My Classical Language Learning History
2026-08-01
Studying Classical Languages in Japan
Ancient Greek and Latin used to be considered essential in fields such as linguistics and Western classical literature. However, in modern linguistics, they may not be as necessary as they once were. That said, they are still indispensable in Western classical studies and comparative linguistics.
How I Began Studying Classical Languages
I began studying classical languages after entering university. Although there was a teacher in my high school who introduced us to Latin, he only taught us nouns. We never learned verb conjugations or noun declensions.
If I had known back then how complex the inflectional system was, I might not have chosen to study it at university.
I studied under a part-time lecturer—Professor N—who specialized in Western classical literature and could (probably) also speak Italian.
