Emma Halverson is studying Linguistics, with a Latin minor.
I originally ended up in the introductory Latin course because I thought I might be interested in classical languages like Latin and Greek. As it turns out, I’m definitely interested. I’ve really fallen in love with Latin and the history surrounding it.
Latin has contributed to my pursuit of a linguistics degree because there’s some overlap in the terminology that’s used in both disciplines. In my linguistics courses, it’s been really satisfying to come across a grammatical term I’m already familiar with because of Latin. Latin has also overlapped and connected with my art history studies. I’ve taken multiple art history courses that revolve around time periods when Latin was important, and understanding the language has been incredibly helpful in understanding the culture and the art of the time. I love being able to look at a piece of medieval art and read what the Latin says.
My language studies have led me in a surprising but welcomed new direction because I didn’t know how much I enjoyed learning about classics until I started studying Latin. I’m interested in old, dusty things like historical linguistics and dead languages, but until I started in Latin, I didn’t realize how much. Going to graduate school for classics has become a dream of mine. A great experience I’ve had in my study of Latin is participating with other students in the Historia Scholastia Project. In one of my classes, the students had the opportunity to visit Albertsons Library and see Boise State’s copy of the Historia Scholastica in the Special Collections. Looking at a book that was created hundreds of years ago, and then later translating the words there, was an amazing experience.
One unexpected benefit I’ve gotten from studying Latin is that my knowledge of English grammar has expanded and clarified. I finally really know the difference between a gerund and a participle, and, because of Latin case marking, I’m never going to confuse “who” and “whom” again. I’ve also discovered that I enjoy sharing the language with others and being a part of the Latin Language community. I’ve had the opportunity to work as the Latin lab tutor, and I’ve really loved helping people study the language.