Living Latin

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Living Latin, also known as recent Latin is the form of Latin used from the early twentieth century i.e. from WW1 down to the present. Unlike all previous varieties of Latin, it is rarely used as a living language nor as a textual vehicle for literature, philosophy, and science (except in botany); instead, it is mostly used by laymen as a form of entertainment, practiced among a small group of Latin devotees (that's a popular wishful thinking out of science).

File:Akihitum-et-michikam.jpg
A Recent Latin inscription at Salamanca University commemorating the visit of the then-Prince "Akihitus" and Princess "Michika" of Japan

Contents

Decadence of New Latin

The New Latin of the 17th-19th centuries had become mostly otiose by 1900, confined to some scientific areas (e.g., biology, pharmacy, veterine, medicine, etc.) where it often functioned as a code, capable of rather limited types of expression, and not as a fully functional language, except in botany up today (dee down). In other fields (e.g. anatomy or law) where Latin had been widely used, it survived there only in technical phrases and scientific terminology. The last survivals of New Latin to convey non-technical information appear in the laymen use of a popular Latin to cloak passages and expressions deemed too indecent (in the 19th century) to be read by children, the lower classes, or (most) women — intending to shrink readership, not expand it. Such passages appear in translations of foreign texts and in works on folklore, anthropology, and psychology, e.g. Krafft-Ebing's Psychopathia Sexualis (1886). Another more decent Latin was also used up to recently for congratulating holidays among some Catholics, and also among scientists (especially botanists).

Emergence of Recent Latin

Recent Latin emerges in the twentieth century, and thus lacks continuity with older forms of Latinity, except in Croatia and Vatican where a medieval Latin was used almost perpetually (see Vatican and Croatia Latina, and also Botanical Latin). It is characterized by the general adoption of the reformed pronunciation of Latin (introduced towards the end of the 19th century, but not dominant until the second quarter of the 20th). Its immediate context tends to be the schoolroom and schoolbook exercises, rather than a wide array of Latin texts on current subjects. More Latin periodicals continued to be published in the twentieth century after the wars, like Vox Latina (published by Cælestis Eichenseer, from the University of Saarbrücken, Germany, from 1965 to the present) or Melissa (published by Guy Licoppe, in Brussels, from 1984 to the present).

Soon after the end of World War II, this popular movement continued with renewed force, yet again as an attempt at a cultural amalgam based in the long Latin tradition, and aiming towards a more integrated Europe, hand in hand with other pan-European movements like the one originating the present European Union, which started around the same time. It may have also taken strength from the example of the revival of the Hebrew language which had been successful in the State of Israel. One of its foundational moments was the first International Conference for living Latin (Congrès international pour le Latin vivant) held at Avignon (France) in 1956. It has also been used as a spoken language from the beginning in numerous summer conferences throughout Europe, and more recently in America.

Latin in science

Up to World War 1, scholastic Latin was the main professional language in some exact sciences e.g. in medicine, veterine, pharmacy, and zoology with many periodicals, itineraries, and important monographs written in Latin; now it persisted there chiefly in related Latin nomenclature of animals, drugs, illnesses, anatomy, etc. An actual exception is Botany where full Latin texts strongly persisted for 2 millennia up to nowadays as the official scientific language; so new original discoveries in plants for their obligatory recognizing and authorizing also now must be published in Latin, or at least with an added Latin summary (otherwise are neglected as laymen popular texts).

Therefore the most recognized recent periodicals in scientific botany on the world level are these ones with new discoveries printed in Latin context, e.g. "Taxon" for all plants, and "Mycotaxon" especially for Fungi. There appeared also newer monographs for grammar, syntax and glossary of scientific Latin; the most used and detailed one is e.g. by W.T. Stearn: Botanical Latin (London 1973, 566 p.). During 20th century appeared some hundreds of botanical articles and books completely written in Latin, and also many thousands ones with added Latin digests. Even now in start of 21st century, in each year appear dozens of new botanical discoveries supplied at least by a Latin summary; thus botany persisted today as the main public field of the official use of a modern Latin language for the next future.

Latin poetry

The use of Latin language in the poetry never fully disappeared, and the contemporary Latin literature gave, without interruption from Renaissance to present, a series of very interesting Latin poets, including Arrius Nurus, Geneviève Immè, Alanus Divutius, Anna Elissa Radke, Ianus Novak, Thomas Pekkanen, and others.

Spoken Latin

Some users of Recent Latin promote its use as a spoken language, a movement that dubs itself "Living Latin". Among the proponents of spoken Latin, some promote the active use of the language to make learning Latin both more enjoyable and more efficient, in this respect drawing upon the methodologies of instructors of modern languages. Others pursue a more radical approach, supporting the revival of Latin as a language of international scientific and academic communications (as it was in Europe and European colonies through Middle Ages until the early 20th century), or as an international auxiliary language. However, as a language native to any modern people (except in Vatican city), this movement has mostly not received support from any national government, except Vatican and partly Finland.

A substantial group of institutions (particularly in Europe, but also in North and South America) has emerged to support the use of Latin as a spoken language. Many of these institutions are listed at the links page of the Societas Circulorum Latinorum; others can be found in the external links list below. Nearly unique international organisations officially promoting use of Latin now are the world botanical associations, and in the main botanical symposia a spoken Latin is the alternative official language even today. Also in Roman Catholic Church its last pope Benedict XVII now renewed the public Latin Mess as alternative besides this one in modern languages; so botanical symposia and Roman Church are the last and nearly unique sites of public using a spoken Latin at the beginning of 21st century.

Books in Recent Latin

Various texts—usually children's books—have been translated into Latin in the twentieth century, for various purposes, including use as a teaching tool or simply to demonstrate the author's command of Latin in a popular context.

Recent Latin texts include:

Other examples of Recent Latin

  • Botanical Latin (History, grammar, syntax, and vocabulary), a big monograph by W.T. Stearn is a modern detailed presentation of scientific Latin used for recent symposia and periodicals.

Church Latin

Besides botany, Roman Catholic Church is the second major organization now using Latin in his public activity. A body of mostly theological work has continued to be written in Latin by Roman Catholic writers. Up until the 1960s, Roman Catholic priests studied theology from Latin textbooks, even if the language of instruction in most seminaries was the local vernacular. Although Latin plays a less prominent role (liturgically and instructionally) in current Roman Catholicism, Latin is still spoken in international gatherings of Roman Catholic leaders, such as the Second Vatican Council or a papal conclave to elect a new Pope; also the official documents and encyclicals of Vatican usually are published in Latin up today. Church Latin remains distinct in pronunciation and syntax from the Latin used by popular aficionados of Recent Latin (e.g. by Vicipaedia Latina), but it is almost similar to above mentioned scientific Latin of decent medieval type.

Notes

  1. ^ Asterix in Latin.

See also

External links

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Updated from the Wikipedia article "Recent Latin" http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Recent_Latin&oldid=120669639

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