Experiencing Latin Immersion
By Gregory DiPippo
The high school I attended in Providence, Rhode Island, was founded in the 1840s specifically for the study of classical languages. One year, our Latin students faced off against our cross-town rival in a certamen—a Latin-themed quiz competition. We won handily, except in one surprising area: reciting the alphabet in Latin. None of us knew the Latin names of the letters! Because we never spoke Latin aloud, we had never learned how to spell out words in the language.
Discovering Latin Immersion with Fr. Reginald Foster
In the summer of 1995, I traveled to Rome for the first time to participate in the Summer Latin Experience, led by one of the greatest Latinists of our time, Fr. Reginald Foster. Many of us at VSI were privileged to learn from him. By that point, I had studied Latin for 13 years and earned a classics degree through McGill University’s rigorous undergraduate program. I had excellent teachers, but I had never actually spoken Latin.
Knowing that Fr. Foster treated Latin as a living language and frequently spoke it in class, I wasn’t sure I would keep up. To my pleasant surprise, I quickly discovered that I could! Even more unexpectedly, the more I spoke Latin, the less I needed to consult my dictionary and grammar book when reading. I had arrived in Rome already proficient, but speaking Latin made me faster—and allowed me to truly enjoy the texts.
Reading Without the Dictionary
Of course, this transformation didn’t happen overnight. Yet before long, even reading challenging authors like Tacitus or Tertullian no longer felt like work.
I am far from the only student of Fr. Foster who experienced this. However, for his own pedagogical reasons, Fr. Foster did not conduct his classes Latine tantum—entirely in Latin. We spoke Latin frequently, but we also read and translated first. His focus was intensely on building vocabulary and grammar mastery, so we didn’t deeply discuss the texts we read, in any language.
Why Immersion Works
Only in recent years have I participated in full-immersion, Latine tantum workshops with VSI. Time and again, I have seen why we say these experiences “activate” Latin for learners. Immersion is incredibly effective at transforming Latin from a passive language we only read and translate, into an active, living language we can use in real time.
As our co-foundress often reminds us, “Language builds community, and community builds language.”
In our summer workshops, Latin becomes a vibrant means of communication. Participants use Latin for everything—from immediate needs and modern concepts to jokes—building true community through shared language. Studying Latin (especially as a sacred language) in this way shapes you not just as a student, but as a person.
Experience Latin Immersion for Yourself
I wholeheartedly recommend that anyone able experience this formative week for themselves!
👉 To learn more about this year’s workshops, click below.
