introduction to latin. why do we study latin? “it is not so much excellent to know latin, as it is...
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Introduction to Latin
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Why do we study Latin?
“It is not so much excellent to know Latin, as it is a shame not to know it.” --Cicero
• For nearly 2,000 years, Latin was the language of the educated –the language of churches, governments, science (Sir Isaac Newton), nobles, musicians, and even poets.
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Background
• Greek is the sister language of Latin – an OLDER sister (ex: 5th century B.C. was the time of the writings of Sophocles, Euripedes)
• Latin did not reach its prime until the 1st and 2nd centuries B.C.
• As Latin developed, it borrowed from Greek and kept this up even after it became a fully developed language
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5 Major Ways Greek Influenced Latin
1. Roman Traders – business connections in the Greek-speaking near East (influenced merchandise)
2. Roman soldiers – returned from years of service in Greece, Egypt, Syria
3. Wealthy young Romans – tutored by a Greek slave, schooled at the University of Athens (influenced mathematical and philosophical terms)
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5 Major Ways Greek Influenced Latin
4. Roman gentlemen – spoke Greek as fluently as Latin – a variety of Greek expressions present in Latin conversation
5. Rise of Christianity – brought into Latin a whole new group of Greek words – including religious and technical
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Today…
• Over 800,000 words in the English language• More than 50% are of Latin origin; 11% have
come through classical Greek• Some estimates will go higher as scientists and
technicians turn again and again to these two languages to develop words
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So, why do we study Latin AFTER Greek?
• Latin derivatives are more difficult than the Greek because meanings may be less apparent and less sharply defined
• In general: Greek roots provide KEYS to meanings, Latin roots provide CLUES.
• Ex: alphabet : alpha + beta (names of the first and second letters of the Greek alphabet which were used to make the Latin word alphabetum.)
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Alphabet
• From the Greek alphabet, Latin also borrowed: K, Y, Z to use in spelling Greek words
• During the Middle Ages, j replaced the Latin I used as a consonant (before that, I was used both as a consonant and a vowel).
• Letters U and V were originally used in Latin without distinction. Later, V came to denote the consonant and U the vowel.
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Derivation
is the process of tracing a word from its source.
Latin words have become English by…1. Being taken over unchanged (area, radius)2. Dropping the Latin ending
form < forma (shape)laud < laudere (to praise)
3. By dropping the ending and adding a silent “e”: fam – e fortun - e
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Latin words have become English…
4. By way of another language:savage from L. “silva” via F. “savage”isle from L. “insula” via F. “ile”
Prefix (L. prae+fixum, fastened before) – one or more syllables placed before the root of a word to modify the meaning of the root
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Continued…
Root – the basic part of the word
Suffix (L. sub+fixum, fastened from under) one or more syllables placed after the root to modify its meaning.