Classical languages

[David Ayers]

Anyone here have any preparation in Ancient Greek or Latin? I have both and kind of take it for granted, but I know it is not universal by any means.

Just curious, not a test.

[BillF]

Latin A level and 1st year university subsidiary subject

Greek O level

[A Lark Ascending]

You are both clearly of the old guard.

In my first secondary school (in Singapore) I didn't take either - assume others must have studied it as it was a 'Grammar School' but maybe not. When I got to Newquay in my 3rd Year the other kids did Latin - the few of us who didn't had to attend 'classical background' lessons where we learnt the legends in English.

I had a bit of a panic at that time as I knew I wanted to go on to university to study History and up to that point Latin had been a mandatory requirement. However, found out the rules had been relaxed and so was saved. Not sure what happened to Latin by my 'O' Level years - we'd gone comprehensive by then and I have no memory of anyone doing it.

I've never been in a situation where I've needed Greek or Latin (mainly Norse speakers round here). But all the people I've known who did study it have been wizards when it comes to English grammar.

Side thought: In the 'bog-standard comp' where I have worked for exactly 37 years Latin was only taught briefly by a Head who was a Latin specialist - and then after school to one or two very good modern linguists. We have all on persuading kids to continue with French, German or Spanish.

Edited December 21, 2014 by A Lark Ascending

[jazzbo]

Three years of Latin in the three years I spent at Waterford Kamhlaba school in M'Babane, Swaziland. My latin teacher was the esteemed Michael Stern, OBE. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Stern_(educator)

It was a happy time, but not necessarily because of Latin!

[BillF]

You are both clearly of the old guard.

Yes, that was in the days when they could name an album Mingus-Ah-Um.

Miles Gloriosus isn't an album title, by the way :-)

[A Lark Ascending]

Yes, that was in the days when they could name an album Mingus-Ah-Um.

Is that Latin or Greek? Never did know what it meant?

I actually learned the entire Latin Mass off by heart by the time I was 10. Then the Second Vatican Council said we could do it in English. The appropriate response was a very Anglo-Saxon 'Bugger!'

Helped me out with choral music, I suppose.

[BillF]

Yes, that was in the days when they could name an album Mingus-Ah-Um.

Is that Latin or Greek? Never did know what it meant?

Latin adjectives can have a masculine, feminine or neuter form, to suit the noun they're paired with. Thus, bonus the adjective meaning "good" could be bonus, bona or bonum, which can be abbreviated to bonus-a-um.

By the way, there is no truth in the story that Quintus Groovius Saxo was the world's first hard bopper.

[Larry Kart]

Three years of Latin in high school, a class in Homeric Greek in college. In neither case did I do my part very well, but in later years my interest in the literature/culture and the times has grown. Just read a terrific newish translation of Suetonius "The Caesars" and a very good one of Horace's Satires:

http://www.amazon.com/Caesars-Hackett-Classics-Suetonius/dp/1603843132/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1419182842&sr=1-2&keywords=suetonius+hurley

http://www.amazon.com/Satires-Hackett-Classics-Horace/dp/1603848444/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1419182932&sr=1-1&keywords=horace+satires+hackett

[Bluesnik]

Big Latinum, which is four or five years latin, but no greek. And I can't say latin has been useful for me. Maybe I wasn't aware of it and it helped on a more unconscious level, with the language basics of other languages.

[uli]

six years of Latin. when and where I grew up you could not get admitted to either the medical or legal faculty at the University without a high school degree in Latin.. It never occurred to me however that Mingus-Ah-Um. was a reference to latin.

[BillF]

six years of Latin. when and where I grew up you could not get admitted to either the medical or legal faculty at the University without a high school degree in Latin.. It never occurred to me however that Mingus-Ah-Um. was a reference to latin.

http://www.talkbass.com/threads/meaning-of-ah-um.17882/