(Is my child wasting their time on a language no one speaks anymore?)
By Judy Robinson, 9th/10th Intellectual Virtues through Latin Teacher
March 2024
Take a dime out of your pocket or wallet and flip it over. Do you know what that symbol is? It is an Ancient Roman symbol called a 'fasces' - a bundle of rods with an axe in the middle bound together by leather straps. Bodyguards ('lictors' in Ancient Rome) used to carry this weapon around to keep citizens in line. It is a classical symbol of restrained power, unity, and authority, and can also be found on the Washington monument, inside the House of Representatives, and in the Oval Office. While studying the fasces in our 9/10 Latin class, one of the students asked if the etymology of fascism was linked to the fasces. We then took a fantastic academic rabbit trail and learned that the fasces symbol was also used by Mussolini in Italy from which they adopted the term fascism. This led to an important and fascinating discussion on how one ancient symbol can lead to the founding of different nations or governments based on competing political ideologies.
If we think of taking Latin in high school as an alternative to a modern foreign language, we have missed the point
The point of learning Latin is to help shape the mind, it lays a great foundation and makes connections to every other discipline, which is why we start teaching it when it matters most – to the young students in the grammar school.
In the end students may not remember all the Latin they learned, but the Latin will affect everything else they ever learn
Latin is to thinking as weight lifting is to playing football. A well-known fact in the NFL is that the best players are those who do the hard work off of the field, they put in their time in the weight room. Saying "why bench press? I never bench press on the football field" is similar to saying "why learn Latin? No one speaks Latin anymore." Those who lift weights will be better football players, basketball players, or runners. Those who study Latin will be better at English, science, mathematics, and history.
Galileo, William Shakespeare, Martin Luther, CS Lewis, JRR Tolkien, Albert Einstein, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, Sigmund Freud, and Dorothy Sayers all studied Latin and received a classical education which helped mould them into the heavy lifting thinkers of our time. Not every student is meant to become a great academic, but every student, whether they become a plumber, teacher, parent, banker, or graphic artist, will benefit from the ability to think, learn, reason, and defend their beliefs.
Our founding fathers drew upon Latin and Roman history in creating the USA
Our forefathers, most of whom were classically trained, founded the USA largely on classical and Christian principles. Striving to be a Republic ('res publica' in Latin, meaning "the public thing"), they declared the USA would be 'E Pluribus Unum' (Latin for "out of many, one"), and set up a country in the likes of the separation of power of Ancient Rome rather than as a monarchy like the United Kingdom that they were declaring independence from. They established a senate ('senatus' in Latin meaning "old man"), announced liberty ('libertas' in Latin from the Roman goddess for freedom), and used a number of classical symbols which can still be found on state mottos, the monuments, and our money today.
60% of the English language derives from Latin
The Romance languages derived from Latin: French, Italian, Spanish, Portugese, and Romanian. There are also Latin borrowings in English, Albanian, German, Dutch, Norwegian, Danish and Swedish. Our calendar comes from Ancient Rome (the Roman ruler Numa Pompilius is credited for creating the 12-month year), and our planets are named after Greek and Roman gods. History, philosophy, mythology, mathematics, politics…. Latin is the language of our ancestors. In forgetting it, think how much we stand to lose.
Latin teaches students how to think
Latin is a tool for learning language, a key component of thinking and communicating. Studying Latin shows us how ideas became words, and words became laws, ideologies, and worldviews that build societies, cultures, and the world as we know it. For example, 'pater' in Latin is 'father' in English, and has also derived into paternal, patriotic, patriotism, and 'patria' or fatherland. It is no wonder that Latin has been proven to increase students standardized test scores and overall academic ability.
Latin teaches students how to learn
I often tell my students that if they can learn Latin, they can learn algebra, chemistry, sudoku, philosophy, baking, or how to build an engine, because it offers the discipline of learning how to learn. Because Latin is no longer spoken it is an eternal language with very clear, steady, and unchanging rules, much like a puzzle (and unlike modern languages that are full of slang words and inconsistencies). Of course, studying Latin also makes learning modern languages easier. Even one to two years of studying Latin will aid in speaking Spanish, French, German, etc.
'Quid ergo' (So, now what?)
If the above arguments have been convincing, we are left with the question of how to help our children study Latin. Perhaps it requires humility from our generation to acknowledge the decline in the comprehensive education today's students receive. This humility, coupled with repentance, could pave the way for a fresh start, an earnest endeavour to reclaim what has slipped away. It echoes the narrative of King Josiah in 2 Kings, who stumbled upon the neglected scrolls of Torah, unseen by the Israelites for years, prompting a revival of their foundational teachings.
Some practical ideas: learn a bit of Latin ourselves alongside our children, read Homer, Cicero and Livy, look up Latin mottos for the military/universities/US states, read ancient mythology and discuss how it has influenced modern stories (tip: look to Percy Jackson and nearly every Marvel movie), plan an enrichment week trip to Athens and Rome (and please bring me with you!).
And in the midst of study, let's keep the big picture in mind. Perhaps the next generation in the USA will be a predominately Christian one, or perhaps it will become largely taken over by secular humanist thought. Our children and grandchildren may thrive, or they may be persecuted. Whatever is to come, we can prepare them to recognize the good, the true, and the beautiful, and equip them with the tools to think, learn, stand firm, and articulately defend their beliefs. Latin is one great tool to help us disciple and educate our children well for whatever is to come.
©Judy Robinson | This article was first published in North Star March Newsletter, March 2024 Edition.