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A ‘DEAD’ LANGUAGE THAT ISN’T
Three Cheers For Latin Teachers
Why Latin is coming back in schools, pop culture, and elsewhere — and how it helped a reporter land the scoop of a lifetime
Latin, it turns out, was dead only in the way Bobby Ewing was dead on Dallas. It was poised for a comeback all along.
For years Latin has been undergoing a quiet revival in schools and popular culture — in books, movies, and TV shows like The Simpsons. More recently, digital media like podcasts have been introducing a new generation to the riches of a language often called “dead.”
The latest evidence of the vitality of Latin came the day after Pope Benedict XVI died. On Jan. 1, the Associated Press ran a story to cheer anyone who believes studying languages has benefits that go beyond the classroom and check-in desks at hotels from Beijing to Dubrovnik.
Reporter Giovanna Chirri landed the scoop of a lifetime, the AP said, with the help of her high school Latin: In 2013 she broke the news that Benedict XVI would become the first pope in 600 years to resign.
Chirri was watching on closed-circuit TV as Benedict presided over a meeting of cardinals on Feb. 11, 2013, which he had convened to set the dates for three…
