The study of Latin pulls together every element of classical education and is itself an essential part of it. Latin puts the Trivium into practice through the study of its own grammar, dialectic, and rhetoric. It teaches how language works and it prepares the way for all future language study. It provides access to the seminal works of Western civilization and deepens our understanding of this literary tradition. Latin is the perfect material for the exercise and training of the mind.

Many say that Latin is a dead language, meaning that it is no longer spoken, and so they do not see any reason for studying it. But the fact that Latin is no longer spoken is only another reason why it should be studied. Because Latin is not spoken, it is no longer changing, and so its meaning and usage are fixed. This is a distinct advantage that allows Latin to function still as it always has historically, as the common language of scholarship, of the sciences and medicine, and of the Church.

Indeed, Latin continues to live as the root of all the Romance languages, that is, the languages that grew out of and branched off from the language of the Roman empire (Latin itself). These languages include Italian, French, and Spanish among others, as well as much of modern English. More than fifty percent of the English vocabulary is derived from Latin, and in many cases, just one Latin word serves as the root for numerous English words. For example, Latin voco, meaning “I call,” becomes in English such words as vocal, vocabulary, vocation, advocate, irrevocable, etc.

Latin functions within modern language as a base language just as mathematics functions as a base language for the sciences. Latin is logical; it is highly structured, orderly, analytical, and predictable. The study of Latin teaches and reinforces English grammar and makes learning any other language much easier. It is like learning how to play the piano, which involves reading music, hearing pitch, keeping rhythm, and coordinating the fingers, hands, and feet. Once these basic though complex skills are mastered, then it is much easier to learn to play every other instrument.

Latin trains the mind like music or mathematics and opens up whole new possibilities. It is indispensable to classical education. We begin Latin instruction in Third Grade, after children have learned to read and write in English and as they are beginning to learn grammatical usage. Just as with math and music, this is the time to begin, when the child’s mind is soaking up information and laying a foundation for the future.

Main Page: Classical