Boris calls for a return to teaching latin

[jake-the-peg]

http://news.bbc.co.uk...nd/london/8571662.stm

Boris says it's absurd to leave Latin out of the curricilum.

Is he right? Did you study and Love Latin?Is it any use? or is he absurdly out of touch?

Any chance Cameron will adopt it as an election pledge?

[McMouse]

Was an option when I was at school but I didn't take it. Wish I had.......

[youngmafbog]

Probably no more absurd than learning French.

No, I doubt Cameron will adopt it, he has much bigger things to think about such as the huge debt left by labour

[janbee]

I would always recommend Latin if given the choice. I had 3 years of it at school and, at the time, I thought it was boring and totally irrelevant. It's not until I left school that I realised how important it was/is to today's life eg medicine, law

[anotheoldgit]

Might be of some use if one aims to take up medicine, history or it might come in useful when naming plants, other than that a complete waste of time.

Much more useful to learn Urdu, and Punjabi,

[ummmm]

It's handy in Mass, especially at Easter....because I haven't got a clue what they are saying.

[redman41]

Hated the subject when I was at School. Throughout my life have never had any use for it.

[jno]

yes, it's useful in helping people understand their own language - the vocabulary and the way language is structured. You don't have to take it all the way till you can translate Cicero, just a year or two's outline would help. But big business is only interested in schools teaching commercial skills, so the Tories won't be doing anything about it. And old Etonians don't want any old plebeian to be able to speak it, otherwise what would be the point of public school?

[craft1948]

I didn't go to public school but had the chance to learn Latin at my grammar......I elected to learn German instead (which hasn't done me much good either)

[redman41]

Afternoon Herr craft !

[craft1948]

Guten Tag mein liebchen........

[jake-the-peg]

I did it at school and I have to say I've only used it once

That was when some idiotic soft-skills trainer smarmed at me and said "90% of oall communication was non verbal"

I recited the first part of a Catullus poem and asked her if she still thought that was true

A bit naughty but lots of fun

Hardly worth 4 years of classes though

[Sandy-Wroe]

I never found it easy but, aequam memento rebus in arduis servare mentem

[jake-the-peg]

I'd have been better of doing typing classes!!

[LoftyLottie]

I did it at school and got thrown out of the class for talking and being disrupted. I then had to do 'domestic science' instead which I hated even more. I changed schools and didn't have to do either, thank goodness.

I can see it's relevance for some future occupations and for learning modern langues However, I do not think it should be part of the curriculum. Chinese would be more suitable.

[LoftyLottie]

I can still remember how to conjugate some verbs, however, for what good is does me!!

amo
amas
amat
amamus
amatis
amant.

[mike11111]

I loved Latin and took it to A Level in the 60s, although because of its relative complexity it is not suitable for all pupils, however elitist this may sound. Those of my contemporaries who were less enthusiastic about the language would often question its value, to which the stock reply was that it gave you a better understanding of history, how the world is today and also a better understanding of the English language and its orthography. Even I used to question this response as I liked Latin for its own sake, but how right they were. Many common spelling mistakes can be attributed to a lack of knowledge of the original Latin or Greek word, e.g. the endings -ance or -ence.

I am proud of my ability to spell (any mistakes I make are typos which I don't replicate in writing) and am extremely grateful to my Classics teachers at school, no matter how rigorous and unrelenting they may have been.

There is a scene in Monty Python's Life of Brian in which a character daubs a wall with slogans in illiterate Latin. The resulting rebuke from the centurion who catches him is so reminiscent of that which one could expect from a master in a 1960s Latin class that I howl with laughter every time I see it. Unfortunately too few people now are able to appreciate the joke.

[redman41]

Meine Balle Verletzt Herr craft !

[craft1948]

Leid, ich kann dir nicht helfen Redman :-)

[yogasun]

I did Latin 'O' level at school and quite enjoyed it.
I'm with you mike11111 as I have found that it has helped me considerably with regard to accurate spelling.

Hi Lottie, how's your back?
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