Language enthusiasts meet, chat, conquer

For two years, George Morgan, the sales manager at the Bull's Head Bookshop, has met friends for dinner every other Thursday to talk about politics, books, movies and philosophy - in a language most people say has been dead for centuries.

Scholars and clergymen have kept Latin alive on the written page well after the fall of the Roman Empire. But Morgan's group, which focuses on the spoken language, keeps the oral tradition alive.

"All other languages have classes and meetings in their language, and we wanted to also," Morgan said.

The group has about five regular members - mostly UNC students and faculty - who meet at local restaurants. Students from Duke University also occasionally attend the dinner.

The only rule is that each member cannot speak English upon entering the restaurant.

The group began when Patrick Miller, a graduate student at UNC who teaches Latin, sent an e-mail to his friends interested in the classics. He encouraged students in his classes to come as well.

He said he is interested in all aspects of Latin, not just the parts that deal with reading texts in the language.

"I always liked speaking languages rather than just reading them," Miller said.

Miller said Latin is abundant in all aspects of popular culture and media - the language appears in film, politics and books about etiquette and computer terms.

Many popular books have been translated into Latin, including "The Little Prince," the Harry Potter series and many Dr. Seuss books, Miller said.

Miller and his wife, Sarah Miller, a graduate student teaching comparative literature, extended their passion for Latin to their honeymoon, which was a Latin immersion program in Rome under the instruction of Father Reginaldus Foster.

"The Latin immersion program had 70 people and had to turn people away," said Patrick Miller. "The spoken language is really popular in Europe."

The Millers attend the group dinner regularly and enjoy the chance to practice their Latin skills.

"The dinner idea appeals to me because I'm not currently taking or teaching Latin, and it's nice to continue it in some way," Sarah said.

The group hopes to increase its attendance to include more undergraduates, and it invites all students to join.

"I think people are intimidated of our group, but we sometimes struggle ourselves," Sarah Miller said. "You can be a graduate student in Latin and not be able to speak it because there's so much emphasis on reading."

Sarah said students studying Latin can forget what they know when they don't practice speaking it.

"You have to practice so you can form more than just simple sentences," she said.

Marion Redd, an employee in UNC Printing Services, attends the dinners regularly as well.

Redd said he enjoys the use of Latin in popular films such as "A Man for All Seasons" and "Life of Brian," adding that the second contains "the best parody of a high school Latin lesson you've ever seen."

Morgan said group members have attracted the attention of both waiters and fellow diners at restaurants for their use of the ancient language.

"It's neat to be doing something that people think is a little weird."

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