Benefits of learning Latin?

[jyork89]

There is no benefit. I entered law school hoping I would be able to use Latin left right and center. The first time I used it I was told to cut back on the Latin because it made me sound like an arrogant git The only Latin we use here is the regarding the names of certain principles of or doctrines, but never long Latin phrases. Like a doctor. Actus non facit reum nisi mens sit rea and all that jazz.

 

[Yopaz]

Romantic languages such as english, french, german, and spanish are based from latin therefore learning latin will make it much more easy to learn the other languages. Also, if you find any really old texts in latin, you could read them. It's a dead language in the sense that people don't speak it, but the history is still there waiting to be uncovered.

Actually it's dead because there's no changes in grammar or words. It's still spoken by the Pope and the gang at the Vatican.

Latin is VERY useful for biologists and historians. It's a dead language so you know nothing will change. vulpes vulpes still means the same now as it did before, and anyone can find out what it is without too much trouble (though some will already know).

 

[Knusper]

You can go to the warm springs in Bath, England and be able to read all the inscriptions, that's what a friend of mine could do.

 

[Dimitriov]

I have not yet taken any Latin, but I intend to in my second year at university. My reasons for taking it may not apply to you, however.

My primary areas of interest and study are Language, History (especially Ancient, Classical, and Medieval) and Religion. So my reasons for taking it should be apparent. I only wish I had had the opportunity to take some Latin in Highschool (although I would say I have a decent, basic, understanding for someone who hasn't actually studied it yet).

Also I am considering going into Law after getting my B.A., so, again, that would make Latin relevant.


Do any of these reasons apply to you?

 

[thevillageidiot13]

If you want to go into law or medicine, a lot of the terminology has Greco-Roman roots. So, you'll have a far more palpable understanding of the jargon in your profession than many of your peers.

Or, if, like some people in my field of History, you wish to study Western civilization during a pre-1500s time period, and you're hoping to go beyond the basics and get an advanced degree in the subject matter (either a Master's or a doctorate), then you'll definitely be required to have a working knowledge of Latin in order to do primary-source research (i.e.: reading documents and journals written from that period). You could argue that Latin was a relevant language well into the 1500s, so... If you have any super-serious interests in Western history up until 1650-ish, Latin will almost certainly be an important part of the rest of your education.

Also, as others said, it's nice to know the language that served as the foundation for French, Italian, and Spanish (as well as a fair amount of English).

 

[Mouse One]

I took four years of it in High School. Reading the Aeneid and Caesar's Gallic Wars in the original was cool, but honestly, after a decade, I can barely say "Salvete" (as an aside, go easy on the guy who said "awe", in Classical Latin, the v is pronounced as w). Later in life, I went back and learned un peu francais on my own, but I kinda wish I'd learned it at a younger age. Maybe my accent wouldn't be so over the top.

But knowledge is never a bad thing, imho. I aced my SATs back in the day. Did Latin help with all those words? Maybe. Or maybe only bookish geeks study Latin. Correlation and causations, all that.

 

[thevillageidiot13]

If you find an old latin text, you can easily find a translator.

So, you're saying that, if you don't know Latin, then find somebody who *does* know, and you're all-set? That's like saying "Don't learn how to read English, because you can just find friends who can read for you." SOMEBODY, at SOME POINT, has to put in the time and the effort to actually sit down and learn the damn language.

Unless you're referring to electronic translators. But anybody who's studied foreign languages and likes the internet has tried those, and they don't really work all that well. Also, even if they *were* dependable, they'd still have to be programmed by somebody who knows Latin.

 

[dragdev]

Oh I only took Latin once but that was probably because I was interested in Roman history I can still remember the Cambridge Latin courses Caecilius est dormientis Mattela.

 

[skeliton112]

There are no benefits - except now I can swear incoherently at people in Latin.

Pestis! Furcifer! Tu est canis! Ego est et tu mater.

What did you say about my mother?!??!!

OT: No really practical uses other than pulling pretentious chicks

 

[M920CAIN]

Romantic languages such as english, french, german, and spanish are based from latin therefore learning latin will make it much more easy to learn the other languages. Also, if you find any really old texts in latin, you could read them. It's a dead language in the sense that people don't speak it, but the history is still there waiting to be uncovered.

No. The Romance languages are Spanish, French, Italian, Portuguese, and Romanian. German is a Germanic language, which is why they call it German. English is Germanic, too.

While most languages in the world do have some sort of influence from Latin (however minor), the only places it's particularly prevalent are in the five Romance languages. If you know Latin, you shouldn't have any trouble communicating with people of those tongues.

This is a lie. If you talk latin to me or anyone I know, we will look at you with question marks over our heads. I'm Romanian. Also not true for languages such as Spanish or French. Latin & Italian are the closest you'll get in terms of recognition & resemblance.

 

[ultimateownage]

It helps you learn western languages easier and you can be pretentious.

 

[Supertegwyn]

I don't know about any practical applications, but using it makes you sound like a total smart arse. You decide if that's a good thing.

 

[RemuValtrez]

Outside of the fact that it can give you a base knowledge of other languages, which has been said a few times already, I think it's just freaking cool to know! Not the best reason to take it as a class, but I've always wanted to learn Latin myself. Also, it'll make it easy to come up with great mottos ;P

 

[Davey Woo]

You get to sound like a Space Marine all the time, but other than that, Latin doesn't have much of a practical use any more.

 

[LordFisheh]

Is intellectual curiosity not a good enough reason to study something? It seems everything has to make a profit these days or it's 'irrelevant'. Even subjects with massive practical application like chemistry still get the 'is this going to get me a job? I'm not going to carry it on anyway...'. I think as motivations go, preserving knowledge is on par with the others. Latin also has the advantage that it's insanely useful in the study of ancient civilisations, but then again, who cares about them? You can't sell Romans.

 

[Nikokvaj]

I've been in Latin at my high school for three years. Mostly I've only stayed because I enjoy the class and learning all of the history (we spend much more time on that than the actual language) and because French and Spanish look really boring. I was just wondering what real world applications it had, since whenever I tell people I'm in it the first thing they always ask is "Well why? It's a dead language."

French and Spanish are completely rooted in Latin while German and English are partially rooted in Latin, as such, knowing the basics of the Latin language makes it a lot easier to learn any of those four.

 

[GundamSentinel]

When you're learning a language that has roots in Latin (French, Italian, Spanish, you name it) it can be useful in understanding a lot of words and where they come from. Hell, even in my native language (Dutch) there are a lot of words with Latin roots (Ancient Greek as well, by the way), so I've had a lot of use from learning the dead languages. It improved my feeling for language in general too.

My sister had even more use from it when studying veterinary medicine. Knowing what the Latin terms mean can be very useful.

 

[Aetera]

It's a HUGE help with vocabulary for most languages. So many words in our language are derivatives of Latin roots that it's insane. I hardly ever had to study any of the vocab. I could tell the meaning of the words by the root. I only had to spend time learning the prepositions. OH MY GOD the prepositions.

It works both ways; you can recognize Latin words by their multiple English derivatives, and you can guess at the meaning of complicated, unfamiliar English words by recognizing the Latin word it's derived from.

Learning Latin is also a huge help if you're going into the science, medicine, or law fields. History, too. You can do your own translations! Oh, also, if you take Latin for your foreign language requirement, you have the added bonus of not having any vocal part of class. Other languages make you write and memorize speeches and stuff for class. Not Latin! It's awesome.

<-Roman history nerd that has been studying Latin for years.

Oh, also, you can seem smarter than you really are by busting out an awesome-sounding Latin quote. xD
My favorite: "Nullum magnum ingenium sine mixtura dementiae fuit."

 

[Odysseous2]

Romantic languages such as english, french, german, and spanish are based from latin therefore learning latin will make it much more easy to learn the other languages. Also, if you find any really old texts in latin, you could read them. It's a dead language in the sense that people don't speak it, but the history is still there waiting to be uncovered.

No. The Romance languages are Spanish, French, Italian, Portuguese, and Romanian. German is a Germanic language, which is why they call it German. English is Germanic, too.

While most languages in the world do have some sort of influence from Latin (however minor), the only places it's particularly prevalent are in the five Romance languages. If you know Latin, you shouldn't have any trouble communicating with people of those tongues.

This is a lie. If you talk latin to me or anyone I know, we will look at you with question marks over our heads. I'm Romanian. Also not true for languages such as Spanish or French. Latin & Italian are the closest you'll get in terms of recognition & resemblance.

I speak fluent Spanish and study Latin in school. 4 out of every 5 words, terms, or phrases that I learn in Latin have derivatives in Spanish, and they would all be understood if someone spoke them to me. A friend of mine speaks French, and that language is very similar to Spanish. He can speak French to me while I speak Spanish to him, and we'll still get a basic understanding of what the other is saying. So, I bet the Latin recognition is the same in French as well.

The fact of the matter is, Latin isn't learnt to be spoken. It's learnt to help one understand the languages that have formed from it. And it works. I've tried speaking Spanish to my fellow Latin students, and they can understand most of what I'm saying, and can respond appropriately using Latin-rooted words. So no, this is not a lie. Latin will make it far simpler to communicate with people of the Romance languages.

 

[thylasos]

I find the process of learning languages enjoyable in and of itself, but it also helped me with French, Spanish, and Italian; not an enormous amount, admittedly, but it's certainly useful, in those terms. Hell, there's enough Latin-influence in English to help out with complex terms, too.

While yes, if you want to learn French/Spanish/Italian/other romance languages, it's simpler just to learn the language rather than trying to learn latin first, I'm just saying that Latin is handy.

Also: The term is ROMANCE languages. Not 'romantic' or 'latin' languages, and English and German are, somewhat unsurprisingly, Germanic, not Romance lanugages.