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Latin comes to life with Dr. Seuss

With growing interest in the language of ancient Rome, teachers are using translations of the popular children's books to help students learn

By Lisa Black
Tribune staff reporter

October 24, 2003

A new translation of the Dr. Seuss book "Green Eggs and Ham" has found its way into Latin classrooms, offering students a fresh look at a language that is anything but dead.

As more students take Latin courses to beef up their language skills and test scores, the introduction of "Virent Ova! Viret Perna!!"--or "Green Eggs and Ham"--has given teachers an alternative to classic works such as Virgil's "The Aeneid."

The book still has all the familiar whimsical creatures and colorful rhymes, but it is written in the language of Cicero.

"Part of our mission is to popularize Latin," said Marie Bolchazy, a co-owner of the company that published the book. "What better way to do it?"

Wauconda-based Bolchazy-Carducci Publishers recently released the book, the latest in a series that began in 1999 with "Quomodo Invidiosulus Nomine Grinchus Christi Natalem Abrogaverit" or "The Grinch That Stole Christmas."

"What's nice about Dr. Seuss is we're dealing with material students are already familiar with, so they can pick it up and read it without the intellectual level needed to read Virgil," said Thomas Sienkewicz, a classics professor at Monmouth College, about 70 miles west of Peoria.

Sienkewicz is among a handful of Latin teachers nationwide who are using the Seuss books in their classrooms to show students how the language continues to evolve, even though it is rarely spoken outside of academic or religious settings.

From elementary schools through colleges, students find the Latin children's books a more difficult read than the usual Seuss. But the books never fail to impress and entertain, teachers say.

"It's not intimidating, because it's a children's book and it's fun to use," said Jennifer Mitten, a Latin teacher at Aurora Catholic High School.

Bolchazy, who with her husband specializes in publishing classical books, worked with two university professors to produce the Latin Seuss books. The Latin version of the Grinch and "Cattus Petasatus," or "The Cat in the Hat," together have sold more than 65,000 copies.

The new "Green Eggs and Ham" book sold 5,000 copies immediately, prompting Bolchazy to order 5,000 more.

Her efforts dovetail with growing interest in Latin across the country, with schools seeing an increase in enrollment in classes at all levels, experts said.

The National Latin Exam, given to students from elementary grades through college, reported testing 36,000 students in 1982, the first year numbers were collected. In March, 140,000 students took the exam, said Joseph Clement of Software Design in Springfield, Va., who tracks the data for the National Latin Exam organization. Experts said they believe more students are taking Latin because they recognize it can help them improve their English skills and their college entrance exams.

"Latin gives you an edge in English, and so many professions have to do with good writing and spelling," said Virginia Anderson, who teaches Latin in Barrington's two middle schools. She displays the Seuss books for students to read at their leisure, but she said their Latin is above the level of most 6th graders.

"A lot of my friends are taking [Latin]," said Max Deevy, 12, of Barrington, who goes by the Latin name "Scipio" in Anderson's class. "Right now, it is helping me at reading, because almost all English words come from Latin."

At Oak Park-River Forest High School, administrators brought a Latin teacher out of retirement two years ago to accommodate a growing number of Latin students, said the school's other Latin teacher, James Chochola. The number of Latin students has grown about 25 percent--to 109 now enrolled--since 1998, he said.

Chochola also has used the Latin Seuss books, demonstrating to students how they differ in complexity and poetic meter from the epic Aeneid.

The Latin Seuss books are more comparable to medieval drinking songs, he said.

"Dr. Seuss has words that aren't even words in English," Chochola said. "They might have words with different noises and sounds."

Greg Ver Halen, 14, of River Forest, said he took Latin because he hopes to travel throughout Europe someday and wants to be prepared to learn the languages. He also enjoys stumping his friends who don't take Latin, throwing phrases at them in the language.

"They'll say, `Are you making fun of me?' They're thrown off completely," Ver Halen said.

Terence Tunberg, professor of Latin at the University of Kentucky, who translates the Dr. Seuss books into Latin, said he does not translate each word literally, because the idioms would not make sense or even be funny. So he has spent hours finding Latin words that fit Dr. Seuss' meaning that also rhyme and contain the same cheerful eight-syllable lines. For instance, he calls the Grinch "Invidiosulus" in Latin, which can be translated as "the little jealous one" or "the envious little wretch."

"It takes the process of invention, that's for sure," Tunberg said.

Copyright © 2003, Chicago Tribune


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http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/north/chi-0310240053oct24,1,6645435.story

Latin comes to life with Dr. Seuss

With growing interest in the language of ancient Rome, teachers are using translations of the popular children's books to help students learn

By Lisa Black
Tribune staff reporter

October 24, 2003

A new translation of the Dr. Seuss book "Green Eggs and Ham" has found its way into Latin classrooms, offering students a fresh look at a language that is anything but dead.

As more students take Latin courses to beef up their language skills and test scores, the introduction of "Virent Ova! Viret Perna!!"--or "Green Eggs and Ham"--has given teachers an alternative to classic works such as Virgil's "The Aeneid."

The book still has all the familiar whimsical creatures and colorful rhymes, but it is written in the language of Cicero.

"Part of our mission is to popularize Latin," said Marie Bolchazy, a co-owner of the company that published the book. "What better way to do it?"

Wauconda-based Bolchazy-Carducci Publishers recently released the book, the latest in a series that began in 1999 with "Quomodo Invidiosulus Nomine Grinchus Christi Natalem Abrogaverit" or "The Grinch That Stole Christmas."

"What's nice about Dr. Seuss is we're dealing with material students are already familiar with, so they can pick it up and read it without the intellectual level needed to read Virgil," said Thomas Sienkewicz, a classics professor at Monmouth College, about 70 miles west of Peoria.

Sienkewicz is among a handful of Latin teachers nationwide who are using the Seuss books in their classrooms to show students how the language continues to evolve, even though it is rarely spoken outside of academic or religious settings.

From elementary schools through colleges, students find the Latin children's books a more difficult read than the usual Seuss. But the books never fail to impress and entertain, teachers say.

"It's not intimidating, because it's a children's book and it's fun to use," said Jennifer Mitten, a Latin teacher at Aurora Catholic High School.

Bolchazy, who with her husband specializes in publishing classical books, worked with two university professors to produce the Latin Seuss books. The Latin version of the Grinch and "Cattus Petasatus," or "The Cat in the Hat," together have sold more than 65,000 copies.

The new "Green Eggs and Ham" book sold 5,000 copies immediately, prompting Bolchazy to order 5,000 more.

Her efforts dovetail with growing interest in Latin across the country, with schools seeing an increase in enrollment in classes at all levels, experts said.

The National Latin Exam, given to students from elementary grades through college, reported testing 36,000 students in 1982, the first year numbers were collected. In March, 140,000 students took the exam, said Joseph Clement of Software Design in Springfield, Va., who tracks the data for the National Latin Exam organization. Experts said they believe more students are taking Latin because they recognize it can help them improve their English skills and their college entrance exams.

"Latin gives you an edge in English, and so many professions have to do with good writing and spelling," said Virginia Anderson, who teaches Latin in Barrington's two middle schools. She displays the Seuss books for students to read at their leisure, but she said their Latin is above the level of most 6th graders.

"A lot of my friends are taking [Latin]," said Max Deevy, 12, of Barrington, who goes by the Latin name "Scipio" in Anderson's class. "Right now, it is helping me at reading, because almost all English words come from Latin."

At Oak Park-River Forest High School, administrators brought a Latin teacher out of retirement two years ago to accommodate a growing number of Latin students, said the school's other Latin teacher, James Chochola. The number of Latin students has grown about 25 percent--to 109 now enrolled--since 1998, he said.

Chochola also has used the Latin Seuss books, demonstrating to students how they differ in complexity and poetic meter from the epic Aeneid.

The Latin Seuss books are more comparable to medieval drinking songs, he said.

"Dr. Seuss has words that aren't even words in English," Chochola said. "They might have words with different noises and sounds."

Greg Ver Halen, 14, of River Forest, said he took Latin because he hopes to travel throughout Europe someday and wants to be prepared to learn the languages. He also enjoys stumping his friends who don't take Latin, throwing phrases at them in the language.

"They'll say, `Are you making fun of me?' They're thrown off completely," Ver Halen said.

Terence Tunberg, professor of Latin at the University of Kentucky, who translates the Dr. Seuss books into Latin, said he does not translate each word literally, because the idioms would not make sense or even be funny. So he has spent hours finding Latin words that fit Dr. Seuss' meaning that also rhyme and contain the same cheerful eight-syllable lines. For instance, he calls the Grinch "Invidiosulus" in Latin, which can be translated as "the little jealous one" or "the envious little wretch."

"It takes the process of invention, that's for sure," Tunberg said.

Copyright © 2003, Chicago Tribune


Improved archives!

Searching Chicagotribune.com archives back to 1985 is cheaper and easier than ever. New prices for multiple articles can bring your cost as low as 30 cents an article: http://www.chicagotribune.com/archives