I love the language Latin. Yes, Latin, the dead language is so alive and relevant, I see it everywhere: on buildings, in churches, in Harry Potter, in other languages, in words, and in social constructs and norms.  The moment when you can read the side of a building which has Latin written on it or understand that book is the moment I really geek out about.

The other day my friend was reading her book in Spanish for her Spanish class and because I have been taking Latin I was able to pretty fluently read her book even though she was in a much higher Spanish than me. It was awesome.

Sophomore year, my English teacher asked the class what belligerent meant; I coolly raised my hand and replied, “It comes from the Latin roots bellum ‘war’ and gero ‘to wage, carry, or bear,’ so belligerent means ‘to wage war,’ or ‘to be ready to fight.’” It was super exciting to make these connections to understand modern words.

When you realize words influence and legitimize social constructs, you see the importance of Latin. You see why I want to study classics and language, and namely Latin.

Latin could be taught to students, even as young as middle school, either as a language option or to supplement other language curriculum. It helps students with their vocabulary, both English and in otherwise. It also adds a lot to language studies by showing historical context. Latin should be kept alive!