The Hermeneumata (Pseudodositheana) and Their Didactic Use

Abstract

The article presents a basic characteristic of Latin-Greek didactic texts called the Hermeneumata Pseudodositheana and, in particular, their colloquia. It offers several examples of the colloquia with a brief commentary and an analysis focused particularly on their didactic dimension. In the second part of the paper, attention is given to the distinction between an active and passive approach to teaching classical languages from both theoretical and practical viewpoints and to finding reference points between the method of the ancient colloquia and modern methods. In conclusion, a theoretical justification of using the colloquia when teaching Latin in a natural / direct method is presented, complemented by several suggestions how these texts may contribute to making Latin courses more efficient and attractive.

Keywords

• direct method of a language teaching
• natural method / approach to language teaching
• Hermeneumata Pseudodositheana
• colloquia
• Greek and Roman school system