9 Reasons to Study Latin
1
Universities value Latin students among applicants.
See what 'gatekeepers' to top colleges say about the benefits of Latin:
2
Latin significantly increases verbal scores on standardized tests.
The analytical and problem solving scores, often associated closely with math skills, also increase significantly among Latin students.
3
Latin students show great improvement in the understanding of the English language.
English derives 60% of its words, and 90% of those words consisting of more than two syllables, from Latin. Also, many students find it easier to learn more complex grammatical concepts in Latin and then apply them to English.
4
Latin is the next step after phonics.
Here’s the problem. The child has learned the English word for father, but then as he progresses through school he meets a whole new set of words: 3-5 syllable, difficult, abstract words that come from the Latin word for father: pater, patris. Students today are not prepared for these abstract words.
Latin continues the systematic study of English throughout elementary school, right when children need it, right when they are encountering thousands of new words and building their vocabulary and reading skills. Latin continues the study of the Latin half of English vocabulary in an orderly way and teaches the children the history of words.
5
Five modern Romance languages call Latin their parent language.
Spanish, French, Italian, Romanian, and Portuguese derive more than 80% of the words which make up their vocabulary from Latin. Their grammatical structure is also much more similar to Latin than English. Consider the number of nations who claim one of these as their official language: French – 27; Spanish – 20; Italian, Portuguese, Romanian – 10.
6
Latin provides the root words for all of the modern sciences.
All of the modern sciences began their development at the time of the Renaissance (about 500 years ago) when all educated people knew Latin and Greek. All scientific terms came from the ancient classical languages. Latin is the best preparation for students to help them master the tremendous demands of learning the specialized vocabularies of the sciences in high school and college.
7
Latin is the language of law, government, and logic.
While a large number of words in science come from Greek, all legal terms are Latin. The Romans excelled in the practical arts of law and government, and it is from them that we derive our legal and political language. Although logic was first explained by Aristotle in Greek, it was really developed and systematized by the Schoolmen in the Middle Ages in Latin.
8
Latin is a key to unlocking the past.
Through the writings of Cicero, Caesar, Livy, and others we learn so much about the world of ancient Rome and Greece, a world which has greatly affected our own.
The list of Greco-Roman influences on modern America could go on indefinitely, but must include art, architecture, music, and literature among government and politics. The ancient past is not far removed from our modern lives, but instead is quite close and relevant.
9
People who influence the world today have studied Latin.
 J.K. RowlingBritish author, film producer, television producer, screenwriter, and philanthropist best known as author of the Harry Potter series |  Theodor Seuss GeiselAmerican children's author, political cartoonist, illustrator, poet, animator, screenwriter, and filmmaker best known for his work writing and illustrating more than 60 books under the pen name Dr. Seuss |  Toni MorrisonAmerican novelist, essayist, book editor, college professor and winner of the Noble Peace Price in Literature |
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 Mark ZuckerbergAmerican internet entrepreneur and philanthropist best known as the co-creator of Facebook |  William ShakespeareEnglish poet, playwright, and actor, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's greatest dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon". |  Sigmund FreudAustrian neurologist and the founder of psychoanalysis, a clinical method for treating psychopathology through dialogue between a patient and a psychoanalyst. |
 C.S. LewisBritish writer and lay theologian. He held academic positions in English literature at both Oxford University and Cambridge University. |  Friedrich NietzscheGerman philosopher, cultural critic, composer, poet, philologist, and Latin and Greek scholar whose work has exerted a profound influence on modern intellectual history. He began his career as a classical philologist before turning to philosophy. |  Ted TurnerAmerican media proprietor, producer, and philanthropist. As a businessman, he is known as founder of the Cable News Network, the first 24-hour cable news channel. In addition, he founded WTBS, which pioneered the superstation concept in cable television, which later became TBS. |
 Thomas JeffersonAmerican statesman, diplomat, lawyer, architect, philosopher, and Founding Father who served as the third president of the United States from 1801 to 1809. |  Boris JohnsonBritish politician, writer, and former journalist who has served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and leader of the Conservative Party since July 2019. |  Karl MarxGerman philosopher, economist, historian, sociologist, political theorist, journalist and socialist revolutionary. |