Should I learn latin first , greek second?Thank you (2024)

Should I learn latin first , greek second?Thank you

If you want to learn both languages, then it would probably make sense to start with the easiest one. I only want to learn Greek, so that's what I'm studying. One thing I've found right off the bat that takes a little grappling with is the fact that nouns are spelled differently depending on their grammatical function (called cases) in the sentence. If you thought grammar was important in English, double that thought in Greek. From what I understand, Latin has the same concept with noun declensions but not as complex or as many forms.

William S. Annis — http://www.aoidoi.org/ — http://www.scholiastae.org/
τίς πατέρ' αἰνήσει εἰ μὴ κακοδαίμονες υἱοί;

vir litterarum wrote:If you know Latin, Greek syntax will be a walk in the park. Vocabulary, conjugation, and declension will still be challenging though.

I must disagree on this one; Latin syntax cannot be compared to that of Greek. An example could, among others, be the schema Pindaricum (or Boeticum) which you would never encounter in a Latin text.
In order to understand these basic PIE-syntax developments, Horrocks (1997) or Beekes (1984) are worth noticing.

My path has been to know Latin well, by means of LINGVA LATINA, and then to learn Greek through ATHENAZE. I have found this path to be infinitely rewarding. Latin has a much greater impact for the speaker of a modern Europæan language than does Greek (save for a modern Greek), especially for an English speaker. Greek's beauty has also graced English, though its præsence compared with that of Latin is limited by a factor of ten. Romans themselves, young men of my age, would learn Greek and read Homer and Plato after having mastered their native Latin. I find reinacting this experience for myself vicarious and stimulating. I know that I appreciate Greek far, far more after having mastered Latin, than if I had dove straight into Greek. I think both are necessary, so if you save Greek for yourself as the ultimate treat, I promiss you won't be disappointed.

By the way, I cannot speak for Ancient Greek, but Latin most certainly is not a dead language.

L. Amādeus Rāniērius · Λ. Θεόφιλος Ῥᾱνιήριος 🦂

SCORPIO·MARTIANVS

Lucus Eques wrote: I know that I appreciate Greek far, far more after having mastered Latin, than if I had dove straight into Greek.

How can you possibly know that? You haven't experienced diving straight into Greek.

William S. Annis — http://www.aoidoi.org/ — http://www.scholiastae.org/
τίς πατέρ' αἰνήσει εἰ μὴ κακοδαίμονες υἱοί;

L. Amādeus Rāniērius · Λ. Θεόφιλος Ῥᾱνιήριος 🦂

SCORPIO·MARTIANVS

Lucus Eques wrote:Romans themselves, young men of my age, would learn Greek and read Homer and Plato after having mastered their native Latin. I find reinacting this experience for myself vicarious and stimulating.

...

I also mentioned my simulation of the Roman juvenis, which I find to be a very formative experience, as it has been for so many countless others in the past. After all, as the ol' bulldog once said, "...and then I would let the clever ones learn Latin as an honour, and Greek as a treat."

Quintilian (i. 1. 12-14) advised that Roman children should learn Greek before Latin. I believe there is some evidence that this practice was actually carried out among the wealthy, although I don't know enough about Roman education or ancient bilingualism to make the case for or against it. What you say makes some intuitive sense, but do you have any sources for it?

One should also, of course, be careful to distinguish between what a Roman learned in 100 BC vs. 100 AD. I think in 100 BC a literary education was very strongly Greek by necessity; by 100 AD, Romans had a literature of their own to draw on.

None of this has any particular bearing on whether you should learn Latin or Greek first. I tend to agree that you should learn first whatever interests you most, but if you are genuinely sure that you want to learn both languages, I think compelling cases can be made for learning either one first, depending on your biases.

It has been standard practice to learn Latin before Greek for hundreds of years. Every university classics department I am familiar with suggests studying Latin before Greek. There are good reasons for this, as others have explained.

It is possible to start with Greek, but unless you are extremly vehement and enthusiastic about choosing to start with Greek, I would not suggest it.