Quote:
Originally posted by Beaumanoir:
B-part, You speak fluent latin? I never saw the point in learning that language (No offence). Does anywhere actually speak it?
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No, I don't speak latin: nobody does, it is a dead language. However here in Italy you learn latin in high school (or at least in some kinds of high school we call "liceo"), and not only you learn to translate it form latin to italian, but some teachers require you to do the opposite.
Anyway we study latin because it is the ancestor of our language (90% of italian words are similar to latin counterparts), and it has heavily influenced our whole literature (and all western literature in a more indirect way). Just an example: italian poets and writers used to speak latin fluently until the end of 1800s, and you find latin words and grammar constructs in their poetry/writing. So studying latin and its literature is necessary to study Italian literature.
Also, Catholic church used to say mass in latin until 1960 something... and sometimes, on holy days, part of the mass are still in latin (e.g. Te Deum on the last day of the year)