Are you smarter than...?

While staying with my family our main job is helping Mom home-school my four youngest siblings who are still at home.  It is amazing how much I have forgotten from my elementary years, how much I am remembering and also how many things they learn that I never thought about at their age!

For example, did you know any Latin when you were eight years old? or ten? or twelve?   My munchkins do!  Of course they are not fluent but they have a really good start!  Mom has been really impressed lately with a language arts program that reasons one of the best ways to learn English grammar, vocabulary and semantics is through learning Latin (or another dead language).  We have yet to see the fruits in their English, but the logic seems sound to me.  If you learn the parts and functions of language from a language that has consistent laws and form, it makes transitioning into English, with its inconsistencies, a little more doable.  I know the rules in Greek made so much more sense than those in English and it seems to be the same with Latin.

Just for a brain teaser I have included the prayer they have been memorizing.  In addition to this they have been learning vocabulary, about the appearance and function of verbs, and about different genders in nouns.  Part of why I think this is so cool is that while you are learning vocabulary words you are also learning what English words are derived from the Latin words!  Knowing these word roots sooo would have made the vocab on the G.R.E. easier!

Sanctus, Sanctus, Sanctus

Dominus Deus Sabbaoth.

Pleni sunt caeli et terra gloria Tua

Hosanna in excelsis

Benidictus qui venit nomine Dommini

Hosanna in excelsis

It means:

Holy, Holy, Holy

Lord God of Hosts.

Heaven and earth are full of Your glory.

Hosanna in the highest.

Blessed if he who comes in the name of the Lord.

Hosanna in the highest.