Today's students
Why Students Should Study Latin
Legal Foundations
Scientific Precision
Cultural Resonance
From "habeas corpus" (meaning "you shall have the body" in Latin and a writ requiring a person to be brought before a judge in law) to "subpoena" (meaning "under penalty" in latin and a writ for a person to attend a court or to produce documents in law) Latin is a language used throughout lthe judicial system, legal studies, and law school. This is a great language for intended pre-law students to consider taking.
In the fields of biology and medicine, binomial nomenclature provides a universal language for classification. From Homo sapiens to cardiovascular terminology, Latin ensures that scientists can communicate across linguistic borders. Take Latin if you intend to be a pre-medical major and familiarize yourself with medical terms and root words.
Cultural terminology and humanities continue to draw from Latin to define complex human experiences. Phrases like Ad infinitum and Carpe diem have permeated modern literature and philosophy, carrying centuries of depth. Not to mention you may help your SAT score by taking Latin. Research shows Latin students continuously score higher on the verbal/reading sections because 60 to 90% of English words have Latin roots.
Choosing your high school foreign language
Should I take
Latin or Spanish?Isn't Latin a dead language?
I took both Latin and Spanish. In my opinion, I like both, but want to pursue classics and prelaw in college and found Latin to be an excellent fit for me. Latin is great for expanding your vocabulary. Latin nicely complemented my Spanish studies. It wasn't confusing to take both, but helped me to become somewhat conversational in Spanish. In Latin, I loved studying the cultures of ancient Rome and Greece and translating different texts. I really enjoyed Suburani in beginning, 2nd year, and 3rd year Latin.
My Insights: Overview
I
took both Latin and Spanish simultaneously in high school. For Latin, I really liked learning about ancient Greece and ancient Rome. I loved that Latin complemented the Spanish I was taking nicely, as some words overlapped. Taking two languages inspired me to further pursue languages in college. When I attend college next year, I plan to double major in classics (Latin) and international business (Spanish) and really expand my knowledge base. Latin may be seen as a dead language, but to me it came alive when I first encountered it the summer before my sophomore year of high school, and my enthusiasm continued to grow even as I traveled to Italy to explore ancient sites. Conducting research over this past summer has opened up my understanding to the scope of ancient history.
For languages, get excited about what you're going to learn! If you want a spoken language to communicate in countries you travel to, then choose Spanish. If you want to improve your vocabulary and enjoy the study of classics take Latin. I love taking both!