Latin is Dead

Long Live Latin!

Dr. Sue Fisher at The Lukeion Project

I have to admit that I find it entertaining when people cast aspersions on the usefulness of Latin because it’s a “dead language.” While technically I get it that unless you’re planning on going to Italy and chatting up the Swiss Guards in Vatican City, you’re probably not going to be conversing much in the language of Caesar and Virgil. However, Latin is so pervasive in English in the form of cognates, abbreviations, and expressions, that a case could be made that if Latin is truly dead, the body hasn’t quite hit the floor yet.

Cognates 

Linguistically speaking, cognates are words that are related in origins. About two-thirds of the words in the English language are descendants of Latin words, so if you are an English speaker, you are using Latin much of the time. This also means that knowledge of Latin can be extremely helpful if you come across a word with which you are unfamiliar. After all, it saves time if a word is luculent, doesn’t it? (Erm) How about lucid? Both are from the Latin word lux, lucis meaning “light” or in this case “clear.” While the sheer number of cognates can be daunting, learning just prefixes alone will take you far. Here are some common Latin prefixes that can help you decipher words in English:

A/ab – away from

Ad – toward

Ante – before (anti is from Greek and that means against)

Con – with

De – from

Ex – out of

In – in, on or against (I know that last one is weird, but I don’t make the rules)

Ob – on account of, for the sake of

Per – through

Post – after, behind

Sub – under

Abbreviations

In the same way, many of the abbreviations used every day in English are abbreviations of Latin. While many people are familiar with them, they don’t always know exactly what they mean. Here is a quick romp through some of the most common Latin abbreviations that are still going strong in both the English language and crossword puzzles:

etc. = et cetera – and the others, and other things

e.g. = exemplum gratis – for example, for instance

cf. = confer – bring together, compare

i.e = id est – that is, in other words

et.al. = et alia – and other things

c. or ca. = circa – around, approximately

vs. = versus - against

n.b. = nota/notate bene – note well

m.o. = modus operandi – method of doing something

sc. scilicet “as it is permitted to know” – namely

re = in re – in the matter of, namely

Expressions

As much fun as abbreviations are (have no doubt that Latin instructors love a good abbreviation), what are more fun are Latin expressions. Not only are Latin expressions common in modern English but being adept in their usage greatly adds to your panache. Panache is an English word meaning verve, which is (ta-da!) from the Latin verbum (word). So yes, adding Latin expressions adds to your words. Isn’t this helpful? 

Etymology and snark aside, Latin expressions abound in legal documents and medical terminology, but are also plentiful in more plebeian writing (see what I did there?) Terra firma sounds much more important than does “solid ground” as does in medias res when you are in the middle of things. Just try choral music without a canticle or a requiem. Even the internet loves Latin, what with all the ad hominem attacks that are used ad nauseam. And forget it if you’re trying to read Harry Potter and can’t handle a little Latin. Good luck fighting Voldemort if you can’t expect your patron (expecto patronem).

Beyond even these three large categories, there is also what I consider stealth Latin. This is the Latin of acronyms, such as ASICS sneakers. This stands for anima sana in corpore sano – a sound mind in a sound body – a quote from the satirist Juvenal. Vim and Vigor, a name applied to a brand of milk when I was growing up, is apparently now a pilsner (go fig), but both refer to the Latin words implying strength and energy. Stealth Latin is also the Latin of proper names like Amy or Amanda, which both come from the Latin verb amo, amare – I love. Our house painter Rufus was amused to learn that his name meant red. However, the famous pirate Barbarossa embraced his rose-colored beard. Sometimes meaningful names are stealth-employed for even greater effects. Such is the case of the city of Panem in The Hunger Games, which purposefully evokes another phrase from Juvenal, panem et circenses (bread and circuses), and the concept of keeping the masses fed and occupied while subjugated. Dolores Umbridge is the hated teacher at Hogwarts whose first name means sorrows and last name relates to the cloud or umbra that usually brings a storm. Likewise, what would Lemony Snicket’s Lacrimose Lake be without the lacrimae (tears)?

Tears and umbrage aside, one does not have to search far to find Latin in use in everyday life. In this essay there are at least a couple hundred already. Is Latin then truly a dead language? To my way of thinking, mostly unspoken, yes. Dead, no. Or as the phrase might go, Latin is dead. Long live Latin!