Reply to: White Riot!

[xoggoth]

On the plus side, knowing the Latin for ditch is fossa breaks the ice at parties. Plus being able to recite the lord's prayer backwards in Latin conjures up a much better class of demon.

[EternalOptimist]

The reason I dont like latin is because the lawyers and doctors use it to bamboozle us.
it bamboozles me .

Maybe I should start quoting Latin to the clients


'Ipso facto le project est progresso bien. Acheter le invoice. jhaldi jhaldi.


I might try it on Friday

[SueEllen]

I don't know whether 'grammar' is really the most important part of educating people in the use of and structure of language. I think that it's more important to be able to analyse what you're being told and recognise the weasel words, framing and propaganda that are thrown at us every day. Language can be used to tell the truth, but also to decieve, and a good knowledge of language and literature can help in detecting deceit. But obviously, picking out the subtexts in some literary work requires some intelligence and doesn't appear immediately relevant to everyone. Also, it doesn't require the learning of Latin. Better to learn English to a high standard and learn modern languages for their practical use than to analyse texts of a language that isn't used any more.

Learning a foreign language even a dead one helps you acquired the skills to do that at a younger age. In English those skills are normally acquired at A level.

[Mich the Tester]

As long as we understand each other, grammar is not that important. Yeh, you know, like, innit, will probably be tommorrow's correct grammar.

In any case, as certain people on CUK so amply demonstrate, you can use all the right words to state a point very precisely and people still don't understand because their emotionally driven brains read what they want to read; they focus on parts and ignore the rest or just invent a subtext that they would like to drivel about.

I don't know whether 'grammar' is really the most important part of educating people in the use of and structure of language. I think that it's more important to be able to analyse what you're being told and recognise the weasel words, framing and propaganda that are thrown at us every day. Language can be used to tell the truth, but also to decieve, and a good knowledge of language and literature can help in detecting deceit. But obviously, picking out the subtexts in some literary work requires some intelligence and doesn't appear immediately relevant to everyone. Also, it doesn't require the learning of Latin. Better to learn English to a high standard and learn modern languages for their practical use than to analyse texts of a language that isn't used any more.

[SueEllen]

As long as we understand each other, grammar is not that important. Yeh, you know, like, innit, will probably be tommorrow's correct grammar.

It is when you writing exam papers marked by middle-aged and older lecturers who have in-built prejudices against those who were educated in the comprehensive system.

In any case, as certain people on CUK so amply demonstrate, you can use all the right words to state a point very precisely and people still don't understand because their emotionally driven brains read what they want to read; they focus on parts and ignore the rest or just invent a subtext that they would like to drivel about.

The average reading age of The Times is 11 so you can't expect the average poster on here to have better reading comprehension than that.

[xoggoth]

As long as we understand each other, grammar is not that important. Yeh, you know, like, innit, will probably be tommorrow's correct grammar.

In any case, as certain people on CUK so amply demonstrate, you can use all the right words to state a point very precisely and people still don't understand because their emotionally driven brains read what they want to read; they focus on parts and ignore the rest or just invent a subtext that they would like to drivel about.

[Mich the Tester]

What is it exactly? People say it helps to understand the origins of the English language but (even assuming there's any logical purpose in that at all) much of it comes from Saxon and other sources so a far better course would be one on understanding the English language.

Learning one Latin language makes it easier to learn other Latin languages. Other than that, academic rigour innit. But as I say, learning a modern language like Italian would seem more useful to me.

[xoggoth]

the use of learning a Latin language at school

What is it exactly? People say it helps to understand the origins of the English language but (even assuming there's any logical purpose in that at all) much of it comes from Saxon and other sources so a far better course would be one on understanding the English language.

[SueEllen]

Why isn't it in Latin? That's what I want to know!

PS I did 5 hours a week of sodding Latin for 5 years. Beats me why anyone would do it by choice. When people criticise modern education for pointless subjects maybe they should look at the time we wasted on Latin, Greek and RE.

PPS That kill the poor song is great. Hope it's not meant to be ironic.

I went to an inner London comprehensive and did Latin.

It was useful because at that time the English teacherI had for 3 of my secondary school years had the belief that you didn't teach pupils grammar.

The poor woman who came after her was old school and had to suffer a class where out of 28 kids only 3 of them had an idea of what grammar was.

[Mich the Tester]

Xog,

It’s so I can get more out of my trips to Rome and also to read the authors in the original. I don’t expect anyone else to be interested, it’s just my geeky leisure. If I complete the course I‘ll do a post in Latin for you especially!

I can see the use of learning a Latin language at school, but wouldn't it be more practical for kids to learn modern Italian, and then if they have academic aspirations to opt for Latin at university?

[Gibbon]

Why isn't it in Latin? That's what I want to know!

PS I did 5 hours a week of sodding Latin for 5 years. Beats me why anyone would do it by choice. When people criticise modern education for pointless subjects maybe they should look at the time we wasted on Latin, Greek and RE.

PPS That kill the poor song is great. Hope it's not meant to be ironic.

Xog,

It’s so I can get more out of my trips to Rome and also to read the authors in the original. I don’t expect anyone else to be interested, it’s just my geeky leisure. If I complete the course I‘ll do a post in Latin for you especially!

[xoggoth]

Why isn't it in Latin? That's what I want to know!

PS I did 5 hours a week of sodding Latin for 5 years. Beats me why anyone would do it by choice. When people criticise modern education for pointless subjects maybe they should look at the time we wasted on Latin, Greek and RE.

PPS That kill the poor song is great. Hope it's not meant to be ironic.

[Gibbon]

Is quoting song lyrics supposed to tell us something?

It tells me that you think you're much cooler than you really are.
I'm also not very cool, so I choose "Kill the Poor"
DEAD KENNEDYS LYRICS - Kill The Poor

"Behold the sparkle of champagne
The crime rate's gone
Feel free again "

Try again, I've never claimed to be cool or even aspired to be. Just a middle aged geek, interested in ancient history
and reliving some of my youth when I was into The Clash FFS.

[Platypus]

Is quoting song lyrics supposed to tell us something?

It tells me that you think you're much cooler than you really are.

I'm also not very cool, so I choose "Kill the Poor"
DEAD KENNEDYS LYRICS - Kill The Poor

"Behold the sparkle of champagne
The crime rate's gone
Feel free again "

[Mich the Tester]

Good idea, but will there be tea and biscuits?