Description: Classics graduate from Durham University and Latin tutor Rebecca shares insights into her journey of discovering Latin and why you may be encouraged to study it, too!
I vividly remember being 11 years old and choosing my language options as I entered high school. I ranked the languages in order of preference: Spanish, then French, then German and – very much last – Latin. Who on earth would want to study Latin, a dead language that everyone around me told me would be ‘no use’ in later life?
When I was informed that I was to be studying my first choice, Spanish, as well as my last choice, Latin, I remember my heart dropping and dreading being forced to learn a completely useless language. And yet, here I am having graduated with a degree in Classics, learning the highest level of Latin open to undergraduates, and entirely changing my outlook on Latin and the ancient world!
What I learned very quickly is that Latin is far, far from useless; in fact, it complements so many other subjects and life skills. If you like Mathematics, Latin is incredibly formulaic and each sentence is perfectly crafted via a series of rules (of course, with some exceptions!) that makes it perfect for calculating minds who enjoy maths.
If you like English, so many of our words today come from Latin and it allows you to create a much wider vocabulary, as you start to link English words to their Latin derivations.
If you like History, Latin texts give us some incredible insight into the ancient world; from Cicero to Plautus to Virgil, we gain so much knowledge about what life looked like for those in ancient Rome.
If you like languages, all of the Romance languages that we know today – Spanish, French and Italian to name a few – derive from Latin, and it can make your journey with other languages far easier and more enjoyable to have such a strong understanding of where they came from.
If you’re an avid reader, such as myself, the literature that the ancient world has to offer is so varied and each author, poet and playwright has something different to offer. For an insight into how interesting and exciting Latin literature can be, Virgil’s Aeneid is a great starting point. It tells the story of Aeneas and how, after defeat in the Trojan War, he went on to found Rome.
There’s a love story, there are disasters and, ultimately, there is a huge triumph when Aeneas finally reaches his purpose – it has everything that a thrilling storyline needs! Although there are some brilliant English translations available, there is something beautiful about reading it in its original language and it was the beauty of the texts that really made my love of Classics come alive.
Ultimately, it is a common misconception of many people that there is no point in learning Latin unless you want to become the Pope. All I would say to that is give it a chance. When I gave it a chance, I found a life-long passion and love for everything that the ancient world has to offer.
Latin truly enriched all of the subjects that I was studying alongside it at school and I would encourage anyone who is lucky enough to have the opportunity to study such a beautiful language to embrace it and enjoy learning something that not everyone gets to experience!
Interested in learning Latin or working with Rebecca? Contact us.