The Off Topic Topic

[Sheilbh]

Schools should teach some basic Latin, and ideally Greek as well. Nearly all European languages will start making more sense.

I think this feeling is overrated, though. I got one year of latin in HS, and besides being able to identify some word roots it has done basically nothing for my ability to understand modern languages.

We struggle to engage kids in living languages, I think getting them to learn dead languages would be a challenge

I wish we taught more English grammar at school. Beyond noun, adjective, adverb, verb - my generation didn't learn any grammar. It may be generational because approaches to teaching English are quite faddish, I think. But I feel like knowing about how tenses and moods work in you own language would be a really useful thing in learning a foreign language. For people of my age the first time you learn that is when you get to the stage in a foreign language when you actually need to learn grammar not just stock phrases.

[The Brain]

I'm a big fan of natural learning of languages, ie without studying grammar as such.

[Maladict]

I'm a big fan of natural learning of languages, ie without studying grammar as such.

Agreed, that's how I learned English, from TV and computer stuff. But you need a lot of exposure, which is hard to get for languages other than English these days.

[garbon]

Schools should teach some basic Latin, and ideally Greek as well. Nearly all European languages will start making more sense.

I think this feeling is overrated, though. I got one year of latin in HS, and besides being able to identify some word roots it has done basically nothing for my ability to understand modern languages.

We struggle to engage kids in living languages, I think getting them to learn dead languages would be a challenge

I don't know even in a failing high school in Massachusetts, we had French, Spanish and Latin (with I think 2-3 Latin teachers). Local technical school offered a host of other languages as night courses.

[Josquius]

Schools should teach some basic Latin, and ideally Greek as well. Nearly all European languages will start making more sense.

I think this feeling is overrated, though. I got one year of latin in HS, and besides being able to identify some word roots it has done basically nothing for my ability to understand modern languages.

We struggle to engage kids in living languages, I think getting them to learn dead languages would be a challenge

I wish we taught more English grammar at school. Beyond noun, adjective, adverb, verb - my generation didn't learn any grammar. It may be generational because approaches to teaching English are quite faddish, I think. But I feel like knowing about how tenses and moods work in you own language would be a really useful thing in learning a foreign language. For people of my age the first time you learn that is when you get to the stage in a foreign language when you actually need to learn grammar not just stock phrases.

Yeah, it was interesting for me when I started Swedish class at 21.
"Whats a bastamd form?"
"A definitive form"
"...OK....Whats that?"

[Maladict]

We struggle to engage kids in living languages, I think getting them to learn dead languages would be a challenge

I know, when I was in uni the rot started setting in there as well. Nowadays you can't give undergraduates an article to read in German or French and just expect them to deal with it. And we are the poorer for it.

In my time ('only' 20 years ago) it was understood that if you pick a research subject in say, Scandinavia or Italy, you may have to learn the language to be up to date with current research. And, at least among my fellow students, that was part of the challenge.

[Sheilbh]

I don't know even in a failing high school in Massachusetts, we had French, Spanish and Latin (with I think 2-3 Latin teachers). Local technical school offered a host of other languages as night courses.

This is the UK, so, of course, it could be a class thing

I've never been to a school with a Latin or Greek teacher. I think my English high school had evening classes in Latin for interested kids that were given by the school accountant (who loved Classics).

[Maladict]

I've never been to a school with a Latin or Greek teacher. I think my English high school had evening classes in Latin for interested kids that were given by the school accountant (who loved Classics).

I got more hours of both Latin and Greek than the modern languages including English, and possibly even Dutch. Anecdotal google results indicate this is no longer the case.

[The Larch]

Back when I was in high school I had English (every single year, as 1st foreign language, so more hours), French (first three years, as a 2nd foreign language, so less hours) and Latin (only one year, as I went for the scientific branch afterwards which had no classic languages on it). Students who went through the humanities branch had one or two more years of Latin and Greek, depending on the particular route they took, IIRC. No idea how it is in the current system.

[Iormlund]

I don't think they do Latin anymore unless they go the Humanities route.

[Syt]

[The Larch]

The black one should be Big Jim Slade.

https://youtu.be/Wv4fneVIIkc?t=268

[Syt]

Video's blocked here, but I know the reference.

[The Larch]

Video's blocked here, but I know the reference.

Should premature ejaculation occur, the Joy of Sex album comes equipped with BIG JIM SLADE!!!!!! Big Jim, former tight end for the Kansas City Chiefs, is outfitted with various whips, chains, and a sexual appetite that will knock your socks off! Big Jim has satisfied women throughout the world, and the capital of Nebraska is Lincoln!

[Barrister]

Ah, the Kentucky Fried Movie.  Been a long time since I've seen that one.  Should track it down.