The Lessons of Latin

 I sometimes find it hard to get out of my own head on some pretty stupid topics.  I know I have crossed that invisible line of ridiculousness when I articulate my latest obsession only to watch my daughter's eyes slowly recess upward into the back of her head.  Rather than suffer through that this time - I will share here.  That way I can avoid eyes rolling.

I love word patterns, spelling patterns, letter patterns, etc.  I suppose it goes hand-in-hand with a love for math, word puzzles, Sudoku, blah, blah.  Anyway, I have found myself focused in 2022 on commonly-used words and variations of those words without a base in the English language. I'm hoping that a few words here will allow me to move forward.

Let's start with the cur family.  Yes, that's right - the cur family.  There actually could be a cur family because there is such an animal.  An animal who has nothing to do with recur, occur or incur.  Why do things happen, happen again, or are forced to happen?  Latin, people.  Yes, of course, because Latin "cur" means to present.  Ok, I should have known.

I have also spent too much time pondering the "verts."  How do we know how to revert, convert, be overt when we have no exposure to the word "vert" in our language?  And yet we do.  We turn back, turn over, and turn boldly because Latin tells us too.  Simple once we know, we know.

One last example is all the moting we do.  Yes, that's right - moting now has the squiggly red line under it because it is not a word.  And yet, we emote, demote, have remotes, and promote regularly. Latin.  Move forward.

Maybe that's the thing we should learn from Latin.  Move forward.   I learned that in three years of study in high school.  My lasting teenage memory of Latin was first marking period of Latin II.  We were still trusted with delivering our report cards to our parents in those days.  I looked at my report card and there it was, a failing grade in Latin.  I braced myself for the wrath that would surely meet me at home.  A full day of prep.  I came home to a strangely quiet house to find my uncle had suffered a life-altering stroke that day.  Everyone was so anxious over his condition; my failing grade was insignificant.  NOTHING was said about my grade.  I had no idea how to feel about any of it.  Relief?  Happy? Concern for my uncle?  Anticipation of the other shoe dropping?  NOTHING.  I finally had to ask for a signature on my report card.  My mother referred me to my father as a quiet protest for the bad grade.  He signed and kindly said that he expected improvement in the next marking period.  Move it forward, just as he was trying to do with the sad news of his brother.  

Latin is the basis for most of our language.  I've grown to appreciate that over the years.  I now look back and value the importance of those three years of instruction to understand the very basic concepts of Latin and the impact it has on modern languages.   I should know better than to spend time obsessing over curs, verts, and motes.  Of course, Latin is the answer to all of my questions and concerns.  Well, at least far as word patterns go.  I should move forward and let it go.  I should learn from all of the times that Latin was the answer and the one big time that Latin was over-shadowed by a bigger life lesson. 

I'm now able to move forward and trust Latin, once again, to have our backs.   I will trust the words.  Trust the lessons they teach.