Ad Maiorem Dei Gloriam +JMJ+
May my August Queen accept this humble attempt at explaining the need for learning in the tradition of truth.
A student asked me, “Why do we have to learn Latin when no one speaks it?”
This, of course, was a great question and one that I was overly eager to answer. The foundation of my answer is a contradiction of her original premise. “No one speaks it.” Sed contra, vere omnes dicunt Linguam Latinam. “On the contrary, all people really speak Latin.” As English speakers, Latin has formed the language we stand on and informs our usage—and it’s not even a Romance language! In a world that often needs a unilingual dialogue, Latin provides a natural unity among the scholars who have studied it, and, most importantly, it allows for a conversation to continue with the foundational writers of Western culture who, for the most part, exclusively wrote in Latin. Not only do people speak Latin, but people should speak Latin.
Latin has embedded itself so deeply into our language that we cannot truly understand English without reference to Latin. Nearly 30% of our English words are derived from Latin roots, and this sizable portion of our language shapes the way that we think. Not only does it limit the capability of those ignorant of Latin to truly comprehend the words that we use in common speech, but, without Latin, we may comprehend the general sense of the word but lose the fuller meaning based on its historical use and development. The deeper richness of each word loses its flavor to the vulgarity of common usage. Please see the incredible work C. M. Millen is doing at ManuScribit to emphasize the importance and benefits of utilizing Latin in a study of the English language.
Additionally, in an increasingly universal world, Latin answers a fundamental question. How will we understand one another? For centuries, intellectuals and religious officials from across Europe were capable of traveling wherever they needed without serious linguistic issues because nearly every town had someone familiar enough with Latin to converse. Everyone that studied anything studied Latin and therefore entered into a trans-national dialogue. Only in the pits of the dark ages was Western society so fractured and incapable of speaking with one another interpersonally. The increasing capability of translation technology may eventually alleviate this issue to some degree, but nothing will replace the joy and the camaraderie of a shared language. Not only does shared language build the trust that comes from a shared culture, but also, translation technology removes the personal element and nuance that is essential to a good translation. The language that represented unity and intellectual achievement for so long seems like a natural and neutral conclusion in an age where linguistic choice often carries greater socio-political implications.
Finally, the bulk of Western wisdom has been passed down in Latin and was actively used for debate until the mid twentieth century. Perhaps people don’t speak it currently as frequently as they used to, but, certainly, people have used it and have been using it. Why should the works of Aquinas, Cicero, or Bellarmine be any less important to wrestle with on their own linguistic terms than Shakespeare? We as individuals are only a single generation in time. To limit our conversation to our immediate English-speaking counterparts spits on the culminated wisdom of two millennia!
Latin may not help someone order their lunch in the German countryside. Instead of helping on vacation, it offers the ability to travel in time and participate in discussion through the ages. Not only will the American student of Latin know his own mind better while speaking in English, but he may have the opportunity to learn from the wisdom of generations past in books with spines so worn that their names can’t be read without opening the tattered cover. Furthermore, it offers us the opportunity to speak to generations to come. Latin has seen languages older than English disappear in its time. Perhaps, by the will of God, what we write in Latin may extend beyond the latest twitter feed.
For anyone that may have been interested, “What’s the Point Pt. 2” is still coming, but this discussion, derived from an in-class conversation/rant, felt so pivotal to the project at The Classical Learning Digest that it needed prioritization.
I love Latin because it gives you an extra layer to the language.
To understand the deeper meaning of certain words when you study their etymology.
To see how they are constructed and used.
Thanks for your article.
Latin as the lingua franca of the Medieval world can't be stressed enough, especially since the Roman Empire had been dead for quite some time. Any language can be the lingua franca with a strong enough power to back it up, but you'd be surprised by how quickly it withers away when that power is gone. I can point to my native Indonesia where pretty much no one speaks Dutch anymore even though it was official language of the government pre-Independence.