11/25/2009 11:33:00 AM
VICKERS/Where did the Greek and Latin go?
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By OVID VICKERS
Pick up any college catalog printed prior to the 1940s, and among the courses required, or offered as electives, will be the first and second year of Latin. Some colleges also offered Greek.
The study of Latin was not just part of a college curriculum; most high schools also offered classes in Latin. As late as the mid-1940s, Latin was being taught in the Newton County Agricultural High School. As schools became more occupational-oriented, courses in Latin, Greek and other foreign languages seemed unnecessary if a student planned to major in such disciplines as Agriculture General Business, Accounting, and Elementary Education.
There was a time when the teaching of Latin had a decided influence on place names, individual given names, catch phrases, and the dramatic arts. If we look around today, although we might not be aware of it, we are surrounded by Latin and Greek.
In Rome, Georgia, there is a bronze statue of the Latin twins Romulus and Remus. The statue was presented to the city by the Italian dictator Benito Mussolini in the 1930s. These are the twins who in Latin legend founded the city of Rome which was built on seven hills. The Georgia city is also built on seven hills.
Many states have modern cities named for ancient cities founded thousands of years ago by the Greeks and Romans. Consider these place names: Athens, Rome, Venice, Florence, Sparta, and Carthage.
There was a time when planters and others with the means to do so sent their sons to the Ivy League universities located in the Northeast. These schools put a great emphasis on learning Latin or Greek.
When these young Southerners returned home, married, and began a family, they often named their sons for figures from classical literature. L.Q.C. Lamar, a Mississippian who served on the United States Supreme Court, is an example. His name actually was Lucius Quintius Cincinnatis Lamar. Then there was the Georgia senator Augustus Octavius Bacon. In more recent years, Professor Plautus Iberius Lipsey taught history for a long period of time at Mississippi College. We all know people named Jason, Quintus, Remus, and Julius.
One of the great problems with English grammar rules, which often times seem rather illogical, is that the rules of Latin grammar were superimposed on English when an attempt was made to establish a set of rules to standardize the writing and speaking of English.
It should be remembered that England was occupied by the Romans from 43AD to the coming of the Angles and Saxons about 410 AD.
Even today, we continue to use many words derived from the Latin. We use them without giving any thought as to why and how they became a part of our language. A few examples will suffice to prove the point. The original Latin word is listed first plume,plum/ coopor, copper/ linea, line/ boutere, butter/ gemma, gem.
There are certain occupations which continue to use Latin, particularly the legal profession and medicine. There was a time when all pharmacists and doctors found it necessary to have a reading knowledge of Latin. Fifty years ago, some doctors were still writing prescriptions in Latin.
Since so many words in English are based on Latin root words anyone who has studied Latin has far less trouble determining the meaning of certain words than the person who has no knowledge of Latin. My grandmother, who graduated from college in 1874, had taken four years of Latin in college.
She had a reading knowledge of the works of Cicero, Hesiod, Juvinal and other classical writers. I was always amazed by her ability to analyze unfamiliar and difficult words and determine their meaning.
For example, if a reader encounters the word "anthropology" and doesn't know the meaning but knows that "anthrop" means "man" and "ology" means "study of," he or she can easily know that "anthropology" means "the study of man."
Real Latin scholars will tell you that it is not a difficult language to learn, but for most people this is not true, although some people have a gift for learning a second language. Mrs. Stella Newsome, who taught language and literature at East Central Junior college form its inception in 1928 until her retirement in 1958, often told an interesting story about teaching Latin to a girl who did housekeeping for her. The girl could read and write well but had dropped out of school at an early age.
One day some students came to Mrs. Newsome's home for some additional tutoring, and this young cleaning woman heard the students and Mrs. Newsome speaking Latin. When the students left, this young girl asked Mrs. Newsome to teach her to speak Latin. Mrs. Newsome agreed, found the girl to be a quick learner, and taught her enough to read elementary Latin.
Times change, needs change, occupations change, and school curriculums change. Regrettably, Latin is no longer required, but many universities with classical curriculums do still offer courses in Latin.
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Posted: Monday, November 30, 2009
Article comment by:
Patricius O
Where did you get boutere? Latin for butter is butyrum.
Posted: Wednesday, November 25, 2009
Article comment by:
Mike Colombo
Having briefly taught latin, I can tell you the problem: We don't really teach English anymore so there is no way to effectively teach Latin. Because it has a bizarre word order, mastering Latin requires that you fully understand parts of speech. Most high school graduate these days could never tell you what a gerund is, let alone in indirect object.
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