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I studied Latin for 2 years in high school, and I found it tremendously helpful, not only in helping me do well on the verbal section of the SAT (760 to match m
by byoung2 15y ago
I studied Latin for 2 years in high school, and I found it tremendously helpful, not only in helping me do well on the verbal section of the SAT (760 to match my 760 math), but also when dissecting the meanings as an English major in college. Latin also came in handy when I learned Spanish (and later Italian and a little Catalan). I can see where PG is coming from, as I also studied Japanese, which has nothing in common with the other languages I've studied, and I'm convinced that it lives in a separate area of my brain.
- unalone 15y agoThis is a derail from my initial question, but I'm curious: would you say that studying Japanese, which is so different from the other things you know, has had an impact on how you think or how you look at the world? Or does it feel like learning Japanese was overall less useful than studying Latin?
- byoung2 15y agoIf I had it to do over again, I would still have studied Japanese, because speaking a language is the only true way to connect with a country's culture. Having been to Japan twice and being able to speak the language gave me a perspective that the typical gaijin doesn't get. Even though studying Japanese didn't help me learn other languages in the same way Latin lead to Spanish and Italian, it helped me understand Japanese culture better.