Why did you choose to learn Latin?

I'm fairly new here and I just wanted to ask everyone what are/were your main motives for learning Latin?

Personally, I would describe myself as a lover of all knowledge. I am fascinated by all human knowledge and culture, but among others also history, linguistics, and philosophy. I already speak three languages (English, French, and Polish) and used to speak Spanish fluently too, but lost most of it from lack of use. :(

So, I think that Latin is a good language to learn given my interests and existing language background. I would like to eventually be able to read some original classical and later works.
 

Decimvs

Aedilis

  • Aedilis

Location:
Civitates Coniunctae
I came to find myself obsessed with Roman culture and history. I thought that my studies would not be complete unless I learned to read documents in their original language.
 

suricatta

Member

Location:
4000 holes in Blackburn, Lancs GB
I rather regret to say it, but it was due to a story about some university students who recorded some Elvis Presley songs in Latin....and i thought what does `You ain`t nothing but a houndog`sound like?
No disrespect to all you true devotees, but how about Lennon`s Norwegian Wood or perhaps some Richard and Linda Thompson, Al Stewart etc....
Got to be more stimulating than Questions about tattoos.
Love Light and Peace ian
 
A

Anonymous

Guest

Well, I just started Latin I in High School. I chose it because I could either choose between between Spanish and Latin and I already took 10 years of Spanish and learned nothing. Latin was a challenge and it interested me.
 

My96z

New Member

Location:
Germany/Ft.Hood, Tx
I have spent alot of time in Europe and I love history. I would travel all over Europe to these historical sights and see lots of things written in Latin and would wonder what it said...

I also like the way it sounds :D

Jeff
 

kmp

Civis Illustris

  • Civis Illustris

  • Patronus

Location:
England
I'm a poet - I learnt Latin to read the poetry.
 

sprog

New Member

Location:
Chapel Hill, NC
I am an (aspiring) Roman Historian, so I kind of have to learn it. I also have a strange fascination with any language that was once so widespread and is now more or less nonexistant in its most dominant form (classical Latin).

Of course I want to sound as pretentious as possible too, and speaking Latin to people is a guaranteed way to do that.
 

QMF

Civis Illustris

  • Civis Illustris

Location:
Virginia, US
I had originally wanted to be a scientist, and so thought I would need to know Latin to do it. When I got going in Latin I, I just loved the language, the history that my teacher taught in addition, the way my textbook worked, and especially my actual teacher.
 
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Anonymous

Guest

This is a very unique language and not too many people around the world speak Latin (compare to French & Spanish)
 

Fulgor Laculus

Civis Illustris

  • Civis Illustris

Location:
Montes Naphtalenses
I didn't choose it, it chose me. And I am glad it did, for it is arguably the greatest classical language in existence (its competitors for the title being Chinese, Sanskrit, Hebrew and Greek - one of which I had already been fortunate enough to know).
 
A

Anonymous

Guest

I think I may be more interested in developing proficiency in the modern Romance languages -- French, Portuguese, Spanish, Italian . . . -- but if Latin can help get me there faster . . .
 
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Anonymous

Guest

Well, I didn't choose it either. My mother forced me to learn it. I am very bad at grammar but good at languages, so I got the basics pretty quickly. And the Latin and Roman history did help me keeping myself interested. But alas... I am forgetting it all now. To many years since High school.
 

isitolian

New Member

Location:
Bethesda, Maryland
<G>It's part of my plot to rule the world.</G>

I'm studying Latin for three reasons:
1 ) To make new words that I make up make sense in my writing
2 ) To get a perfect score on the SAT
3 ) For an intellectual edge if I become a lawyer, doctor, or chemist.
 
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Anonymous

Guest

Hi,

I chose to study latin because I like a challenge and I figured doing latin would make sure I'd end up in a different secondary (/senior) school from all the numb-headed morons I wanted to get away from. And it worked !!
 

cepasaccus

Civis Illustris

  • Civis Illustris

Location:
Civitas Nurembergensis
My reason to learn Latin in earnest because I realized how bad the translations were, e. g. Catullus. I am agnostic, but in the translated bible not even the first sentence is correct. ("In the beginning was the word ..." Word? What word?) My focus is on the Latin of the Romans, but reading Stroh's book waked my interested for other Latin literature. So I would now like to read e. g. Erasmus, but I am not good enough yet, although reading Asterix is slow, but I manage to do. And having to ignore all these people not understanding why I learn Latin is not so difficult.
 

jaffa

Civis Illustris

  • Civis Illustris

Location:
London
I don't think you can consider yourself a civilised human being until you have mastered the Latin language.
 
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Anonymous

Guest

i'd really like to see latin become a more popular and widely practiced language. its beautiful and historic. i love it
 
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