latin...

Julia Iremonger

just wondering what other people think of latin... do you find it interesting or not?

Reply 1

Julia Iremonger

bump

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Reply 2

Hal.E.Lujah

Omnia dicta fortiora si dicta latina

Spoiler

Reply 3

Cephalus

I actually aspired to learn latin, I even bought the books (cambridge have done a very nice set), but it was very dry, and I gave up quite quickly

Reply 4

Cephalus

Original post by Hal.E.Lujah

Omnia dicta fortiora si dicta latina

Spoiler

You forgot to add that it sounds more pretentious too :tongue:

Reply 5

Hal.E.Lujah

Original post by Cephalus

You forgot to add that it sounds more pretentious too :tongue:

Pretentious: Attempting to impress by affecting greater importance, talent, culture, etc., than is actually possessed.

I thought it was a given? Why else does anyone 'Sound more impressive' :tongue:

That's genuinely the only reason anyone, ever, has learnt latin. Etymologists, bring it on.

Reply 6

navarre

It may be interesting to those who are into Classics. But for most people, learning Latin is the very definition of a waste of time.

Reply 7

SirMasterKey

Original post by navarre

It may be interesting to those who are into Classics. But for most people, learning Latin is the very definition of a waste of time.

Possibly true but it isn't just those into Classics that need to know their Latin.

Reply 8

py0alb

I spent 6 years studying it at school and eventually got a GCSE in it. It was easily the biggest waste of time of my life. Just think of all the useful things I could have learnt in that time.

It should be abolished, its completely stupid.

Reply 9

Julia Iremonger

is there anyone who likes it a lot? or is it just me?

This was posted from The Student Room's iPhone/iPad App

Reply 10

SirMasterKey

Original post by Julia Iremonger

is there anyone who likes it a lot? or is it just me?

This was posted from The Student Room's iPhone/iPad App

I quite like it and will go and relearn some over Christmas I think.

Reading some Catullus right now. :love:

Reply 11

Mr M

Study Forum Helper

Original post by Julia Iremonger

is there anyone who likes it a lot?

Michael Gove?

Reply 12

Katie321

I hated it, but I do think it's a useful subject if you're wanting to do languages because it has a lot of similarities

Reply 13

Mouse Potato

I did it to A Level and sort of wished I'd been able to take it further. Did a module in it in my second year of Uni, but was forced to drop out due to ill health so I'll never know how that would have gone. I'm doing an English degree and I'm focusing quite heavily on Medieval English. A lot of the texts I study at the moment have lots of references to Latin texts in them or are even written originally in Latin (albeit Medieval, not Classical, which is confusing as hell to begin with) so it's given me a massive, massive advantage.

I honestly think it was the most worthwhile A Level I took. It wasn't easy, and it's the only subject I've ever got a B in. But I learnt a lot, and I had a really great time along the way. Sure, you can read Ovid, Virgil etc in translation but it really doesn't compare to the original. Trying to self-teach Ancient Greek now for the same reason, since I'm too ill to be at uni and on my good days I'm bored out of my skull (plus I really really want to read Homer in Greek because the Iliad is possibly the greatest work of literature ever composed...)

I really hope that one day Latin is offered at more schools. I was lucky enough to be at a grammar school that offered it, but I think it should be more widely available as an option. It's useful for almost everything because it gives you a specific way of thinking and sorting through information, applying what you've got to come to a conclusion. Maybe more relevant to arts than sciences, but still, I loved it and really wish more people were able to have the experience that I had.

Reply 14

kpwxx

I think it sounds cool, but not cool enough to learn it... the same kind of way I think Old Norse sounds cool.

However, it annoys me when people use it for no reason other than to make things more elitist. Like how maths research was published in Latin for many, many years after it was a common language, which just made things more difficult and inaccessible.

Or how alot of unis, even new ones put their mottos in Latin; it just doesn't make sense!

xxx

(edited 11 years ago)