Is it possible today to speak conversational Latin as the Romans originally did?

Question

I know there are many scholars who can read Latin and use the language for that purpose, but I don't know anyone who can actually converse. Can students who study Latin, for example, communicate in Latin about everyday matters like their peers who study, say, German or Spanish can? Or is Latin today, since it is a dead language, mostly a reference language used for research, and we do not have enough information to reconstruct it for speaking purposes? I am thinking about pronunciation, but also vocabulary, grammar, sentence construction, accent and intonation, rhythm... Can a scholar who studied seriuosly Latin for many years be confident, that if he/she could go somehow back in the past, will be able to easily communicate with the citizens of that time and mutually understand each other? I know Latin evolved and changed a lot through the ages, and I am asking this in general terms, but I would be particularly interested in our knowledge of Latin as spoken by Gaius Julius Ceasar.

Answer 1

It would be possible to get by, but we would sound like complete foreigners to native speakers. Latin is usually not spoken in classes the way modern languages are, although I know of cases where it has been used to converse by various priests (such as at a seminary) as it was their only common language. But a spoken language is different than a written one - in English, we write a certain way and speak in another (we say 'gonna' and write 'going to'). We say rider but will use equestrian in written language. There are Latin authors who did use the slang/vulgar Latin of the period, but the majority of the works that survive were written to be formal Latin. There are letters of Cicero that have survived, and the informal usage of the language is definitely a lot different than what you typically see (not bad language, but the grammatical forms). The vocabulary is a lot more basic and a lot of common, little words (like am, is) are left out, as they are simply understood to be there.

They are fairly cartain of the pronunciation, as they have several sources to compare with. Latin inscriptions - especially (phonetically) misspelled ones - are very informative. Also, the way Latin was transliterated into other languages, primarily Greek, has helped determine how certain words were pronounced. Latin grammar is very comprehensive, as every student of Latin knows, but with all the Latin writings that we have to study it is well understood. The common vocabulary would be difficult, as people tend to write in more formal language. But we could definitely make ourselves understood, whereas it would be harder to understand a native speaker (their greater grasp of vocabulary alone would make it difficult, not to mention all the local variations and slang usage languages tend to have). Here on the West Coast of America, we call Coca-Cola and Pepsi pop. I was in a restaurant in the Boston area about 17 years ago and asked what kind of pop they had. The waitress was clueless - apparently they only call it soda on the East Coast. Another waitress knew what I meant, but asked me where I was from. Just look at the variations between British English and American English. If this can happen today, then just imagine what it would be like going back in time 2000 years to converse with Caesar. It definitely would be interesting!

Answer 2

It certainly would be possible. The reason though that Latin was chosen for Science and Medicine is that while the entire language is well known and documented and the basis for most European languages, it is no longer used. Therefore it doesn't change with time as other languages do. No "modern slang" in latin, etc. Just think of the "slang terms" in English from the 60's like Groovy, that are no longer in widespread use today. Latin is used because it is no longer used as communication between people everyday. What is written in Latin 500 years ago is just as readable and understandable today as it was back then. And unless some country decides to take it upon themselves to "resurrect" it will be the same 500 years from now. To sum your answer though, is certainly possible to converse in Latin as all the aspect of the language are well known and you can even find Latin dictionaries to go by.

Answer 3

Until less than 50 years ago, Latin was used as a spoken language in Christian religious ceremonies throughout Europe.The priests spoke in Latin and everybody understood them. It was - and still is - also used by lawyers and judges in trials. So, calling it a "dead language" could be a bit premature. Of course, some of it's phonetic roots have been lost. However, there are many languages, like Portuguese, Spanish, Italian, French, Romanian that originated from Latin and preserve many of it's original pronunciations. Romanian is considered to be the most similar to Latin in phonetic terms...

Answer 4

Catholic priest who gather in Rome do it every day of the week.
It is the only language they all have in common, and the Vatican updates the dictionary every so often, although it is a Latin - Italian dictionary.

So if they can do it, everybody else could as well if they wanted to. I'm certain they do not sound like the ancient Romans, but that's not necessary, is it?
The nice thing about a dead language is that there are no native speakers about to complain about your accent.

Answer 5

Alas, not even many Catholic priests can speak Latin with ease today.

However, there is one priest, Rev. Reginald Foster, who teaches a class in conversational Latin free to all who come. Trouble is, he's in Rome, so you need lots of money in the first place.

You can learn about his classes at http://www.frcoulter.com/latin

He's the Vatican's official Latinist, I believe.

The University of Kentucky also has a spoken Latin program. It is at http://www.uky.edu/AS/Classics/aestivumeng.html

Answer 6

No. Not only do we have no record of the pronunciation of Latin, but we have no record of any conversational Latin.

The poster below me is incorrect. We understand the form of Latin, and can translate it, but know nothing of conversational Latin, and could not hold an authentic conversation in Latin.

Latin scholars typically translate from Latin to English and rarely the other way around.

Answer 7

Yes, it's possible, at least, most Catholic priest can... so, it's difficult to find someone to talk it, but you can get a good conversational level, of course, it will have some limitations, because it's an old language that hasn't evolved, so modern words hasn't any translation to it...

Answer 8

You can, but you have to know like every little thing about the language and you have to be like close to an expert on it andthen you have to find someone else who can speak it to.

Answer 9

it is, this is y ppl teach it still 2day..