The Latin Language.. Read on.?

Question

Wondering how the learning of the Latin language and culture is important to our lives today? I know Spanish is important because a lot of people now speak Spanish. But Latin is obviously a dead language. How is it important today?

Answer 1

Well, Technically it's not completely dead--It's the official language of Vatican City (along with Italian).

So, you can begin there---If you are a Catholic, it is the official language of the Holy See.

Secondly, a great number of English words have their roots in Latin.

Thirdly, we still use some of the Latin phrases today: Veni, Vedi, Vici; Carpe Diem, etc.

Fourthly, many governmental or institutional mottos, crests, etc. are in Latin.

Many of today's predominant languages are "Romance Languages" or Latin based: Spanish, Italian, French, Portugese, Romanian, etc, etc.

The last thing would be the "Latin Culture" or, the Roman empire. The Roman empire has impacted our lives in many ways. Our Government, for instance, as well as writers, etc.

Answer 2

Latin was the language of learning for well over a thousand years, all the way up to the Middle Ages. Most Latin works were not available in translation until the early 1900s, so if you wanted to read anything the Romans wrote you had to learn Latin. (The same is true for the Greeks.) It was the language of the educated back in the Dark Ages when illiteracy was rampant. It was the common language for all, as Europe had multiple languages. Legal documents were written in Latin, so they could be referenced by everyone. It was the language of clerics, who were the largest group of literate people during that time. It was a universal language that crossed the centuries.

We have a wealth of Latin literature that has come down to us, and reading it in translation is like reading by candlelight when you could read in the full light of the sun. Reading what someone wrote over 2000 years ago, in his own language, is an experience all its own. Unfortunately, no one seems to appreciate that anymore. Education these days is not what it once was - I have heard horror stories about people who have graduated from high school, not knowing how to read. That is a crime against humanity, in my opinion.

Answer 3

We can learn a lot about our own language when looking at Latin - a lot of modern European languages have some (if not a lot) of words based on Latin. It is my understanding that medicines and diseases can often have Latin names. It may also help if for some reason we needed to come up with a new word for something (but I don't suppose that's as necessary in modern times as it would have been in the early days of English).

Answer 4

Many medical terminology is derived from the Latin language.
All prescriptions and some doctors orders are derived from the Latin language.If you are going to make the medical profession part of your life you will need to be familiar with the Latin language.

Answer 5

It helps in spelling, too.

Spelling 'conscious' or 'science' correctly (and I have to think about each one pretty much every time) is easier when you know the Latin 'scio', 'I know' in English.