Studying Latin is important for several reasons. First of all, it is important because some 60% of English words are derived from Latin. So, knowing Latin will help you have a better knowledge and understanding of English. From a practical point of view, it will help you raise your SAT or ACT scores. If we take for example the Latin noun mors, mortis, which means “death”, here are some of the English words derived from it: mortal, immortal, mortality, immortality, morbid, moribund, mortgage.
Second, Latin continues to be used today in such fields as science, theology, government, law and every day abbreviations. The following chemical symbols come from Latin: Fe (ferrum, iron), Au (aureum, gold), Pb (plumbum, lead), while many theological words passed from Latin into English, such as grace, salvation, vocation, divinity, deity. In government and law, many Latin phrases continue to be used today. We have all heard the terms pro bono, referendum, veto, subpoena, alibi, bona fide. In addition, many state mottos are in Latin. For example, the motto of the District of Columbia is Iustitia omnibus (Justice for All), and the Latin motto of the state of Alabama is Audemus iura nostra defendere (We dare to defend our rights). Many abbreviations we use every day come from Latin words. To name only a few: a.m. (ante meridiem, before the middle of the day); p.m. (post meridiem, after the middle of the day); P.S. (post scriptum, written after); etc. (et cetera, and so on); A.D. (anno Domini, in the year of our Lord).
Thirdly, Latin will help you with your English grammar and your thinking skills in general. Because Latin grammar is so systematic, structured and logical, it will help you understand the key elements of languages in general and of English in particular. It will help you become a better writer and foster in you the desire to write well and to use the English language to its full potential. In addition, the study of Latin requires logic, rigor and attention to detail, which are all very important skills for the successful student to have and to apply to any subject. It teaches one to be more demanding and develops a desire for personal effort in the presence of difficult problems or academic questions.
Finally, the study of Latin is important because it is an essential part of a Liberal Arts education. In addition to obtaining an advanced knowledge of the language itself, Latin students also study Roman society and culture, Roman history, Roman philosophy, ethics, mythology, and Roman literature. Studying Latin is so central to education itself that many universities today continue to have their mottos in Latin. There would be many examples, but I will choose the motto of the University of Texas in Austin, which says: Disciplina, praesidium civitatis, Education, the Guardian of Society. The study of Latin is a very important part of the study of Western Civilization, which is at the heart of our cultural, intellectual and linguistic heritage. Latin helps to make connections between the world of today and the world of yesterday. It helps to understand the history of the western world and of western thought. It is useful in literary studies because there are so many literary references in English and American literature to Latin literature. For example, behind Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet is the poem Pyramus and Thisbe by the Latin poet Ovid. This is another illustration of how Latin helps to make connections and have a better, more complete understanding of things.
