WHY NOT STUDY LATIN?

 

To the elderly, seniors, golden agers -and to all readers who wish to keep their minds sharp- I’ve often suggested studying a language. The brain’s plasticity, if we put it to work, expands with the acquisition of a new means of communication. This is a proven fact: use it or lose it.

It occurs to me that if we take up Latin, we avoid the toughest side of language learning: sounds, pronunciation, and oral communication. We’ll never watch a film in Latin, ask for directions, or give a speech. We’ll mostly read, perhaps write... but rarely speak it.

In trying to master it, we’ll absorb vocabulary, grammar rules, declensions, and engage memory and inventiveness.

I studied first-year Latin a very long time ago, but I’m ready to tackle again the first conjugation: rosa, rosae. But, why study Latin? It strengthens memory and logic. It builds vocabulary in English, Spanish, French. There's no need to speak it. So, will you join me in my journey?