Studying dead languages such as Latin and Ancient Greek may seem absurd to many in the 21st century, but is there truly no merit to be gained from these seemingly pointless subjects?

In schools across the UK, these languages are taught through the progressive stages of learning basic grammar, vocabulary, and sentence syntax, much like learning a modern foreign language.  At a higher level, students move on to translating and analysing established literature, similar to what you would do studying English  (as well as using the skills of learning modern languages).  In particular, many schools are promoting the study of Latin.  Why?

Latin is a highly organised and logical language.  While studying the language, students can think critically to translate sentences analytically and can encourage students' attention to detail and observational skills.  When studying it at A-level, the in-depth interpretation of established texts such as Virgil, Cicero, Livy, and Tacitus, as well as writing thematic essays about the works helps students not only develop their essay-writing skills, such as building substantiated arguments.  Of course, there's also the benefit of ancient languages contributing many words to the romance languages and English.

With all of these benefits, why does learning ancient languages get such a bad rap?

Well, there's the preconceived notion that as nobody speaks the language anymore, it's become obsolete.  Learning such an intricately constructed language may seem daunting, but talk to those who study it, and you may see that the positives outweigh the negatives.

Lauren Stamp, studying Latin at A-level, commented, 'I love studying Latin, and I find it super useful, especially since I want to study law... I can also discover so much more about the English language.'  Nidhi Joshi, another Latin A-level student, agreed.  She said,  'I find Latin incredibly useful, especially in conjunction with my other two A-levels (English lit and classics).'

So while you may not be learning to speak to new people (sorry), learning an ancient language still has a lot to offer.