual, I do not know how far we will get, so do as you did last term and prepare what seems like a reasonable amount. I would suggest the first section (p. 89).

If you haven`t noticed, a revised reading list for the start of term is available in the Dec. 5 entry, below.

Some suggestions for review

I was thinking about review work and remembered this very interesting learner's edition of part of Caesar's Gallic War. Caesar isn't medieval, of course, but it looks like it this book offers some very useful experience in how sentences are constructed. It gives the central clause of each sentence, then adds more words or single phrases to what has already been seen, and slowly builds the full, real Latin sentences. I strongly recommend that anyone interested in some basic review should have a look at it. You can use this in conjunction with Perseus' morphological analysis tool.

In case anyone is really keen, here is a practice unseen translation on a seasonal theme. See how far you can get in roughly seventy minutes. I'll post a key in January.

Apologies

As I said at the start of classes, if I wasn't around the department much this year outside of class it was because I am technically on disability leave and am teaching a course as a sort of ongoing work therapy... Anyway, health issues have caught up with me and I will not be able to post any regular review material for the near future. I'll still try to get a few things up for those of you who want to try to keep their Latin fresh or who need review, but it won't be as much as I had hoped. I apologize for this.

Of course, using Perseus and other sites I've metioned, you can get some practice through further reading of the Vulgate (the mostly narrative passages in the gospels and Acts are all relatively straightforward).

At last!

It is finished: the Dictionary of Medieval Latin from British Sources, all 4000 pages of it. This is a great day for me.....

First sight translation and revised reading list for winter term

The grades for the first sight translation exam are below. As required by privacy regulations, to prevent anyone from being identified by his or her student number, the student numbers have been stripped of their first four digits and then sorted numerically by the remaining four (that is, if your number were 12345678, it would be given below as 5678):

4061	C+
5150	B+
5846	A-
6269	A+
6272	A+
6360	C
6739	B
7298	A
7969	B-
8453	B+
8645	B+
9149	B+

If you are desperate to see your translation before January, send me an e-mail and I will arrange for you to get it.

As usual, please go over the key for the translation carefully. 

And in case you wanted to read ahead, here is the revised reading list for the start of the winter term. 

Starting next week, I will regularly post some review exercises and simple readings. Don't forget to look over what we covered in November, so that it will not be too stale by the time of the second midterm.

Grades for second assignment and meaning of letter grades

I forgot to include the grade spread on the key to the second assignment: A = 2, A- = 2, B+ = 3, B+/B = 1, B/B- = 1, B- = 1, C+/B- = 1, C+ = 1.

The split grades mean that when I calculate the marks at the end of the year, the numerical value for that grade is the average of the two. Therefore a B+/B is halfway between a B and a B+.

I would like to remind you of the Faculty of Arts and Science's grading regulations (Academic Regulation 10). There is a detailed long description, but the short summary adequately indicates what each letter grade means:

A+	Exceptional
A	Outstanding
A-	Excellent
B+	Very Good
B	Good
B-	Reasonably Good
C+	Acceptable
C	Minimally Acceptable (Honours)
C-	Minimally Acceptable (General)
D+	Unsatisfactory Pass
D	Unsatisfactory Pass
D-	Unsatisfactory Pass
F	Failure - No Course Credit

Since the difference between exceptional, outstanding, and excellent is not immediately clear, note the following:

A+	Indicates exceptional performance that exceeds the highest standards. The course content has been mastered, the ability to apply the material in new ways has been demonstrated, and an understanding of the wider context is evident, all to an exceptional degree. Consistent performance at this level leads to placement on the Dean's Honour List with Distinction (see Academic Regulation 12).
A	Indicates outstanding performance that meets the highest standards. The course content has been mastered, the ability to apply the material in new ways has been demonstrated, and an understanding of the wider context is evident.
A-	Indicates excellent performance that meets very high standards. Mastery of the course material and ability to apply the material in new ways have been demonstrated.

This is a bit belated, but look at what I found: a dragon attacking an elephant!