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Who speaks Latin?
Although you will never travel to a country where Latin is spoken as the basic language (except perhaps the Vatican), you
will find Latin useful in reading signs and other texts in all countries whose languages include French, Spanish, Italian,
Romanian, or Portuguese. This is because Latin is the parent language of these so-called Romance Languages.
What are the benefits of Latin?
Latin is considered an excellent model language for improving your overall language and grammatical skills. This will improve
your writing ability in English or other languages. For centuries after the fall of the Roman Empire, Latin study was considered
an essential part of a good education. There are few who regret the rigors of Latin discipline after they have finished their
formal schooling.
Colleges require two or three years of language study, and many students take four years in order to succeed in the increasingly
competitive admissions process.
Each year, Latin students consistently score higher on the verbal section of the SAT than do students studying other languages
in high school. This is because over 50% of English words are derived or borrowed from Latin root words. Students with even
one or two years of Latin study find themselves able to decode unfamiliar words because of their familiarity with Latin vocabulary.
The following webpage shows how much better Latin students perform on the verbal section of the SAT than other language
students:
The Latin Advantage
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Is it fun to learn Latin?
Like all foreign languages, learning Latin requires study, practice, and memorization. Mr. Henderson is known for keeping
classes lively, entertaining, and intense.
The study of ancient culture is interesting and fun. It is only through the study of ancient Greece and especially ancient
Rome that one can fully understand and appreciate the nature of American culture's history, literature, religion, law, government,
architecture, science, and medicine. And besides, ancient civilization gives an opportunity for the study of Greco-Roman
mythology, gladiatorial combat, togas, vomitoriums, dancing-girls, and world conquest!
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