Pronounciation

[drache]

Seriously, it's a dead language. We can abuse it all we want.

not only that
even when it was alive it probably sounded different from one neighborhood to another, or among different professions and social classes

[Sputnik]

I'm all for abusing Latin. It's caused me so much pain and heartache and arguments with my parents ( I think it was even the reason why I ran away from home once, lol) that a little revenge would be welcome.


Btw, Rhea, why are you awake? Isn't it still disgustingly early in New York?

[Stefan-A]

not only that
even when it was alive it probably sounded different from one neighborhood to another, or among different professions and social classes

Of course. I bet most people didn't have to worry about spelling the words either.

[drache]

what I don't understand is that when I was a kid the two educational tracks one could choose from in gymnasium (german name fer highschool): the humanistic one required one to take latin and at least two other languages (yes, classic greek was an option); the science track only required english
wouldn't it have made more sense to give the science track people a good foundation in latin?

[Stefan-A]

Not very much scientifically relevant material is available in Latin.

[Sputnik]

Maybe not whole texts, but all the names are. I was always told, too, that if you wanted to study medicine for example you HAD to learn Latin or the German universities wouldn't consider taking you.

[Stefan-A]

True, but you don't really need to understand the names. But I agree, it does have some limited use in biology. The anatomy of an organism is usually described in Latin.

[anji1971]

When I took medical terminology, much of it was Greek based, with a bit of Latin thrown in for good measure.
I always thought it would be cool if they taught Latin in school here, it may have helped out at church when I was a kid!

[enigma200316]

the only thing I speak is Justin's language, what ever I say when I say....

[drache]

most of my pre-med latin I got from reading Asterix comics