On 27/12/2007, Ray Saintonge <saintonge(a)telus.net> wrote:
Also if you look at what
is available facing the title page of the Harry Potter books, somebody
is intent on translating them into Latin.
They're quite good translations, I am assured! Winnie the Pooh, too...
Latin is a unique case.
If we were talking a hundred or more years ago, we would also have to
consider a sizable ediucated population which was in effect bilingual
in a dialect of Latin; consistently a second language by the strict
definition, but not uncommonly used as a first in some situations.
Nowadays, whilst it clearly has no "born" speakers, or only a
statistically irrelevant amount, it does get taught to a sizable
population in secondary and tertiary education, as well as its
widespread use as a liturgical language, and there is heavy lobbying
to ensure it keeps being taught.
In effect, it perfectly fits the definition of a dying minority lanugage :-)
--
- Andrew Gray
andrew.gray(a)dunelm.org.uk