Latin language in Singapore?
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Hello everyone,
I've been reading this forum for some time, because I've been wanting to gather ideas to see what's best for my children. Anyway, I came across this article the other day, and I thought it was interesting. So, I'm jumping in and joining the community!
Anyway, the article is titled http://www.spectator.co.uk/coffeehouse/6669953/forget-mandarin-latin-is-the-key-to-success.thtml.
Well, obviously we're not going to forget Mandarin here in Singapore, but I found the following paragraph very interesting.
[quote] “In 1971, more than 4,000 fourth-, fifth- and sixth-grade pupils of all backgrounds and abilities received 15 to 20 minutes of daily Latin instruction. The performance of the fifth-grade Latin pupils on the vocabulary test of the Iowa Test of Basic Skills was one full year higher than the performance of control pupils who had not studied Latin. Both the Latin group and the control group had been matched for similar backgrounds and abilities.”[/quote]This sounds like a fantastic advantage to give children. I might even learn it myself so as to motivate my children too.
So, does anyone know if there's anywhere in Singapore where we can learn Latin? -
Latin and Greek course at Reading Attic:
http://anakoinosis.com/readingattic/?page_id=178
Students' Reviews of Reading Attic:
http://yago.sg/courses/detail/156 -
ocmk:
So, does anyone know if there's anywhere in Singapore where we can learn Latin?
I'm a strong advocate for Greek and Latin as starting points for a deeper mastery of modern English and the Romance languages. I've just PM'd you on where a good classical education may be obtained. Cheers! -
University of Cambridge has online courses too -
http://www.cambridgescp.com/Upage.php?p=il%5Ec%5Eintro -
You could probably find a tutor who would be able to teach Latin. Although, as a caveat, I think that if a child is already struggling with English and whatever other language they might speak (Chinese, Malay, etc.) then Latin might just make things worse. If you can't cope with 1 or 2 languages, adding another won't make it easier! But if they speak both languages well and want to be extended in their understanding of English, then I say go for it!
I personally like the Cambridge Latin Course textbooks, and the Orberg Lingua Latina ones. Another popular one is called Wheelock's, but it's very grammar heavy, so maybe only for older students, as it would probably demotivate the younger ones. -
Globibo Language School has latin courses
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Straits Times article about Latin language
http://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/dead-language-singaporeans-still-keep-the-faith-with-latin-singapore-talking -
If better English vocabulary is the main goal, it is not efficient to spend years learning the Latin language. The same objective can be achieved by learning French or Spanish, both of which are derived from Latin. Or, if learning a whole new language is not possible, you can learn the Greek and Latin roots from which 70% of English words are formed.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Greek_and_Latin_roots_in_English -
What are the advantages of learning Latin, in Singapore ?
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No significant advantages prior to entering Uni. Don’t waste your dc’s time and $. You probably can buy the Oxford Latin dictionary or basic lang course books (or google!) to self-teach whenever you come across any ad hoc Latin words or phrases in future, e.g. when you eventually read law, major in linguistics or philosophy, go for your higher calling to study theology!
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