Three step method
The so-called three-step method ( DSM ) is an approach developed over decades by the Tübingen-based didactic specialist Dieter Lohmann in theory and school practice for the first access to Latin texts.
The approach is decidedly against all widespread and historically firmly anchored conversion procedures in Latin lessons (accordingly in textbooks and commentaries), which arrange texts and sentences in advance according to different aspects against the natural order in order to understand them (classic-traditional keyword: 'Construct'!); Lohmann is based on the fact that the elementary communicative processes such as speaking and understanding generally run in a time continuum in all languages.
For the DSM, the recognition of parts of sentences and their delimitation plays a special role, since in German, the target language, in normal statements or In the sentence question, the finite part of the predicate is in (syntactically) the second position of the continuous sentence.
The rule sheet reproduced in the following - without the graph for the “Understanding Curve” - (published in 1988 in the specialist periodical Der Altsprachliche Studium , p. 52f.) May exemplarily indicate and make tangible the approach of the DSM, which has been repeatedly taken up on numerous occasions and newly formulated according to the situation :
- The Understanding Curve : The difficulty of understanding a sentence decreases as the sentence progresses with each part of the sentence. Often, through this "guidance of understanding" along the "thread" of the sentence, one can understand the end of the sentence before it even appears (see the examples!). This is particularly effective in the final position of the predicate.
- The three-step method tries to take advantage of this (sc. More and more "eliminated possibilities" and fewer and fewer "possible additions" in the course of the sentence).
Translation rules for the three-step method
| Step 1 | 2nd step |
|
|
|---|---|---|---|
| I. Standard rate
(Declarative sentence)* |
Translation of the first part of the sentence | Predicate or only its personal form (auxiliary / modal verb) | The remaining limbs mostly
as a result of their occurrence. |
| II. Clause
(Subordinate clause) |
Introductory word
a.) Subjunction |
Subject e
(Look at the personal ending of the predicate) |
* In German, the verb comes first in sentence questions and prompts. The first two steps then coincide. The same applies if the introductory word and subject are identical in the constituent clause (relative or question pronouns in the nominative). This does not pose an additional problem, but makes the process easier. (With -ne / num / nonne start with the predicate.)
1. First translate the first part of every sentence, then look for the predicate! Often the German auxiliary verb is sufficient (for passive, past perfect, future tense, unrealis, modal verbs, very often in indirect speech). Take advantage of this! Postpone the translation of the actual predicate (meaning carrier) as much as possible! - If possible, translate the remaining terms in the order in which they occur!
2. If a clause has the form of a clause, search for its translation right after the introductory word (be careful with inversion: it is not always at the beginning!) For the subject! Find out more about the person by looking at the ending of the predicate! Then translate again in the original order!
Note the following common deviations:
3. In the case of a genitive, usually go on to the following clause. It is mostly about the clause superordinate to the gen. Attribute. But note R.6!
4. In infinitive constructions (a. C. I., Extended infinitive) as well as wishful sentences and indirect questions, the superordinate verb is usually preferable, always in clauses!
5. Syntactically connected parts of sentences, especially noun / adjective connections that are separated by other parts ( hyperbaton ), must be put together in German.
6. Special care should be taken with any translation process if Latin forms (e.g. Deponentien) or the case usage (e.g. in uti, potiri + Abl. ,Interest + Gen.) differ from German. Only 100% knowledge, attentiveness to the corresponding signals and the constant readiness for correction can help.
General translation rules:
7. Translate directly! Try to be the same as possible, d. H. without the detour of an auxiliary translation to formulate verbatim! The more often this succeeds without a subsequent correction, the better you can speak Latin. - But: This rule in particular requires constant readiness to correct. Always keep yourself open to critical review! Often times it will be necessary.
8. Translate holistically! Right from the start, use all of the information that the text offers at the same time: text and sentence context, word meanings, sentence structure, style, etc. like!
9. Translate with foresight! Try to think ahead constantly and with the help of the given grammatical and content-related information, grammatically and content-wise narrow down and open up what is still untranslated. Note: combine! Don't guess!
10. If you get stuck or "the thread breaks", start the sentence (possibly several times) from the beginning! The weak point can be found by carefully checking the path.
11. On the use of the lexicon: Do not inform yourself until all possibilities have been used to narrow down the word in terms of the meaning of the text by applying these rules!
literature
- The training of natural understanding in Latin lessons (taking into account the German and Latin sentence structure) . In: The ancient language teaching [= AU] 11.3 (1968) 5–40.
- Latin - a guessing game? In: AU 31,6 (1988) 29–54 [on this Willibald Heilmann: Texterschlossung - a guessing game or more? In: AU 33,3 (1990) 6-15 as well as Dieter Lohmann's reply to W. Heilmann's criticism (ibid. 16-23) and Eberhard Hermes: a by no means idle dispute. Comments on the controversy over text indexing . In: AU 33.4 (1990) 82-86].
- 'Boios petentibus Haeduis ... concessit.' - To the translation of Caes. b. G. I 28.5 and on the translation method . In: Mitteilungsblatt des Deutschen Altphilologenverband 37/2 (1994) 61–68.
- Latin teacher - in search of lost time. (Thoughts on: learning economy, language continuum, efficiency and translation method - on the occasion of the didactic seminar 'Translation Training' at the University of Tübingen, WS 2007/08) . In: Latin and Greek in Baden-Württemberg . Announcements from the German Association of Classical Philologists, Baden-Württemberg State Association 37.1 (2009) 24–47.
Remarks
- ↑ See further literature under the personal article Dieter Lohmann .
- ↑ The discussion about this approach is sometimes characterized by misunderstandings, for example when the linear course of the linguistic continuum is relativized by a term such as “pendulum method” or the methodologically important syntactic first part of the sentence is called “prelude”.