Italian culture has always contributed great art, music, architecture, food and wine to the world. Yet one major contribution from Ancient Rome has gone mostly unappreciated in modern times and this is the Latin language. Although Latin is considered a “dead” language, Latin gave birth to Italian, Spanish, French, Portuguese, Catalan, and Romanian before it died. The Romans made Latin the official language of the countries they conquered. Then Latin slowly evolved into the Romance languages of Western Europe that these countries speak today.
Now, only one country in the world has Latin as one of its official languages and that is Vatican City. All papal documents are written first in Latin and then translated into other languages. There are still Latin prayers and services in some Catholic Churches and some Catholic and private schools still teach Latin, which seems to boost their students’ ACT and SAT verbal scores.
You may not think Latin influences us now, but about 55% of English words have Latin roots, which includes the French and Spanish contributions.
The main areas of Latin influence are found in the medical, scientific, and legal professions. Precisely because Latin is a “dead” language, the meanings of the words don’t change and are not subject to modern interpretations. Think of the legal terms you have heard, such as “subpoena”, “affidavit”, “status quo”, “alibi”, “post mortem”, and “habeus corpus” whose definitions never change.
Think of how often you use the words “et cetera” (etc.), which means “and the other things” even when you don’t remember what the other things are. A very common and useful phrase! You would be surprised at how many other Latin words you know and use every day.
The medical profession also relies on Latin names for many diseases and parts of the body. The words “arthritis”, “anemia” and “cancer” are all Latin words with no English translation, yet we understand what they mean. Your doctor probably favors the Latin names for body parts and calls your collarbone a “clavicle” and your skull a “cranium”. If you break your leg, the doctor uses purely Latin words to tell you if it was your “femur”, your “tibia”, or your “fibula” that broke. And you already know what a “patella” is if you’ve had your knees replaced.
Scientists use Latin nomenclature to identify plant and animal species. Most labels on plants and seed packages still print their full Latin names just to make sure you get the right one. When a new animal or plant species is discovered, scientists, under some strict guidelines, have fun giving them a Latin name. For example, I can’t imagine calling a tyrannical lizard king anything but Tyrannosaurus Rex. His Latin name fits him perfectly.
So the next time a doctor, lawyer, or scientist starts talking over your head, remember that in order to confuse you in Modern English, they first had to learn our ancestral language, Latin.
And finally, when you look up at the stars tonight, know that our Roman ancestors named the constellations you see, such as “Sagittarius”, “Taurus”, “Leo”, “Gemini”, “Pisces”, et cetera.
Then I hope you will begin to realize that we are still speaking their language!
By Charlene