May 20 2008
Latin Learning Resources
Lately I’ve been watching a historical fiction TV series called The Tudors, which is about the reign of Henry VIII. One thing I noticed in that show, is that a lot of Latin conversation takes place, such as during the Roman Catholic ceremonies and whatnot. Latin is kind of a fascinating language to me; it sounds beautiful and sophisticated. This got me thinking: where are some good places to learn Latin on the Internet?
Even though Latin has no practical use anymore, it can be helpful to know some, especially if you’re in a scientific or medical field. I’m finding out, as a nursing student, that a lot of medical terms are based on Latin. So, having some knowledge of Latin would certainly help when I hear a medical term while on the job, or when I need to conjugate a word at a moment’s notice.
If you’re not in the medical field, it can still be beneficial to study Latin a bit to gain a better understanding of the Romance languages such as Spanish and French, which are based on Latin. As I study my medical stuff, I’m often surprised to see that a lot of the Latin words are very similar to their equivalent Spanish ones. So, I developed a way to remember my medical terms by knowing the Spanish equivalents. Also, believe it or not, the English language is also partly based on Latin too, so by learning some Latin you can gain a better understanding of English.
However, I wouldn’t spend too much time studying Latin. It’s pretty much a dead language, and you’d be better off spending the majority of your time learning a practical language like Spanish. Latin’s just good for a little exploring and, if you’re like me, learning a zillion medical terms.
Latin Learning Resources:
Latinum Latin Language Podcast
