What are the benefits of learning Latin?

1. 72

   CZCZCZposted 13 years ago

   What are the benefits of learning Latin?
   
   What are some good reasons for learning Latin, any reason why it is not worth the effort?

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2. 82

   Paul Kuehnposted 13 years ago

   I learned two years of Latin when I was in high school and I do not regret studying that language.  It is worth while learning Latin, not because you are going to speak it, but rather because a knowledge of Latin will improve your English and give you a good discipline for learning other Romance languages like Spanish and French.  There are so many English words which are derived from Latin.  By knowing Latin, you can pick apart an unknown English word by seeing if it has any prefixes, suffixes, or roots derived from Ltin.

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3. 61

   purplmamaposted 13 years ago

   I think learning Latin is totally worth it! I'm student teaching this fall as I finish up my degree in Secondary Ed with an emphasis in English. I plan on starting Latin this summer, although I know that it will take me at least a couple of years to master it. I agree with Paul; knowing Latin, or at least having an understanding of it, helps us to better understand the English language. So many of our words come from Latin, Greek, Old and Middle English, in addition to other tongues. By understanding these languages, we can dissect the English words, therefore strengthening our proficiency in English.
   
   I want my students to master the English language, and I can help them accomplish this by helping them to understand roots and affixes. English is a fun language to play around with, and understanding the morphological patterning of modern English words helps to empower students as they gain proficiency and confidence in reading and writing.
   
   I'm not recommending that you run off and study etymology, but I am encouraging you to at least gain a working understanding of Latin. You'll be glad that you did!  As a bonus, it will make learning Spanish and Italian a piece of cake! HaHa!

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4. 73

   Levertis Steeleposted 13 years ago

   One benefit is to possibly be able to understand prescriptions. The other is to understand borrowed Latin phrases in our language, especially the ones written on money and stately documents. Last, a benefit of learning Latin is to appreciate the Language and its contributions to other languages, even though it is dead.

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