Colloquy (pedagogical dialogue)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
A colloquy (Latin colloquium) is a set of scripted dialogues intended for practice in learning Latin or Ancient Greek. Colloquies were a form of "language textbook" (so to speak) but long before the invention of modern language textbooks as we understand them.[1][2][3]
Classical colloquies were intended to instruct learners to speak or converse in ancient classical languages.[1][3] Nowadays, attempting to converse in ancient languages is somewhat rare and sometimes even discouraged.[2][4][5] However, this activity was not rare in previous centuries. Scholars were encouraged to use these languages as spoken languages.[1][2]
In some cases, colloquies included general moralistic guidance on personal deportment or modes of proper conduct in everyday scenarios.[1][2][6]
Colloquia describe familiar situations and interactions of everyday life. This means that they often serve as a source of information about clothes, food, routines, education, and material culture of people in various centuries.[3][2][6]
- 3rd C. CE. Hermeneumata Pseudodositheana: Instructional manual for teaching the Greek language to Latin-speaking people in the Roman Empire, and vice versa: to teach Latin to Greek-speakers. Written by a native speaker of Latin. See: Corpus glossariorum latinorum at the Internet Archive
- 10th C. CE. Ælfric’s Colloquy: bilingual Latin-Old English dialogues. See: Early Scholastic Colloquies at the Internet Archive
- 15th C. CE. Manuale Scholarium: Latin dialogues between medieval university students, partly insulting and rowdy.[6] See: The Manuale scholarium; an original account of life in the mediaeval university at the Internet Archive
- 1518. Colloquies: Latin colloquy by Desiderius Erasmus (ordinarily cited with the simple title "Colloquies") See: The colloquies of Erasmus at the Internet Archive
