Is there a point to studying Latin?

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Lem0nade Inlay

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Where I live, Latin gets marked up in your End-of-High-School exams by 16 points.

The most out of any subject, so that's a benefit.

Plus it helps you learn the English language, and other languages better. Different forms of verbs, adjectives, object, subject, indirect object, deponenet, etc..
 

Subbies

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Dec 11, 2010
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Latin helped me a lot in learning German cause both languages have a similar grammar and latin is fairly easy to learn (at least the basics are). So it's a great way to learn a language. Most European languages have some form of latin in it, be it vocabulary or grammar.
 

MisterM2402

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Nov 19, 2009
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Dulcinea said:
MisterM2402 said:
But for the Latin taxonomical terms (I think that's the name of the whole "species-naming" field, anyway), why would you need to learn all the other words? Why would you need to learn grammar structures and the other 90% of words if all you need to know is stuff like Homo Sapiens?

As for Latin phrases used in English, the same applies: if those phrases are such a big part of the English language, they're in common use and you already know them, why would you need to learn everything else? Stuff like ergo and quid pro quo, I'm wildly estimating, make up around 0.00001% of everything it's ever possible to say in Latin - doesn't really seem enough to learn a whole language, no?
One could say the same for English; why learn lots of words if all you need is basic English?

You could try going to Harvard and telling them to stop wasting their time translating texts. But I don't think they'd feel you on it. Something about wanting to learn more about our history and evolution as a social species.
Well exactly; if you only need basic English, only learn basic English. Most people, however, need more than just basic English. Besides, it's one of, if not the, most useful language on the planet; English mastery > Latin mastery.

Harvard can translate all they want, I'm not saying they should stop at all. Studying history is unimaginably useful for modern society, and if that takes Latin, so be it. I never argued against it.
 

Custard_Angel

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Aug 6, 2009
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Dulcinea said:
Custard_Angel said:
Yeah no...

It's a dead language. It is not useful at all.
What of the hundreds of millions of Latin names and phrases used to describe the countless animal species and geneses that exist on this planet? What of the Latin words that are directly used in English with no alteration whatsoever? The ability to discover and trace the roots of cultures and their progression through their development of languages that either grew from or consisted of Latin? Or the ability to translate text that is still being uncovered from time long since past and to learn more and more of our past?

No use, eh?
We use Latin words... Not Latin language...

Nobody is building on the Latin language... We aren't adding new Latin words to the commonplace lexicon with any haste.

What is the point in studying the subtle nuances in Latin grammar when the only people who understand it (or indeed, give the slightest shit) are other people who studied it?

It's like cursive script. It isn't useful and only adds confusion when you encounter someone who isn't familiar with it.

But you go on with your linguistic fetishism.

I'll just be over here speaking, reading and writing a language that people understand.
 

Custard_Angel

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Dulcinea said:
Custard_Angel said:
I'll just be over here speaking, reading and writing a language that people understand.
People don't understand Latin? Oh no! Someone tell all those people translating text they don't actually know what they are doing!

On a serious note: should everyone stop learning English? After all, Mandarin is the most spoken language. What about French? German? Portuguese? Yes, people still speak those... just like there is a group of people talking in Latin right now, no doubt.

You not using a language does not equate to it being useless. I sure as hell will never need Japanese, either.
Ahem...

I didn't mean nobody understands it, I mean if you attempted to actually communicate in Latin you will have a really hard time doing it. French, German, Portuguese, Mandarin, Russian, Swedish, Spanish, Dutch etc. are all valid languages because people actually use them.

Actually... Fuck it.

There's no way to settle this. You obviously have a hard on for linguistics and I couldn't give a shit.

It's like attempting to convince a philosopher that only people who study philosophy have a use for philosophy... They'll never believe you.
 

trouble_gum

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May 8, 2011
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Knife said:
Can you summon dark elder gods by chanting in any of those languages : Mandarin, Spanish, Russian, Arabic? No? Didn't think so.

Now chanting in Latin...
Given that the Necronomicon was written by The Mad Arab Abd-Al Hazrad, you certainly can summons dark elder gods by chanting in Arabic.

Damnit. My pedantry has already been supplied. That'll teach me to read the whole thread before poasting.
 

Beliyal

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Jun 7, 2010
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If it had no point, would we still be using it and learning it 2000 years later? Sure, to most people, it's just an annoying subject in school, but Latin (and pretty much half of the ancient Roman culture) is the basis of the western world. Knowing the basics of Latin will greatly improve the chances to learn some other languages and it is always good to be educated. I had Latin in high school (for two years) and learning Latin helped me with some English (and vice versa). I won't even go into explaining how much would it help for Italian, Spanish, French and even Germanic languages. Maybe it doesn't really help directly, but to me, it was a pretty good combo.

I now have Latin in college because I study archaeology. Without Latin, you literally can't be an archaeologist, and it extends to many other professions (history, medicine, law, biology, all of linguistics, etc. (<- speaking of Latin, there's a syntagm we almost use every day)). Personally, I love it and I even use Facebook in Latin. However, pushy parents are another pair of socks and Latin is really not the point then, isn't it? If you're pushed into anything, you'll think it's redundant. Or if you just don't have a preference for it. I know I felt like half of math we learnt in school is seriously completely redundant and pointless, but that's just my lack of interest and understanding of it.
 

Gladiateher

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Mar 14, 2011
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gideonkain said:
Gladiateher said:
Ever since 1952 when Cornelius Pantzrocket first though of having one language for all citizens of the world people have argued that they shouldn't have to learn a new language "you can learn my language" they always say. Latin was invented because the only way for us all to have the same language was to make up a new one so EVERYONE had to learn a new language and thus couldn't argue their way out of it. It didn't take however because of a little historical event you may have heard of called World War One which made everyone on Earth, especially those on the internet into racists who don't want to talk to eachother.
Um, I think your talking about Esperanto(sp?) not Latin, a several thousand year old language.
Actually i'm just making shut up