latin 8 April 2008
I heard a jock on the radio in London today saying Mandarin is the language to learn these days – true, in as much as more people in the world speak that rather than any other language. He also thought Arabic would be a good one to study – again, a sound idea. But THEN he went on to say ‘and still they want to teach my kids Latin’. Well, here’s the thing I studied Latin and I found it wonderful and I object to it being slagged off (especially by someone that I strongly suspect never took it at school). Yes, I know it is a ‘dead’ language. However, that means it is a language that will never change too, and that has its recommendations. Latin is a totally logical language. There are rules (yes, a few exceptions too, but even they are prescribed). It is something you work out and there is a tremendous satisfaction in that. That rigour is always something to be enjoyed or admired. Also, I learned a lot about tenses and declensions from it (useful)…and have forgotten more than I ever grasped, I am sure. It was an enormous satisfaction of a thing. But here’s another thing – there are times when I am helped in other languages simply because I am reminded of a Latin word – even if it is not the root of that word (some modern ‘living’ languages are quite based on Latin, lots of others are not). Basically, it fostered a love of language in me and a relish of trying out new words and phrases (I hasten to say that I never spoke Latin and that would be a very difficult thing, too, as the verb is at the end so it’s like waiting with all the clues until the final clincher – great on paper but tough in speech). Anyhow, does everything we study HAVE to be of immediate use – surely it matters that we LEARN and grow somehow. I say, hang on to Latin. As well as studying your Mandarin and French and German and so on.
