Comments on: Ever wonder who still speaks latin?

Ever wonder who still speaks latin?

MrLint — Mon, 01 Dec 2003 19:50:22 -0800

Ever wonder who still speaks latin? So it seems like the vanishingly small number of native latin speakers seem to work all for one outfit. They all also seem to be British.

By: freebird

freebird — Mon, 01 Dec 2003 19:58:12 -0800

"native" latin speakers?

By: silusGROK

silusGROK — Mon, 01 Dec 2003 20:06:53 -0800

Heh.

By: tippiedog

tippiedog — Mon, 01 Dec 2003 20:07:42 -0800

I still recall my first day of grad school Latin. The teacher asked the class, "Do any of you plan on a career in the Vatican?" When nobody said anything, he continued, "Well, then we'll not be focussing much on spoken Latin."

By: oaf

oaf — Mon, 01 Dec 2003 20:10:00 -0800

The number of native Latin speakers currently living is zero.

By: madamjujujive

madamjujujive — Mon, 01 Dec 2003 20:10:19 -0800

Vah! Denuone Latine loquebar? Me ineptum. Interdum modo elabitur.

By: Jimbob

Jimbob — Mon, 01 Dec 2003 20:13:17 -0800

In a way I wish I had been offered the chance to study latin at school; as a botanist / ecologist, it could actually come in handy. It might be helpful in remembering the meaning of taxonomic names, and in understanding new technical terms. Anyone got any other good uses for latin? (apart from the Vatican?)

By: sperare

sperare — Mon, 01 Dec 2003 20:18:26 -0800

Yeah! I was a Classics major in University, so this thread makes me very happy! And while there isn't a lot of need for latin in day to day life, it is great training for logical thinking, translating your medical charts, and when listed on a resume gives your interviewer something to talk about. And there are so many jobs listed in the newspaper for Latin speakers! Just look in the want ads, under 'Restaurant Help needed'.

By: samw

samw — Mon, 01 Dec 2003 20:28:44 -0800

Maybe I'm missing something, but I don't see them claim anywhere in the actual copy of the page that their translators are native Latin speakers. It only says that in a section heading. If you have native Latin speakers, it seems like you'd make it a bit more explicit. But then, if you didn't have native speakers, why would you have a heading say "Native Speaking Latin Translators"? Someone needs to edit their website.

By: mr_crash_davis

mr_crash_davis — Mon, 01 Dec 2003 20:35:15 -0800

Latin is the only language other than English that I would consider learning. I just haven't finished learning English yet, so I don't have the time.

By: ilsa

ilsa — Mon, 01 Dec 2003 21:09:43 -0800

Ahhh, flashback to high school. Virgil. Cicero. Ovid (pervert). Caesar.

By: hattifattener

hattifattener — Mon, 01 Dec 2003 21:21:52 -0800

For what it's worth, there's a Finnish radio station that broadcasts in Latin.

By: Mayor Curley

Mayor Curley — Mon, 01 Dec 2003 21:33:34 -0800

I was president of the state Junior Classical League my senior year in high school. (And, no, I wasn't a virgin. Come on, you were thinking it.)

By: freebird

freebird — Mon, 01 Dec 2003 21:48:29 -0800

It only says that in a section heading Yep, I was just being a smartass. It's pretty clear that they have a template page for why they "are the best option for your [INSERT LANGUAGE HERE] translation needs", and that language makes perfect sense for for everything but latin. Though, it makes me wonder if the "native" speakers they have for other languages really are...I mean, once you betray my trust that you grew up as, say, a Roman Briton, how can I believe anything you say? I do wish learning latin had been an option in my education, but I don't see that as any impediment to my doing so.

By: Eloquence

Eloquence — Mon, 01 Dec 2003 22:03:08 -0800

There's also a Latin Wikipedia with 630 pages.

By: bigschmoove

bigschmoove — Mon, 01 Dec 2003 23:36:25 -0800

Ahh, this reminds me of my most fun summer ever, much of which was spent in Rome, learning and speaking Latin with Reginald Foster, in the incredible Aestiva Romae Latinitatis. Good times, good times...

By: nthdegx

nthdegx — Tue, 02 Dec 2003 05:23:53 -0800

Canis est in via dormit.

By: sklero

sklero — Tue, 02 Dec 2003 07:12:58 -0800

hattifattener, thanks for that link.

By: languagehat

languagehat — Tue, 02 Dec 2003 08:06:23 -0800

They all also seem to be British. Not so! One of the most fervent is Italian. This post is supposed to be about modern use of Latin but gets a cold fusion error: Invalid CFML construct found on line 151 at column 98. The error occurred in C:\metafilter sites\www.metafilter.com\static\23268_bottom.cfm: line 151

By: NormieP

NormieP — Tue, 02 Dec 2003 09:39:33 -0800

(And, no, I wasn't a virgin. Come on, you were thinking it.) Actually no, I was thinking that you probably nailed the vice president in the back of the annual Saturnalia holiday party. Did she still have braces?

By: Eekacat

Eekacat — Tue, 02 Dec 2003 10:00:56 -0800

I, like Dan Quayle, wish I had learned latin in school.... so I could speak to all the latin Americans.

By: billsaysthis

billsaysthis — Tue, 02 Dec 2003 11:23:39 -0800

I was president of the state Junior Classical League my senior year in high school. So Curley, you've only gone downhill since? I mean, come on, president in high school and only a mayor today? Is Jerry Brown your idol?

By: chuq

chuq — Tue, 02 Dec 2003 14:16:56 -0800

For what it's worth, there's a Finnish radio station that broadcasts in Latin. Not only that, it broadcasts in Latin with a heavy Finnish accent, which is one of the most linguistically weird things I've heard in a while.