American Speaks Fluent Latin like an Ancient Roman 😲

Today I’m talking with Luke Ranieri (@ScorpioMartianus) who literally speaks fluent Latin and conversational Ancient Greek. He’s part of a small community of speakers around the world who have kept the Latin language alive, even though as a native language of Ancient Rome it died out over a thousand years ago. For him, learning Latin is about the community but most importantly about accessing the huge body of literature, ancient and modern, written in Latin. It was really cool to hear him talk about the way that his ability to speak Latin has allowed him to empathize with ancient Roman literature at a much higher level.
We talked about what Latin sounded like and how he and people like him have accurately reconstructed the pronunciation - he’s not just making this stuff up! We also talked about learning Latin and the way Latin is taught in high schools in the U.S. and the U.K., and as you can imagine Luke certainly has a lot of thoughts about that! I studied Latin and Ancient Greek in high school and it was interesting to compare experiences with Luke.
Make sure to check out Luke’s KZbin channels at @ScorpioMartianus and @polyMATHY_Luke
0:00 Luke introduces himself in Latin
1:51 Luke introduces himself in Ancient Greek
2:40 How Luke learned Latin
8:42 How do we know what Latin sounded like?
13:31 Who speaks Latin today?
17:09 Why learn Latin?
22:50 Why you need to learn to speak before you can read
28:52 Luke’s experience learning Japanese
31:23 People’s reactions to Luke’s Latin
32:09 How Luke’s Latin makes him empathize with Latin literature
34:35 What Luke plans to do next
36:11 Luke’s thoughts on Latin in high school education
39:29 The “correct” way to pronounce Latin
45:59 Future content Luke plans to make
48:03 Closing thoughts
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[@shastasilverchairsg]

I think you got it wrong... the title should be "Ancient Roman speaks fluent English like an American".

[@alwaysinprayer900]

😊 time traveler... 💯

[@johntrojan9653]

He could fake it and who who would know ?..?..? 🤪

[@karldoring9887]

Haha 😂

[@brennanmaynard4237]

He’s got the hair for it 😂

[@detroitpolak9904]

THAT was a GREAT comment. Hat’s off.

[@andreamarchetti8816]

i’m italian and i can understand like 80% of what he’s saying that blows my mind omg

[@grilledleeks6514]

Isnt Italian just mutated Latin?

[@servantofaeie1569]

@@grilledleeks6514 its a dialect of modern vulgar latin

[@crazyfightz0088]

@Lxrd Kami i speak Spanish when hearing French I can sometimes make out what they say unless it’s a full blown sentence 😭😭

[@wilfredprins9718]

With my spanish it went quite well also

[@jimboonie9885]

If you know one latin based language fluently you can learn them all

[@geoffbischoff816]

I knew Luke. Luke casually mentions that he was doing some "aviation stuff" ... dude was in my battalion awhile back. Last I saw him he was qualified I think on at least two rotary platforms (AH-64 and UH-60)? And was pursuing a graduate degree in some astrophysical subdiscipline I think? So Luke could probably conduct an introductory lecture on astronomy, in Latin, while giving you a helicopter ride.

[@chiefasc1500]

That’s dope bro

[@Briselance]

This dude speaks Latin like the Caesars, Ancient Greek like Aristotle or Leonidas, he's a brainy one. And he's a qualified combat and military transport helicopter pilot on at least two helos. And he is damn photogenic. And quite fit. And a very nice fellow to talk to. He is perfect. Of course, he is.

[@gasun1274]

damn, educated like a noble ancient roman too

[@S3aCa1mRa1n]

What’s he trying to be an astronaut ?? Lol

[@albux]

@@Briselance Of all the Latin speakers of all time (so far) he seems like the most 'complete' human being - by far. Skilled, tough, smart, beautiful, extensive world travels and has lived in the 3rd world for long periods, speaks multiple languages, tactical firearms training/enthusiast, dancer, film/arts school, actress, outdoorsy, etc. You can tell he genuinely has his shit together, like he could probably be a millionaire running just about any business, if he wanted. Are there any other Latin speakers that impressive?

[@kalanaherath3076]

This is probably the first time someone said "KZbin" in a 2000 year old accent

[@teutonicknight2015]

quod sic video

[@kalanaherath3076]

@@teutonicknight2015 I know dude it's a pretty sick video lmao

[@yeshwanthyerramilli23]

He could have translated KZbin into a true Latin word, like how he latinised his own name by adding the '-us' suffix.

[@TheCoDDmast3r]

Lol yeah, speaking of old languages what's the Egyptian Hieroglyph for KZbin?

[@highviewbarbell]

@@yeshwanthyerramilli23 TuDuct

[@theejoeylee]

Xiaoma literally looks like a toddler fighting his nap time

[@mozamboni]

As a father, this is truth ^^^^

[@blessednhm]

🤣🤣🤣Lol. I thought I was the only one that noticed it lol

[@MrMeowPR]

I was thinking the same thing(I was looking for this comment) lol

[@marekgmuzdek7600]

That comment is freakin EPIC, rofl :D

[@shmac96]

LMAO!

[@handless7677]

I like how lucius pretends he's not a defrozen roman.

[@nicolasguerrerro3856]

Rhymes

[@rachkate76]

Defrosted

[@MultiSciGeek]

lol

[@realbland]

it's really impressive how great his English is

[@Elijah-pf9gi]

ah lucius lucius...

[@doubleutubefan5]

If Luke dressed as a roman solder and went about in public speaking Latin would be epic

[@drakeproductions2365]

He should walk around and act confused speaking Latin kinda like he was randomly dropped in a different time

[@sixtynine4009]

@@drakeproductions2365 That's a great idea.

[@shadowxxe]

@@drakeproductions2365 hes done this in a way he walked up to italains and asked them for directions in latin

[@Alex-eb6je]

He should dress as Julius Caesar. He sort of looks like him.

[@PedroGonzalez11111]

Let’s hope you have tissues close by if this suggestion becomes a reality!!

[@Glassandcandy]

Latin is definitely good for SAT/ACT. I started first trying to learn Latin when I was 17 and got through about half of a classic textbook. It made my English score go up from a 25 to a 35 and my reading score go up from 24 to 36 (top possible score in a subject). It also made it so I was able to test out of comp 1 and 2 through it helping my writing skills considerably. It’s not a meme, that shit is for REAL. I def recommend Latin for the utilitarian use of improving your command of your native language. I can’t speak for every language, but it will for certain improve your English or any Romance language. So many words that I can deduce the meanings of now even if I hadn’t seen them before. Words like: loquacious, ubiquity, bibulous, impecunious, avarice, et cetera. Anyone with a basic Latin education will be able to deduce their meanings even if they’ve never seen them before. Not to mention scientific names and terms like Canis lupus familiaris. Makes it super easy to understand and remember important science terms if you’re into that stuff. Honestly it’s one of the most useful skills I’ve ever picked up.

[@prototropo]

I completely agree. I went to Catholic schools and we graduated at 18 with a third-year college level education, not for any religious instruction-which was nil, anyway-but because of Latin’s primacy in life. Anyone interested in the languages you mentioned, as well as medicine, law, philosophy, history, engineering, biology and theology would be crazy not to be interested in Latin, and ancient Greek, also.

[@ajdo1991]

I know you made this comment a long time ago but how would you suggest learning Latin?

[@camthesaxman3387]

Ah yes, it's good for learning words that you'll memorize for a test and never use again. How about learning a more useful language like Spanish, French, or Italian instead of Latin which almost nobody speaks.

[@joannestark3023]

⁠I second this question. I have some books myself but without guidance on pronunciation I don’t know what I’m doing.

[@_DKE]

@@joannestark3023 you don't need to necessarily learn pronunciation to reap the benefits of what Latin teaches you. The classical languages contain more refined, analytical sentences structures. All nouns, adjectives, verbs, predicates etc come in cases, are gendered and numbered. I've had Latin for 3 years, but this was HS, thus I didn't really know how useful it was back then. I am now studying Sanskrit and both being Indo-European languages, they share similar characteristics. These languages help you reflect and analyse any other language (within the language family at least) more extensively and expansively. I'm learning 3 languages of which 2 are classical ones but of different language families, thus not related at all. The third is a 'modern', spoken language. Nepali. Since Nepali is also Indo-European, studying Sanskrit makes it a lot easier to recognise the gramamtical patterns of the language. However, classical mustn't be mistaken for being 'similar' to modern languages, they are not really the same. But there's 'character traits' that assist. Highly recommend to learn any classical language, especially for its analytical/linguistic purposes. Pronunciation is not even secondary, tertiary or latter. Almost irrelevant since the language is not really commonly spoken anyway, but of course fun for enthusiasts like Luke himself. The real value of learning a classical language doesn't lie in the pronunciation. The pronunciation, like he says, he also extracts from the modern-day language and the linguistic studies done on the languages.

[@luisstamaria7018]

He is not just good in latin, he is also a doctor, plumber, police officer, painter, delivery guy, firemen, carpenter, actor, lifeguard, teacher, scientist, veterinarian, architect, electician, engineer, repairman etc...

[@essexitagermeng5504]

He is a pilot too!

[@zaker721]

And a flashdancer by night!

[@niko-lett]

How do you know?

[@memethememestar6934]

@@niko-lett how can you not know?

[@john-chung-hsuanwu8766]

There's no way going back from that now😂

[@letswalkaroundstockholm]

Mate i love that twinkle in your eyes when he is saying he is fluent in latin . Like a kid in a candy store. You sincerely love it !

[@ScorpioMartianus]

Xiaoma is so kind! And he's really pleasant to talk to.

[@letswalkaroundstockholm]

That being said. In the Netherlands where i was raised everyone at the highest highschool level (gymnasium) learned ancient Greek & Latin in school. Not fluent offcourse, but the basics. It is great for understanding french , italian , spanish and portugese later on in life.

[@theWFFA]

Exactly ahah

[@IAMAFREESTYLER]

Yes haha true

[@letswalkaroundstockholm]

@@ScorpioMartianus Yes you can tell!

[@bensontroy1526]

I don’t know if Luke is aware of the story about J.R.R. Tolkein that when he was 17, in a school play he played the role of a Hebrew slave and did his part in Hebrew. I believe in the same play he also played the role of a Roman soldier and did his part in fluent Latin

[@huskiefan8950]

Around 44 minutes they discuss how languages pronunciation changes over time, its true. VERY few languages can claim that their pronunciations and even terms for things remain the same as even 500 years ago. I love learning about culture ❤

[@3r1creations]

Does anyone else, watching Luke, think that he would be an incredible actor? Tone of voice, facial expressions, and command of language (several) with such ease and humility.

[@meredithheath5272]

@@Glossologia 🤯🤯🤯😯

[@seand4515]

I think he'd be a great voice actor.

[@RosalioRedPanda]

We should put him in Barbarians or something. Start a petition.

[@ScorpioMartianus]

Thanks! That’s very kind. I’d love to do those kinds of things.

[@mitchel4332]

Stand in for Johnny Sins?

[@metatronyt]

I love both Xiaoma and Luke! It was a big surprise to see them together in one video :D They are both great minds.

[@Glossologia]

Hah! I know right? A big shock for me too (just like seeing you here, Raff :P)

[@MajWinters100]

I love you too, metatron

[@jxslayz6663]

You have a great mind too master nerd who makes excuses to wear full armor. LOL

[@illvminated]

High five

[@markjosephbacho5652]

I WAS SURPRISED TOO!!!!

[@dinumihai3525]

In Romania, Latin is taught in 8th grade and to the kids that go to the human sciences profile in highschool. They are taught psychology, Latin, logic , social sciences and phylosophy. For the students like me, that were at the science profile, we learned physics, maths, biology, chemistry. I wish I could have attended some Latin classes in highschool, but I guess I've learned enough Latin from my med school

[@spaceageflop3974]

I learned Latin in school for 7 years in Germany, but unfortunately only as a dead language. We never spoke it, which made it so hard for me to learn. And my teacher in the advanced course even told us he speaks it fluently and was as a student in a latin discussion group himself. Though never saw the necessity in teaching this to us. And I even majored in it, because I just liked all the old texts and storys. Btw my favorite latin author is still Ovid.

[@whitepouch0904]

I thinks it’s a great help to people who are in medical or life sciences field.

[@missOhdrey]

This guy has a really good radio voice.

[@ScorpioMartianus]

Thank you, Audrey-Anne!

[@cak8132]

He really does. I love listening to him speak. And I appreciate his knowledge of Latin since I studied Latin for two years in high school. Latin has served me well for my entire life especially in my chosen career as a nurse. So many medical words have Latin roots.

[@szvqorwnpstahskypfwmp9821]

@@cak8132 Yeap..actually a lot of English words come from Latin, Greek, French, German, Dutch etc...

[@ItsMeAnn628]

I studied Latin for 5 years in school and 1 year at University translating the Iliad and Odyssey. The Latin school teachers would speak Latin to each other knowing we kids had no clue what they were saying!

[@jpdj2715]

You translated the Iliad and Odyssey from English into Latin?

[@graysonbenjamin8565]

@@jpdj2715 probably the other way around

[@jpdj2715]

@@graysonbenjamin8565 - Iliad and Odyssey are attributed to an author called Homer and both in very old Greek, probably 8th century BC, when Romans still had to sail from [now Turkey] to [now Italy] and start a colony in Latium. Anyhow, the comment was tongue in cheek.

[@lukemurphy6244]

The irish teachers in Ireland did the same thing with our language. Used it as a secret language. And didn't teach use our own language well. Now I know very few people who speak Irish.

[@Purwapada]

. but thought they were both greek

[@pandamilkshake]

As a Greek, I really appreciate that people still try to learn the language of our ancestors. Much love, man 🙏

[@n.sadequi4381]

Why dont u speak it no more

[@MarcoS-ow3gs]

@@n.sadequi4381lol

[@benginaldclocker2891]

​@@n.sadequi4381 Language evolution. Language changes.

[@Leopold_van_Aubel]

They are not your ancestors

[@kimberlypatton205]

As an American child growing up in Greece, I quickly became more than fluent in speaking Greek enough to converse.Children learn languages quickly if able to practice speaking regularly. But that is essential to both adults and children - to be able to practice regular conversation.

[@sonny8992]

Luke I wish you could somehow revive Latin. Im so fascinated with languages and seeing you, an inspiration for me to learn more. Thanks.

[@stephenkinyanjui5659]

You could if you gather like minded people. The Jews revived Hebrew

[@OzkAltBldgCo-bv8tt]

We won't need to we have Interlengua on Clozemaster which is modern Latin There's also a Latin course on there

[@caca95cb]

Man it sucks that Latin isn't more widespread, the only people who I can practice with in Brazil are Catholic Priests and they speak Ecclesiastical while I'm learning Classical

[@ScorpioMartianus]

Most of us communicate via the internet. I know a few Brazilians who speak Latin.

[@caca95cb]

@@ScorpioMartianus oh that's awesome! That probably means I can find some forums or something to practice, thanks for the help! Love your covers!

[@SevenMilliFrog]

Latin was widespread then it evolved

[@caca95cb]

@@leahkan8786 yeah Duolingo is what I use to study but I didn't know there were chats on it, I'll take a look

[@ex0planet765]

Yeah not many people know the difference! Like how Ancient Latin (what I am learning- Classical) has different pronunciation than Liturgical

[@ryanawilson8549]

And now Xiaoma is off to learn Latin and Greek

[@juliandeveaux2848]

FR 🤣

[@ryanawilson8549]

@@juliandeveaux2848 totally 🤣

[@candacekearnsread]

Peasants in 500CE Rome shocked by my fluent latin!

[@ryanawilson8549]

@@iampluvia7498 online like the other guy I assume

[@rsmith1820]

He'll have both mastered by next Friday

[@jimwelch822]

About time you two gifted linguists connected! Love this video. I enjoy and learn from you both. Keep it up!

[@Targivod]

It is so satisfying to hear this man speak. His voice is so soothing and he’s so well articulate.

[@athenab9956]

During WWII my father, who spoke Greek, found that he was able to easily communicate with the people of Japan. He was surprised to learn that they were taught Greek in school.

[@StickySli]

The charisma of this guy is over the top. I couldn't stop listening.

[@Philoglossos]

You should check out his two channels! Lots of really interesting stuff on both :-)

[@ScorpioMartianus]

That’s very kind of you 😄

[@atlantic_love]

Charisma? It's called enthusiasm.

[@mattilatvala4164]

For us Finns, and Italians, classic latin is pretty easy to pronounce. Finnish has even the same way to change the end of substantives and verbs and plurals. There was even a finnish radio News, Nuntii Latini. 😎 The modern words...for a vacuum cleaner and nuclear bomb were fun. Pulverum hauritorum and pyrobolus horribilis. 😆

[@DieFlabbergast]

It's also easy for Japanese speakers: same phonemic distinction between long and short vowels, and phonemic distinction between single and geminated consonants; also the same tendency toward polysyllabic words (not counting Chinese loanwords in Japanese). My experience learning Latin at school turned out to be a roundabout way of preparing to study Japanese (which I've been speaking now for 45 years).

[@caraboska]

Aww, Nuntii Latini doesn't exist anymore? I remember coming across it some years ago...

[@shevawnbasye7404]

Horrible fire ball!!!

[@justmyself1000]

Have mercy! That is "Sunny" from "I Robot!" Not only is he a polyglot, but he is a great communicator in English! Love his precise speaking in the pronunciation. He enunciates his words perfect. The nice part is that he does this so effortless. It is not forced. His word use even adds more. Such a pleasure watching and listening to two polyglots!

[@polyMATHY_Luke]

Thanks so much for the fun conversation, Xiaoma! I had a great time. Xiexie!

[@erebsargames9684]

Thank you for this video Luke and Xiaoma!! Very interesting to hear fluent Latin and Ancient Greek, I wish one day we can travel back to the past (unreal, but a nice thought) and you could shock everyone by speaking to them in their language :)

[@teonyi]

@@erebsargames9684 would they be shocked though? Wouldn’t they just think you’re a native

[@erebsargames9684]

@@teonyi if you'd explain them where you came from... they would probably execute you... true

[@amagarr]

Thanks for the great video guys! Love to see fellow language lovers!!

[@zyzzyva303]

Cool to see you here!

[@abigirlll]

Luke's voice is so soothing!

[@ScorpioMartianus]

Thank you, Abigail! 😊

[@brad9562]

Isn’t it !

[@sarahmcgregor1630]

I agree! Could happily listen to him on podcasts or radio!!

[@TonyGanzerMedia]

I found it fascinating to learn about Switzerland’s fourth official language Romantsch, a derivative of Latin still spoken in Alpine villages. Pockets of language survive because of passionate people like Luke. Interesting!

[@Potacintvervs]

There is a video game that is voice acted entirely in Romantsch. It's supposedly very good but I cannot recall the name.

[@TengwarTeacher]

I am one of those learning Latin. I am from the USA. It was a natural draw for me due to studying Koine Greek. I want to be able to study and read Scripture in Latin as well as communicate with it as a hobby. I also may check out some Ancient literature as well. Like you guys were discussing, the poem, Aeneid.

[@matheuspeixoto8689]

I asked my parents Lingua Latina Per Se Illustrata as a birthday gift and they liked it, i am about to start my journey, wish me luck, amīci!

[@Rhantismos23]

Luke the guy being interviewed has an awesome KZbin channel you should check it out and his reading of Lingua Latina works great with the book

[@matheuspeixoto8689]

@@Rhantismos23 yes, i know him and i already watched his LLPSI videos, i came here to see this great crossover

[@matheuspeixoto8689]

@@Rhantismos23 i hope he gets 100k subs in both channels

[@ScorpioMartianus]

@@matheuspeixoto8689 very kind!

[@1anfinity08]

Good luck bud

[@ig2d]

My name is Maximus Decimus Meridius, commander of the Armies of the North, General of the Felix Legions and loyal servant to the true emperor, Marcus Aurelius. Father to a murdered son. Husband to a murdered wife. And I will have my vengeance, in this life or the next. 🙂

[@familybills2908]

YES! Immediately just thought of this!!!

[@hamzzaahmed1794]

Mi chiamo Massimo Decimo Meridio, comandante dell'esercito del Nord, generale delle legioni Felix, servo leale dell'unico vero imperatore Marco Aurelio. Padre di un figlio assassinato, marito di una moglie uccisa. E avrò la mia vendetta, in questa vita o nell'altra.

[@georgios_5342]

Nomen mihi Maximus Decimus Meridius est, legatus exercituum borealis, generalis legionum felicium et fidelis uno verito imperatori, Marco Aurelio. Pater fili caedi. Uxor uxoris caedae. I don't know how vengeance is but life is vita and thus I can't translate the last sentence 😬

[@kappa2ou3]

Meu nome é Máximos Décimos Meridios, comandante do exército do Norte, General das Legions Félix e servente( or servo) leal(or fiel )do verdadeiro Imperador Marcos Aurélios. Pai de um filho assassinado , marido de uma esposa assassinada. Terei à minha vingança nesta vida ou na próxima(outra).

[@Mercure250]

Mon nom est Maximus Decimus Meridius, commandant en chef des Armées du Nord, Général des Légions Felix et fidèle serviteur du vrai empereur, Marc Aurèle. Père d'un fils assassiné. Époux d'une femme assassinée. Et j'aurai ma vengeance, dans cette vie ou dans l'autre. (That's the official translation. If I were to stay closer to the Italian and Portuguese ones given here, I'd remove the "en chef", I'd change "fidèle" to "loyal", and I'd write "Mari d'une épouse assassinée" instead of "Époux d'une femme assassinée"... and to be closer to Portuguese, I'd put "la prochaine" instead of "l'autre")

[@lectorintellegat]

Taught myself Latin using Wheelock over a few years - I would have gone more quickly, but job / family stuff got in the way. It’s been tremendously fun, and in my case I actually can justify for using that old, ‘is it useful?’ canard. (I’m an academic lecturer specialising in church history - most of the stuff I read is by dead guys, in medieval / early modern Latin.)

[@feedingthekitty-cats652]

It’s so cool knowing that you live in New York, as a fellow New Yorker being around all these different cultures was such a major inspiration for me to become fascinated by language. Thank you for sharing your journey and our city in your amazing videos.

[@illuminatiCorgi]

Person: "No one can speak Latin. It's a dead language..." Luke: "Hold my Dead Sea Scrolls 😐"

[@pierren___]

Its récent and that sad

[@joannathesinger770]

@Rodent's Revenge It's a joke. There's an old old poem said by Latin students: "Latin is a dead dead language, that is clear to see. First it killed the Roman soldiers, now it's killing me!" They extrapulated the DDS as a reference... I guess that means I'm old to even know it.

[@lucaschiantodipepe2015]

In Rome in some places the service (the Mass) is in Latin. I attended it for 20 years.

[@ShadowValleys]

it’s not true, not completely dead

[@slimytoad1447]

Sanskrit should be dead,but its not,there are speakers around

[@albertaguilar662]

Awesome how as a Spanish speaker , I understand a lot of the phrases he says in Latin!

[@ScorpioMartianus]

¡Excelente!

[@ThePeterlosch]

Brasilian portuguese here. Either I. All latins language come from latin.

[@chrissymacneil3811]

The most beautiful languages are the Latin based. Preciosa!

[@katiaferreira4370]

Portuguese here and understood most of what he said. Fantastic

[@TiredMomma]

True, and last year I began learning Italian and knowing a lot of Spanish, that helps to learn Italian. I didn't even know how similar several words are between Italian and Spanish. It's fun learning a language as you learn history along with that. I had a class in middle school, 2 in high school and 2 in college.

[@bigplantpapi]

Oh man this video with you both makes me so happy!! Thanks for sharing

[@markarca6360]

Facts: Latin is the official language of the Roman Catholic Church! The scientific names for various organisms (humans included - Homo sapiens sapiens) uses Latin, and the father of taxonomy was Carolus Linneaus (Carl von Linné).

[@letizialorusso1950]

When you're italian and you're forced to do latin at school, and you're so bad you tell yourself that nobody can atcually speak it and then you watch this video.. 😢

[@luce1041]

Exactly ahahah

[@tassoskard8157]

I m Greek and besides Ancient Greek on high school if you chose to go for Literature/ Sociology etc type of studies in university, Latin are also a basic class in 5th and 6th Grade ;) Latin and Greek is the basis of a big percentage of the Western languages! I was like you in high school and it was tough to learn Ancient Greek but now I regret that I didn’t learned better or tried more.

[@nikitanitti4784]

Si appunto- :"

[@ohaio7935]

Esatto :)

[@virginieletertre8989]

In france also we have to learn latin.

[@julianhuang7260]

As a Chinese guy studying my second year of latin this is really impressive

[@julianhuang7260]

@@highlife8038 我是中国人

[@thebuttereffect3446]

@@julianhuang7260 我是意大利人学中文和拉丁语。 加油！

[@julianhuang7260]

@@thebuttereffect3446 谢谢！

[@joemiller947]

With the little knowledge I have of Chinese and Latin, a Chinese person trying to learn Latin sounds like hell

[@julianhuang7260]

@@joemiller947 I'm fluent in both English and Chinese so I guess English really helped me to learn latin

[@randyranes5358]

I admire both of you for mastering different languages. I’ve seen it in your videos that knowing these languages makes you lots of friends, it opens up closed doors and enlightens.

[@graciehall4002]

I am in Latin level 3 this year and I absolutely love Latin and it gets easier every year. This is my third year learning latin and we are starting to translate books written in Latin and you learn a lot from reading it helps with grammar alone and especially understanding participles and better translating Latin . Yet there is still differences but through learning Latin I am also learning Greek and pronouncing it.

[@enquiryplay]

I feel like I gained at least 10 IQ points listening to this guy.

[@timothyedwardthomas2962]

Same

[@graciareyes7824]

When he spoke latin, the accent sounded italian. Ps. It's crazy but i could understand a big chunk of what he said in latin without subtitles even though i don't speak it. But my native language is spanish and i know italian and while a lot of words are not exatly the same, there is a big approximation.

[@gustavogabrielacosta8124]

Es que de hecho tiene como referente al italiano ya que al igual que el español se acerca mucho a la fonetica latina.

[@graciareyes7824]

@@gustavogabrielacosta8124 aunque la verdad se parece mucho mas el italiano que el español por que se lo puse a mi hermana y ella solo habla ingles y español y ella dijo que no entendio.

[@kastorskyk70]

Absolutely. Italian pronunciation was internationally accepted as the right /standard one for Latin now ( since we dont know what it sounded like 2000 years ago)

[@saberwing753]

Crazy, you Think Latin and Italian Are related or something ? 🤔

[@kastorskyk70]

@@saberwing753 aforementioned rule exists not because of my "decision" . At least they taught us this way at Uni

[@corym8358]

This guy is awesome. I could listen to him all day. Thanks!

[@Miriam-fk9wr]

Wow, I love the way it sounds, love the way he sounds thank you for sharing this knowledge 🙏🏻

This was such a great video guys, appreciate you sharing! This kind of content really helps spread the word about the vastness and depths of language learning.

[@vampoftrance]

In Cyprus they speak a Greek that is some words in Shakespeare s time today. Κι εγώ μιλάω ελληνικά!

[@enriqueali]

I love how Xioma is just tripping in amazement. Luke is such an engaging and informed speaker, it's a real pleasure to hear him talk about a subject he's so knowledgeable and passionate about

[@coolbrotherf127]

I studied Latin for about 7 years, mostly from reading as I didn't have any speaking partners at the time. I haven't really used it in a while, but I could understand his spoken Latin pretty well still. It would be pretty cool if the Latin language stuck around for a while.

[@Shoegazings]

In Italy we all have the chance to learn both Latin and Greek, but only if we choose classical high school (Liceo classico).

[@dehro]

my latin teacher, from back in high school in italy, once found herself with a flat tire in the countryside in Scotland.. she barely spoke any english at the time, but luckily, the first man driving by was a local priest, and they managed to communicate in latin which leads to my correction.. latin has never been a truly dead language... the Vatican used it regularly until the last century, and it's been consistently used and taught over the centuries in higher education.... of course it has mutated over time even in the Vatican..but still. true.. the average student who takes classes (or, in italy, has latin as compulsory part of their curriculum) will probably not learn it properly.. but all of those students have teachers..and those teachers, mostly, do...and always have, over the centuries.

[@andree1991]

@Turro Bandolero thats crazy

[@GavinBisesi]

"dead language" is just a term for "has no native speakers / monolingual population". No one grows up with everyone in their community speaking only latin from childhood. It doesn't mean that no one speaks it

[@tsoliot5913]

It is really kind of a special case.

[@larryhovekamp4318]

That's funny. My Mom worked in a beauty shop after the War and an Italian woman who married a US soldier came in and wanted service but not knowing English. Her employer, originally from Latvia, resolved the communication chasm by using Latin and it worked. Even my Mom, with limited Catholic Church Latin, could grasp some of what was conveyed. Latin still has some usefulness.

[@dehro]

@@larryhovekamp4318 about that time, in Italy, Italian as we know it now was only spoken by the highly educated/city folk. Most people spoke their local dialect primarily. And back then, Latin was taught at school, at what is know as middle school, so around the ages of 10/14

[@harryjames8064]

I honestly just woke up to my alarm. Looked on youtube. And saw this video with the two of them whom I watch. This video is a dream to me.

[@ScorpioMartianus]

Very kind of you, Harry!

[@SevenMilliFrog]

Fake polyglot vs real Polyglot XD

[@elYisusdelaNazza]

Great crossover!! Thank you Xiaoma for this interview!

[@nuwavedave]

I always enjoy coming across videos by Xiaoma that I've never seen before. His videos aren't just informative - they're entertaining. This discussion with Luke Ranieri is particularly well-done, as both fellows are such intelligent, fascinating people. 😎

[@sheldonsdrums]

I’ve been learning Latin for six years now and I’m absolutely nowhere near this!

[@sluffysniffy4775]

*How many subscribers can I gain from this comment* *Current 10*

[@tessvane4861]

you probably only learn to read though, right

[@ScorpioMartianus]

You can do it! It just takes the right method.

[@julianhuang7260]

@@tessvane4861 It probably depends on the teacher and curriculum. The latin teacher at my school last year only taught reading and grammar but the new one this year also emphasizes a lot on speaking and writing. He says it helps a lot with reading harder texts in the future.

[@tessvane4861]

@@julianhuang7260 interesting, that wouldn’t happen where I’m from - the speaking and writing part

[@AntonioFilippoGentile]

I'm Italian and I don't use to hear Americans speaking so fluently Latin and I'm so happy to have this surprise. In Italy, there are Classical High Schools, which are the hardest in the high school scenery, and guess what, I'm a student in a Classical High School in Rome. I study Latin and Greek ( in addition to mathematics, Italian, science, etc.) and we concentrate, as students, not only on the learning process of the languages but mostly in the translation, dealing with Senofonte, Plutarco, Tucidide, Lisia, Apollodoro or for Latin, Cesare, Cicerone, Seneca, Tacito, Sallustio... That's just amazing and unexpected to me hearing a Latin speaker since there aren't a lot of speakers in Italy too...

[@pjn666]

I’ve seen both of these guys on KZbin. Amazing!

[@btat16]

I love how Xiaoma looks and giggles (in a good way) at Luke's amazing Latin skills in the same way we do with his Chinese! There's so much interest and reverence in the way he interviewed Luke

[@kekomixtli]

As a Spanish native speaker it's really amazing how much we can still understand listening to Latin. It may be even easier for Italians. I've just started learning Catalan and it is challenging to learn a language so similar to yours.

[@bubblygranolachick]

Languages change the most when they aren't written. In Africa non written languages change within 3 generations, grandparents can't understand their grandchildren 😔

[@ScorpioMartianus]

Indeed, written language helps to conserve quite a bit.

[@4sizle]

@@ScorpioMartianus infact, indeed

[@mouthpiece200]

Anyone nearing middle age should have noticed subtle changes in English within their lifetime.

[@juch3]

Having your own nation state can also help because there is usually an effort to standardize the language.

[@bubblygranolachick]

@@juch3 that's probably why schools teach children proper grammer

[@slimytoad1447]

Luke is truly interesting,he has a great voice which really helps and his enthusiasm is catching

[@quinncreel6091]

Luke is such a well-spoken and educated man (and so young!), I'm in awe!

[@georgios_5342]

Oh my goooooood it's Luke! This is one of my favourite KZbinrs already, I spend so much times watching his videos! This is great!

[@serroche]

I'm Spanish and it's amazing to hear where my language comes from. I mean I understood pretty much everything he said without subtitles and I don't speak a word of latin.

[@njamison1000]

Damn. I speak English but I cannot understand "Olde English" at all

[@olgak.1139]

I think Spanish as of accent, pronunciation is more close to Latin than modern Italian.

[@Dante20321]

@@njamison1000 It’s because English is a Germanic language.

[@njamison1000]

@@Dante20321I can't understand German either. What's your point?

[@Dante20321]

@@njamison1000 That Old English has influences from German, Dutch etc. (or the other way around xD). That’s why you can’t understand it.

[@MultiSciGeek]

His Greek sounds nice. Also the conversation you guys had was veyr interesting.

[@Alaska_Gal]

Fascinating guy! Love hearing him speak.

[@saraminella5448]

Meanwhile in Italy... *high school students regretting to have chosen classic school (where you study Greek and Latin)*

[@cronky2315]

ed infatti farò un tecnico AHAHA

[@saraminella5448]

@@cronky2315 Fai bene, non lo rimpiangerai👌

[@Pitta999]

Pure allo scientifico fare solo latino è da spararsi

[@crazyd4ve875]

In my school I had only 3 languages available and Latin was the only interesting one lol

[@zaqwsx23]

Obviously it's the teaching method's fault. If Lucius was the teacher everybody would speak Latin and maybe even Ancient Greek.

[@johnbrzenksforearm8295]

FYI: President Garfield could simultaneously write Latin and Greek with each hand. He was a fluent speaker and writer of Latin and Greek and would show off his skills by answering friends by writing the answers in Latin with one hand and Greek with the other.

[@twopoles11]

And he did all of that as a cat!

[@johnbrzenksforearm8295]

@@twopoles11 , while eating lasagna

[@kayrakaya4719]

Wtf I thought he was lazy. We all underestimated his talent

[@DieFlabbergast]

Garfield? Wasn't he a cat? :)

[@Aemirys]

Really appreciated this guest on!

[@Stucklefuss]

I had a philosophy professor and she like the last 15 years she's been learning ancient Greek. She told me she wanted to read philosophy texts in their original texts. I loved her and love that shes learning some of the hardest languages for that.

[@purplekitten12]

This was so fascinating. This guy talks so calmly, I could listen to him for hours. I wonder if he's related to Massimo Ranieri, probably not haha

[@ScorpioMartianus]

Thanks, Sabrina! Haha actually the great singer Massimo Ranieri was born Giovanni Calone, and used Massimo Ranieri as his stage name. I love Massimo's songs.

[@gnarlsley]

You've inspired me to learn multiple languages, thank you for all your amazing content!

[@J.J._Mason]

Brilliant content, love both your videos, I’m an English speaker of German and Norwegian, have been toying with learning Italian and Latin, this guys is inspiring to me, thinking I should at least attempt it with the resources mentioned

[@theshark2005]

this is awesome!! i love languages and being able to speak like a native in a language you learned later in life is so amazing! like one time i met this brazilian who didnt believe i learned portuguese, he thought i was a native portugues speaker, i just laughed but he honestly didnt believe me and it was so awesome , it just means my hard work payed off.

[@uzKantHarrison]

Cool! I have studied Latin and Greek in high school too, but in Italy. Nobody in my class was really ever comfortable reading/translating Greek, some of us (me included) were relatively ok at Latin but probably can no longer easily read it. Still, there's value even in learning historic languages the traditional way: we read great, enriching literature (sometimes we did even recite poetry semi-properly, and I loved that) and when we learn European languages we can guess a lot of etymologies, which really helps.

[@user-ij7ro8li7v]

I am from Greece and I am shocked that he can speak ancient Greece because it is very difficult language.Give love in greek language❤❤❤❤

[@user-ij7ro8li7v]

νοῦς ὑγιής ἐν σώματι ὑγιεῖ

[@servantofaeie1569]

wait... your name is... Λουκια. like Luke!

[@jimboonie9885]

Μέγας Αλέξανδρος

[@servantofaeie1569]

@@jimboonie9885 Alexander the Great!

[@olgak.1139]

Αξιοθαύμαστοι κι οι δυο! Μήπως ο κύριος δεξιά μαθαίνει την ελληνιστική κοινή γτ βάζει το "εγώ" μπροστά από το ρήμα. π. χ. στο Ευαγγέλιο λέει "Εγώ ειμί η άμπελος η αληθινή κτλ.

[@eldiabloramon]

❤ i have started my journey into latin this year. I have tinkered with it off and on since the mid-90s but it had always taken 2nd place to Hebrew in my personal studies. So this year i committed myself to speak as fluently as he does, or as Magister Craft. ❤🎉

[@chris_coffin]

The crossover episode I needed! I love each of your channels

[@harrypotterina]

I knew Luke from the videos he sometimes does on Ecolinguist. This collab is so cool 😭

[@ImpatientDude]

Advantages of learning latin: Look smart, Flex it, uhhh being a cool priest, uhm talk to god, being good at biology nomenclature system and talking to a ancient roman that traveled in time.

[@Alex-eb6je]

You can talk to God in English though.

[@huwford2731]

I have been learning Ancient Egyptian for 20 years, and what you say about seeing the symbols and hearing the words (kind of) the details of the phonology are quite recently being worked out.

[@Crowbars2]

One thing I find interesting about the question "What did Latin sound like?" Is the when/where part of the question. Like if someone 2000 years in the future asked "What did Ancient English sound like?" to someone from nowadays who was somehow resurrected, they'd ask "Oh, from what country? Where in that country? What time period?" Like, take England for example, there are dozens of accents all over England, which can sound quite dissimilar from each other, and the way English is/was spoken changes over time. For example, Recieved pronunciation, the "Standard" or "Posh" English accent has been changing over time too. Compare how the queen talks to how her grandchildren talk, and that happened over less than 100 years. Latin was in common usage from around 700BC and started to die in the 6th Century. That's 1000 years, a long time for a language to change and evolve.

[@Glossologia]

Classical Latin is a literary register of the dialect spoken in urban Rome in the 1st century BCE. That's really what we're talking about when we talk about just 'Latin' otherwise we specify, e.g. 'early 2nd century Pompeian Latin'. In many cases we even have a somewhat decent idea of dialectic differences in pronunciation between different areas and time periods :-)

[@NekTLT]

I've been impressed by Luke's talent since he participated in the video of Norbert

[@SPW812]

Sweet

[@ScorpioMartianus]

That's kind of you to say!

[@MrJDadBlack]

I’m a Catholic that LOVES our traditional Latin Mass! There’s a few near me in north Texas. The liturgy and responses are in Ecclesiastical Latin; (the way it was for the last 2000 yrs…) As a religious lay person it really takes you into a new worship experience. I hope more Catholic parishes can re-start this tradition for the future! Learning Latin myself as well! Great video gentlemen!

[@salveregina3058]

Same I attend an sspx mass.

[@prototropo]

Yes, it’s been a big mistake to drop Latin from the Mass. I’m an atheist now, but I treasure the Latin I learned as an altar boy, choir kid, Latin student and all-around Catholic delinquent!

[@mradicctve091087]

I attend Latin Mass too and I love it. Slowly trying to learn it too :)

[@BiggieTupac95]

@@prototropo latin it's cool. But what's the point in keep talking latin during the celebrations when the people can't underdstand it? I think it's better in italian (or you language)

[@skullcrushers1000]

@@BiggieTupac95 Well.. if you want a real origin laymen aren't supposed to read the bible. It's forbidden. Only the clergy can read the holy book, the masses must stay ignorant.

[@jasmadams]

So great to see two of my favourite folks on YT together. Now you just need Jackson, Simon, and Norbert...

[@herman1francis]

The fact that luke knew about and mentionned catalan, although he could have technically called it occitan, proves that he knows vernacular romance languages. The guy is legit.

[@alessandrog2454]

Quando padroneggi il latino, ti avvicini inevitabilmente a tutte le altre romanze

[@herman1francis]

@@alessandrog2454 Yes, you are totally correct. But catalan has a bit of a prejudice against it because of political reasons. Many spanish nationalists or even foreigners who sympathize with the spanish nation discard catalan as merely a dialect of spanish. Which it is not. If catalan was a dialect of something it would be of occitan, which unfortunately is an almost dead language today. It is easy to attract a deep hatred from spanish speakers from over the world when you mention catalan. That is why I congratulate him for sticking to linguistics and foreboding hatred based politics.

[@hannofranz7973]

@@herman1francisI agree. I'm living in Spain, Valencia, and know about the situation which I consider quite unfortunate. On the one side you have those who for political reasons won't accept that it's a proper language. Among those Valencians and Balearic people mainly that claim that valencian and Balearic are proper languages different to Catalán even though it's sufficiently studied to know that they are dialect varieties coming from the same root. This is all for political reasons for not being very liked in the country ( the Catalonians ). On the other side, it's more of the same: the language issue being instrumentalized as a political tool to claim independence. It's all polítics. A pity.

[@herman1francis]

@@hannofranz7973 I am myself a catalan nationalist. But I also value the study of linguistics greatly. And I couldn't agree more with you that it's a pity that politics get involved and corrupt language studies. Bona nit company.

[@ADVENTURESOFBZ]

Close your eyes and listen and it's like going back in time. Absolutely incredible

[@briskbronco8292]

It’s been over 1,900 years since Latin was heard aloud. This is truly amazing. An ancient language that’s heard again. We need to start speaking this language again. Revive Latin

[@RyanTeo]

It is used in the Vatican City for official documents and records. It used to be part of the requisite training.

[@stateofconflictboardgamebe3014]

Decently spoken till the 1940s, in the Catholic Church and Vatican city.

[@marcellocolona4980]

Spoken fluently by university-educated people through the Renaissance and into the Enlightenment.

[@TheItalianoAssassino]

Luke has a daddy type voice. The whole vibe of this conversation is him telling his son all about the fascination for Latin.

[@imustbeames3727]

Wait till you find out about fascinae

[@obscurofilosofoungidocomfo3520]

Deep shadow

[@runee60]

I studied Latin for 3 years and love it to this day. I’d love to find out more about how to resume learning it!

[@ShortCakeBrat2422]

Man the commitment on language learning especially from Xiaoma and whomever this guy is. 🥺🥺😭 I would love to speak Latin like that guy.

[@alecmcguinness9390]

Thanks for keeping "whomever" alive.

[@RadDadisRad]

Latin is an awesome language, especially since a lot of languages are Latin based.

[@BiggieTupac95]

Props from Italy to both. Your videos are really good

[@angeluzerrare8170]

I liked your work on Barry...but seriously though thank you both for sharing these languages with us.

[@sa.fa.s]

i am working for my PhD on latin and language evolutions i absolutely loved this episode its facinating to see how he is fluent in Latin and ancian Greek

[@falonrobinson3465]

The way he manages his tics through is amazing

[@landrodomingo981]

Learning it in the mind converting from latin, Greek, french, Italian, or Spanish to English is already difficult but learn to speak it correctly is even harder as you need to have someone to practice speaking it correctly or fluently. It also depends on the region of that country which may sort of sound like a dialect with a different accent and intonation just as they do in England (cockney, or Geordie, Welsh or Northern Ireland accent) or in America (Southerner, New York, Boston, California, Texan English accents). You both are converting into polyglots. Jose Rizal, a known hero in the Philippines was a polyglot who spoke about twenty languages. José Rizal (1861-1896) was a Filipino nationalist, writer and revolutionary. He was able to speak twenty-two languages including Spanish, French, Latin, Greek, German, Portuguese, Italian, English, Dutch, and Japanese. Rizal also made translations from Arabic, Swedish, Russian, Chinese, Greek, Hebrew and Sanskrit.

[@ameritalianolearningenglis8554]

It's great to see the KZbin influencer language community supporting eachother. I've been wanting to learn Latin, but I really need to finish basic Italian first haha.