Lingua Classica Announces New Online Instructional Aid for Latin
Ottawa, Ontario (PRWEB) October 24, 2013 -- Lingua Classica, an educational software company based in Ottawa, announced today the launch of an online version of its Latin Parser software. Latin Parser enables students conveniently to record the data of grammatical and syntactical analysis of Latin texts and present the results to an instructor in an easily-checked format. In response to educators' demands, this enhanced version of an earlier desktop application is now being made available as a low-cost online subscription service at linguaclassica.com.
Latin Parser modernizes parsing, an age-old technique for to learning to read inflected languages with fluency and accuracy. It enables students to annotate quickly and easily Latin texts to show root forms of words, their meanings and inflected forms, to explain syntactical relationships, to make translations in context, and to comment on literary or historical background. Data is entered into a pop-up window and saved to an online database, and the word is marked in the text. Clicking on a marked word reopens the window to show data entered. Vocabularies of words and meanings as entered are generated with a click and can be printed either as lists or as flashcards. Reports of data entered, much like end notes, can be as easily generated for purposes of review and study.
Lingua Classica founder and owner Eugene Price noted that Latin Parser - Cloud Edition has been designed to support classroom instruction: "An instructor can create a library of formatted texts for classes. With the aid of a projector, parsing can be demonstrated in the classroom. And parsing can more easily be made part of homework, with hard-copy or emailed reports of student work as the product. The program also supports collaborative learning, permitting students to parse texts together, even from remote computers."
Price said: "Latin Parser is designed to develop the human intellect. It would be a mistake to pretend that computers can perform tasks which in fact require human interpretation and judgment. Instead, Latin Parser uses the computer as a 'smart notebook' to record, retrieve and organize data that can be produced only by a human user. Users build analytic skills that enable full engagement with texts." 'Pre-parsed' texts by Horace, Catullus, Juvenal and Cicero are included to demonstrate what might be done.
Latin Parser - Cloud Edition is online software that runs in internet browsers. The software itself and the database that stores user data reside on a remote server. The program therefore runs on any computer. There is nothing to download and install. As 'Software as a Service,' it is part of emerging 'cloud computing' technologies. The program is offered on a paid subscription basis at USD $10 per user for six months or USD $16 for a full year. A version for use with tablet computers is under development.
Lingua Classica is a start-up based in Ottawa, registered in 2010. It was created to apply computer software to learning classical languages. Owner Eugene Price says, "Classical languages are enormously important to our cultural heritage. At a time when students virtually live on their computers, I wanted to put tools for studying Latin and Greek into their computer environment."
Parsing texts is an inescapable part of learning to read any new language, Price notes, and using computers to record the information produced was to him an obvious step. Finding nothing on the market that did this led him to develop Latin Parser. "Latin Parser is not for beginners," Price says, "but it can be quite useful in getting over the hump from basic familiarity with grammar and vocabulary to full comprehension of Latin 'as it is found in the wild.'"
Latin Parser - Cloud Edition is a new, readily accessible, affordable and useful addition to Latin instructors' tool kits. For further information, visit linguaclassica.com or, to access the program, go directly to linguaclassicacloud.com/LatinParser.
Eugene Price, Lingua Classica, http://linguaclassica.com, +1 (613) 749-9065, [email protected]
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