How Latin Has Impacted My Education

As a history major focusing on the classics I have found Latin to be extremely helpful in my studies. Those who make it their living to study the classics use Latin to determine the past and to draw conclusions on some of our history's most important events. I see the impact Latin has when I am in my other classes and can translate names of books as well as some texts. Although I struggle when it comes to any language I have recently seen a great improvement in my understanding of the Language. I feel this is definitely one of the more important languages as it is viewed as the basis for all the Western culture. People call Latin a dead language, however this is misleading, Latin is very much alive in every language we speak. By learning Latin you can then have a better understanding of other languages such as Spanish and French. I look forward to continuing my education with the Latin language and improving upon my understanding of the language.
-Sean Phillips

latin experience

Even though Latin is not actively spoken today, it is the foundation of many languages that still spoken. I took Spanish in high school. I noticed many similarities in the vocabulary and grammar. The verbs are conjugated very similarly in both languages. I also was surprised by how many words in English can be derived from Latin. I feel that taking Latin will make learning other languages simpler. Latin is a very challenging language to learn, which also makes it more rewarding. Latin is far from a “dead” language for it is the foundation from many modern spoken languages.

-Cassidy Camantigue

Latin experience

Latin has always been an interesting language and something that I have always thought would be fun and useful to learn. Many languages derive from the Latin language, I speak both Spanish and English and it was fun to see how I could distinguish root words from both languages. Throughout the semester whenever I would see Latin in movies, tv, or books it was enjoyable to be able to translate most of the words and see if they were declined right or not. I even helped some friends get their grammar correct for tattoos they wanted to get. Im a science major and some medical terminology has latin roots and words and this class helped me in learning some of those roots and words. I also was at first interested in Latin class because I want to get a Latin word tattoo and wanted to make sure I had the right grammar. I also wanted to learn new words that I could consider using but as I thought about it Latin become more interesting as it is something that can be useful in the future and its always nice when you know something most people dont.
- Juan Guerrero

Latin 1

I have to say that as far as learning another language goes, I actually enjoyed Latin. I'm a history major with a focus on the Roman withdrawal from Britain, so I figured what better way to research than in primary texts? I also signed up for Latin because I'm a bit of a coward when it comes to speaking in front of groups and as that was the way my first language class (French 1) tested, well, I figured I'd be better off with a dead language. The other great thing about the "dead language" status is that it makes it all but impossible to teach the class Immersion style, which I also had big problems with.
Because of my Major and focus I'm actually now looking to minor, if not dual-major in Classics. I loved all the little stories that we translated.

~Cassandra Stewart

The ups and downs of Latin

I am glad I decided to take Latin instead of the other languages I was considering. Although it is a "Dead" Language, I feel that it is the most useful for me, as I am an English major and interested in the classics. For students intending to make a living in public relations or business, however, I can see the benefit of taking Spanish or French.
I did not particularly care for the online Labs, simply because I am somewhat forgetful and feel as though I was penalized for missing a lab when it was sometimes unclear when it was due, when it was available, or the like. More than once, I simply forgot about the lab. Perhaps this could be made a little more forgiving by making a notification send to all the students automatically the day before the lab closes?
Overall, the teacher was helpful and personable, and the class was enjoyable. I will be taking Latin II in the spring.

my first semester of latin

I have really enjoyed my experience this semester taking this course. It will be very helpful in my medical terminology class, there are a lot of wordsd that I already recognize due to taking this class. I will be taking latin II next semester and I hope I enjoy it just as much...
--- Samantha Dedrick.

A time worth remembering

I chose latin1 because I had always wanted to take it but it was no longer offered at my high school. Although the world has progressed a lot since Latin was used, I feel we have lost some of the important values and ideals of that time. It seems as though the people then were able to take life at a slower pace and truly experience life. Nowadays it seems impossible not to be consumed by the daily rush. We speed around in our cars so that we aren't minutes late to work at a job we probably do not enjoy everyday until our eventual end. It all seems so meaningless to me.
Latin has also been a way to look at the way languages have evolved and its interesting to see how the languages of today link together to Latin. I love the grammar of Latin, how word order and punctuation are not important. I am a science major and the petty details of English grammar have always bugged me. I hope I can keep up with my Latin studies and be better connected with a time we forget to often in our busy lives.

-Dustin Rose

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