Wanted, Dead or Alive: Is Latin Still Relevant in our Modern Society?
Illustrated by NICOLE FISHER
There are countless languages used by societies across the globe. Wikipedia is currently available in 285 languages, while the publication Ethnologue keeps track of 6 909 living languages. With all these ways to interact, the role of older ways to communicate might seem small, or even absent. Would someone really consider tweeting in Latin, which is now considered to be dead? Many institutions still insist on teaching it and preserving its remains. In the midst of those facts, are dead languages as worthy of being carried on as current living languages?
Véronique Millet, a French teacher at Dawson, has approached the question. “I first came in contact with Latin as I was completing the equivalent of Secondary I in France,” she explains. “It was a compulsory initiation lesson incorporated in my French classes. At first, I would have an hour of Latin per two weeks, focused on grammar and declinations, but I kept learning more and more as I progressed towards university.”
Latin’s place in France has been very important over the years. While it is now only an option in French high schools, its role among education remains undeniable. This contrasts with Quebec, where Latin options are rare. Few schools still offer Latin courses, Jean-de-Brébeuf College being one of the exceptions. However, the Latin background in North America remains quite noticeable, notably through locutions and mottos. A mari usque ad mare, which means “From Sea to Sea,” is still Canada’s motto, and McGill University uses Grandescunt Aucta Labore (“By work, all things increase and grow”). American colleges also display this background, as Harvard uses Veritas (“Truth”) and Yale uses Lux et veritas (“Light and truth”). It is still widely taught in Germany, and its use is common in religious institutions.
Latin is often perceived as an intricate language, and many students might hesitate to learn the bases of Latin because of this reputation. However, when asked if she thinks Latin is more difficult to learn than living languages, Millet disagrees with this opinion. “Latin is an extremely grammatical language that is studied on a written basis, but it turns out to be useful when studying the writings of Cicero, for example. People interested in ancient history can certainly find a great motivation in it, as the biggest problem is its public perception. I personally find it easier than Chinese, for instance.”
She adds that she uses Latin quite frequently in her classes for etymological purposes. “I used it no later than this morning, as using Latin roots helped my students to understand the French word tacite. Etymology turns out to be useful, and since French comes from Latin, it is appropriate to understand it.”
French indeed counts as a Romance language, meaning languages originating from Latin, like Portuguese, Italian and Spanish. It is therefore ubiquitous (another Latin word) in living languages as well. The etymological implications of this writing from the past are consequently also part of the present and the future of all of those forms of communication. Dictionaries constantly refer to it to bring a background in the current use of a given word. Latin prefixes are very common and are used for multiple purposes, such as genus classification. The prefix Acer-, for example, refers to things related to maple, and is widely used in Quebec.
“I think Latin should still be compulsory in schools, being insightful in both literature and sciences. The classes I took mixing Latin and philosophy turned out to be some of the best moments I spent in school, and it allowed me to get a better understanding of written forms of languages. It is a feeling similar to a scientist seeing a problem unfolding itself in front of him.”
Many great works of science have been first published in this language, the word science itself originating from the Latin word scientia, which means “knowledge.” Newton’s Principia Mathematica or Kepler’s Harmonices Mundi are notable examples. From this perspective, this language, as dead as it may be, represents a historical connection between a dazzling variety of disciplines, ranging from literature to science. Wouldn’t it be easier for a biology student who is looking for the cloaca, among hundreds of body parts in an animal, to find it if he remembered from his Latin course that it means “sewer system”? It is a common link that remains present to this day in numerous aspects of society.
Dead languages can therefore be extremely useful in a number of contexts. Latin is one example, but there are countless other forms of writing or communication that are still being used despite their archaic nature. Whether you plan on being a translator, a mathematician, a biologist or an artist, there is a probability that you might come across a dead language. In fact, it might be actively dead, but it is still passively alive.
Comments
morganr120
May 9, 2012When I first looked at the title of this article, I thought it might be similar to many other articles that had already been posted on space. Clearly I was wrong. This article is very interesting and I completely agree that even though a language might be dead, that does not mean in any way that its not as useful as it was once upon a time.
I grew up speaking French and never really thought about the Latin aspect until I read your article. Somehow we tend to forget the roots of words and where they came from. Schools should definitely impose learning the Latin language in order to give a better sense of understanding to students. I personally believe that if I would’ve known all of the Latin root words that were implied in my French, I would have had a much easier time understanding it and writing it.
This article intrigues me because in my culture we also have somewhat of the same matter. The bible I read is in ancient Hebrew. Because I went to a Hebrew day school, I was taught how to understand the meaning of ancient Hebrew. I understand most of the things that are written in the bible, I can read it, but I will never run into someone in Israel who can have a conversation with me in ancient Hebrew.
It is always important to remember where a language comes from because essentially it becomes the root of the words we speak and write. If it weren’t for Latin, most French words would not exist and many other languages as well. It is important to recognize the important of where our language comes from and try to conserve it the best way possible.
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