Why Latin?
“We address especially the young people: . . . you must joyfully accept the patrimony of the language which the Church holds in high esteem and must, with energy, make it fruitful. The well-known words of Cicero, “It is not so much excellent to know Latin, as it is a shame not to know it” in a certain sense are directed to you.”
Why Study Latin?
Latin has been a world language for most of its history. Centuries after Rome fell and long after the last native Latin speaker died, Latin lived on as the second language of Europe. Despite its technical classification as a dead language (i.e., it is no one’s mother tongue), it still lives today—most notably as the language of the Catholic Church—and in fact it has recently seen a phenomenal resurgence of interest and use. Latin is a beautiful and robust language, and provides many intellectual, linguistic and spiritual benefits to those who study it. However, most schools offering Latin today overlook the most important reason for learning Latin: to be able to read Latin texts!
At Immaculata, we teach Latin as a language, and train students to develop Latin reading fluency. Since the 19th century, most schools—even most classical schools—have given up on this goal, and have settled for various ancillary benefits, which we describe under “Latin’s Practical Value,” below. These are all good reasons to study Latin, but they are insufficient as a defense of the essential value of Latin, which must be more than a mental exercise and more than the sum of its utilitarian benefits. First and foremost, Latin is a language, and must be taught like a language, not as a specimen to be analyzed. Truly learning the language—as opposed to only learning about the language and its grammar—allows students to experience countless great works of the Western Tradition as they were originally written. This is no small task, which is why it is so rarely attempted, but the rewards—unmediated access to the literary works of Cicero, Virgil, Jerome, Augustine, Boethius, Bede, Aquinas, and so many others—are immense.
Video: Latin and the Great Conversation
“[T]he Latin language ‘can be called truly catholic.’ It has been consecrated through constant use by the Apostolic See, the mother and teacher of all Churches, and must be esteemed ‘a treasure … of incomparable worth.’”
Latin’s Spiritual Value
Because of Latin’s supreme functionality to express a thought clearly it became the obvious mater lingua of philosophy and of the queen of sciences, sacred theology. As such, the student who knows Latin well gains access to the written patrimony of the hallmark figures of the Catholic Faith and so can begin a spiritual dialogue with the likes of Sts. Ambrose, Augustine, Gregory, Benedict, Thomas and a host of others in the language in which they thought and prayed.
Even more importantly, Latin was and is the universal language of the universal Church and the normative language of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. Knowledge of Latin provides an even more profound immersion in the mystical Divine Love poem that is the Mass. Students who learn to pray the Mass in Latin soon realize its inestimable value.
“There can be no doubt as to the formative and educational value either of the language of the Romans or of great literature generally. . . . It sharpens the wits and gives keenness of judgment. It helps the young mind to grasp things accurately and develop a true sense of values. It is also a means for teaching highly intelligent thought and speech.”
Latin’s Practical Value
While practical value has never been the ultimate purpose or goal of a classical education and the study of Latin, its ‘real-world’ benefits nonetheless abound. Chief among these is the impact Latin has on the comprehension and correct use of English. Latin, whether directly or by means of other romance languages, notably French, forms the foundation for the great majority of English vocabulary. The English vocabulary based upon Latin is most usually polysyllabic words, that is, the words which form well-spoken speech. A study of Latin grammar leads the student to a fuller understanding of the mechanics of language and thereby greatly enhances the understanding of English. It is very difficult to ‘see’ grammar at work in one’s own language since it was learned naturally. This is why it is not uncommon to hear from those who have studied any foreign language statements like, “I never understood English until I studied…” It is also why books such as English Grammar for Students of German have become so popular. Yet, standing supreme is the inimitability of Latin as a highly inflected and regular language to develop one’s command of grammar and so to read, write and speak well.
Without elaboration, some other benefits are:
Latin students have a great advantage in learning other foreign languages
Studying Latin trains the mental faculties of logic, critical thinking, analysis, and attention to detail
Studies have shown that Latin students perform better on standardized tests such as the SAT, MCAT, GRE, and LSAT
Latin students are equipped with the essential vocabulary of many professional fields such as medicine, law and science
The University of Kentucky Classics Department has put together an excellent list of reasons to study Latin, which you can read here.
With all the acknowledged benefits of the study of the Latin language, it is all the more lamentable that over the past several decades it has fallen into disfavor, while at the same time educational standards and effectiveness have unquestionably diminished. At Immaculata Classical Academy we are grateful and pleased to be able to offer to your child a comprehensive study of such a worthy subject. It is our goal to lead each child to a love and a mastery of Latin, the language of Western Civilization and the language of the Church.
