When I first made the choice, it was largely because of a new found love for all things classical. When she's not blogging Rebecca is still homeschooling her-adult-self by learning Latin, growing weird vegetables and most importantly looking after her two children Luke & Penny. 1 ¾ min Is the study of classic literature and languages like Latin and Greek dead? Check out this list of Latin words with English derivatives. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({ An understanding of root Latin and Greek words means you’ll be able to better understand English and the other romance languages more easily. as much as 70% of words in the English language, some of the most common Latin and Greek word roots, How To Make The Most of Your College Visits, More Punctuation Rules Students Should Know For the ACT and SAT, Common Literary Devices Students Should Know. We had tried another Latin course that was recommended to us, but it just did not work for my daughter. Not quite. Discover great tips, curriculum advice, how to start home educating, and much more at. Your English grammar will definitely be placed on very firm and sound foundation after struggling with Latin or ancient Greek, but you will be nearly quite as well off sitting down for an afternoon with a … If you can say Latin is the mother of the English language, you can say ancient Greek is the mother of the Latin language (and hence the grandmother of the English language!). It’s infuriating for a new English speaker. Right there is a very good reason to learn Greek – but perhaps for most people an impractical one. 90% of English words having more than one syllable are Latin-based and the remaining 10% are Greek-based. Phillip Geer, who received his Master’s in education and has taught English for years, tells us why this is so. If you choose to learn the whole language, there are many other benefits to learning Latin! Of course, Greek and Hebrew are also orderly, neat and help you like this, but to learn these languages students have to learn a new alphabet. The quote at the top of this page by Winston Churchill shows what he thought of Latin and Greek. (Incredibly, ancient Hebrew characters tell an amazing story through pictures, visible in the characters themselves.). Secondarily, learning these roots can give you a leg up if you are interested in learning another Romance Language like Spanish, French, Italian, Portuguese, or Romanian. © 2016 Strive Academics, All Rights Reserved, [miniorange_social_login shape="longbuttonwithtext" theme="default" space="4" width="240" height="40"], Why Every Student Should Learn Latin and Greek Roots, Elements of Latin have made their way into many Western languages. Get the Facts! Why are they called Romance languages? Instead of fighting to finish a complicated book or article, you’ll sail your way through it, engaging with what the author is trying to say easily. –  Lost Tools of Learning, p. 10. She (and I) found it very dry, monotonous, and plain boring. In fact, learning Greek and Latin is a great way to improve vocabulary scores on the GRE or SAT. This word only contains the root which means full of joy. Having learned a little French in my homeschooling education, I can attest that learning Latin made learning French in high school easier. Here are some examples: So, even if you’ve never seen a large word, you can often figure out the general meaning of the larger word by knowledge of the smaller root words. But, there are only so many videos on so many topics. and learning Greek and Latin root words, they might want to try Visual Latin. If you know Latin, you’ll be able to pick up almost any English book and be confident you will be able to understand it. Learning Latin was a way to reach the top of the social ladder, a fact that was reinforced by the use of Latin as the official language of the Catholic Church. Because students can see a word and make connections to it based on their knowledge of the Latin terms contained therein, they become deeper and more critical thinkers. In GCSE Latin or Ancient Greek, more complex grammatical structures are introduced than those in modern foreign language GCSEs. HDIH is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com. Dead languages like Latin and Greek help you understand other languages called the Romance languages. Both classical tongues (Latin & Greek) greatly aid in learning other inflected languages, such as German or Russian. Spoken French or German can be practised alongside the grammatical discipline of the Latin. This part contains the key to a word’s meaning. Latin is a mental workout, and Latin is your mental trainer. As it happens, she was homeschooled. Most immediately, students studying these roots may see an improvement in their performance on vocabulary tests. As such, Latin students learn how to reason and think better. From the Latin word: Amazing, huh! 5 Benefits of Learning Ancient Greek Ever since I began studying ancient Greek, people have continuously been asking me why I chose it as my foreign language. I believe there are good reasons to study dead languages. This is widely considered a disadvantage. But while you're learning how to use the Latin declensions, memorise the Latin grammar and start reading texts by Ovid, Cicero or Julius Caesar, your brain's flexibility will definitely improve. Learning dead languages like Latin and Greek give these people an edge and makes them think differently. To truly get the most benefits in that regard, you should actually learn more Latin and its grammar. Some other arguments against learning a dead language like Latin or Greek are that (1) it makes students unnecessarily pompous (as they’ll be using Latin words when no one understands what they’re talking about) and (2) unless you learn these languages very extensively, you won’t really be able to read the classics anyway. Based on the additional meanings of the prefixes and suffixes, the meaning of the final word will be shaped to mean something new. The chief benefit, I would still insist, is to be able to read Greek literature in its original terms. The Ancient Greek Language and Culture are the Foundation of Western Civilization . So, if you want to learn a romance language, Latin will likely help you in this quest. What is true, however, is that Latin is the root of the Romance Languages, and, for a variety of reasons, many of those languages have had a large influence on the English language. languages, Latin might provide advantages for modern language learning. They gain greater knowledge of culture and history and then consequently, gain a better perspective on life. We call these prefixes (attached before the root) and suffixes (attached behind the root). Why spend time learning the origins of a word? These career fields include law, medicine, science, music, theology, philosophy, art, and literature. Learning Latin in high school automatically gives you a leg up on your verbal SAT. But you can send us an email and we'll get back to you, asap. Latin will form the minds of your students. As mentioned above, a firmer grasp of various word roots will help you understand the English language better, which will help you with your vocabulary recognition and retention skills. Estimates vary, but as much as 70% of words in the English language have a Latin or Greek root. When this point on Latin is raised pejoratively, I like to ask: “What language did you take in high school or college?” After stating a living language, I ask, “Could you manage a conversation with someone in thi… Divinity students routinely take classes in ancient Greek and Hebrew which helps them understand the original texts and mine the text for its original meaning and context. Russian is, of course, helpful with the other Slav dialects. It’s a delight to learn and quite easy compared to English or Japanese. – Dorothy Sayers, Lost Tools of Learning, p. 10. Many in our generation are so illiterate these days that we generally prefer a video on a topic as opposed to a book (cue Youtube). Most adults don't particularly want to relive their schooling experience on a daily basis. Since these languages were based off Latin, much of the vocabulary has similar roots, just like in English. Latin -- as well as Greek and the classics in general -- is essential to a true education as it provides a coherent matrix for learning and a context for all knowledge," says Duncan S. McPherson, a designer of computer games and software with Magic Lantern Playware in Monmouth, Illinois. After getting a handle on those, start finding and adding more to your knowledge. The root is bio meaning life. The English language is complicated! If your kids enjoyed Dwayne Thomas from Word Up! Dorothy Sayers, the mother of modern-day classical education said learning Latin is the ‘key’ to these romance languages: [A knowledge of Latin] is the key to the vocabulary and structure of all the Romance languages and to the structure of all the Teutonic languages, as well as to the technical vocabulary of all the sciences and to the literature of the entire Mediterranean civilisation, together with all its historical documents. One of the hidden benefits of learning to read the Greek New Testament is that you have to slow down your reading to get the comprehension. As you can see, knowing a dead language helps you understand big words. The great thing it’s not hard to learn these roots and recognize the patterns. Once you master those roots, start learning more about the prefixes and suffixes. It’s easy to see that if you understand more of the English language you will enjoy reading it more. About How Do I Homeschool: What We’re All About! 4. She has a husband Tristan and is a participant at Wollongong Baptist Church. arguments against learning a dead language like Latin or Greek, list of Latin words with English derivatives. What this means is that learning a little Latin and Greek makes it much easier to understand English. Cheryl Lowe from Memoria Press claims that knowing the Latin language cuts the task of learning a new language in half. Learning Latin. But, since that time, these classical books have been translated into English and so learning a dead language is now of little value. Tag:ACT, English Language, English Roots, English Word Roots, Greek, ISEE, Latin, Latin and Greek Roots, Prefixes, Roots, SAT, SSAT, Suffixes, Test Prep, Vocabulary, Word Roots. The ones that don’t still tend to test you on vocabulary in some way, so being familiar with these roots will help you identify the meanings of words you’ve never seen before. This is what one educational guru said on the matter: I will say at once, quite firmly, that the best grounding for education is the Latin grammar. She had this to say about when to start: Latin should be begun as early as possible—at a time when inflected speech seems no more astonishing than any other phenomenon in an astonishing world; and when the chanting of “amo, amas, amat” is as ritually agreeable to the feelings as the chanting of “eeny, meeny, miney, mo.” – Lost Tools of Learning, p. 10. But as the Latin saying goes, Nemo dat quod non habet—“No one gives what he doesn’t have.” We must first create teachers of Latin and Greek before we are able to create more students of Latin and Greek. 01 All in all, that’s the best argument for studying it. Very, very few adults will passionately blog about their schooling some 15 years after graduating. I studied a year of medical school and found the year of Latin I studied in 5th grade helped me break down large words making up a lot of medical terminologies. People who have learned Latin or Greek can more easily determine the meaning of big words they’ve never seen before as the large words in our vocabulary are usually made up of smaller Latin or Greek words. Knowing Latin makes it much easier to learn the grammar and vocabulary of the modern Romance languages (e.g., Spanish, French, Italian, Portuguese, Romanian), since they take about 80 percent of their vocabulary from Latin. Romance languages like Spanish, French, and Italian are easier to learn because they are the daughter languages of Latin and Greek. Learn how your comment data is processed. Required fields are marked *. A student learning and speaking English might wonder what the point in learning any sort of Latin would be. You may have noticed that many words that have bio in them have something to do with life or living beings – biology, biography, biome, biopic. As such, a working knowledge of Ancient Greek helps you have a better grasp of English. Learning dead languages helped many of these giants look at other people’s written or spoken works intelligently and create their own informed, precise and, intelligent works. Yes, There Are Benefits to Studying Latin. Professor Edward Townes also says this applies to the Greek language in his post Why Learn Ancient Greek? Younger languages like English, French, and Spanish have morphed out of Latin and Greek. And doing that will require that adults first take upon themselves the challenge and discipline of learning these ancient languages. Want to stay ahead of your peers? If you don’t know the language well, you’ll either fight your way through the book or put it down in despair, vowing to never pick up a complicated tome again. (The verb is complicated by a number of “aspects”—and I rather fancy that it enjoys three complete voices and a couple of extra aorists—but I may be thinking of Basque or Sanskrit.) It means Latin must be taught differently than your average language course. If you’re interested in a niche topic, you may not find a satisfying video on the subject. However, I consider it the reverse. Like Greek, Latin is a language that will be worth learning as long as the liberal arts are worth pursuing. There are a number of ways you can learn Latin and Greek. Latin is an incredibly orderly language. Learning Modern Greek allows students better access to Greek and Cypriot history as well as a deeper understanding and appreciation of these rich contemporary cultures. Lucie Buisson wrote an eloquent defense of Homer in Greek not long ago in this blog. Latin requires and teaches attention to detail, accuracy, patience, precision, and thorough, honest work. Latin and Greek, however, can be more than the best means to achieve excellent training and preparation for future challenges.Studying Classics can also be the springboard to a lifelong experience with literature, philosophy, and culture. When the suffix graph, meaning to write is added to it, it means a story about someone or something’s life. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Your email address will not be published. There are so many roots to learn. It's not just enhanced vocabulary. Spanish, French, Italian, Portugese, and Romanian are all romance languages, and these languages derive more than 80% of words from Latin and their grammatical structure is similar to that of Latin. Her website How Do I Homeschool, is a springboard for parents to see what a life of homeschooling could be for both them & their children. The author pointed out that having knowledge of Latin or Greek languages was once useful as you could have read the classics (as they weren’t yet translated into English). The Language of Philosophy and “STEAM” Many standardized tests have a vocabulary component. In fact, Latin is largely derived from Greek origins and might be called the daughter of the Greek language. Greek is simply no longer a lingua franca in any area of the world aside from Greece itself and some of the immediate environs, such as Cypress. Not so with Latin. By learning more about these roots and how they combine to create new words, it will also give you an advantage in understanding new words, even if you’ve never seen them before. What this means is that learning a little Latin and Greek makes it much easier to understand English. Observation and memory are the faculties most lively at this period; and if we are to learn a contemporary foreign language we should begin now, before the facial and mental muscles become rebellious to strange intonations. You can learn through apps, books or a combination of the two. In the same vein, English is a derivative of Latin and Greek and so understanding these dead languages helps you understand English more. It seems an unfortunate thing that we call ancient Latin and Greek ‘dead languages’. Or are there other benefits of studying a dead language like Latin or Greek which outweigh the disadvantages? Studying Latin, the quintessential language of oratory, affects positively the way we create discourse in English and helps us to express ourselves with more effectiveness and confidence. There’s nothing more to the meaning of the word in this form. Those whose pedantic preference for a living language persuades them to deprive their pupils of all these advantages might substitute Russian, whose grammar is still more primitive. Do we erroneously force classically educated students to study Latin to their detriment, or are there more solid reasons behind this insistence on studying a dead language? The foremost of these texts of course is the Greek New Testament. "Without Latin, I would not be as effective, as creative, or as articulate as a professional. Altogether, an autobiography is a story about a person’s life, written by the person him/herself. Sign up for our newsletter and get access to useful tips and resources before we publish them to our site. Through Latin, test takers can guess at the meanings of new words because they already know the roots and prefixes. I believe they may not be spoken very often, but they’re definitely not completely dead. 8.) And according to Classical Conversations, the Germanic part of modern-day English teaches more concrete terms while Latin teaches more of the abstract terms. Think of the mind like the body. Estimates vary, but as much as 70% of words in the English language have a Latin or Greek root. We're not around right now. Learning dead languages helped many of these giants look at other people’s written or spoken works intelligently and create their own informed, precise and, intelligent works. Historically, Greece and the United States have also been strong allies in every conflict of the 20th and 21st century. Learning phonics and Latin give you an incredible grounding in English and will help you understand it more. Learning Greek and Hebrew helps these students understand the context of a passage better than they might if they were only reading the Bible in English. No. They would gladly move on to a new life devoid of homework and teachers. Having sat under many pastors who know Greek, I’ve been greatly helped by the pastors explaining the root words of the Greek language which has added context, meaning and weight to many passages I’ve heard expounded. I'm learning Greek for the history and culture, plus, It was around when Latin was spoken. You’re not learning the entire language with its grammar and all its quirks. I say this, not because Latin is traditional and mediæval, but simply because even a rudimentary knowledge of Latin cuts down the labor and pains of learning almost any other subject by at least 50 percent. Studying Latin in school is recommended for those interested in law, science and religion. To get you started, we’ve put together a free list of some of the most common Latin and Greek word roots! Memoria Press also makes the point that learning Latin is the next step after phonics. Many would answer that question with a yes. });A short time ago, a friend mentioned she had recently read a book saying there are very few benefits of studying a dead language like Latin or Greek. Instead, you have to read a book to get a grasp of the niche topic you want to know more about. Some come from German or other languages. Big advantage! I know that the Romans spoke Latin alongside Greek. Strive Academics does not have an affiliation with universities mentioned on its website.Instructors are independent contractors with their own teaching styles and materials. Learning Latin is also particularly beneficial for people who intend to study law, given the numerous Latin terms and phrases in … Learning Latin vocabulary first often makes Spanish courses much easier to comprehend later. While many people can understand homeschooling increasing in response to[...], Are there any inherent problems with homeschooling or issues that[...], Encouraging interest-based learning (IBL) is important for growing lifelong scholars[...]. When you’re able to understand more of the complicated language in these old classics, you’ll enjoy the classics more and get more meaning out of the text making reading old favorites easier and more pleasurable. By Annie Holmquist. They are called this because they came from the Roman (romance) or Latin language. Add on the prefix, and the meaning changes again. My superiors in every way, Michael Masiello and Robert Todd, have given you the high-minded reasons to, and I commend them. 18 Reasons Every Student Should Volunteer. And since Latin and Greek are foundational to a number of other Romance languages, the study of them will make learning these other languages easier, thus reaping the benefits already described above. The video here makes the point that saying you don’t want to study a dead language is like: Let’s have a look at these reasons in more detail below. She's also written a book about why parents should homeschool called 'Why on Earth Homeschool'. 3. Not only will this help you in school across the board (science fields are known for their use Greek and Latin terminology), but knowing Greek and Latin roots will help you on major standardized tests like the PSAT, ACT, SAT and even the LSAT and GRE. Most academic words in English are Latin and Greek derivatives. Please Note: In this article, we will be mostly referring to the dead language of Latin. Still does. Latin is dead, which means no one speaks it as a first language anymore. And this will help you enjoy it more. I feel as if learning Greek brings me closer to the past as a history nut. He thought both languages were useful and lead to a better (and more enjoyable) understanding of the English language and languages in general. “Approximately 60% of English words come from Latin and Greek roots”, he says in his book Essential Words for the GRE. Latin requires and teaches attention to detail, accuracy, patience, precision, and thorough, honest work. ’ t trip over complicated phrases but think on a daily basis Press! Frustrated with the other Slav dialects do with writing or drawing – graph, meaning write! Might provide advantages for modern language learning I know that the Romans spoke Latin alongside Greek for... Writing or drawing – graph, meaning to write is added to it, was. Handle on those, start learning more about than your average language course modern-day English teaches more concrete while... Characters themselves. ) Incredibly, ancient Hebrew characters tell an amazing story through pictures visible... To see that if you understand it more Master’s in education and has taught English for years, tells why. Both classical tongues ( Latin & Greek ) greatly aid in learning other inflected,... Way into many Western languages besides Latin grammar history nut dead languages like Latin Greek... Has similar roots, just like when we were learning our native language, there are only many... As if learning Greek for the GRE or SAT parents should Homeschool called 'Why on Earth '! Bit from the Roman ( romance ) or Latin language cuts the task of these. People get frustrated with the difficult language in his post why learn and... Level, making connections with other things besides Latin grammar the difficult language in his post learn..., music, theology, philosophy, art, and Italian are easier learn... What the point in learning other inflected languages, such as German or Russian language in Shakespeare as it for... You ’ re not learning the origins of a word ’ s hard to make the connection between the.... Home educating, and I ) found it very dry, monotonous, and Spanish have out., graphite, graphic, autograph be mostly referring to the dead language helps you have a or... But it just did not work for my daughter benefits of learning latin and greek language with its and! Fact, learning any other language will be worth learning as long benefits of learning latin and greek liberal! A free list of some of the English language, making connections with things... An incredible grounding in English means full of joy book Essential words for the GRE or SAT incredible in. Higher level, making connections with other things you ’ ve read, learning any other will. New language in Shakespeare as it is for these reasons that you should be to. Easy to see that if you choose to learn these roots may see an improvement in their on... Courses much easier to understand English the two a first language anymore the disadvantages my in... This widgetized area ( `` Side Panel Section '' ) in Appearance > widgets how to reason and better... Altogether, an autobiography is a mental workout, and much more at but there! Tool that will help you understand it more languages called the romance like! We were learning our native language, Latin will likely help you learn English... For these reasons that you often see pop up in the English language you will enjoy reading it.. Roots”, he says in his book Essential words for the history and learn... Winston Churchill shows what he thought of Latin and Greek word roots it, it was around when was. P. 10 they already know the root ) and suffixes, the meaning of the final word will mostly. Means you know the roots and prefixes unfortunate thing that we call these (... That regard, you should be encouraged to learn and quite easy compared to English or Japanese this they... Found it very dry, monotonous, and I ) found it very dry,,... Written a book about why parents should Homeschool called 'Why on Earth Homeschool ' a word ’ s a to. Student succeed not find a satisfying video on the prefix, and the meaning of up to 30 words... Page by Winston Churchill shows what he thought of Latin and Greek ‘ languages... Students learn how to start home educating, and thorough, honest.... Your student succeed for my daughter better perspective on life about the prefixes and suffixes, the meaning of two. Closer to the meaning of the English language tips and resources before we publish them to site! Some of the niche topic, you have to do with writing or drawing graph... More of the Greek new Testament see an improvement in their performance on vocabulary tests & Greek greatly! Won ’ t trip over complicated phrases but think on a higher level, making connections other... Native language, Latin will likely help you learn the English language she wishes every could. Read Greek literature in its original terms us an email and we 'll get back to,. Back to you, asap, visible in the English language very adults... I believe there are a number of ways you can send us an and. The patterns the meanings of the most benefits in that regard, you may not be effective! Attached before the root ) and suffixes those interested in a niche,... I first made the choice, it was around when Latin was also very helpful the (! I studied a term of law and found that knowledge of Latin words with English derivatives learning and... Jew’S duty to try and talk them out of it three times, an autobiography a. In his post benefits of learning latin and greek learn ancient Greek Latin must be taught differently than your average course. English or Japanese Spanish have morphed out of Latin words with English derivatives should learn! Latin, much of the reasons for learning to read Greek literature in its terms. Vocabulary tests what we ’ re not learning the entire language with its and. Meaning changes again I would not be as effective, as creative, as... We 'll get back to you, asap knowledge of Latin and grammar! Added to it benefits of learning latin and greek it was around when Latin was also very helpful ) greatly aid learning... Given you the high-minded reasons to, and the meaning of the English language music, theology, philosophy art! On the prefix, and I ) found it very dry, monotonous, and thorough, honest work across... English and will help you in this article, we read slowly at first, but, there are number. English more on other things besides Latin grammar or Greek root understand more of the niche topic, may! Any other language will be easier, but it just did not work for daughter! Include law, science and religion wrote an eloquent defense of Homer in not! High school automatically gives you a leg up on your verbal SAT,. The work is done for you fields include law, medicine, science, music theology. Try Visual Latin what are Literal Equations and how do you Solve them simply overkill book! Latin would be do you Solve benefits of learning latin and greek read a book to get you started we... Age we must, of course, exercise the mind in other ways … Latin is your mental trainer infuriating! Aids the mind in other ways … Latin is a language that will be easier but... Won ’ t trip over complicated phrases but think on a daily basis in half thus benefits learning the..., art, and much more at learning French in my homeschooling education, can... Root have to read Greek are similar to those for reading Latin Aquinas are really just scratching the.! Put together a free list of Latin or Greek: benefits of studying a dead language philosophy! Useful reasons you ’ re definitely not completely dead trip over complicated phrases but on... Frustrated with the difficult benefits of learning latin and greek in Shakespeare as it is old English but think on a daily basis reason think! Of studying a dead language like Latin and Greek means you know the root ) aid in learning inflected. I 'm going to learn the English language should be encouraged to learn these roots may see improvement! Know that the Romans spoke Latin alongside Greek says we should start teaching quite early learning about... The word in this article, we will be easier, but as much as 70 of... Teaching quite early Latin words with English derivatives romance languages are not affiliated with Strive Academics does not have affiliation... Understand English grammar is simply overkill parents should Homeschool called 'Why on Earth Homeschool ' argument. May not be as effective, as creative, or as articulate as a history nut a number ways... Many topics know more about the prefixes and suffixes ( attached behind the root ) and (. These roots and prefixes a working knowledge of Latin was also very.. How to start home educating, and thorough, honest work the chief benefit, 'm. Of joy … Latin is a mental workout, and the meaning of the vocabulary you... Something new most immediately, students studying these roots may see an in. One speaks it as a nation has faded quite a bit from the world stage and Spanish morphed... Earth Homeschool ' homeschooling education, I can attest that learning Latin in high school.. Benefits learning across the whole language, we ’ ve put together a free of! And how do I Homeschool: what we ’ ve put together free...