Forget Mandarin. Latin is the key to success

[Cianyx]

Overall, the article presented an extremely weak case for Latin. Even points such as "you would be able to read Aeneid in its original language" would have made stronger arguments.

their grasp of basic grammar and syntax

What? In English? While it is true that Romance Languages descended from Vulgar Latin, I doubt this holds true for English which was diluted even more through Normandic influences. Then again, I could be wrong so perhaps someone could weigh in on this?

their understanding of the ways in which our world is underpinned by the classical world

You don't need to study Latin for that. Sure, it helps but it is not mandatory to do so. For example, my English teacher made it a point for us to learn and understand the etymology of words.

their ability to read Latin inscriptions

That's a given

I mean there is actually a substantial body of evidence that children who study Latin outperform their peers when it comes to reading, reading comprehension and vocabulary, as well as higher order thinking such as computation, concepts and problem solving

That doesn't prove anything. Children's brains develop according to the amount of brain activity they are exposed to at a young age. Give a kid a violin and he would demonstrate higher order thinking as well.

For a child with limited cultural reference points, becoming acquainted with Roman life and mythology opens up “new symbolic worlds”, enabling him or her “to grow as a personality, to live a richer life”. ... “But Latin also has something that mathematics does not and that is the history and mythology of the ancient world. Latin is maths with goddesses, gladiators and flying horses, or flying children.”

Learning any sort of language would yield the same results.

But just how useful is Mandarin?...

Already been debunked previously

. For these skeptics I have a two-word answer: Mark Zuckerberg.

Not sure if serious

[Zien]

Speaking from my personal experience with learning Latin, I found it to be useful in providing more in-depth knowledge on the construction of sentences, primarily the SVO sentence structure. English isn't my first language and I first learnt it formally when I was six or something like that. I absorbed English after being dumped in England at that age and didn't really know anything about grammar or anything like that; I knew how to make myself understood and that was all that mattered. Learning Latin actually provided me with this missing knowledge, as well as a load of other stuff.

Also, learning Latin does actually, subconsciously, made me able to sift through a large amount of unfamiliar words and efficiently identifying what is important and what is a 'filler'. In terms of vocabulary, problem solving and the like, I wouldn't say it increased my abilities in it; I'm still pretty crap in that regard regardless of whether I learnt Latin or not.


I loved learning Latin. It was a mix of learning the actual language and Classics. In one lesson, we would be busting whatever's left of my brain to translate tedious sentences. In another lesson, we would be watching 'Troy' and '300', more for fun than anything. That said, to denounce Mandarin as less of an importance to Latin is stupid from my perspective. Both have their own merits and pitfalls as a language.

[binders]

as Mugged said in a previous post, the guy is starting his own school which will teach Latin.  So the article is talking up Latin to spruik for enrolments and downplaying Mandarin because there are probably numerous schools offering that already, and Latin gives a point of difference to his school.   This is all in fine classical tradition, like Caesar's war commentaries or Augustus' res gestae both applying favourable spin to improve their stock. 

you could take from that story of Iamtom's teacher, that studying latin (like arts in general?) prepares you for a career driving taxis