Verbal/Formal Discipline

In the decade after the Second World War, many changes occurred in American education. One goal was to purge the system of classic dogmas auch as the Doctrine of Formal Discipline. This long-standing belief was that general verbal fluency, including the logical organization of one's thought processes, could be enhanced by the study of Latin. Many English words are derived from Latin, and Latin is formally precise. In contrast to the many confusing irregularities in English, Latin is logically consistent and orderly. Studying a language that has clearly defined rules might help one recognize the complexities of English.

I do not intend to digress into a study of Latin, but I urge you to study Table 4.1 in order to see the difference between the formal precision of Latin and the irrational conventions of English.

 

Table 4.1: Conjugation of the Latin and English verbs meaning "to love."

	singular		plural
	Latin	English	Latin	English
1st person:	amo	I love	amamus	we love
2nd person:	amas	you love	amatus	you love
3rd person:	amat	he/she/it loves	amant	they love

In English we do not change the second-person subject word (you) when going from singular to plural. We indicate that the subject is male, female, or neuter only in the third-person singular (he/she/it). In that same place we also put an "s" on the verb. In contrast, Latin always changes the verb ending, never indicates gender, and always changes from singular to plural. Latin is formally precise and consistent; a Latin-speaking child would never make the logical mistake of saying "they loves you." Studying Latin could help one avoid errors by calling attention to these complexities of English.

The Doctrine of Formal Discipline was never really disproved. It dropped from favor because proponents of the doctrine could not prove that it was true and students could not see its relevance. If the students only learn enough Latin to get a barely passing grade, it wouldn't do much good anyway. Actually, there has been a regeneration of interest in studying Latin in the hope that it will improve verbal fluency indirectly. My own belief is that one's ime is better spent in developing fluency directly in English.