Latin

Updated 04/07/2010. I have a dim view of how this langue has been abused and that is mainly pointed at the Roman/Catholic Church when they used Ecclesiastical Latin. Now the Latin langue itself is not bad and has been used throughout literature in times past. Seriously it serves almost 70% of the English langue we speak! However "Ecclesiastical Latin" leaves a bad taste in my mouth, as it was used to prohibit the reading and understanding of the Bible. Most would know this time period as the “dark ages” (middle ages.) and as you look into secular history you will find that the times were particularly bleak!!!!!! If you have every tried to learn Latin, you would have come across the same issue most had with it. It's not that easiest Langue to understand but with time and patience it can be done!!! It was primary used in the Latium and Ancient Roman times and spread throughout Europe. The Roman/Catholic church had most if not all translations of the bible circulated in Latin! Most peop... Read more

I think that future linguistic scholars will trace the demise of Latin as a spoken language to Cab Calloway.

It's an easy to learn language, but I didn't really like the sound of it. When you hear it being used in movies it may sound cool or give you an erudite feel to it, but it begins to sound a bit ridiculous when you have to put up with it daily for 6 years straight (and that's not by personal choice).

I took it for one semester. I was also taking Spanish, and so I dropped it and...I interrupt this review for something really stupid. A great drama could be made in which Eschew has to teach in a tough inner city school and by the end of the film, the students say " I wouldn't have made it if it wasn't for The Chew Dawg!"

Unfortunately my high school didn't teach Latin - only French and German were available, which was a real shame as I'd have loved to have learnt Latin instead of French (although amazingly you can see connections and similarities between a lot of European languages which helps!)

I have a close friend who's a linguist. She tells me that the popular notion that learning Latin helps with all romance languages is bunk. I was forced to sign up for Latin class, but I never bothered to study it, and so - as with algebra - flunked two first years. Lest anyone draw the conclusion that I'm a dunce (aside from my fan club who claim to be convinced), let me also reveal the fact that in every other subject I earned all A's.

This is one of the most fascinating languages I've learned. I am currently taking a class, and it is more difficult than I thought it would be. The "dead" language relies heavily on declensions, meaning that nouns, pronouns and even adjectives are modified to indicate number, the case (subject, object, etc.) and even gender.What I really like about this language is the sound of it and the flexibility in forming sentences. Subjects are usually stated first and the verb last. Each noun is attached to a certain declension group, so it must be memorized to form sentences correctly. This is the hardest aspect for me because I have never learned this kind of language before, which is similar to Russian's own declension system.Learning Latin seems useless to many because it's a dead language. But if one actually took the time to learn it, one would see how much of English words derive from Latin roots and thus, it's easier to learn new English words because many are of Latin origin. Lastly, L... Read more

it would be great if it wasnt a dead language...

DANTE!!!

I took Latin in the 9th grade, I loved it but I will say I don't remember any of it and it has NOT proved to be useful :-)

I think it should be back in high school.

don't know much in that subject.

well i am mexican! so i gotz to be good! lol

With respect, this is for the previous reviewer and anyone else that might benefit from the clarification. The study of the Latin language is not the study of Mexicans. It is the study of the language of the Romans. Mexicans, and other  groups from Latin American are called latino though I wonder where the connection comes from. Perhaps because of the Spanish - Mediterranean connection or from the early Roman conquest of Spain, then Spains conquest of the New World. Regardless the study of the latin language and latino studies are two completely different subjects.

I dunno..

Never took it but it always intrigued me.

dead language. why should you take it?

Once again, I took this class in college, not in high school.

its a dead language and its only use is for medicine

uh, what ivy league school are YOU going to?!

They quit offering Latin years before I got to high school. Too bad because so many languages stem from it.

Even if it's not spoken anymore, I can see it's value. But I don't think it's exactly a common high school class anymore.

It sucked, but then, being my home language of Latin origin, it was not such a difficult subject. I always had a good propensity to learn languages easily (at one time I was fluent in 5, only 3 of them remaining).

Latin grammar, and  ancient Greek,  should be taught as part of English to show where much of the English vocabulary comes from, but not as a subject in its own right as kids will often wonder 'why the f*** are we learning this?

For one year when I was in 7th grade I took Latin. The only memory I have of this class is the look of frustration on the teacher's face as he tried to get a group of 12 year old boys to pronouce  k-o-o-n-t  as  "coont."

It was the only foreign language class we had and I rather enjoyed it.

I was good at Latin though the grammar  and Caesar's damned Gallic war bored me to tears and I knitted sweaters under the table during the lessons. Later in life I hardly ever missed the quickly forgotten knowledge of its intricate syntax, the dreaded "sequence of tenses" and other bother of that kind.To know the vocabulary and its flexion was often  a great help for learning French and English, and for guessing or remembering what the terms of various professional jargons mean.I'm German and do not know how Latin is taught in America. As for our country I'd recommend to skip all this dull reading of Caesar, Cicero and Ovid and replace the subject "Latin" by something like "Classic vocabulary" to teach the words and flexions of Latin AND Greek, along with a mimimum of grammar. I could also imagine "International vocabulary" where the connections of Greek, Latin and modern languages are shown up.

Volumes have been written about the benefits of studying Latin. . .public schools aren't smart or gutsy enough to bring it back. . .

Good to study for a more thorough understanding of the "Romantic" languages,such as English,Italian or Spanish-all of which are derived from it.However,it is a "dead" language.Pretty important for Law Students,too!

I was flipping channels and tried watching a latin show and the language is too fast. The English equilivent would be: HeyJohnnyhowareyoushe'sfineandyouwellimfineandtheki dsaredoinggreatthanksdude!

So why exactly did everyone stop speaking it ???????? Dead , Dead and Dead

More Latins http://amigos.com/go/p35844c

Of course, you can learn the history of all our languages and where our words came from, but what will that serve you in today's world? I dunno, I've tried learning it once but it's very complicated. Another time, I heard some guy scream something in Latin in the middle of a parade (with a lot of people) and no one understood.

oldskool for its whole life!

While very difficult, Latin gives you many rewards. By learning latin, you have a MUCH easier time on the SAT's and despite what people say, it's not a dead language! Okay, granted not everyone goes around talking in Latin commonly but when you learn it you have a simpler time learning other languages that are used frequently.

Latin WAS a great language. Now it is dead. It's useful, but in the same was an old railroad tie is: You can make something else out of it.

basically latin is ancient italian. so if you like latin, you might like italian

I'm in high school, and I took an etymology class last year dealing with Latin and Greek derivatives. I used to dis the Latin kids for wanting to learn a dead language (before they fired the Latin teacher because they couldn't afford to pay him), but now I realize just how much Latin plays a part in the English language and how useful it is to have some knowledge of it. And it's very helpful in learning Esperanto, the wannabe international second-language, which I would recommend to everyone in the interest of world peace (What?). Or better communication, I don't know why.

Latin formed the basis of all romance languages (Spanish, French, and Italian). Latin was the lingua franca used among Western scholars for a thousand years. Only in the past 200 years has it been replaced by French and English. While English is not directly related to Latin, the language has added many Greek, Roman, and French words that have directly impacted it. Latin might not have a common use, but learning it really helps you learn new vocabulary, being that many English and other European languages have Latin roots. It should be taught more in schools, Latin is an effective way of learning phonics.

It may be dead but still has its uses. Great for history, science, and confusing the hell out of somebody else.

Of course we still speak it, where do most European languages derive from then? A fantastic scene in Monty Python's The Life of Brian sees a Roman gaurd (John Cleese) chastising Brian for his weak Latin and I couldn't put it better myself.

One of the best ways to improve one's writing, speaking and vocabulary is to take courses in Latin. I took two years of Latin in college and I noticed a massive improvement in my understanding of grammar and writing ability There was a reason why it was taught in schools for so many years after people stopped speaking it. Given many high school and college students' dismal performance in writing and grammar, it would be wise to bring Latin back to schools. This language will never be dead. All Romance languages are directly derived from it as are many words from our own language.

who cares? no one speaks it anymore.

R.I.P the world's last great language. No language ever will spawn any more word roots than Latin.

Although English is not a Romance (Latin derived) language, about 60% of our vocabulary is drawn from Latin -- so, a knowledge of Latin is provides a huge advantage in building one's English vocabulary.

I did not take Latin in high school and I regret it. I'm sure I'd have gone kicking and screaming into the class had I been forced to take it. However, taking this course - or at least one titled Greek and Latin Derivatives which was offered in my high school - would have been an extremely intelligent option. As dull as it might seem to the teenage mind, it is from this no longer spoken language that so many others were born. An understanding of the origination of words can quickly build a very slick vocabulary and can give you a tremendous ability to deal with almost all things verbal. Mastery of language is key to the progress of both the individual and society.

Well, it's a dead language, and the sentence structure is a little confusing at first (even frustratingly so), but many languages stem from latin, and you'll find your overall comprehension of the English language improved. Good, if you can stand it.

When selecting a language to learn, why would anyone want to pick a language that is dead and long gone?