Adventage of knowing Latin?

Latin Learning Latin
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Well I am the one who interested in learning Latin. but the question is what is the adventage of knowing and learning Latin. Because I think Latin is the dead language which is the root of romance languages and is used only in The holy see right?

So, it is right that some says that we just learn in vain? There’s nothing but only know the root of the romance languages or just because we wanna learn it?

Well eventhough it’s right , I still wanna learn it. But still hope that there would be advantage of knowing it , such as I could continue my Latin higher or any field of work which use it .

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Hooo boy are you going to get some good replies to this.

Here’s a few benefits I see (undoubtedly there are countless others)

  1. As you said, romance languages are based on Latin. English has many words derived from Latin. So, if you’re at all interested in these languages, Latin will help you out. It’s also used a lot in medicine and law.
    I know learning Latin has taught me lots about grammar in general–learning terms and usages you don’t use or think about in your native language.

  2. It is excellent mental excercise, teaching you patience, determination, and precision. The discipline needed to learn Latin will certainly be an advantage in any profession you might choose.

  3. Once you get a decent grasp of Latin, a world of literature is open to you. (Latin was used fairly commonly through the Middle Ages–that’s thousands and thousands of years of text!) I myself am especially looking forward to someday being able to read Virgil.

  4. You’re bound to absorb some knowledge of Roman culture, which is fascinating to say the least.

Really, why not learn Latin?

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Hi mongkonmode.

I would like to share some personal experiences in learning Greek to answer your question about the value in learning Latin. Though I am quite a novice at Latin, I feel confident that the benefits I received from Greek will equally apply to the student of Latin.

First, I finally learned the rules of English grammar by studying Greek. What I did not learn in my 12 years of the public school system, I finally learned by the end of my first year studying New Testament Greek. Consequently it made me a much better writer, and I was well prepared to enter graduate school after college.

Secondly, by forcing my mind to search the details in a Greek text, I learned how to think critically at a much more precise ability than I could before I learned Greek. I find that I can learn how to do things without the aid of an instructor to train me (at work, in math, music, etc.). Critical thinking is largely neglected in public schools–I learned it by experience in parsing verbs, syntax, morphology, etc.

Finally, after I learned Greek, I was self-taught in Hebrew and am learning Latin self-taught. By forcing myself to learn my first classical language, I gained the ability to learn other languages with great ease.

It is for these reasons that I believe there is much value in learning Latin (to say nothing of reading great literature!) and the liberal arts in general. I hope this helps you consider the benefits you will gain.

Keep up the good work! :stuck_out_tongue:

-Talmid

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My understanding is that the Vatican now prefers translation into the principal modern European languages, although it does still maintain communication in Latin. So we no longer have that reason.

On the other hand, a dead language does not grow, and a quick look at Nuntii latini, Radio Bremen, or Ephemeris will show that Latin can communication current events. But while Latin may not strictly be dead, such current literature as it has is not usually of great importance.

Latin will help you understand the roots of the Romance languages, and perhaps learning them will be easier if one has command of Latin first. But learning Latin is not a substitute for learning French, Italian, Spanish, etc. Latin is not a short cut to them.

Latin will make you a better speller of words, especially the traditional technical vocabulary of the sciences and humanities. Still, it is a high price to pay for being the only person to spell “pusillanimous” correctly on an empolyment exam.

For every reason you can think of for learning Latin, I can find an objection, limitation, or difficulty. That’s not the point. We do not learn Latin to visit the Vatican, read the current news, help us learn other languages, or improve our spelling, and we certainly don’t learn it to attract single ladies. (I’m living proof of the last.)

I learned Latin (and Greek) because the Jesuits to whom my education was entrusted for a brief time were much wiser than I. And when I went to college, I became one of the rare people who actually needed to know Latin. I was not a classicist, I was a musician, and my specialty was Renaissance music. Not a week went by when I did not have to read Latin to obtain information available in no other way.

But just because I needed Latin doesn’t mean everyone does. Or do they?

Why do we learn geometry and algebra? Why do we learn history? Why do we study literature? We study those things for the same reason we should study Latin: because we are human, and that’s what human beings do. If you don’t know algebra and geometry, you cannot think scientifically, a severe limitation to a modern person. If you don’t study hsitory, in the words of historian Howard Zinn, it is as if you were born yesterday. And if you don’t study literature, how can you know what other people have thought and felt?

We study Latin because of what has been written in it. Latin is a principal vehicle in which the thoughts and values of Western culture have been communicated. It is the only language other than Greek which spans ancient, medieval, and modern periods.

I still wanna learn it. But still hope that there would be advantage of knowing it , such as I could continue my Latin higher or any field of work which use it .

Depends on what kind of advantage you’re looking for. Latin won’t help pump gas into your car, nor will it generally give you a bigger paycheck, but when you get home from work, your free time will be better spent with Latin than watching TV.

Kerastes
who does enjoy reading Vergil in the original – there is no substitute

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We study Latin because of what has been written in it. Latin is a principal vehicle in which the thoughts and values of Western culture have been communicated. It is the only language other than Greek which spans ancient, medieval, and modern periods.

I could not agree more! There has been a tendancy over the last 30 years or so to “price tag” everything - so if you can’t make money out of it then don’t bother. Everything, including knowledge, has to have a “bottom line”. Well. if you really want to live in a soul-less society, devoid of art, literature, music then let’s all study investment banking. To me the best part of being human is being able to study things for their own sake, for curiousity, for love of beauty.

Humans learnt to build by building temples, not office blocks, in our own times they learnt about computers and how to make them smaller by trying to reach the stars. You could no doubt think of many more examples - sometimes it is that “useless” knowledge which proves to be the most “useful”.

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Amen, Carola :wink:

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Up until the 20th Century every English author was taught Latin at school.If they did not refer directly to the classics in their novels or poetry then you can see similar plots and allusions in countless works.In helping to understand how English literature developed, learning Latin is very beneficial One of the great joys for me of reading Ovid has been to see just how much Shakespeare knew of him. Where else but Ovid would he have derived the legend of Pyramus & Thisbe in Midsummer Nights Dream (I won’t get embroiled in the Shakespeare/Marlowe debate here though)
But if you are thinking of advantage, forget it..There is no advantage in listening to music or enjoying theatre but just like these, knowing and understanding Latin is a direct pleasure in itself, bought at little cost, and that needs no justification.

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I don’t know about ‘use’, but I’m learning latin for interest. A Hobby, perhaps.
For me, Latin is a sign of good education, and I’ve always resented not having had the chance to learn it at school(we could learn Japanese, French, or Maori, nothing as intellectual/interesting as Latin or Greek). I’m interested in History, and the root of Romance languages, of which Latin is a base.

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I wish you luck, Celtica! I highly recommend this:

http://www.lingua-latina.dk/

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Thanks for the link Lucus Eques, I’m having a look now. It seems a good way to learn. Looking at one of the sample pages, I can fairly accurately get the gist of what is written without any pain despite knowing very little latin at this stage. Wonder if I can get hold of it where I am(NewZealand) as I’ve been jumping through hoops trying to simply get hold of a latin dictionary(with no success, although I do have a software one on the computer).

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You are very welcome, Celtica. Lingua Latina is amazing, though; I will happily tell you anything about it if you wish; it’s how I learned Latin. You can order the book online; I’m sure you can get it delivered to you (and a Latin dictionary) even in Australia.

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Celtica,

If you are going to order Lingua Latina, I strongly suggest you order it directly from the site Lucus mentioned.

I have ordered it from Amazon and so far the order has been delayed 7 times. :frowning:

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Indeed, Amazon sucks anymore. I recommend you cancel your order, Leonine, and try directly through the publisher; comes real fast.

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I order books through Amazon to be shipped to Australia and I was really impressed by the service. Everything gets here quickly and they are a lot cheaper and faster than ordering through any Australian books stores (who charge ridiculous prices and have a service that makes glacial movement look speedy). I order books several times a year and have never had a problem.

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I’d have to disagree - though Amazon is generally good for most books, Lingua Latina is best ordered through the publisher. I ordered from Amazon and after two weeks of delays, I cancelled my order, put a new one through the publisher, and got them within a week (maybe it was 10 days cuz I’m in Canada, but in any case, much faster). Amazon isn’t at its usual speed with Lingua - I’ve heard of this done to others and had it done to myself.

My advice, go with what Lucus says, order through the publisher. However you decide to get it, though, you won’t be disappointed when its actually in your hands.

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Yes, that is really strange as some of the books I have ordered were “print on demand”, and they still got here in about 2 weeks (and that would include several days sitting around in planes and customs). Maybe they have more efficient staff in their overseas orders department!

The large bookshops in Australia are mostly dreadful - they will all end up going out of business when faced with the service of the overseas sellers. Even if the book is being held in a warehouse in, say, Sydney it can take 3 weeks to get it to Adelaide (about 1500 km away). I can order a book from USA or UK and have it here in a week!