Learn a Classical Language

Quote of the Day/Week/Millenium:

I would rather have a nod from an American, than a snuff-box from an emperor. ~Lord Byron

If I forget thee, O Jerusalem, let my right hand forget her cunning.

About me

Name: Sian
I paint, write, and dance. Also cook vegetarian food.

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Wednesday, 24 August 2005

Learn a Classical Language

Latin, I have been told (ad nauseum) is the pinacle of human linguistic achievement. It is the purest, and most elegant mode of expression, and quite possibly the only language ever spoken by man which is suited, also to the tongues of angels. Greek is, of course, more consise, and a little less melifluous, but still a towering colossus above any of the modern languages. And, as my Greek professor told me on the first day of class (Greek 101), if it seems difficult, don't worry. The first twenty years are the hardest.

In sharp contrast, English is at the very bottom of the midden heap of human utterance.

I didn't study Classical languages in highschool. At least, not beyond a few word derivations copied from the dictionary during detention. I took French, and then German, and all things considered, spoke them fairly well. I was very good at asking where the restroom is, or ordering a cup of coffee. The day-to-day small talk of a tourist, or a foreign exchange student. I had studied German for three years before the class was introduced to anything remotely literary. It was Herman Hesse's Siddhartha. Because, of course we all know that Buddha was born in Munich, and consequently, Buddhism is a central element of German culture. Later, I took French in college, hoping for something more substantial than I had studied in High School. But, of course, once again, I was sitting in class, practicing how to talk about shoes and socks, and whether I took the bus or a taxi to class.

One difference between a modern language and a Classical language is intent. No one takes Attic Greek so that he can talk to Greeks. He takes it so he can read Aeschylus or Plato. Therefore, you get to skip all the excitement about "hello, my name is..." and "would you like to go for a walk with me." You wind up studying more syntax and memorizing less vocabulary. Syntax is the way that language is put together, the way you make "dog bites man" mean something totally different than "man bites dog." Vocabulary is what any idiot can look up in a dictionary.

The difference, though, that I'm just beginning to appreciate is one of perspective. Studying a Classical language is like standing back looking at linguistics through a wide-angle lens... You see the language that you're learning, but you also see (with some distortion, but still clear enough to be useful) where that language connects to other languages, and you begin to see patterns. Studying a modern language is more like zooming in in sharp focus on one, particular branch of the tree. You memorize, you work on reducing your accent, you focus on the particular things you would like to be able to discuss(business, if you're a businessman, art, if your an artist, and so on) and it takes a long, long time before patterns emerge.