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I see myself as a logophile. I've been part of AWAD, wwftd, and M-W mailing list since I was 16 (Okay, I'm only 19, but still). Also, I used to like to just randomly browse through the dictionary for hours and hours reading random words. It got to the point that I used to write out definitions of words which I liked. But then college and "busy-ness" hit, so I can't do that anymore.
Okay, I'm going off topic.
Do you think someone like me that has a passion for words should take a course in Latin? I'm in college now, and I think I should use it as an opportunity before I graduate.
Have any of you taken Latin? How were your experiences?
Latin is the foundation of about a third of English words (along with Old English and French). (Anyways, Latin comes from French too). With Latin I hope to gain the skill of being able to see a word I have never seen before, break it up to its roots and affixes, and figure out what it means by its Latin root. Sometimes I can already recognize words by those roots. I'm thinking it can open up this whole new door of understanding for me.
Also, Latin might also help me with Spanish, which is another language I speak (although I'm getting kind of rusty), and I've always been frond of French, which are both Latin languages.
(I think I have a few songs in Latin too.)
Last edited by mechanesthesia; 02/08/06 04:06 PM.
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If you have an affinity, sry typing one handed so if there are spelling errors that is why, go for it. I personally think Latin is an excellent language. Wish I had taken it when I was your age.
Rev. Alimae
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Mech--
The two most important courses I ever took were Latin and typing. Both have facilitated my communication abilities over the years and have both brought me much enjoyment in my years of life (almost 3 times yours, but...)
The other course of instruction that was important to me was the family dinner. Both of my parents were journalists, and we lived a life of words and newspapers. At the time we were blessed with four daily newspapers, the Washington Post, Star, Daily News, and the Alexandria Gazette (the latter was the paper my mother worked for.)
Every evening at dinner we'd pass around the papers and talke about what was in them and why it was there. Television news was not allowed and we ate purposely at 6 so we had a good excuse to avoid the crap that was usually foisted off as news.
Interesting in one respect because my father many years before had turned down a job in TV that was then offered to some guy named Walter Cronkite. But the reason for turning it down was that, according to my father, "There's no future in this television thing. Oh, dear, would you remind me to call my broker tomorrow and buy more stock in Acme Buggywhip?"
TEd
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I didn't take any Latin till I was about 40. My first word-oriented memory is of an episode in an English class in elementary school. We had been reading a story that had a kookaburra in it and the glossary at the end of the story defined it as "a laughing jackass" without pointing out that the phrase was just a sobriquet. No one in the class, including the teacher, except I had picked up on the fact that the kookaburra was a bird. There was a quiz that included asking what the kookaburra was. I got it wrong by virtue of giving a correct answer.
I do remember reading dictionaries when I was a youth.
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Go for it, Mech. My view of Latin at age of 11 was soured by the circumstances, but it’s an undoubted asset if you want to further develop your appreciation of languages, being as you imply a major foundation stone in many tongues. I have since picked up a fair bit of Latin just from my study of English etymology; since you enjoy words you will doubtless get a real kick out of the study. My only caveat, to use a suitable Latin term, would be to make sure you understand that you will be learning a different language. This may seem an obvious enough point, but you might be surprised at how many people confuse themselves and others by trying to force English into the straitjacket of a foreign syntax – “this is how the Latin worked, so it must be the same in the English version derived from it!” Nuh-uh ~ calques, loanwords and other processes contribute to a language’s development in much more complex ways than straightforward adoptions of a word stem might suggest. But I expect you already appreciate this. Have fun. 
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Yes! Take Latin! I agree with TEd: Latin and typing were two of the most important classes I had in high school (the third was World Literature). Latin will help you understand grammar better and yes, it will help you learn other languages -- even if they're not Latin-derived. It will also help you play Hogwash (over in Wordplay & Fun), as you begin to work out roots and affixes. Go for it!
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I think you've already talked yourself into it, Sweetie!  As one who never took any Latin, I can tell you, as a word lover you'll regret it if you don't.
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enthusiast
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All of the above, especially the hogwash bit. I don't remember ever not loving words. My lucky self had an English teacher Mom, a fantastically literate Dad and a Chaucer professor for an Uncle who spent most weekends at our home and often brought along favorite students for the weekend. I wrangled up 5 new subscriptions for my paper route, when I was 12, so that I could get the prize of a new dictionary. (oops - cross thread. 'Too many bops on the noggin with that heavy Latin textbook I guess) My Latin teacher, in Freshman year HS, used to whack me on the head  as he declined a word that I had made a mistake on. Despite that, I'm glad I took the course, not that I had a choice. My subsequent Latin teachers were less violent.
Last edited by Owlbow; 02/08/06 05:19 PM.
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I took two years of Latin in HS and participated in the Latin club. I came in first in Latin translation and Latin poetry recitation at the state competition. It was a fun thing to do, but the most important thing I got out of the experience was an appreciation of English grammar, which prior to that time I had always thought of as arbitrary and mysterious. At least now it doesn't seem mysterious to me.
Since that time I have forgotten nearly everything I had ever learned, but I still consider it time well spent.
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Thanks. I'm definitely taking it next semester!
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