As an avid classics student myself, I often find that my intrigue in the ancient world is not one commonly reciprocated by my contemporaries. Since our society differs so greatly from that of the ancient civilisations’, many an ignorant person is quick to label the study of classics as boring, ‘dead’ (gasp), or simply irrelevant to modern life. However, this is not the case at all; in fact, the English language as we know it would not exist if it weren’t for ancient languages such as Latin and Ancient Greek, and studying these languages can provide massive benefits to you, as well as aid your performance in other subjects. I hope that, through my listing of a plethora of valid reasons as to why one should study and respect classics, by the end of this article you will experience a positive change in perspective towards arguably the most academic field of study.
Firstly, studying classics subjects, especially at A-Level, is highly regarded by universities, as those subjects are not only intellectually, analytically and linguistically demanding, but also are offered by very few schools, particularly at sixth form age. The opportunity that we at WHS have to study classics should not be taken for granted; in fact, making the most of these rarer subjects offered, such as Latin, Greek and Classical Civilisation could certainly be the key to impressing admissions officers at the university you want to attend.
Furthermore, studying Latin and Ancient Greek provides you with a multitude of interdisciplinary links between your other subjects. For example, often Greek letters are used in maths – studying Ancient Greek would provide you with confidence when writing these symbols in equations or pronouncing them out loud. Additionally, through closely studying ancient languages and vocabulary, you become familiar with many English derivations, which can greatly help when you are trying to deduct the meaning of scientific terms (particularly biological terms) or advanced English words. Some examples of derivations are:
· Tandem bike comes from the Latin word ‘tandem’, meaning ‘at length’.
· Hydrolysis (a biochemical term meaning to split things up with water) comes from two Greek words ὕδωρ (hydor) meaning ‘water’ and λύσις (lysis) meaning ‘release/setting free’.
· Microphone comes from the Greek words μικρός (mikros) meaning small and φωνή (phone) meaning ‘voice/sound’.
· Muscle comes from the Latin word ‘musculus’ meaning ‘little mouse’, because the Romans thought flexing a bicep looked like a mouse moving under the skin.
Something you might find unexpected is that studying ancient languages can be very appealing to people who enjoy science, maths or logic-based studies. This is likely because the process of translating a passage (either into English or into the ancient language), due to the unusual, Yoda-like word order, becomes a logical, systematic practice of crafting the best possible translation, which can prove to be extremely rewarding and satisfying once achieved.
Furthermore, studying an ancient language provides you with extremely helpful memorisation benefits. Not only are you memorising vocabulary definitions, but when you reach GCSEs and A-Levels, you are also required to remember translations of Literature texts. I have found that over my 5 years of studying classics, my memorisation skills have increased greatly, particularly thanks to revision for GCSEs. This quickened ability to absorb new information assists in every other subject as well, since your improved retainment of facts and definitions results in more successful revision for tests.
And finally, some added bonuses:
· Studying ancient languages improves your speech and grammar as you refine your knowledge of how best to form sentences through translation and are made aware of when to use specific words (such as who vs whom). Additionally, the classics department are sure to advise you on how to form more eloquent translations and teach you new vocabulary that you might not otherwise know, which would in turn positively affect your speech.
· Studying classics at GCSE requires you to analyse some literature texts closely, introducing you to a great amount of advanced literary techniques that can be used in other subjects, such as English (particularly for poetry).
· Latin could be described as a lapidary language, essentially meaning that long sentences can be written with very few words, making it good for engraving into stone; this convenience is why you often see Latin engraved on buildings and monuments, and if you can translate the Latin you see around London, you’re sure to impress your friends.
· Ancient mythology questions come up in almost every single pub quiz, trivia challenge or game show, so if you study classics and take an interest in the mythology, you’re sure to gain easy points and impress other people almost any time you’re doing a general knowledge quiz.
So, I do sincerely hope that I came, saw, and conquered any potential scorn you may have for the study of classics and convinced you about just a few of the numerous benefits it can bring to your studies and life. It truly is one of the most interesting, unique fields of study, and we are so lucky to have access to such knowledge at our school.
