Who thinks learning Latin in school is essential? Non est mihi
On a scale of unus to decem, how pleased are you that the Government is spending £4million on promoting more Latin in schools?
Education secretary Gavin Williamson says Latin “has a reputation as an elitist subject which is only reserved for the privileged few” and wants to change that perception. Geteus ineum.
That reputation stems largely from leading politicians slipping Latin phrases into interviews to appear clever.
But why would anyone think that a knowledge of a dead lan However, guage should automatically qualify someone as “clever”? You can teach people anything if you begin when they’re young enough; even if they aren’t especially bright.
Yet Latin has that aura. Strange really. You might have opted for the subject at school instead of perhaps geography. people are for some reason more dazzled by one of Latin’s many one-liners than by comprehensive knowledge of oxbow lakes.
Most school subjects are not “essential” including Latin. It’s useful and very helpful when attempting to master modern languages and some sciences. But it’s no more crucial than history, economics or art; less so than knowledge of boiling an egg or changing a plug.
Of course, there’s nothing wrong with knowing Latin. I wish I had a few phrases myself, but only to show off which is surely its main appeal.
Knowledge of the language is no more valuable than knowledge of English monarchs since William the Conqueror; less valuable than knowledge of engines. But we seemed to be in thrall of it.
Put it this way; when someone is appointed to high office our first concern is not their mastery or otherwise Latin declensions; which can be drummed into the dimmest children to help them to sound intelligent – as opposed to actually being intelligent.
Surely we should be more reassured, if not impressed, by people (particularly politicians) who unhesitatingly know where Sunderland, Strathclyde and Sidmouth are. Or how much a loaf of bread is.
Latin is a fine subject to learn, but it isn’t especially important and we should never feel intimidated by someone’s knowledge of a subject that they just happened to learn in school while you didn’t.