“Why would you take Latin? It’s a dead language, what a waste of time.” Most students scoff at the idea of signing up for Latin in school when there are plenty of more popular languages that are, well, alive. The negativity surrounding this language needs to be dispelled since there are numerous benefits to fitting Latin into your schedule. Here are three reasons why you should take Latin:
1. Latin is the language of science, law and Western civilization.
Latin words such as “quid pro quo” and “ergo” are used constantly in the English language. In fact, using Latin has an air of confidence and grandeur that most people crave. Not only does this “dead” language appear in everyday conversation, it can also be found in fields like science and law. The periodic table is a fantastic example of finding Latin in science. The elements gold and silver are known as Au and Ag, respectively. In Latin, gold and silver are Aurum and Argentum. Studying Latin would allow students to be a step ahead in chemistry and would heighten their vocabulary above average high school levels.
2. Want to learn another language? Latin is your best bet.
The Romance languages, as most of you may know, come from Rome, where Latin was most prevalent. The seven Romance languages (Spanish, Portuguese, French, Italian and Romanian) all evolved from Latin. If you have the basics of Latin down, you will have a solid foundation to learn many other foreign languages. For example, “bon voyage” (French), “buon viaggio” (Italian), and “buen viaje” (Spanish) all mean “have a good journey.” They all look and sound rather similar because of their Latin roots. “Good” in Latin is “bene,” while “journey” is “via”.
3. Hard vocabulary? Check for Latin roots.
The English language is riddled with Latin words and roots. This proves especially helpful when studying for the SAT or ACT when your vocabulary skills are tested. If I didn’t know what “perambulate” meant, I would use my Latin knowledge to break this word down to the roots: “per” (through) and “ambulare” (to walk). My most educated guess would be that perambulate means to walk through something, which is how that word is actually defined.
Other reasons to take this dead language include being able to translate university/college mottos and training your mind to think critically with attention to detail (sticking the incorrect ending on a verb can change the whole meaning of the phrase). It also helps college applicants stand out from the rest of common Spanish and French speakers. Latin lives on in the classic words of Caesar, in mottos, and in French, just to name a few. It isn’t dead. It’s immortal.
