Instruction in Latin
The Latin language is still taught in many parts of the world. In many countries it is offered as an optional subject in some secondary schools and universities, and may be compulsory for students in certain institutions or following certain courses. For those wishing to learn the language independently, there are printed and online resources.
For the most part, the language is treated as a written language in formal instruction; however, the Living Latin movement advocates teaching it also through speaking and listening.
Philosophical aims
Although Latin was once the universal academic language in Europe, academics no longer use it for writing papers or daily discourse. Furthermore, the Roman Catholic Church, as part of the Vatican II reforms in the 1960s, modernized its religious liturgies to allow less use of Latin and more use of vernacular languages. Nonetheless, the study of Latin has remained an academic staple into the 21st century.Most of the Latin courses currently offered in secondary schools and universities are geared toward translating historical texts into modern languages, rather than using Latin for direct oral communication. As such, they primarily treat Latin as a written dead language, although some works of modern literature such as Treasure Island, Robinson Crusoe, Paddington Bear, Winnie the Pooh, The Adventures of Tintin, Asterix, Harry Potter, Le Petit Prince, Max und Moritz, Peter Rabbit, Green Eggs and Ham, and The Cat in the Hat have been translated into Latin in order to promote interest in the language.
Living Latin
Conversely, proponents of the Living Latin movement believe that Latin can be taught in the same way that modern "living" languages are taught, i.e. by incorporating oral fluency and listening comprehension as well as textual skills. This approach offers speculative and stylistic insight into how ancient authors spoke and incorporated sounds of the language, as patterns in Latin poetry and literature can be difficult to identify without an understanding of the sounds of words. Living Latin can be seen in action in Schola , a social networking site where all transactions are in Latin, including conversations in real-time in the site's locutorium.Institutions offering Living Latin instruction include the Vatican and the University of Kentucky. In Great Britain, the Classical Association encourages this approach, and Latin language books describing the adventures of a mouse called Minimus have been published. The Latinum podcast, teaching conversational Classical Latin, is also broadcast from London. There are several websites offering Nuntii Latini which usually cover international matters: in Finland, in Bremen/Germany, and on Radio Vatican . In the United States, the National Junior Classical League encourages high school students to pursue the study of Latin, and the National Senior Classical League encourages college students to continue their studies of the language.
Influence on artificial languages
Many international auxiliary languages have been heavily influenced by Latin; the Latin-based constructed language Interlingua considers itself a modernized and simplified version of the language. Latino sine Flexione is a language created from Latin with its inflections dropped, that laid claim to a sizable following in the early 20th century. Esperanto too is based on Latin but indirectly so, using a version of the Latin alphabet and deriving most of its roots from Latin-based Romance languages.Curriculum requirements in Australia
Latin is not offered by the mainstream curriculum; however it is offered in many high schools as an elective subject. Many schools, particularly private schools, offer many languages in year 7 to expose the student to languages as possible electives; Latin is often among these introductory languages. Alternatively, many universities or colleges offer the subject for students should they desire to study it.Curriculum requirements in New Zealand
Latin is offered by the mainstream curriculum under NZCEA. They offer several years of government supported instruction. However, not all schools teach Latin as it is an optional subject. Auckland Grammar School, is one of the last public schools requiring higher achieving students to take Latin instruction in their first year of study. Latin is also available for study in tertiary education at several universities.In 2020 there was debate over the proposed removal of government support for the Latin curriculum.
Curriculum requirements in Europe
Belgium
Dutch-speaking regions
Latin is optionally taught. Most students can choose Latin as one of the two majors. Other majors may be Ancient Greek, maths, science, humane sciences or modern languages. Almost one third of "ASO" students learn Latin for a number of years.Francophone regions
Latin is optionally taught in secondary schools.Croatia
Studied in some General and Scientific Gymnasiums for 2 or 4 years, while in Classical Gymnasiums it is studied together with ancient Greek for 4 years, it is a 2 period per week subject in most schools, but there are often many options for extracurricular activities and competitions involving Latin for students that take interest. For a 2-year education in Latin, the curriculum consists of translating short texts, learning declension of nouns, conjugation of verbs, studying tenses, learning "dicta et sententiae" - important or wise quotes said by people in the past or just useful or important phrases with some historic significance, learning Roman history and learning roman numerals together with their respective Latin names and declension patterns, for a 4-year education, most of these curriculums are lengthened and more thorough. Most students in Scientific Gymnasiums argue that there is no place for studying Latin in schools that focus on physics, math and science, especially when that Latin education is purely classical and has little to do with scientific fields those students wish to study in. In Croatia Latin has traces back to the 9th century, while it was also used much earlier since Croatia was part of the Roman Empire. Latin has since stopped being used in churches and courts in the 19th century, while it still plays a large role in medicine.France
Latin is optionally studied in French secondary schools. Roughly 9% of pupils studied some Latin in 2023, that is 375 000 children.Germany
In Germany, Latin is a choice for the compulsory second language at the Gymnasium, usually together with French and sometimes Spanish, Russian etc. Nearly one third of students at the Gymnasium learn Latin for a number of years, and a Latin certificate is a requirement for various university courses. It is the third most popular language learnt in school after English and French, ahead of Spanish or Russian. In some regions, especially majority-Catholic ones such as Bavaria, it is still very popular, to the point that more than 40% of all grammar school students study Latin. However, in Eastern Germany where educational traditions were broken during the communist period, it does not command much popularity.Greece
The teaching of Latin has a very long history in Greece. Latin is today compulsory for high school students who wish to study law, social and political sciences and humanities, and is one of the four subjects tested in Greek examinations for entry into university-level courses in these fields. In high school, the subject is taught in a very detailed manner that has provoked criticisms.Ireland
Latin until recently was quite popular in secondary schools. Latin is now not widely taught, but can be taken as an optional subject in some secondary schools.Italy
In Italy, Latin is compulsory in Liceo Classico secondary schools and optional in Liceo Scientifico. In liceo classico, which is the school that was historically attended by the ruling class, Ancient Greek is a compulsory subject too. Italian high schools other than liceo classico and liceo scientifico normally do not include the subjects Latin and Ancient Greek. About one third of Italian high school graduates have taken Latin for five years. Latin is also taught at the Accademia Vivarium Novum.Around 40 percent of Italian high school students study Latin at high school for five years. Latin courses comprises a quite high number of weekly periods, and this contributes to make Italian schooling system somewhat different from other countries', where far fewer students decides to take Latin courses at high school. In Italy, Latin and Ancient Greek are considered important because they are believed to help the students learn an effective study method. In Italy, it is also believed to "open the students' minds" i.e., to make them more skilled and more intelligent, though there is no conclusive statistical evidence for this. Words often overlap between Latin, Italian, and sometimes English, and it is believed that students of Latin have a wider vocabulary in the fields of science, literature, law, philosophy, and also in foreign language. However some contend that Latin and Ancient Greek courses reduce the time in a given week for other important studies.
Latin and Ancient Greek courses at high school comprise both grammar and literature. Grammar is normally analysis of the text given, and this, among other things, is supposed to improve the students' language skills. Inside liceo classico and liceo scientifico, the translation of short texts from Latin and Ancient Greek is among the most complex homework given to students in the first two years of high school. Literature is studied in the remaining three years. Students are also regularly assigned homework consisting of translating short texts from Latin and Ancient Greek. Students are taught to carry out a translation assignment following a strict semantic analysis.
The translation of short texts from Latin and Ancient Greek has been compared by Italian physicist Guido Tonelli to "scientific research" and it is said to be a useful mental exercise.
Italian schooling system has received both praises and criticism. It has also been suggested that it should be revised to meet the needs of the contemporary era, mainly because it is very different from other successful schooling systems, such as those of Finland and the United States. Despite the efforts of Italian politicians to reform it, very little changed when it comes to Latin and Ancient Greek.
Inside Italian schools, the pronunciation adopted by teachers is normally that of Neo-Latin.