On Latin

[AureliaeLacrimae]

I've noticed that there are people interested in studying Latin, however, there isn't much material to help them get started. I wish to change that. There are many reasons why one should study this language and I believe it's a shame we don't anymore. Schools no longer offer Latin for more than a few years in high school - which isn't enough. In two years of ''school learning'', the best you can manage is get to know a certain language. I am currently studying Latin as my major, and I've noticed how little my school had taught me. My true learning had begun in college.

 

I would like to ''liven up'' this topic and get in touch with other students, potential students and enthusiasts of Latin. I'd like to share study tips, have us discuss grammar problems, texts, dictionaries or even history and culture. The ancient Romans had certainly left us enough to last for a lifetime - we can't possibly ''exhaust'' the topic.

 

They say, you can't speak Latin. It's only spoken in Vatican. Yes, true. But the whole history of science is based on Latin. Latin had mediated everything. It was the lingua franca of the Academeia in the past. If nothing, by learning Latin you're honouring the past. But then again, learning all other Romance languages becomes easier after you know the Latin root - even English. There are so many words in English which had been taken from Latin, and I'm not taking about words like transmit and internal, but more obscure ones - such as sinister. This word had me confused for so long - it's most common meaning is ''left'', so why does it mean ''dark and foreboding'' in English? This was a mystery until I finally took the dictionary and checked it's meaning in Latin. It doesn't only mean ''left'' it also means ''foreboding'' in augury (bird watching). So there is a connection, even though we may not be aware of it.

 

All topics are welcome. It would be amazing if we could liven this up. Let us bring back to life the language which many believe is dead for centuries. Latin is beautiful. Challenging, yes, but beautiful. Let us discover its beauty.