Latin for American Schools: Deo Et Patriae

© 2016 Jude Jacques. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

Published by AuthorHouse 04/13/2016

ISBN: 978-1-5246-0357-1 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-5246-0358-8 (e)

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Contents

Central Administration

Latin provides the root words for all of the modern sciences.

Latin is the language of law, government, logic, and theology.

Latin is the most efficient way to learn English grammar

Latin is the best preparation for learning any language

Latin effectively develops and trains the mind

Latin aids the mind in other ways

Latin is transformative

Latin is the language of Western Civilization

Half of our English vocabulary is made up of Latin words and roots

The Structure of English

How to Tell a Verb from a Noun

The Bare Noun of English

Contextual Interpretations of Virtual Idioms

Word Order as a Grammatical Function

Problems with the Nouns

Problems with the Verbs

The Present

The Imperfect

Imperfect tense

Imperfect tense (again this is the hardest tense)

PERFECT

The Future

The Past Perfect

The Pluperfect

ON GRAMMATICAL TERMINOLOGY

Past Perfect Progressive 'I had been writing

THE SUBJUNCTIVES

The Modal Verbs of English

Special Latin Constructions

LATIN FOR LAW

LATIN FOR THE MEDICAL PROFESSION

ADJECTIVES

Irregular adjectives

LATIN FOR ALL

LATIN FOR SCIENCE

TERMS USED IN MATHEMATICS

OTHER COMMON LATIN TERMS

LATIN FOR LOVERS

English Adverbs

LIST OF ADVERBS

COMPARISON OF ADJECTIVES

Understanding Your Language

THIS BOOK IS DESIGNED

FOR AMERICAN STUDENTS WHO ARE IN THE MIDDLE SCHOOLS, HIGH SCHOOLS, COLLEGES, UNIVERSITIES, LAW SCHOOL, MEDICAL SCHOOL AND SO ON.

NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR: RESEARCH SHOWS THAT STUDENTS WHO TAKE LATIN TEND TO DO BETTER IN THEIR SAT, ENGLISH, MATH, SCIENCE AND GLOBAL STUDIES (HISTORY)

I would like to thank the parents of Hempstead and the following people for entrusting me with the education of the students of this great school district:

HEMPSTEAD PUBLIC SCHOOLS BOARD MEMBERS

Mr. LaMont E. Johnson

President

Mrs. Maribel Touré

Vice President

Mrs. JoAnn Simmons

Trustee

Mr. Ricky A. Cooke, Sr.

T rustee

Mrs. Gwendolyn Jackson

T rustee

Central Administration

Central Administrators

Susan Johnson, Superintendent of schools

Rodney Gilmore, Ed.D., Associate Superintendent

for Human Resources

Regina Armstrong, Associate Superintendent

for Elementary Curriculum & Instruction

James E. Clark, Associate Superintendent

for Secondary Curriculum and Instruction,

Assistant Superintendent

for Business & Operations

Allison Hernandez, Assistant Superintendent

for Special Education

Deborah DeLong, Assistant Superintendent

for Pupil Personnel Services

Daniel Espina, Executive Director for Technology & MIS.

Renee Hamilton, Executive Director for Testing, Research & Evaluation

Directors

Robert Cincotta, S.J.D., Athletics, Physical Education and Health

Sharon Gardner, Food Services

Robert Kurtz, Social Studies

Angel A. Perez, Fine Arts, Music & Library Media

Coordinators

Janet Lovett, Bilingual/ENL/LOTE

Susan Thompson, Alternative Education

DjuanaWilsonStudent Support Services for Direct Instruction

Alverta B. Gray Schultz Middle School

Principal: Noel Rios

Assistant Principal: Rowena Costa

Assistant Principal: Johnetta L. Hill, Ph.D.

Assistant Principal: Michael Win eld, Ed.D.

Dean of Students: Earl Davis, Jr.

I want to thank all of the teachers and staff at ABGS Middle School, especially Ms. Maria Cady, our awesome librarian.

The renewed interest in the study of Latin dates back to the late seventies and the President's Commission on Foreign Language and International Studies. That commission presented its recommendations to President Carter in 1979 by suggesting that the study of foreign languages must be promoted for the utilitarian ends of increasing communication among peoples and developing cross-cultural understandings. The study of classical languages was widely believed to contribute to these goals.

After a brief decline in the 60's and 70's Latin study has rebounded with enrollment increasing by 25% at the high school level since the early 80's. Interest in middle and elementary school programs has been even more remarkable (LaFleur, p. xi. 1998).

Classical Languages and National Standards

Foreign language education was the seventh and final subject area to receive federal funding to develop standards for students kindergarten through twelfth grade. The resulting document Standards for Foreign Language Learning: Preparing for the 21st Century defines content standards for students in grades four, eight, and twelve. The classical languages were incorporated in this document from the beginning.

The United States must educate students who are equipped linguistically and culturally to communicate successfully in a pluralistic American society and abroad. This imperative envisions a future in which ALL students will develop and maintain proficiency in English and at least one other language, modern or classical...(Standards for Foreign Language Learning, p. 7).

The American Classical League (ACL) in conjunction with the American Philological Association (APA) and regional classical associations formed a task force to adapt the foreign language standards to the learning of classical languages. Their work resulted in the Standards for Classical Language Learning.

The Standards for Classical Language Learning are organized within the five goal areas which make up classical language education: communication, culture, connections, comparisons, and communities. Each goal is one strand in a fabric that must be woven into curriculum development at the state, district, and local levels. (Standards for Classical Language Learning, pl. 4).

Benefits of Latin Study

Once regarded as a subject for college-bound students, Latin has played an important role in helping to develop literacy skills and English vocabulary skills for students at all levels. Additionally, through the study of Latin, students can build a solid base for the subsequent study of Romance languages such as Spanish, French, and Italian.

The benefits of Latin study have long been documented. Barrett in a 1996 paper states:

Students of Latin develop skills and strategies for acquiring new vocabulary and sentence structures, which increase their readiness to acquire other languages as needed. Latin helps cultivate such mental processes as alertness, attention to detail, memory, logic, and critical reasoning.

Literacy Skills and Vocabulary Expansion

Latin contributes to the literacy of students and helps them better understand their native language because it teaches them how language works, it introduces them to grammatical structures far different from English, and it helps them focus on and appreciate the uniqueness of English.

Moreover, Latin vocabulary is easy for speakers of English to acquire because over 65% of all English words come from Latin. So many Latin words have entered the English language, both in everyday language and in technical vocabulary, that the study of Latin can help students organize and understand this vocabulary.

The study of word derivation provides a better understanding of the many English words of Latin origin. Latin is also the basis for 75-80% of all Spanish, French, Italian, and Portuguese words. At the same time, Latin grammar and syntax are very similar to those of the Germanic and Slavic languages. Hence, through the study of Latin, students can lay a solid foundation for the study of many languages and at the same time improve their English skills.

In addition, because of its non-English word structure and sentence patterns, Latin promotes the development of qualities such as observance, accuracy, logic, and analysis. Qualities which can be transferred to the English language arts program.

Finally, through the study of Latin, students have the opportunity to develop their literacy skills by reading the great authors from Roman antiquity and by becoming familiar with tales from Roman mythology.

SAT Scores

The increased level of literacy is highlighted on the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) and is documented in studies by LaFleur (1981, 1982) and is reported in articles by Barrett (1996). Tests conducted by the Educational Testing Service (ETS) from 1988 to 1997 show that Latin students outperform all other students on the verbal portion of the SAT.

Cultural Appreciation

Through the study of Latin, students have an opportunity to discover the larger cultural and historical heritage that they share not only with Europe but also with the Middle East, Egypt, and North Africa, which the Greeks and Romans had united into an ecumenical whole. They can see the influence of Greco-Roman civilization in their own lives and see how they fit in the world in general. The historical perspective thus gained enables students to envision future possibilities more fully.

Abstract Reasoning

Furthermore, Latin has been shown to develop students' ability for abstract reasoning.

Because it lacks direct applicability in most circumstances (a walk through Rome or attendance at a Latin mass being exceptions), it must be viewed and manipulated as a system with its own internal rules, form, and possibilities. In this respect, Latin helps provide many of the essentials of mental discipline while it prepares the mind for the richest kind of intellectual play (Basic Education, Vol. 5, No. 7, March 1991, pp. 6-7).

Latin for Everyone

An increasing number of elementary, middle school, and high school students are signing up for Latin classes. Latin programs are reaching out to include groups which have not traditionally studied Latin: Limited English Proficient students, Learning Disabled students, at-risk students such as students who are economically and culturally disadvantaged. Changes in methodology and materials are ensuring that all students can obtain some level of success in learning and expanding their own vocabulary and sentence patterns through Latin and in studying about Roman daily life, customs, and mythology.

Length of Study

Although benefits do accrue from even a brief encounter with a foreign language, it is generally recognized that language competence results from an extended elementary, middle and high school sequence of study.

Growing numbers of successful elementary Latin programs in the United States evidence the value of introducing language study at an early age and having students continue in a sequential, articulated language program (Polsky, 1998). The majority of elementary programs do not view the learning of the Latin language as their primary goal. Instead they offer Latin as a springboard for further Latin study. Several programs have approached the study of Latin as a means of improving English language skills and of understanding different cultures.

Enrollment in middle school Latin programs has also risen over the past decade. Increases were reported by Osburn (1992) and by data from the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (LaFleur, 1997). Some middle schools offer a sequential program leading to high school or focus on the exploration of Latin. Others have designed specific stand-alone courses that benefit English skills and/or develop cultural awareness and can generate enough interest to lead to a beginning level I course either at the middle school or at the high school level.

At the high school level, the study of Latin usually takes place in grades 9-12. Students enroll in level I courses and have the option of continuing a lo0ng sequence