Re: Zits 1 Sep: Calculus?

Ted Nolan <tednolan> wrote:
In article <t0hrf2l3i2bdugqocfu0o425fnhnp323ou@xxxxxxx>,
George W Harris <gharrus@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

On Tue, 5 Sep 2006 18:25:45 +0000 (UTC), Carl Fink <carlf@xxxxxxxxx>
wrote:

:On 2006-09-05, George W Harris <gharrus@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
[...]

:> On Tue, 5 Sep 2006 17:44:01 +0000 (UTC), Carl Fink <carlf@xxxxxxxxx>

:> I'm not sure studying ancient languages in secondary school means
:>:much for most people.
:>
:> Not if you assume it's for the purpose of later :> knowing ancient languages, no.
:
:So what's the other purpose? A sort of initiation test?

A deeper understanding of the nature of languages, perhaps? A clue as to the underpinnings of one's own language?

Nah, couldn't be.
--

Well, the first could be done via the study of a _living_ language, and
the second would arguably be better served by a study of Old English..
Ted

I don't think this is correct.

Traditionally, Latin & Greek were regarded as the lingua francas of
the academic class. Anywhere you went in Europe, you could find
Latin speakers.

That internationalist aspect still makes their study valuable today.
Many neologisms (including "neologism") look back to Greek and Latin for
their roots. Using the ancient languages gives us new words which are
more or less recognizable to native speakers of most European languages,
since Greek (and especially Latin) underlie so many of them.

It may be a self-perpetuating system, but its real. How many neologisms
can you think of which are derived from Old English, outside of Tolkien?

Peter Trei



.

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