Which to learn: Latin Language or Just Roots?

[Woodland_Mom]

I recently read an intriguing article that argues that perhaps it is more worthwhile/productive to learn Latin Roots than spend several years learning the whole language of Latin.

 

Latin Examination

Which to Learn: Complete Language or Just the Roots???

 

Now I'm wondering . . . why NOT just learn Latin/Greek roots and then move into a a modern language such as Spanish.

 

Thoughts?

[forty-two]

Honestly, I pretty much agree with the article. Most of the touted benefits of learning Latin are side benefits that could be more easily gotten another way *if* those side benefits are all you're wanting out of Latin study. His listing at the end of benefits of Latin study that *can't* be replicated another way - basically that you want to read Latin works in Latin and/or translate them, or otherwise have a reason to actually know Latin for itself - are spot on, and really the only reason imho to learn *any* language - that for some reason you actually want to *know* that language.

 

I do disagree somewhat with his assertion that Latin can't teach logic - not *formal* logic, certainly, but the grammar translation, let's turn Latin into a puzzle instead of a language, approach (which, yes, I'm not sure I'm a fan of ;)) certainly promotes overall logical thinking. (Although there is some argument that instead of *promoting* logical thinking, it *requires* logically thinking - that basically Latin teaching doesn't build intelligence so much as sort for intelligence - that anyone who isn't already cognitively capable of the required tasks (the estimate I saw was 5% of the population) will never become so, no matter how much Latin study they slog through. I'm not sure where I stand on this.)

 

Anyway, I'm studying Latin b/c I want to read Latin works. Even though I strongly agree with classical advocates that studying another language to the point of being able to do high-level analysis of difficult literature is very beneficial to the development of thinking skills, I wouldn't pick Latin unless I wanted to read the literature written in Latin. I'd pick some other language that *did* have something I wanted to seriously study. And even though I'm planning to do Latin with my dc, if they said at some point they'd rather switch languages b/c they really want to study 'x' body of literature instead of Latin works, I'd let them.

[Woodland_Mom]

Luterama,

 

Thank you for sharing your thoughts! :)

 

Interesting that you agree with most of the article, especially since your following a LCC approach. That said, I can certainly understand your agreement since you desire to read Latin texts.

 

I suppose I've never truly given much thought about *why* my children and I should study Latin~we just have because it seems to be highly recommended in Classical Education circles. (Blush, blush).

 

I don't personally desire to read original Latin texts and I don't see my children wanting to either. But who knows! Maybe they'll have that inkling someday!

 

I hope others will chime in about the benefits and/or reasons of studying only Latin Roots vs. the benefits of studying the whole language.

[Dmmetler]

I went through years of root study as part of my school's "Let's brag about having really, really high test scores" focus, and honestly, it was just plain BORING.

 

In comparison, when I watch my daughter study Latin as a language, it's a lot more exciting, a lot more alive. Yes, she's getting the derivatives and the word study, but she is getting it in the context of a language. It probably helps that I sing in Latin frequently, so she hears Latin as a language.

 

I'm not too concerned with whether it's time effective to focus on Latin as a language vs Latin as a way to improve vocabulary right now, mostly because she's so young. Sure, it might improve her SAT scores faster to focus on roots, but when she won't be taking the SAT for a decade or so, somehow, that doesn't seem like a big concern :001_smile:.

[wapiti]

I haven't read the article, but grammar is a big reason we are doing Latin. Because it's inflected, it is easy to see the different functions that words are performing in a given sentence. It's rather systematic, with fewer "exceptions to the rules" than most modern languages have. I do plan to have dd reading Latin works, though how far we go will depend on other things (how many years we homeschool, primarily).

 

After I had Latin in high school, college Spanish was a breeze, perhaps even too easy (I never studied :glare:, ever; as in, showed up for the mid-term exam having forgotten it was the mid-term exam :001_huh:). So it's not as though the effort in learning the Latin language is wasted.

 

In comparison, when I watch my daughter study Latin as a language, it's a lot more exciting, a lot more alive. Yes, she's getting the derivatives and the word study, but she is getting it in the context of a language.

 

:iagree: It's a lot easier and more fun, at least for my kids, to learn the vocabulary via translating than games or memorization (though I haven't investigated how vocabulary is learned in a root curriculum).

 

Also, you may be interested in this discussion: http://www.welltrainedmind.com/forums/showthread.php?t=243071&highlight=latin

Edited February 12, 2011 by wapiti

[forty-two]

Interesting that you agree with most of the article, especially since your following a LCC approach. That said, I can certainly understand your agreement since you desire to read Latin texts.

 

Actually, the LCC answers for why Latin focus at least as much on cultural and formative reasons as the (more common) practical reasons :) - it's not *quite* as odd as it seems :tongue_smilie:. And I do think that Latin study does confer most of those practical benefits - only that those benefits are not a strong enough reason *in themselves* to embark on a serious language study. (And if you just dabble, you're not going to get too many of those practical benefits, though you very well might get some of the cultural ones, which are arguably of more value anyway.)

 

ETA: But I've hung out on "teach Latin like a modern language" lists too long - I've embraced a few heretical thoughts :D.

Edited February 12, 2011 by forty-two

[Woodland_Mom]

You guys bring up some good points.

 

Last semester (fall 2010) we took a break from Latin studies. Instead, we did English from the Roots Up, which is a vocab program teaching many Greek & Latin words and word roots. Admitedly, I could have done a few things differently to make it more exciting, but I just wasn't "into" it that much. They learned the words, but didn't have much drive to really master the words that were presented.

 

We're currently using LFC A, which we all like very much. I have a new edition AND an older edition of the book. I've noticed that the new edition has more deriviative info, and they've even inserted an extra page of every chapter to provide extra practice for deravitive study.

 

After reading that article, I began to think, "maybe we're on the wrong track" . . .

 

I need to keep thinking about this, but I appreciate your comments about how your dc are building their vocabulary more naturally and in a more interesting way than just word study.

 

I, too, see great value in learning Latin for grammar practice. You simply can't translate Latin if you don't understand basic grammar concepts!

 

My kids enjoy learning the Latin language better than just roots, but I wonder what they'd say if I gave them an option to study Spanish. Honestly, I think I'd enjoy that even more! :D

 

It's nice to know that learning Spanish is MUCH easier if you've already studied Latin. Ah . . . I guess I'm seeing benefits on both sides.

[MSMatt]

We do Latin as a language study.

I feel they are getting much more out of learning it this way than just roots. I have the root books too. Honestly just learning words is boring.

 

My kids love to give me a sentence in Latin. I give them nouns, verbs, adjectives and prepositions, just like we do in Shurley Grammar.

 

I think by learning just root words the children miss out on so much. Also by learning LAtin then taking any of the Romance languages later they will find it so much easier. In fact with Latin they can go to the post office, or anywhere and "read" the Spanish, try it. My kids love to decipher all the Spanish and they havent' had any yet.

 

But this is coming from someone who took years of languages in high school and college. I am pretty biased.

[Woodland_Mom]

Actually, the LCC answers for why Latin focus at least as much on cultural and formative reasons as the (more common) practical reasons :) - it's not *quite* as odd as it seems :tongue_smilie:. And I do think that Latin study does confer most of those practical benefits - only that those benefits are not a strong enough reason *in themselves* to embark on a serious language study. (And if you just dabble, you're not going to get too many of those practical benefits, though you very well might get some of the cultural ones, which are arguably of more value anyway.)

 

ETA: But I've hung out on "teach Latin like a modern language" lists too long - I've embraced a few heretical thoughts :D.

 

Thank you for the extremely helpful link. I had not considered some of the "reasons to study Latin" that Memoria Press cited.

[Woodland_Mom]

MSMatt: "We do Latin as a language study.

I feel they are getting much more out of learning it this way than just roots. I have the root books too. Honestly just learning words is boring.

I think by learning just root words the children miss out on so much. Also by learning LAtin then taking any of the Romance languages later they will find it so much easier. In fact with Latin they can go to the post office, or anywhere and "read" the Spanish, try it. My kids love to decipher all the Spanish and they havent' had any yet."

 

:iagree:MSMatt, I think I'm in agreement with you here!

 

I think I will give reading some of the Spanish signs a try! It hasn't ocurred to me to do this!

 

Perhaps I need to focus a little more on deravitives as we study the Latin Language. That will certainly provide plenty of real life application opportunities, while also reaping the grammar benefits as we study Latin.