Does Anybody Use Latin Anymore ?
Does Anybody Still Use Latin ?
A post along these lines popped into my head and circulated around the bean in the subconscious for a little while until it percolated into a thought.
Anybody who cannot understand Latin is a peasant !
Harsh but true I’m afraid cherished readers and sadly that also includes me - I too am an ignorant peasant.
Time was, if you weren’t landed gentry or a Knight, then you quite literally were a peasant if you didn’t understand the classical language, it was the preserve of those in religious orders, many in fact only joined to afford themselves the opportunity of knowledge and education.
Nowadays though people tell you it’s a ‘dead language’ - hogwash ! Or perhaps sus purgo
With Latin being the basis of so much in language it can provide a real background and understanding in the language we actually use every day. Add to that the proper pronunciation which can also help with spelling (when to use an A or an E in a word for example)
I don’t proscribe that everybody should be fluent of course but given that it provides such a background to language being wholly ignorant of it means we are ignorant of the basis of our own language.
Think of it like history. Whilst not everybody is hugely interested and well-versed in history most would agree that we should all have a basic grounding in at least the history of our own country - we should know the background to things in everyday life and what is more in use in everyday life than language ?
It is often suggested that words and language are dying out in this modern digital age but I would disagree.
The internet and social networking etc means the average young person is probably writing more now than ever before
Given that, it should follow that knowledge of language, words and all that they are so capable of beautifully conveying has never been more important in the daily lives of so many people.
I am interested in the theory I put forward of average everyday people writing more and also interested in how Latin has found its way into our everyday language in ways not realised by many
Vale Dicere
Rod
Donald ( South Australia ) said,
November 29, 2009 @ 1:01 pm
Bonum diem, Rodericus,
Difficile est tenere quae acceperis nisi exerceas !
And that’s the problem - even after five years of Latin at secondary school, it is difficult to string together a decent sentence without frequent practise.
“Latin is a language as dead as dead can be,
It killed the ancient Romans, and now it’s killin’ me.”
Such was our schoolboy complaint.
Seriously, I’ve never regretted spending the time learning Latin - it was a great help in later studies, and in understanding much of English. Of course, ancient Greek has a most important role as well.
You make an interesting point about people writing more; whether there is a corresponding increase in literacy, I’m not sure, but some sort of language evolution may be occurring!
Ah well, back to revising the declensions,
Bene vale,
Donald.
Rod said,
November 29, 2009 @ 3:27 pm
Donald,
excellent work - Latin is fast beoming the second language on this website
I take your point about literacy. Much is made of ‘text talk’ but from what I’ve seem the younger generation simply use both. School and college work done properly and txt and MSN the weird and wonderful spelling.
Language has ever evolved, arguably modern quality literary prose, when taken in general, is better now than it was100+ years ago.
A very interesting subject I think
Cave Canem
Rod
Amiguru said,
November 29, 2009 @ 3:40 pm
As Emperor Rodicus Magnus may have said: “Interdum feror cupidine partium magnarum europa vincendarum.” Where would we have been linguistically if he hadn’t? Probably speaking a mixture of Welsh and Danish
Now there’s a thought!
Lots of branches of human knowledge need Latin or at least some other universally agreed language and and as Latin is essentially ‘dead’ as a language of locus, there is no political bias to it. Medicine uses it all the time, as does chemistry, physics, botany, biology, geology, palaeontology et cetera, et cetera Doctors discuss your superior vena cava rather than having to say “the short fat vein that carries deoxygenated blood from the upper part of your body back into the right side of your heart.” Folk taxonomy just wouldn’t do, particularly when used in an international context, for instance if you said Oooh look, there’s a robin!” to an American, they would expect to see an entirely different bird, (Turdus migratorius), to that expected by an English person, (Erithacus rubecula). Of course there is always time for the name ‘robin’ in casual conversation or where it is accepted that all are on the same wavelength.
Then there are the aesthetics. Personally think it is a most graceful and elegant language. I am no Latin scholar but appreciate it and have been learning it, particularly for the purpose of translating historical documents, since the sixties.
Although I am an atheist I can appreciate the incantations of the Catholic church and keep among my music collection such works as The Te Deum; Ave Maria; Ave Verum; Adeste Fidelis etc.
Latin is not dead anyway. It is at the root of perhaps half of our English words and is still used in its pure form in words such as stadium; agenda; radius; omnibus; via; and so on.
I’d better stop ranting now but I feel quite strongly about this. I’m sure Rod expected a contribution on this thread from me in light of our recent investigations
Verba volant, littera scripta manet.
Vale,
le
N
chris keyworth said,
November 29, 2009 @ 5:32 pm
Donald do you live anywhere near Jerilderie ???
Rod said,
November 29, 2009 @ 7:35 pm
As Emperor Rodicus Magnus may have said: “Interdum feror cupidine partium magnarum europa vincendarum.”
I was thinking of saying just that Neville - the only thing that stopped me was my ignorance
As I mentioned in the OP I think some idea of Latin and the influence it has had on language in general is a useful tool - one in fact whose usefulness can only be gauged once one is aware of it - perhaps a catch-22 !
Personally think it is a most graceful and elegant language.
Bingo - likewise Neville which is why I wish it was part of my schooling - a good grounding - nothing impressive is ever built on poor foundations !
iure divino
Rod
Donald ( South Australia ) said,
November 29, 2009 @ 10:36 pm
Hi Chris, via (there it is again) Rod,
Nowhere near there, Chris, about 800 km away, I’m in the “South- East” of South Australia. Where a Scotsman sees his first kilt. Google : Robe, Beachport, Rivoli Bay, Mt Gambier. ( St Andrew’s Day has dawned here, too.
A blessing really, or else ‘we’ might have expected a visit from the Irish criminal Ned Kelly around 1880
when he was relieving the Jerilderie bank of its savings.
Cheers,
Donald.
chris keyworth said,
November 29, 2009 @ 11:04 pm
I only asked as that is where our true king lives, King Michael the fIrst of England as we speak our Valiant Host is Prepairing the follow up to this coment ready for posting, it will make an interesting read, watch this space….
regards
chris
Donald ( South Australia ) said,
November 29, 2009 @ 11:54 pm
Chris, do you mean the Platagenet? I know of him.
Donald.
chris keyworth said,
November 30, 2009 @ 12:06 am
yes thats the one mike abney-hastings..
Amiguru said,
December 17, 2009 @ 6:04 pm
Good news Rod!
The king has decreed that all Grimbarians should be versed in the Lingua Latina
10 Oct. 5 Edw. VI. [1550], in favour of the Corporation, for a schoolmaster
to teach grammar and the Latin tongue at Grimsby.
A deed in the town’s repository.
N
le
Rod said,
December 17, 2009 @ 7:12 pm
Neville,
that’s a gem - there could no be a very good argument for saying if that was not officially repealed then it is still valid.
I feel another campaign coming on !
Well played sir ! Take 10 man points !
Best
Rod