NOT "pro bono"


The editorial, "Try to go a Day Without Latin" takes an interesting approach on the use of the Latin language in modern societies, prompted by the banning of Latin words and phrases in official documents in certain towns in England. All of the alterations that would have to be made to long-standing, traditional phrases are empahsized as ones not "pro bono". Renaming the "status quo" to "the situation in which" is one example, as well as lawyers having to make a "request for the body" instead of "habeas corpus". The author continues to list similar instances of inconvenient amendments to our language of life."It might be true that Latin is a dead language, but it is alive and well throughout the English and other European languages. To ban it would be to get rid of English’s heritage and add a burden of unnecessary words to our everyday talk" as he/she states.

Frequently I observe how often and successfully Latin is implemented in modern languages, so this week I decided to take an opposing route to see what our language would be like WITHOUT Latin. The problem is, it is so ingrained into English that trying to translate every Latin phrase we use everyday would not only be an extremely arduous task but one that would be detrimental to the English language as a whole. Not only would deep exclamations such as John Wilkes Booth's “Sic semper tyrannis!” (after shooting President Lincoln) lose it's gravity, but some phrases would be lost in translation altogther. Therefore, like oxygen for humans, it is necessary for English to have Latin in order to "breathe".

Regarding this analogy, Latin would then represent Oxygen, a non-living element. Would this mean then that Latin would not have to be a "living" language in order for it to play such an important role in another? In other words, although I conclude in the above paragraph that Latin is necessary in some aspects of the English language, does that unconditionally mean it's "alive"?


The Herald Bulletin (November 20, 2008) "EDITORIAL: Try to go a Day Without Latin". Retrieved May 6,2012 from http://heraldbulletin.com/opinion/x518836264/EDITORIAL-Try-to-go-a-day-without-Latin