This “direct” or “natural” method was developed c. 1900 as an alternative to the grammar-translation approach. It enjoyed considerable popularity until c. 1930, especially in U.K. public schools (the equivalent of US private schools). A well-known example of a textbook that employs this approach is Rouse’s Greek Boy.

Starting in the 30s, the “direct” or “natural” method faded into obscurity until 1955 with the publication of Orberg’s Lingua Latina and the advent of the so-called reading approach a few decades later.

The focus of the “direct” or “natural” method is on pronunciation and communication. Classes taught using this method typically feature little or no grammatical analysis and few translation exercises. Not insignificantly, in contrast to the reading approach there is little to no scaffolding.

All lessons are taught in Latin or ancient Greek, and visual aids are frequently employed to introduce vocabulary. The “direct” or “natural” method is predicated upon the assumption that students learn best when speaking and listening to the languages they are trying to learn.

A benefit of this approach is that students may find it more engaging than the grammar-translation method, and it avoids approaching ancient Greek and Latin texts as codes to be cracked. However, it necessitates inventing words and grammatical constructions unattested in extant ancient Greek and Latin texts. Consequently, if the goal of learning Latin and ancient Greek is to read texts written in those languages, this method may not be the most effective. It is better suited to teaching students how to communicate with one another.

Further Reading

An early and influential textbook that employs the direct method is Rouse ([1909] 2010), which features a selection of passages in Greek. Each passage typically builds on the last, and new vocabulary is explained in Greek. Rouse’s methodology is explained in Rouse and Appleton (1925) and Rouse  ([1950] 1967). Stray (2003) places Rouse’s contributions in their historical context. Orberg ([1955] 2011), another textbook that employs the direct method, is still widely used today.

-Ørberg, H. ([1955] 2011). Lingua Latina Per Se Illustrata. Familia Romana. London: Hackett Publishing.

-Stray, C. (2003). The Living Word. W.H.D. Rouse and the Crisis of Classics in Edwardian England. London: Bristol Classical Press.

-Rouse, W. and R. Appleton (1925). Latin on the Direct Method. London: University of London Press.

-Rouse, W. ([1909] 2010). Rouse’s Greek Boy: A Reader. Newburyport, MA: Focus Publishing.

-Rouse, W. ([1950] 1967). What’s the Use of Latin? Latin Teaching, 32 (4): 188-93.

—Talia Boylan