1. Benefits
of learning some Latin

2. E.g. all of these words mean the same thing:
Sanskrit देव [deva] Greek θεός [theos] Latin deus Spanish díos Italian dio
(any guesses what they mean?) 

3. . . . according to their similarities.
Languages are categorized into families . . .
. . . according to their similarities.

4. Here are the language families to know:
Hellenic 
Italic 
Germanic 
Greek
Latin: Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, Romanian, French
German, Swedish, Dutch, Danish.
Old English  English
The Hellenic, Italic, and Germanic families are all part of a massive language family known as the
Indo-European language family.

5. Germanic and Italic Language Families
Germanic Languages
Italic Languages
German, English, and Swedish all have similar words & grammar.
Long ago, today’s Swedes, Germans, and English lived near modern-day Germany in Europe and spoke the same language, which we call Germanic.
Large groups left this area together and settled other places; Germanic changed in different ways, becoming different dialects of the original Germanic.
These dialects became completely different (but related) languages when the Swedes, Anglo-Saxons, and Germans lost contact with one-another.
The Italic peoples lived near Rome, and were bullied by the Greeks and Etruscans; pushing back, they dominated Italy.
They forced Latin on Italy, then eventually throughout the Roman Empire (including Europe and parts of Asia & Africa).
After the Fall of Rome in the 5th Century A.D., different parts of the Roman Empire used slightly different dialects of Latin.
Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, Romanian, & French emerged as the Roman Empire became fragmented into different nations.

6. Germanic and Italic Language Families
Germanic Languages
Italic Languages
Germanic is the mother language of:
German
English (Old English  modern English)
Swedish
Dutch
Danish
These are all sister languages & daughter languages of Germanic.
English is the sister of German and the daughter of both Old English and Germanic.
Latin is the mother language of:
Portuguese
French
Spanish
Romanian (also spelled Rumanian)
Italian
These are all daughter languages of Latin and sister languages of each other.

7. Here’s a slightly more complicated version of the family tree just to show you the bigger picture! (No, I do not expect you to memorize it)

9. And HERE is an even MORE complicated version of the family tree just to show you an even BIGGER picture!

11. Five Questions to Test your Understanding:
1. Greek belongs to the __________ language family; Swedish and
English belong to the __________ family; Spanish and French
belong to the __________ language family.
2. Latin is the mother language of which 5 languages?
3. What’s the name of the huge language family including Spanish,
German, Greek, Latin, English, Portuguese, Russian, & Irish?
4. When and how did Latin become the Romance languages?
5. When and how did Germanic become Swedish, English, & German?

12. A brief history of Latin
For over twelve centuries, the Romani conquered large parts of Europe, Asia, and Africa, forcing Latin on conquered territories (except Greek-speaking areas).
After the Fall of Rome, most former Romans (i.e. “Europeans”) spoke forms of Latin: Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, French, & Romanian (Romance languages). Where the Greek Empire had been conquered by Rome, the people continued speaking forms of Greek.
During the Renaissance, Europeans improved upon Classical Greek and Roman ideas about art, philosophy, literature, medicine, politics, science, theology, law, & architecture; all educated Europeans spoke at least their own languages AND Latin, common to all Europeans.
A French doctor, an American judge, a Spanish biologist, and a German philosopher could all understand each other without knowing each other’s home languages.

13. Romance Languages
Latin didn’t die! It changed into Spanish, French, Romanian, Italian, and Portuguese after the fall of the Roman Empire.
Learning the mother language of a whole language family will help you learn of the daughter languages more easily.
Most words in the Romance languages are Latin derivatives, and many of the usage and grammar rules are similar.

14. (Latin) duo (Spanish) Dos (Italian) Due Doi (French) Dois Deux [dose]
[dew-ay]
(Romanian)
Doi
[doy]
(Latin)
duo
(French)
Deux
[dyeu]
(Portuguese)
Dois
[doyce]

15. Inflected Languages
Russian, Greek, Japanese, and German are inflected languages, meaning words have complex patterns of forms to learn.
Because Latin is inflected (patterned), learning the mother Romance language even helps people learning inflected languages from other language families.
Learning Latin will be helpful for anyone who goes on to learn ancient inflected languages like Greek, Hebrew, & Sanskrit.

16. There are ten forms for the Latin word puella, “girl.”
The German noun system, although slightly less complex than Latin, has just about the same case system and functions.

18. The Romans conquered Britannia; Britons used the Roman Alphabet & borrowed Latin words.
Normans conquered the English in 1066 A.D., forcing on them the French language (derived from Latin), changing English drastically.
Christianity, centered in Rome, introduced many Latin words into English.
During and after the Renaissance, Europeans used Latin as a common language to discuss plants and animals, human anatomy, medicine, philosophy, art, and law, among other studies.
In the “Enlightenment,” scholars spiced up English with Latin and Greek affixes & roots; they also used Latin grammar for English.
English

19. Consider these Latin Words:
beneficial
Subterranean
unnavigable
maternity
enumerate
unfortunate
exspectations

20. Consider these English Words:
beneficial
Subterranean
unnavigable
maternity
enumerate
unfortunate
exspectations
Latin can help you figure out words you’ve never seen before.

21. It’s no wonder Latin has been proven to raise verbal SAT scores!

22. Test your Understanding:
Why will knowing some Latin help you score higher on your verbal
SAT’s?
2. How will scoring higher on this test be helpful to you?

23. Latin in the Medical Field
Medical abbreviations in Latin:
t.i.d. (ter in die = 3x / day)
a.c. (ante cibum = before meals)
h.s. (hora somni = at bedtime)
stat. (statim = immediately!
Bones, muscles, and other body parts have Latin scientific names
(bones) tibia, fibia, scapula, radius
(muscles) pectorals, biceps, triceps
(brain) pons, cerebellum, medulla

24. Latin in the Legal Field
Roman law is the foundation of the entire American legal system.
Legal terms:
bona fide (in good faith)
status quo (nothing changes)
pro bono (for the good = for free)
crimen falsi (perjury)
de facto (for all intents and purposes)
in absentia (in absence)
in loco parentis (in place of parent)

25. Latin in academia
Better SAT scores mean better chances of being accepted to the university of your choice.
Latin looks great on transcripts when you apply to colleges (don’t tell them you had no choice!)
Abbreviations commonly used in higher education:
i.e. (id est = “that is”)
e.g. (exempli gratia = “for example”)
et al. (et alia = “and the other people”)
Ibid. (ibidem = “in the same place”)
cf. (confer = “compare”)
Learning Latin requires discipline that will come in handy during your academic career.

26. Five Questions to Test your Understanding:
1. How did Latin spread throughout most of the European world?
Which European areas did not speak Latin? What did they speak?
2. Which 9 academic disciplines used Latin as a common language
during the European Renaissance?
3. How can learning Latin help you learn any or all five Romance
languages?
4. If English does not come from Latin, why are they so closely
connected? (there are 5 historical reasons)
5. What are three career paths in which Latin will be useful?

27. So . . . as a result of this colorful history, serious Latin study will:
Help you learn Romance languages.
Help you learn inflected languages.
Help you learn English vocabulary.
Help you master English grammar.
Help you become a better speller.
Help you build academic knowledge.
Help you get into a good college.
Help you enter a professional career.

28. Et Latina est festiva!
(and Latin is fun!)!)