also, just wanted to add the very very old joke (originated in seminaries?) of a cafeteria in which the motto is “Fidem Scit” (roughly he knows the faith, truth, etc). In classical Latin it would be “Fee-dem skit”, but in church Latin it’s “Feedem shit”
aruvqan
December 6, 2009, 9:40pm
22
Waffle_Decider:
I think this mostly has to do with how Latin is usually taught nowadays. The focus is entirely on translating existing written Latin text, so the students never get any practice in speaking the language. I think some universities do have courses in Latin composition. But even then, it is still quite a leap from being able to write, where you can take your time and think about it first, to being able to speak in real time.
My english prof back in high school could converse in latin, anglo saxon and middle english. Freaky but nice.
He just really really loved language. He introduced me to beowulf in the original as a recording in addition to the translated version.
jabiru
December 6, 2009, 11:31pm
23
BigT:
One thing I do know is that people still coin words in Latin, so the idea that there is no word for a particular modern concept is incorrect. I stumbled on this information in a website, but I can’t seem to find it now.
When I was studying Latin a few years ago, the teacher mentioned a radio programme (?? in Finland) which broadcast the news in Latin.
The radio channel in question is this one.