Like much in this series, this may seem counterintuitive, but in fact, one of the best ways (if not THE VERY BEST way) to achieve long-term success in a modern language is to study the Latin language first. Obviously, starting with Latin may seem like a weird detour when your real goal is to learn a completely different language, but decades of experience in both learning and teaching ancient and modern languages have convinced me that this is the best route for most students. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The vast majority (well above 95%) of English speakers who study a modern language never achieve even minimal fluency in the language, most quitting before they’ve learned even the basics. It isn’t that these students are incapable of learning (or are lazy), but that they’re being taught the language in a short-sighted and ineffective way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Conventional modern-language curriculum ignores grammar as much as it possibly can, instead emphasizing an intuitive understanding of the language built up through long-term repetition. I will admit, since the sentence structure of most modern European languages is so close to that of English, this approach CAN work to some degree. Still, it’s far from the best (and most efficient) way to go about it. In fact, students learn languages far more quickly and effectively (and are far more likely to be successful long term) if they develop a detailed understanding of the grammar and vocabulary-logic of both English and the language they’re learning. And the best way to achieve this (BY FAR) is through the study of Latin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Long-term study of Latin compels students to learn not just the grammar of Latin itself but, by extension, the grammar of English and most other modern European languages. Latin students develop both 1) an awareness of the very existence of grammar and 2) a solid knowledge of specific grammar categories. And even though the grammar of the modern language will not match Latin or English exactly (it will be the same in some ways and different in others), because Latin is so good at revealing the “skeleton” of not just Latin and English but language in general, the student will now be able to identify the similarities and differences between various languages FAR more easily. A student who has previously studied Latin will learn another language’s rules of grammar FAR more easily on account of this awareness of universal grammar categories.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A solid understanding of grammar is a tremendous shortcut for the student, allowing him or her to learn, retain, and apply concepts far more easily. Unfortunately, most modern-language curriculum includes very limited grammar instruction. The reason for this should be obvious to most language teachers — very few 21st-century students have had even minimal previous instruction in the elements and rules of English grammar and for this reason will find it quite challenging to learn new grammar concepts. Because of this, curriculum creators know that, if they do teach grammar in a real way, most students will quickly become frustrated and likely quit the course.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Course creators can, as I said, get away with avoiding grammar to some degree because of the grammatical similarities between English and other modern European languages. Students can lean on their intuitive “understanding” of sentence structure since the new language will have pretty much the same structure as English. Unfortunately, the flipside of this poor understanding of grammar is a permanent limitation on students’ long-term progress.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Without a complex and detailed understanding of grammar it’s very difficult for students to achieve anything resembling fluency in a language. I’m not saying that students who are native speakers of one modern language can’t learn another modern language without this understanding. In fact, many students do, particularly those in Europe (most of whom are learning English). But these students learn within a very different system, one that mandates the continuous study of the language over MANY years alongside their peers. Because so many students are learning the same language (English more than any other), it is relatively easy for the student to practice speaking it and optimize the intuitive method. I would argue, though, that they’re still making it far more difficult than it needs to be. An advanced understanding of grammar would accelerate learning AND allow the student to reach a much higher level in the language.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Most students of modern languages (even the ones who achieve some level of fluency) never get beyond a “broken” version of the language, continuing to make very elementary mistakes even after decades. In fact, these students are essentially incapable of correcting these mistakes because they have little to no understanding of grammar. They tend to impose their native language and its idioms onto the non-native one, creating their own unique version of the language. Their non-specific, intuitive “understanding” becomes a barrier limiting how well they speak and write the language. This is an even bigger issue when the grammar of the native language is significantly different from the grammar of the one the student is learning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Native English-speaking students who first take Latin THEN a modern language tend to be far more successful in the modern language than other students since they’ve already developed a deep and complex understanding of grammar. This makes up for many of the grammar shortcomings of the modern-language curriculum, giving the student a framework for the language that allows him or her to achieve fluency and understanding. In fact, I would even go so far as to say that previous Latin instruction combined with typical modern-language curriculum will almost always be MORE effective than modern-language curriculum with grammar instruction integrated into it. Latin teaches students the elements of grammar FAR better than other languages BECAUSE its overall logic and sentence structure are so different from modern languages. This contrast between the structure of English and Latin makes it impossible for students to rely on their intuitive “understanding” of language. They are forced to develop a detailed, conscious understanding, which in the end is what they need the most.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A good knowledge and understanding of Latin vocabulary provides tremendous insight into the vocabulary of modern Romance languages like Spanish, French, Portuguese, Italian, and Romanian. As I discussed in my “English Vocabulary” article, Latin reveals the meanings of words in English and many other modern languages through its word-construction patterns, combining simpler Latin words together into larger compound words or basic Latin verbs with a limited number of prefixes. Latin students’ understanding of these patterns allows them to guess and remember the meanings of Latin words as well as the Romance-language words derived from them. This turns memorization of vocabulary, the bane of most students’ existence, into something far more manageable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Since English is a Romance\/Germanic combination language, with the majority of its words derived from Latin, a solid knowledge of Latin vocabulary creates a direct link between much of the vocabulary of English and the Romance language. At the same time, though — and this is a surprise to most people — a solid knowledge of Latin vocabulary may be even MORE helpful for linking Germanic-derived English words with their modern-Romance-language translations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For example (one among MANY), the English verb “understand” can be translated into the Latin:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“intendo, intendere, intendi, intentum” <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Which combines the basic Latin verb:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“tendo, tendere, tendi, tentum” (which means “extend” or “direct”)<\/p>\n\n\n\n
With the Latin prefix:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“in-” (which means “in”, “toward”, or “upon”)<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And so:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“in” (“toward”) + “tendo” (“direct”) => “intendo” (“direct [the mind] toward” = “understand”)<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Understanding how this Latin word was constructed from a basic Latin verb and prefix makes it far easier for the student to learn and remember its meaning (considering that it has no direct linguistic connection to its common English translation) and better understand the corresponding word in a modern Romance language. The following chart shows the equivalent words (which are all translated \u201cunderstand\u201d) in several other Romance languages:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
English: “understand”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Latin: “intendere”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Spanish: “entender”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Portuguese: “entender”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
French: “entendre”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It’s easy to see how the Spanish, Portuguese, and French versions came from Latin, but the average student will still have no idea why these words mean “understand”. Over time, as these three Romance languages evolved from Latin to their current state, the clear structure of the word (verb stem + prefix), with the well-understood meaning of each part, was lost. For this reason most native English speakers’ only option is to memorize the translation of “understand” (and countless other words) in the modern language without the help of any structural understanding. Of course, most people are VERY bad at straight memorization, which is one of the reasons most native English speakers fail in their attempt to learn another language. Students who have taken Latin, though, understand WHY this verb means what it means, creating a mental chain between the English word and the translation in the other language that makes learning and remembering the word MUCH easier.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“Understand” <=> “direct [the mind] toward” <=> “in + tendere” <=> “intendere” <=> “entender” <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Study of Latin is the key to understanding the grammar AND vocabulary of Romance languages. Without this understanding the average student will have a MUCH harder time progressing in the modern language and retaining what he\/she has learned. In my mind Latin is the true solution to the crisis of modern-language learning in the English-speaking world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n