<p>I have been given the choice to take Latin next year. This is a selective class and one must meet the pre-requisites to take it. I am glad that I have this option, but I have some hesitation. If I take this class, my schedule will be packed and quite stressful. In my school, sophmore year is a time to enjoy newly given benefits and recover from the tumultous freshmen year. By taking Latin and another class which I WILL definitely take because it leads to an AP class I feel as if I will be a poor freshmen again while my friends will be enjoying their sophmore year. </p>
<p>Can anyone tell me the benefits of taking Latin? Have any of you been in a situation like this? I don't want this opportunity dissappear but I need a break. I will be taking all honors courses next year and having no school periods where I can relax will be difficult. Any advice?</p>
<p>If you really love the Latin language and think that you will benefit from taking the class, go for it. I didn't take it, however, because I'd rather learn a modern language that more people speak today. But Latin is still a really beautiful language, so definitely take it if you think you should.</p>
<p>Haha, latin a beautiful language? You've got to be kidding me. Latin is allright--it'll be worth your while if you take it, it helps your SAT's unquestionably, but there reaches a point where you've reached your prerequisite to romance languages and derivative help. Going beyond that point requires a real love of the language, one I don't have yet still do AP...oh well. Anyway, Sophomore year is a huge slacking year at least at my school, chances are its not going to hinder your social life that much more to take latin--go for it if you want to take it. As far as having no school periods to relax, i'ev never had a study hall, they're a waste of time in my opinion because most people just sit there, I'd rather take art. </p>
<p>it also depends on your teacher and the textbook they use, that can tell a lot. for instance if you guys used wheelocks, have fun...but some others are pretty low key and slow paced. just post again if you want more input</p>
<p>Once you get it under your belt, you'll realize that it really is an incredible language and worth every minute you've put into it. You'll start to see the beauty of grammar, syntax, and language, and you'll develop a greater appreciation for your own language. You'll finally begin to see why metonymy DOES matter, and why you really DO need to understand the subjunctive- its use can totally change the tone of the passage you're reading. </p>
<p>In short, DO IT. It was one of the best decisions I ever made.</p>
<p>-Elizabeth (the prospective Classics major)</p>
<p>N.B. Our curriculum was textbookless. Our teacher taught us the grammar we needed to know as fast as possible so we could dive right into literature. In my opinion, the absolute best way to go.</p>
<p>if u take latin u learn a lot about culture, and it does help with sat words, however its tedious memorization can quickly make it your most boring class</p>
<p>I'd strongly recommend you take Latin--it's certainly not a dead language! Latin language is the basis for all of the widely-spoken Romance languages like Spanish, French, Italian, etc. and if you take Latin beforehand, I'd think it would be easier to pick up those languages. Since many of the roots in English words come from Latin, it will definetely help you build a stronger vocabulary, appreciate and understand the English language better, and do well on the reading/verbal part of standardized tests. Also, many legal, anatomic, and scientific terms are derived from Latin which goes to show how much impact Greco-Roman culture has had on western society. I personally regret not taking it in addition to Spanish.</p>
<p>yeah and I haev taken latin for five years so cool your jets. i am completely dedicated to my club and to the ojcl and the njcl, i just hate my teacher, so calm yourself. you have to admit it isn't a beautiful language, it is a useful one and i dont regret taking it for any other reason than that the period is a hellish 45 minutes a day and its the only mistake in my senior schedule full of APs, so once more, cool your jets. or should I say, tene tuos equos or some crap like that. just google my name and you'll see that i'm not some latin lightweight so gimme a break. </p>
<p>hah and that bs about it not being a dead language--LATIN IS DEAD. take it or leave it all you latin nerds, it is a dead language. it is not spoken any more. that's not to say like an old car it lives and breathes its way through other languages as the basis, it is dead. latin is a dead language. my friend even gave a speech on it in front of 1000 latin nerds at my state convention to critical acclaim. gasp gasp gasp, it is a dead language.</p>
<p>Take Latin it is one of the best things I have done in my life. Latin seriously takes you places. My teacher has two daughters: One is in CalTech and the other is at Duke, because their mother was a Latin teacher they naturally studied that and did well. The one daughter who is in CalTech has met and is now very well acquainted with Steven Hawkins, who often goes to CalTech.The other daughter who goes to Duke is has become friends with a woman on the board whose name is Melinda Gates, a.k.a Bill Gates wife. I enjoy Latin because it's fun you learn more about science and English and how language hasn't really changed that much. If anything if you take Latin you better be sure that you'll knock out the vocabulary section of the SAT. </p>
<p>So many words on their have Latin roots that its almost a breeze for most Latin students. My friend who is also Latin 2 Honors,just like me :) got a 1590 on his SAT another student who was in Latin 1 regulars got a 1480 so yeah...SAT scores will improve,plus the people who take Latin are always interesting so yeah go for it! My friends who've taken Spanish, German and/or French and then transfered to Latin say it's alot easier and just better in general. This only makes me look even more forward to tomorrow's JCL competition!</p>
<p>Latin will help with your English grammar and syntax as well as vocabulary. I've taken four foreign languages: French, German, Russian, and Latin. Latin, by far, was the easiest to learn because it is more regular. Masculine/feminine in the other languages are often a matter of memorization. Genders in Latin often follow patterns. There are also fewer irregular verbs in Latin than in the other languages. Besides, you can speak Latin with a southern drawl or a New York twang and no one cares. </p>
<p>BTW, I took Russian back in the 70s. Our first text could have been written by a communuist functionary. "Bad people smoke in trolley buses. Good people work in concrete factories. Concrete! Concrete! Concrete!"</p>
<p>take it.
latin is the best class ive had in HS,
right now im in my fifth year of latin (AP latin, level 6) (latin 1 is in MS)
and its THE best class.
it helps me in lots of other classes and nothing did more for my verbal score on the SATs. (750) knowing latin helped me with the analogies especially.
latin is always the first homework i do at night because its my favorite class
do it </p>
<p>Latin is helpful for lots of things, but study the langauge you want to study! No matter how useful latin is, I have 0% interest in taking it, and I'm quite happy I took Spanish instead. Go for what you'll enjoy.</p>
<p>i think it would be a big mistake not to take Latin. I took it from 7th grade all the way up to junior year, AP Latin V (Vergil). I received a pretty good verbal score, 730, and my writing score was a 790. I don't know whether there's a distinct correlation, most people say there is. Your vocabulary will be more extensive than ever, and your sentence construction will more naturally be grammatically correct after the detailed translation from Latin to English. Moreover, it's the foundation for all of the other romance languages, so picking up Italian or French will be an easier transition from Latin than directly from English. You will really appreciate the language once you get into higher levels of it: translating Vergil's Aeneid was one of the most rewarding experiences of my academic career. We also have the Latin Honor Society at my school, which enhances one's college application.</p>
<p>Most of all of your responses have been positive. The benefits gained from Latin were pretty good. Better performance on the SAts, improved vocabulary, better talking skills, better writer appealled to me. After reading all the comments, I decided to take Latin even though my schedule from sophmore year to senior year will be hectic. </p>
<p>Thanx for all the help guys. Now, I only have to talk to my guidance counselor and go through the neccessary procedures.</p>
<p>I'm in Latin II and I'll be taking Latin III next year as a senior.</p>
<p>My English grammar, spelling and vocabulary have all improved a great deal since I started Latin. I've also learned a lot about world history and classical literature. I can also read the Spanish I workbooks just based on my Latin knowledge; it's true that it really helps learning new Romance languages.</p>
<p>I really liked the stories in the textbooks (We use Cambridge here) and I especially liked how easy it was to pronounce and how uninmportant pronunciation was. I had a very hard time picking up French, Spanish and German through hearing, but had no trouble with learning Latin by reading.</p>
<p>But I think the biggest reason you should take Latin is because it's interesting. I really LIKE my Latin class, and everything else is just bonus.</p>
<p>PS: JCL is tight and I'm also a prospective classics major. (Classics majors have VERY high med/law school placement stats.)</p>