* Language: Latin
* David is a high school senior at Central Bucks High School East in at Furlong, PA. He is a 2018 Seoul Korea Summer Alumnus, as well as a 2019-2020 Korean Academic Year semi-finalist. This piece is part of the NSLI-Y Alumni Insights virtual event.
Ever since my Latin 1 class sophomore year, my teacher had us recite the Pledge of Allegiance in Latin and an excerpt from Virgil’s epic poem, Aeneid, every day. Initially, I thought this was an odd routine. Why did my teacher want us to do the same two things at the start of class? What is she trying to teach? I would not learn the answer to these questions until I began my Latin 3 class senior year.
To understand the answer, I have to take you back to when I first started learning Latin sophomore year. As a language enthusiast, I began to take Latin because of the unique grammatical structure, such as the noun case system: it requires students to be familiar with several crucial grammatical terms such as subject-predicate, possessive, indirect and direct object. As a result, Latin gave me a better understanding of English grammar. To be honest, before taking Latin, I had a very limited idea as to what these words meant. Still, I enjoyed every minute of being exposed to new ways of expressing ideas in words. It amazed me that you can say the same thing using totally different grammar functions. Now if people ask me what an indirect object is, I can give a definite reply, thanks to Latin!
However, I want to stress that Latin also allowed me to gain a better understanding of grammar in other languages, which is useful for a language learner like me. Since Latin influenced the modern-day Romance languages, there are countless grammatical similarities, such as the subjunctive. The subjunctive is notorious for causing pain and confusion to Spanish and French learners. With the help of Latin, I was able to quickly grasp the subjunctive and apply it to daily conversations. We also see the influence of the Latin conjugation system, which made it easier when I was learning tricky Spanish and French verb conjugations. So, Latin provides me with a grammatical foundation that enhances my understanding of English, Spanish, and French.
In addition, Latin has tremendously improved my English vocabulary. Thanks to Latin, I can understand words such as omnipotent which means “able to do anything” (from Latin omni meaning “all,” potent meaning “they can”) or credulous meaning “too easy to believe certain things” (from Latin credere meaning “to believe”). To be honest, I would have no idea what these words would mean without Latin.
Also, did you know that many Harry Potter spells are in Latin? For example, the spell expelliarmus comes from the Latin expello (I drive away) and arma (weapon). The spell crucio means “I torture” in Latin. Furthermore, Latin also aided with my vocabulary in Spanish and French, two Romance languages, which I did not expect. I am constantly exposed to new Latin words that strike great resemblance with its Romance counterparts, such as dicere (Spanish: decir, French: dire, English: to tell) and sumus (Spanish: somos, French: sommes, English: we are).
As beneficial as Latin is to my linguistic understanding, the Roman world and its ancient culture also proves to be quite essential to understanding modern Western society. I always believe that language should be accompanied with cultural understanding, so I am thankful that Latin has provided me with the opportunity to also to delve into the world of the Romans. I have learned that traces of Roman society can still be found within our modern society, even though we may not realize. For instance, there are tons of legal phrases that derive from Latin terms, such as habeas corpus (Latin for “that you have the body”). Even the U.S. motto is Latin (e pluribus unum) which means “out of many, one!”
Moreover, there are many references to Roman history and culture such as the phrase alea iacta est (“the die is cast” referring to Julius Caesar’s decision to take his army across the Rubicon River in northern Italy, leading to discontent against him). There even is Roman mythology, numerals, and so much more. The Romans contributed so much to our understanding of the world and deserved to be remembered through their language.
I am stating all of this with hindsight. I am stating all of this with almost three years of Latin under my belt, so my thoughts about Latin have drastically changed. I still remember sitting in the class, wondering when I would ever use Latin, and others pointed out Latin was a dead language and no one spoke it anymore. People wondered why I was devoting my precious time to memorize countless of noun and verbs endings -- just to understand a language maybe one person in this world can understand (the Pope).
However, I was able to gain so much out of learning Latin, and I am so thankful for this experience. I learned that language learning can not only be applied to modern languages but also ancient languages, such as Ancient Greek or Sumerian. I would not trade anything in the world for this experience, and Latin affirmed my passion for language learning. To me, it did not matter that I was learning a 2000-year-old language. I definitely did gain knowledge from learning Latin, as mentioned before with my grammar and vocabulary skills. People who say that Latin is useless base their argument solely on the fact that there are no speakers of the language. And, the cultural importance of Latin makes it extremely worthwhile to study.
After I realized this, my answer to the question as to why my teacher kept ordering us to say the Pledge and an excerpt from Aeneid was revealed. My teacher wanted to stress the vast importance of Roman influence in the modern day era. She already knew that there would be people who would attempt to claim that Latin is irrelevant in modern times. However, by reciting the Pledge and Aeneid every day, she drove home the fact that studying Latin is a very noble task, and for that, I am eternally grateful. I thank everyone who helped me during my Latin language journey: my teacher, classmates, fellow Latin learners across the world. Or how the Romans would say it:
Gratias tibi ago (thank you).
How I typically study for Latin. To the left is my textbook, my right is my notebook and I use flashcards for vocabulary. I also use helpful handouts that my teacher gives me, especially for tricky grammar.
My Summa Cum Laude Certificate for the National Latin Exam Level 1. I was the only person in my school to take this exam in the spring of 2018. Behind are the notes I self-studied, including vocabulary lists, culture notes, and practice tests. I only got two questions wrong!
My fellow Latin Honor Society officers along with my Latin teacher to the far right. This was at the World Language Induction Ceremony in the fall of 2018 at my school. I read a poem by Virgil in Latin to the school.
My adorable Latin class. This year, our teacher sprained her ankle so she missed a week of school. The day before she came back, we all made handmade cards and a collage on the board saying te amamus (“we love you” in Latin).
Meet the Writer!
David has been an avid language learner and cultural explorer. He can speak (in order of fluency) English, Korean, Spanish, Japanese, French, Latin, and Italian. He always loves a good challenge and is always adding languages to his "languages to learn list." He also loves Chick-fil-A and hanging out with friends.
Captions:
Photo by Jace & Afsoon on Unsplash: St. Peter’s Vatican City
Photo by Ales Krivec on Unsplash: Roman numerals on alarm clock
Photo by Artem Maltsev on Unsplash: Magic - is something that is near us.
Photo by Phil Goodwin on Unsplash: taken in Capernaum, Israel
ONLY 4 PIECES LEFT in New Semantics Volume 2!!! We're nearing the end... Stay tuned for even more fascinating language pieces!