By Community Correspondent Tasman Hogan

I can hear you all murmuring under your breaths about how i'm really quite 'sad' for taking on a language that hasn't been spoken for thousands of years. I know that half the people I speak to haven't a clue why I've worked so studiously for five years to maintain a good grade in Latin, (and to be honest, I'm starting to wonder why myself) but nevertheless, it's certainly one language that is extremely beneficial.

Perhaps it's just people my age who see it as a 'waste of time' - I don't know really. It is a hard language, and it definitely tests your logic, but as a subject, you can't deny it's extremely useful. English, other languages, history etc. are all subjects which might integrate Latin in one way or another, (whether you know it or not.) It is, after all, the root of all English. I come across particular verbs sometimes and can see the essence of Latin etched into them. It teaches you how to 'unravel' sentences, and explore different word cases you might not have realised existed. It's all about breaking down each small phrase, sometimes starting from the very end, and recognising who is the subject of the sentence, and what is the object. This is where it can become quite daunting.. when you're met with different words in the same case, or maybe three different verbs, and you need to work out which noun they fit with. I'm not going to lie... I have resorted to throwing my book across the room occasionally, but once you work it out, and know all the theory, it's the best feeling. And sure, there's tons of vocabulary - it's like learning the whole of the English dictionary except in a classical language, but through reading texts and interpreting the context, you soon get the hang of it.

So yes, Latin may not be widely used anymore, but when I think of all the times it has helped me with Spanish/French/English, I'm just thankful that I took up learning it. It's a language that should not be judged on whether it is used, but whether it is useful.