300th Anniversary of Friar Toma Babić`s Grammar

"Prima grammaticae institutio pro tyronibus illvricis accommodata“ by friar Toma Babic is a textbook of the Latin grammar in Croatian language with Croatian-Latin dictionary for beginners in learning Latin language. The first edition of Babic’s Grammar was printed in Venice in 1712 and the second in 1745.
Friar Toma Babic (born around 1680 – died in 1750) was Croatian Franciscan, teacher, writer, builder and benefactor. As a little boy he finished in Visovac, an island in the same lake in the area of the Krka National Park (Croatia), his elementary and humanist education at the monastery school and entered the novitiate. He was ordained for priest in 1707 and the next year he was elected for monastery vicar in Visovac where Franciscans Province of the Most Holy Redeemer came in 1440. He held various positions in the Province (seminary lecturer, Guardian, Vicar General, pastor, definitor of the Province).
Friar Toma Babic’s Grammar is significant in study and construction of the Croatian language and its standardization. It covers mainly morphology; its dialect stylization is stokavian namely ikavian. The basic grammatical concepts are interpreted in the form of conversation between teacher (magister) and students (discipulus), declensions and conjugations are explained and there are examples for practice. Grammar also includes a small theme designed Croatian-Latin dictionary.