<p>I took Latin for the following reasons:
1. Alleged vocabulary help -- I've taken Latin for 2.5 years, and it's been more like my English has helped my Latin vocab, rather than Latin helping my English vocab. Oh well.
2. I do like being able to read ancient texts rather than boring conversational handbooks.
3. I thought it would help me learn other Romance languages. In retrospect, this is not a good reason. Like it's been said before, if you want to learn French then take French. However Latin has helped me read other languages pretty well.
4. Knowing crazy Latin tenses and complex parts of language has helped me with my English grammar. Subjunctive verbs, ablative case, what?
5. The Latin teacher at my school was crazy hot and a lot of fun.</p>
<p>4 reasons that seemed decent, 1 horribly shallow reason.
I wouldn't take Latin again, but I am glad I did take it.</p>
<p>Indeed, the whole "Latin-helps-with-Romance-Language" argument seems really shallow when few Romance languages remain "purely" Romance... Spanish has massive arabic influence as well as italian. And Romanian has massive Slavic corruptions. French is heavily germanized... </p>
<p>Latin may help with understanding some parts of anoyher language, but it isn't going to heavily aid in learning the "Vulgar" Romance Languages.</p>
<p>I have taken latin since the 7th grade, and took spanish as well starting in high school- i did quite well, and found latin to be very helpful (with some conjugations and vocab). Obviously one can still do well without latin, but it still can help in some ways. </p>
<p>And latin simply rocks. Who doesn't love Catullus/Ovid/Virgil?</p>
<p>=] Hhhhhmmmm good question rubixcube. x] Who doesn't love Virgil?! =]</p>
<p>
[quote]
In fact, the romans never much influenced the english language after around 150 AD, it was the french during the norman conquest, so I fail to see how Latin would be more beneficial than french.
[/quote]
Actually, that's a little wrong. Here are some facts you ought to know:
1. The Romans were around in Britain until the early 5th century AD.
2. The Roman occupation of Britain in fact had little effect on the English language. English finds its origins in the languages of Germanic tribes that occupied Britain after the Romans left Britain. The peoples whom the Romans conquered in the 1rst century AD are barely (if at all) represented in the English language.
3. Because Latin was the language of the Church and of academia throughout the Middle Ages and beyond, it actually had quite a significant impact on English. You'll notice, for example, that a lot of scientific terms tend to be Latinate: this is because the people who possessed any knowledge of scientific phenomena (whether or not it was correct) would largely have been fluent in Latin. And when you hit the Renaissance and suddenly everyone wants this stuff to be written in English, academics imported words from Latin to describe phenomena for which no English terminology existed.</p>
<p>Everyone is so concerned about justifying the study of Latin based on how many SAT words it helps you with, how many Romance languages you'll have a head start on, etc. But since when did academic study have to be immediately useful? Why must everything be rejected if it doesn't efficiently get you from point A in your life to point B? Why can't we all just say, "I'm taking Latin just for sh**s and giggles"?</p>
<p>I want to take latin (my school and community college dont offer it...) because I am a science freak, and a lot of science (well, Bio anyway...) is in latin... That's pretty much it...</p>
<p>i like latin, my teacher is cool.. but i think i am the only one who likes her lol</p>
<p>im pretty good at it too, i got a 99 in the class (probably would not be that high if i did not like the teacher so much... im that kind of person) like i hated my english teacher first term so i didnt do as well as i could have. but then again i didnt like my math teacher much, and i still did amazing... but thats just me, the obsessed-with-math person (lol ignore me)</p>
<p>When I took Latin I, my teacher was a very tiny old woman from South Africa. She was a great teacher and all, but she retired after that and was replaced by the hottest former college football player I've ever seen. </p>
<p>And that's why I didn't quit and take more gym classes.</p>
<p>I think all you guys are missing the biggest point!</p>
<p>We all learn latin so that in case we get sent in a time machine back to ancient rome we'll be able talk to the inhabitants!</p>
<p>Duh.........</p>
<p>(also, lionswim, you're from kansas, <em>high five!</em>)</p>
<p>frankenchris, do you ever watch The Real World: Austin? Because one kid, Wes, is from Leawood.</p>
<p>My whole life, I didn't think there were characteristics unique to Kansans. Now I see this Wes kid on TV, and it's like...home.</p>
<p>Well, kinda.</p>
<p>Wooo, Kansas!</p>
<p>I basically did latin because it helps because for one of my GCSE' i did in Ancient civillisation and greek. I loved latin; i came across a bit of latin in the Handmaids Tale;</p>
<p>Nolites bastardes carbondorum</p>
<p>Its a bit of a joke; not proprer latin but hey if you want to know just say.</p>