http://www.ncssfl.org/papers/index.php?latinLatin contributes to the literacy of students and helps them better understand their native language because it teaches them how language works, it introduces them to grammatical structures far different from English, and it helps them focus on and appreciate the uniqueness of English.
Volapük or really learning any tongue will teach you how
tongues work. A few studies have actually been done with Esperanto, a conscious tongue which one of its purposes was to be easy to learn, but be non-ambiguous. And if you want to be introduced to grammatic builds far different from English, how about a non-Indoeuropean tongue? (Chinese, Japanese, Turkish) Or a living Indoeuropean tongue (Russian, Greek, Albanian)? And again, learning just about any tongue will teach the "uniqueness" of yours.
Moreover, Latin vocabulary is easy for speakers of English to acquire because over 65% of all English words come from Latin. So many Latin words have entered the English language, both in everyday language and in technical vocabulary, that the study of Latin can help students organize and understand this vocabulary.
These are called backstabber wordstock and should be avoided when you can. Why have unneeded word "language" when you can just say tongue? Why say "vocabulary" when you can say "wordstock"? It's just fascist jargonism. But anyhow, even if you support fascist jargonism, then just learn a living Italic tongue - Spanish, Portuguese, French.
The study of word derivation provides a better understanding of the many English words of Latin origin. Latin is also the basis for 75-80% of all Spanish, French, Italian, and Portuguese words. At the same time, Latin grammar and syntax are very similar to those of the Germanic and Slavic languages. Hence, through the study of Latin, students can lay a solid foundation for the study of many languages and at the same time improve their English skills.
Again, shouldn't be using Latina in the first site. Also, you know what tongue's grammar is like to all the Indoeuropean tongues? Proto-indoeuropean. Also, I speak pretty well. Also, Esperanto borrows its root words from Romantic, Germanic, and Baltslavic tongues, but it was specifically made to be easy to learn, with grammar as easy as possible. There were a few studies done, where schoolchildren first took a year or two of Esperanto, and then switched to Spanish or Portuguese. They learned faster than the folk who started with Spanish or Portuguese and did not switch.
In addition, because of its non-English word structure and sentence patterns, Latin promotes the development of qualities such as observance, accuracy, logic, and analysis. Qualities which can be transferred to the English language arts program.
Maybe it's some secret only those foolish enough to try to learn Latin know, but what "observance, accuracy, logic, and analysis" would you get from Latin, in particular, anyway? Finnish has a far more fuddled grammar than Latin, would you get super "observant, accurate, logic, and analytic" if you learned Finnish?
Finally, through the study of Latin, students have the opportunity to develop their literacy skills by reading the great authors from Roman antiquity and by becoming familiar with tales from Roman mythology.
Yes, great writers from Roman antiquity... and Roman gods...(which were all stolen from the Greek) I've heard of none. And it's not like the ones there are, they aren't translated. Classic Greek will unlock the original Holy Book, the Illiad and the Odisseia, and all those philosophers' works. Recital Arabic (which is still used today) will allow you to read the Recitation, and all those philosophers' works (most notably, the Great Book on Computation by Fulfilling and Balancing, which formalised algebra). Or Chinese (very much still used today), to read "Quotes from Mao Tse-dung" or "The Red Room's Dream".
The increased level of literacy is highlighted on the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) and is documented in studies by LaFleur (1981, 1982) and is reported in articles by Barrett (1996). Tests conducted by the Educational Testing Service (ETS) from 1988 to 1997 show that Latin students outperform all other students on the verbal portion of the SAT.
Corelation does not imply causation. Maybe should have been doing stats instead of learning a dead tongue.
Through the study of Latin, students have an opportunity to discover the larger cultural and historical heritage that they share not only with Europe but also with the Middle East, Egypt, and North Africa, which the Greeks and Romans had united into an ecumenical whole. They can see the influence of Greco-Roman civilization in their own lives and see how they fit in the world in general. The historical perspective thus gained enables students to envision future possibilities more fully.
What cultural appreciation? Latin, at its height, was spoken in a big bit of Europe, a bit in North Africa, and a little bit in the Middle East. But before then, it had really dominance in the Italian penninsula, and after that, it was a common tongue in West Europe. You know what will allow you to "find the cultural and historic heritage with Europe, the Middle East, and North Africa" and more? Proto-indoeuropean. Tocharian was spoken in Shinjiang, even. And you can see the influence of Proto-Indoeuopean civilisation in your lives, sure, since Latin is just one of the outcomes of Proto-Indoeuropean.
Because it lacks direct applicability in most circumstances (a walk through Rome or attendance at a Latin mass being exceptions), it must be viewed and manipulated as a system with its own internal rules, form, and possibilities. In this respect, Latin helps provide many of the essentials of mental discipline while it prepares the mind for the richest kind of intellectual play
You know what also does this, but much more, and are actually useful? Programming tongues.
An increasing number of elementary, middle school, and high school students are signing up for Latin classes. Latin programs are reaching out to include groups which have not traditionally studied Latin: Limited English Proficient students, Learning Disabled students, "at-risk" students such as students who are economically and culturally disadvantaged. Changes in methodology and materials are ensuring that all students can obtain some level of success in learning and expanding their own vocabulary and sentence patterns through Latin and in studying about Roman daily life, customs, and mythology.
I bet they'll have even more success with a tongue that has native speakers and an easier grammar, like Spanish, Portuguese, or French.
Although benefits do accrue from even a brief encounter with a foreign language, it is generally recognized that language competence results from an extended elementary, middle and high school sequence of study.
Growing numbers of successful elementary Latin programs in the United States evidence the value of introducing language study at an early age and having students continue in a sequential, articulated language program (Polsky, 1998). The majority of elementary programs do not view the learning of the Latin language as their primary goal. Instead they offer Latin as a springboard for further Latin study. Several programs have approached the study of Latin as a means of improving English language skills and of understanding different cultures.
Enrollment in middle school Latin programs has also risen over the past decade. Increases were reported by Osburn (1992) and by data from the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (LaFleur, 1997). Some middle schools offer a sequential program leading to high school or focus on the exploration of Latin. Others have designed specific stand-alone courses that benefit English skills and/or develop cultural awareness and can generate enough interest to lead to a beginning level I course either at the middle school or at the high school level.
At the high school level, the study of Latin usually takes place in grades 9-12. Students enroll in level I courses and have the option of continuing a lo0ng sequence of language study, especially if their school has adopted block scheduling. Advanced Placement (AP) courses offer students the opportunity to pursue college-level studies while still in secondary school and receive AP credit for college placement.
Probably this is even easier for other tongues, for grounds aforesaid.
They're really scraping the barrel's bottom here. Yes, it is experimentally shown that learning a tongue will make you less susceptible to some mental illnesses. This is not specific to a tongue, and is shown not to stack (your mental defence does not get stronger if you learn 3 tongues instead of 1). They just listed some goods to learning any tongue, and a few pitiful ones about why specifically Latin. Sorry for rambling, but I hate it when folk insist that Latin is such a great tongue.
