by Cheryl Lowe
G. K. Chesterton said that “Ultimately, in any case, it may be agreed that we commonly mean by a paradox some kind of collision between what is seemingly and what is really true.”
Itis a paradox that Latin—that seemingly least practical of subjects in a curriculum—is really the most essential, the most integrative, the most consequential. We understand that it is difficult for many teachers and parents to resist the gale-force cultural winds that blow in favor of the modern understanding of education, which emphasizes pragmatism, practicality, and career training, so here we invoke Chesterton and offer a "practical" defense of a dead language, that "impractical" subject: Latin.
Latin is the glue that binds a curriculum together and supports success in every subject. Latin is transformative. It will revolutionize your school or homeschool and take it from good to great. If you want to offer a better education and to develop better students, Latin is the answer.
Latin has been so long removed from the traditional curriculum that it deserves a defense. When there is so much to learn and so little time, why study a dead language? Here are the reasons:
1. Latin is the next step after phonics.
We all understand the importance of phonics, the systematic study of the English letters and their sounds. But phonics only covers half our language— those concrete words that students learn to speak and read first. Beginning in third grade students start to encounter words that are rooted in Latin. Latin words are bigger and harder and have more syllables, more abstract meanings, and different pronunciation and spelling patterns. How do we teach the Latin half of English in a systematic, orderly way like we do phonics? We don't. But we should. And the only truly systematic way to continue the study of the English language after phonics is to teach Latin—the foundation of the Latin half of English.
2.Half of our English vocabulary is made up of Latin words and roots. English words that derive from Latin can help develop students' vocabulary. For example, when students learn the Latin word pater, which means "father," they are prepared for more difficult English words like "patriarch" (the male leader of a family) and "patrimony" (an estate inherited from one's father) because they can apply the Latin root. Studying Latin builds vocabulary and reading skills as students encounter new English words that have their roots in Latin.
3. Latin provides many of the root words for the modern sciences. We live in an age dominated by science, so parents often ask, "Why study something useless and impractical like Latin? What we need is more science and math education." We think science is important too—so important that we strongly recommend Latin to these folks. Biology, chemistry, astronomy,
psychology, sociology, economics—Latin provides many of the root words for the specialized vocabularies of the modern sciences. The first task in learning a new subject is to learn the vocabulary—this is half the battle.
4. Latin is the language of law, government, logic, and theology. The Romans excelled in the practical arts of law and government, and it is from them that we derive our legal and political language. All legal terms are Latin. And although logic was first explained by Aristotle in Greek, it was really developed and systematized by the schoolmen in the Middle Ages—in Latin, of course. In the West even Christian theology was worked out in Latin. Many of the original words were Greek, but they were all filtered through Latin. Many well known theological concepts are in Latin: We are created imago dei, in the "image of God," and our world is created ex nihilo, "from nothing."
5. Latin is the most efficient way to learn English grammar.
The first reason for this is that it is difficult for students to analyze their native language, something they use instinctively and have learned by imitation. But a foreign language is foreign; the student has to break it down to learn the grammar—and there is nothing comparable to the Latin grammar. Latin is the most orderly, logical, disciplined, structured, systematic, consistent grammar in existence. Every lesson in Latin is a lesson in logic. Latin is a grammar system that is unparalleled among all the languages. It has no equal. The second reason is that English grammar is unsystematic, unstructured, unreliable, and inconsistent. It is abstract and invisible because of its lack of structure and inflection. Inflected languages like Latin have noun endings that tell you what the noun is doing in the sentence and verb endings that tell you who is doing the action of the verb and when. It is visible and concrete. Latin grammar
teaches English better than English grammar teaches English.
6.
Latin is the best preparation for learning any language.
Latin is the best preparation for learning a Romance language—or any language. Once you really understand how language works, the task of learning a new language will be more than cut in half. Why settle for just one language? Learn a dozen—but learn Latin first.
7. Latin effectively develops and trains the mind.
I consider this to be one of the most important reasons of all: mental training. Latin is the most effective tool we have to develop and train the minds of the young. Not only does it cut in half the task of learning another language, it makes learning any subject easier. The student who has learned how to learn with Latin will be a better student in all of his other subjects. Latin teaches students how to think systematically and approach any new subject with greatly enhanced learning skills. You see, subjects are formative. Literature teaches insight, perception, and compassion for the human condition. History develops judgment, discernment, acumen, and wisdom. Latin requires and teaches attention to detail, accuracy, patience, discipline, precision, and thorough, honest work. Latin will form the minds of your students.
8.Latin is the mother tongue of Western civilization.
The original thinkers in the ancient world were the Greeks and the Hebrews, but the Romans summarized, synthesized, codified, and handed Western civilization down to us—in Latin—and reading these authors in their original language is the culmination of a classical education.
Roger Scruton says, "Traditionally a large part of learning was devoted to subjects that are wilfully 'irrelevant'— such as Latin, Greek, ancient history, higher mathematics, philosophy and literary criticism. … The more irrelevant a subject, the more lasting is the benefit that it confers. Irrelevant subjects bring understanding of the human condition, by forcing the student to stand back from it."
It is a great paradox that Latin, that "irrelevant" and "impractical" subject, should be at the core of the curriculum. Likewise, it is paradoxical that Latin is no longer spoken but remains the most influential language in human history. As Chesterton pointed out, "Latin is not dead, it's immortal." Adding Latin to your curriculum will upend it in the best possible way. It will transform your education from good to great.
Cheryl Lowe was the founder of Memoria Press and the author of the Latin Forms Series, First Start Reading , and many other books. She also founded Highlands Latin School in Louisville, Kentucky, where all Memoria Press materials are developed and tested. The full version of this article can be found at MemoriaPress.com.
