Latin By Donald Clark Summary

The Case for Latin “Latin remains the cold, dead language of exclusivity and exclusion,” claims author Donald Clark in his article “10 Reasons to NOT Teach Latin (Reductio ad Absurdum).” Along with a number of others, Clark holds the belief that learning Latin, a “dead language,” wastes time.
Clark, however, is wrong. If we truly examine our interaction with Latin, and the skills it confers onto us, it becomes evident that his opinion does not correspond with reality.
Clark sees the language of Latin as solely an advertizing draw private schools use to attract snobbish parents. To Clark, studying Latin wastes time, which one could better spend learning a speakeable language. Also, Clark worries that one cannot learn enough Latin in school …show more content…
I never realized what I lacked in my understanding of language until Latin laid it clearly out for me. In addition to this, Latin helps us analyze our own language better because we can more easily break it down. We are not accustomed to looking at English outside of using it, so attempting to analyze it directly presents a difficulty. With Latin, we can take a step back and assess the language as a whole – a fresh start, in a way. While Latin can tremendously help us comprehend the structure and grammar rules of language somewhat indirectly, English itself consists of many Latin words and phrases. Clark raises a valid question, “If it’s true of Latin it’s true of any languages, so why not learn one that is at least useful?” Sure, one could try to learn grammar from another inflected language, even if Latin is probably the most structured, but it surpasses other languages in more ways than just structure. Latin is not only the foundation of quite a few other languages, but makes up approximately half of English …show more content…
Clark raises the objection, “What special cognitive skill(s) does dead Latin confer over dozens of other languages or dozens of other analytic subjects for that matter?” Well, one of the most significant benefits Latin provides is in disciplining the brain. Cheryl Lowe, a professional educator and author with a master’s degree in special education, explains the formative qualities of Latin:
The subject forms the minds of students by impressing its own qualities on their minds. Your mind takes on the qualities of the subjects that it dwells on…. Those qualities of mind are priceless and what differentiates the educated person from the uneducated. Likewise, the mind of the student that has been educated in Latin takes on the qualities of Latin: logic, order, discipline, structure. Latin requires and teaches attention to detail, accuracy, patience, precision, and thorough, honest