Colloquy (pedagogical dialogue)

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]}

Notable works: Colloquies in Latin or Ancient Greek

Main article: List of Classical Colloquia

• 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

See also

• Ancient Rome portal
• Ancient Greece portal
• Languages portal

• Classics
• Neo-Latin
• Renaissance Latin
• Erasmus of Rotterdam

Notes and references

1. "Erasmus' Colloquies: Latin and the Good Life". Centre for Renaissance and Reformation Studies. 2021. Retrieved 14 January 2026.
2. "Spoken Latin in the Late Middle Ages and Renaissance". 2019-12-04. Retrieved 2025-12-05.
3. Eleanor Dickey (2016). Learning Latin the Ancient Way. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. p. 4. ISBN   978-1-107-09360-7.
4. Ball, Robert; Ellsworth, J. D. (1996). "The Emperor's New Clothes: Hyperreality and the Study of Latin". The Modern Language Journal. 80 (1): 77–84. doi:10.2307/329060. JSTOR   329060.
5. "Barbarisms at the Gate: An Analysis of Some Perils in Active Latin Pedagogy". 2016. Retrieved 2025-12-05.
6. "Manuale Scholarium – a guide to student life in 15th century Germany". Manuscripts and More: Special Collections & Archives at the University of Liverpool Library. 2021-09-28. Retrieved 14 January 2026.

External Links

• Colloquia Part I: Before the 16th century Contains a short, selected list of notable classical colloquies Archived 14 January 2026 at the Wayback Machine
• Colloquia Long list of links to classical colloquia at The Latinum Institute of Ancient and Modern Languages Archived 21 January 2025 at the Wayback Machine