Join Latin: become a nerd! Photo courtesy of Health and Sports Editor Vyolet Burrus. 

  Students at San Luis Obispo High School are required to complete a year of foreign language before obtaining their high school diploma; two years if trying to get into a University of California or California State University college. Currently, SLOHS offers American Sign Language, Spanish, and Latin.

  Despite Spanish and ASL being useful languages to learn, Latin is far more important. 

  “Because many English words have Latin roots, taking Latin helps strengthen your English vocabulary. Also, for people interested in studying medicine or law, Latin can be really helpful because a lot of the terms in those fields are from Latin,” said senior Katie Karleskint.

  Even though Latin qualifies as a dead language, it is not an extinct language, nor is it useless. Many romance languages like English, French, Italian, and Spanish, all derive from Latin,; making it a strong foundation for learning other languages.

  “Even only a year into Latin, my English vocabulary has grown exponentially, and I feel that I have a better understanding of sentence structure and grammar. While Spanish and ASL tend to focus on the [communication] element of language, Latin hones in on comprehension skills and historical knowledge, making the class more engaging than any other language,” said freshman Sophia Bates.

  Students with backgrounds in Latin also have a better acceptance rate into colleges as it shows their dedication and deep comprehension of a fundamental language, and they’ve been shown to do better on standardized tests like the SAT and the ACT. 

  Latin students are able to learn more about Roman history, mythology, and daily culture in Pompeii by translating stories to develop their knowledge of both the language and the culture. 

  “Spanish and ASL are just speaking languages, Latin is the language where you get to translate and read stories and you learn the history of the Romans,” said freshman Sadie Fischer.

  While a vast number of California’s population speaks Spanish, and ASL can be helpful for non-verbal communication, the study of Latin allows students to embrace their love of learning, curiosity, and let’s be honest, their inner nerds. 

  If you’re a curious minded student who loves learning and is up for some chaos, join Latin next year!

  Sources: prolingo.com, hunschool.org, classicalacademicpress.com, mcl.as.uky.edu, princetonreview.com