Is Latin Useful?

Unequivocally and enthusiastically of course! Studying Latin has countless applications and has proven useful in many different ways and disparate fields.

1. PLEASURE - Reading books in original Latin can be an enjoyable experience. I wouldn't limit this to just Latin, however. Picking up a second language in general can open new doors to many books that weren't available before. We can finally read about how Aeneas came from Troy breaking poor Dido's heart along the way with the original meanings intact!


2. STANDARDIZED TESTS - Latin is very useful for tests like the ACT, SAT, and GRE. These tests, moreso the last two, include vocabulary portions which are much easier to be decoded if you already know Latin.


3. MEDICAL FIELD - Although Greek would definitely be more helpful here, Latin is not totally foreign to the medical field. Fibrin, gelatin, dentist, cancer, glans, labia, lupus, cervical, avulsion, adrenal, amboceptor, and bicuspid are either Latin or of Latin origin.*


4. LAW - ex post facto, de jure/de facto, habeas corpus, nolo contendere, amicus curiae, in loco parentis, bona fide - legal terminology is and will probably remain for some time riddled with Latin phrases.


5. LEARN OTHER LANGUAGES - Spanish, Italian, Romanian, Sicilian (mob language!), French, Portuguese - all of these languages are descendants of Latin. Merely learning Latin will already put you 10 steps ahead in learning one of these languages. Also, in learning another language we also learn more about our own language. Words are elucidated as we comprehend the origin of the word and its application in modern English usage. For example, in the last sentence, 6 of the words are originally Latin: elucidate, comprehend, origin, application, modern, and usage.
   


6. INCREASED INTELLIGENCE - ...and brain longevity! Studies have shown that merely learning another language can help keep your brain sharper for longer. So with all its added benefits, why not learn Latin?
   

* Taken from George Banay's "An Introduction to Medical Terminology I. Greek and Latin Derivations," Bulletin of the Medical Library Association Vol. 36, No. 1 (Jan. 1948): pp. 1-27.