Does anyone else study Latin/Classics?

Ouch, how many words?

Hypothetically, what does one do with a degree in classical studies? I hear getting a position as a professor in the field is almost impossible.

Prime Minist-

Oh wait, Foreign Secretary.

That is something I like to hear. Too many people have absolutely no interest in speaking it. It is literally impossible to become fluent in reading a language if you cannot converse verbally in it as well. Writing is a human invention, a reflection of spoken language. I think that if people studying classical languages were more devoted to forming speaking groups and speaking the langauge whenever possible, they would see their ability with the language improve immensely, in all ways.

1200. 300 of which were verbs, so 4 forms for those.

In my Latin seminars we read stuff out loud and give translations. Not really conversing but it makes the language alive.

My tutor always says that discussing Latin with a person who knows more than you is the best way to learn.

I want to do ancient genomes but my thesis is on structural variation and DNA degradation makes that analysis nearly impossible. Also funding is hard to get for that in the states.

I study autism genetics which is fun in itself.

I really enjoy speaking Latin out loud and trying out the different ways of saying it, like using "kʰ" in vici, or "t͡ʃ", so either Ecclestiastical Latin or Classical.

However since we study the Classics, we tend to use the Classical form more. But I definitely find it fun to spice it up with an Italian accent.

I really liked BoJo but fell in love with him after I learned he read classics

You use /"kʰ/? That is rare, most people do not use the aspirated form. We believe that it was probably unaspirated or only slightly aspirated, so probably just /k/.

As for Ecclesiastical Latin, it can be nice, but frankly I think that the Classical Latin pronunciation is far superior.

Did vulgate pronounce vici as "viki" or "wiki"

Yeah I meant the /k/ form.
We were taught the vulgate uses w.

Clarification (I am the same poster): /kʰ/ was in fact used, but for 'ch.' Same goes for the other aspirated letters, like 'th' and 'ph' (/tʰ/ and /pʰ/ respectively.)
Probably /w/ among native Romans, especially upper class people. By that point though, Vulgar Latin speakers were probably using /v/.

It's funny reading that some Latin authors in the late antiquity were despairing over the death of Latin. Also some linguists in Britain are suggesting a unique form of British Latin used in around 400-500 AD between British elites. I've even heard one researcher suggest there may have been a Saxon Latin, providing a bridge for some Latin words in German.

I read an interesting theory that the Anglo-Saxons may have used Latin as a lingua franca on the British Isles with the native Celts there. The Brythonic peoples may have held on to Latin by that point, and educated Anglo-Saxons might have known it (or one of its Vulgar descendants.)

I honestly find it sad that Latin died out. My hope is to, ideally, marry someone who is fluent (or willing to get there) in Ancient Greek and/or Latin, and raise our kids in that language. Even just having a close friend whom I could speak to regularly in Latin and/or Ancient Greek would be a blessing. Let's hope there are a lot of females out there interested in classical studies.

What's the point? I already natively speak a language older and more conservative than Latin. Fucking Europoors and their "ancient" civilization.

Do you use ecclesiastical speech for examples and pronunciation? Is it really just an interpretation in the absence of direct sources or does it originate from Latin speaking times?

I use classical pronunciation for every context. As for how we know whether it is accurate, there are many methods. We can look at how other languages rendered loanwords from Latin at that time, or look at how Latin rendered loanwords from other languages at that time. We can look at texts, its modern descendants, which sound changes happened and when, and even grammarians specifically stating what things sounded like. Of course, we can never know with 100% accuracy, but the currently taught classical pronunciation is probably extremely close if not exactly what was used at that time.

Also, out of curiosity, to what conservative language are you referring?

There's a really cute ginger girl in my Latin class that I talk to every night. I invited her to a party I'm going to on Thursday but she declined. I don't think she's interested. But, I study Latin, so as you can imagine I'm hardly the most charismatic guy in the place. I think she's more interested in chad.
We have decent direct sources about pronunciation, firstly through rhyme, secondly through meter, thirdly through inheritance into modern day language, and fourthly through actual writings by Latin linguists.

Doesn't the Church use /v/? About when did that start?

The Church uses Ecclesiastical Latin pronunciation, which is more or less Modern Italian pronunciation.

The Church had to start using /v/ to counter Assassin's Creed's claims about them.

Okay, that's interesting. But still, what's the origin of ecclesiastical Latin? It has no continuity?

>to what conservative language are you referring?

I didn't want to reveal such things, but I've mentioned it in other threads so whatever. It's Aramaic. I just assume it's conservative as Classical Syriac and some Passion of the Christ dialogue (which reflects a different branch of the language) is quite recognizable. As a Greek speaker here said, it's like reading Shakespeare for English speakers. Also Darius' dialogue in Civilization V.

By the way, I was mostly kidding with the criticism of Latin. I wanted to learn it myself and I'd still be willing to.

> But still, what's the origin of ecclesiastical Latin?
Well consider that Latin was the lingua franca for much of Europe, remained in continous use by the upper class for over two millenia, was known by almost every educated man and leader, and has seen a continued direct usage of lineage in religious tradition since the days of Christ himself. That is a Latin that has evolved and survived in Italy and the Catholic tradition.

If anything it's kind of weird that we focus so much on classical latin, considering that far more latin has been written with some far more important texts (like Newton's principia).

I am painfully aware that statistically I will end up working in the service sector. My goal is to become a lecturer. That's why I am a little nervous at the moment waiting for my end of year essay result as it will determine if I get a pass with merit/1:1. I will have to work my ass off to get a first class degree in the hope that it confers at least some advantage for me.

Saying that though private schools will pay 30-60k GBP per year for classics teachers because there are so few of them.

Why do you care lmao

The rallying cry of the normie.

High schools, right?
Is it easy to get a position at a high school, but just hard to get a position at a university?

Perseus.tufts.edu or maybe your college if you are a student

You would have to be fluent in Latin and able to teach it as a language as well as teaching the history. In the uk at least that would mean doing a PGCE which is a one or two year teacher qualification. I think it would be easier than trying to get into academia because of the supply and demand issue but it would just take a long time to get to the stage where you were qualified. (e.g I would be over 30 by the time I finished all the necessary requirements)