University of Hawai‘i at Hilo · Hawai‘i Community College
HOHONU 2012
Vol. 10
In addition to providing grammatical insight into
English, the study of Latin can help students ascertain the meanings of English words unfamiliar to them. As
one of the major origins of English, a multitude of words
has been borrowed by and incorporated into English,
and it is estimated that Latin-derived words constitute approximately 50%-60% of English vocabulary.
Obtaining even a rudimentary Latin vocabulary can yield an expanded English vocabulary useful in many
facets of schooling, such as reading comprehension,
writing, science, and testing. According to a compilation
of studies conducted from 2003-2010 by the College
Board which examined the scores of students who took
the verbal section of the SAT, students who had taken
Latin in school consistently displayed scores of over 670, while those who had studied other languages
never scored above 643 (“Latin”). Latin vocabulary is also valuable in fields which utilize masses of Latin terminology (such as medicine, law, and the sciences),
and for the student who embarks upon a career in one of
these fields, a foundation in Latin can facilitate attaining fluency in the respective field’s jargon. Despite the fact that Latin was the most studied language in American secondary schools up until 1928
(“Teaching”), many people consider learning a dead
language to be a waste of time. They argue that if it must
be compulsory to study a language in school, then a
modern language, which could be used in travels, jobs,
and communication, would be more practical. While
it is true that learning modern languages is absolutely
relevant and should be encouraged, studying Latin in particular can prove advantageous to the student of Latinderived languages. Even if a student wishes to study a
language unrelated to Latin, the grammatical foundation he receives in Latin could prevent confusion later on when more complex or unusual grammar is encountered
in the modern language.
As our society moves further and further away
from reverence for the past and continuously affixes its efforts and attention on the future, it is easy for us to
discard old institutions in the wake of modernism. The
younger generation of America contests the emphasis on
grammar in modern-day society, questioning the actual
significance of having a solid command of English when it seems more practical to conquer the latest technology.
Yet some of the antiquated methods may indeed serve the
same end in the present as they did in the past – namely,
as in the case of Latin, by assisting the comprehension of the English language’s complexities.
It is true that the chances of a classical language
thriving in a modern environment are doubtful, and, if
Latin is to be undertaken with any amount of enthusiasm, it may be necessary to exchange the traditional methods
of teaching for ones better pertaining to the society in
which they are learned. Many in the educational field have already recognized this need and have developed
innovative curricula and teaching styles which students
find exciting and more akin to learning a modern language. Students and teachers alike have begun to
realize the importance of keeping Latin alive, and it is to be hoped that this realization will continue on a
nationwide scale for the purpose of improving education
and inspiring love and respect for this ancient language.
Why Latin Should Be
Reinstituted As an Educational
Requirement
Marleena G. Sheffield, [email protected]
English 100, Fall 2011, HawCC
In the past, studying Latin and obtaining an education were nearly synonymous. William Harris,
a professor emeritus of classics at Middlebury College
says, “We stand at the end of a century long educational
tradition, in which the study of Latin language and literature was once the mainstay.” In the 1960s, Latin began to decline as an educational requirement on
account of the rise of modernism in schools, and not
until recently has it seen a significant resurgence in school curricula (Hu). Educational administrators debate
over the practicality of learning a dead language in
today’s society, but many are beginning to take notice of
the possible benefits such a course could offer. Because of its capacity to advance students’ understanding of
English grammar and vocabulary, studying Latin should be a compulsory subject in primary schooling.
Learning Latin can enable students to identify and properly use grammatical components and concepts.
English grammar, especially in casual conversations and
correspondences, is often disregarded since the ability to
distinguish one grammatical entity from another is rarely
crucial as long as the correct meaning is conveyed. For
example, someone may say he needs to return a book to
the library, but it is unlikely that he will identify “book”
as the direct object, and “library” as the indirect object
because the sentence already makes sense to the hearer
without needing further analysis. The growing neglect
of grammatical awareness, as well as other factors,
can make English grammar a challenging subject for
students. Matthew Teorey, a professor of composition
and technical writing at the University of New Mexico,
observes that his freshman students find it increasingly difficult to use grammar properly, and furthermore they seem unable to understand how English grammar
works. This dilemma may be attributed to a variety of
factors, but it is also possible that the blame may lie, at
least in part, with the sometimes vague and confusing
nature of English. Latin grammar is extremely specific by comparison. For example, each grammatical component
is clearly delineated by a corresponding case in the form
of a word ending which indicates a word’s function in the
sentence even in the midst of syntactical variation. Once
the concept of cases and word functions is understood,
this understanding may be transferred to English to help
the student see the correspondence between the cutand-dried mechanics of Latin and the more ambiguous mechanics of English.
My own understanding of English grammar and
vocabulary has benefited immensely from my studies in Latin. Before I began Latin, I considered grammar to be a nightmare. I had a weak grasp of grammatical basics,
was convinced that direct and indirect objects were from
another planet, and could not have ventured to guess
what “predicate” or “nominative” meant under any
circumstances. Once I started Latin, I not only learned to classify the parts of a sentence and other aspects of
grammar, but also to explain how and why they worked
as they did. The practice of constantly deciphering Latin grammar enabled me to decipher English grammar and
ultimately gave birth to my abiding appreciation and love
for grammar and language in general.
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University of Hawai‘i at Hilo · Hawai‘i Community College
Works Cited
Harris, William. “LATIN........ Why study it at all?” middlebury.edu. N.p. 11 April 2005. Web. 8
October 2011.
Hu, Winnie. “A Dead Language That’s Very Much Alive.” www.nytimes.com. N.p. 6 October 2008.
Web. 7 October 2011.
“Teaching of Latin in Schools - Enrollments, Teaching Methods and Textbooks, Issues Trends and
Controversies.” www.stateuniversity.com. N.p. n.d.
Web. 3 October 2011.
Teorey, Matthew. “Using Freshman Composition to
Analyze What Students Really Know About
Grammar.” www.nwp.org. N.p. n.d. Web. 2
October 2011.
“The Latin Advantage.” www.bolchazy.com. N.p. n.d. Web. 2 October 2011.
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HOHONU 2012
Vol. 10