Strangely enough, the English idiom "to undertake" is a direct translation of the Latin "suscipere", derived from "sub" (under), and "capere" (to take, capture, seize). The fact that I find this interesting makes me suspect that I would be happy as a clam doing nothing but etymology for the rest of my life. If only I could make money at it...
Maybe the reason that I enjoy language so much is because I can use it to make myself seem superior to other people. It's sort of a false intelligence. I've never felt as smart as those with whom I end up being close friends. And honestly, I'm not saying this as a self-pity thing. I know I'm smarter than the average bear. But whenever I'm in the company of my closest friends (actually, just certain ones) and a serious conversation starts, I always feel like I'm out of my depth. It's most likely just the fact that I'm actually being intellectually challenged, and I'm not used to that, so it makes me nervous. But in any case, I feel motivated to have something that I can feel smart about. And I've always been interested in language.
Did you know that the Latin word for language, "lingua, -ae (f)", is actually literally translated as "tongue"? I suppose in hindsight it should have been obvious from "cunnilingus", but to be honest, I don't think about that word too often.
Anyway, the truth is that having these tidbits of information is somehow fun for me. And I actually enjoy studying Latin. But then, I always have been something of a geek. This aspect of geekiness is different from my usual geekiness, though. When it comes to computers, my knowledge is purely practical. I know how to configure an Apache server with mod_ssl and mod_perl because I want to use it. I can write a rudimentary content management system in perl because it's necessary for the site I put together. I guess that's another area of knowledge where I can feel superior to those around me, but unlike etymology (or rules of grammar), I'm doing it in order to use it, not in order to feel smart. Though in using these things, I can feel smart. So that's knowledge for utility's sake, while the Latin and the etymology is knowledge for knowledge's sake.
It's oddly appropriate, too: the knowledge for utility's sake is the knowledge that could earn me a lot of money sometime in the future, if I were to pursue it. The knowledge for knowledge's sake can't get me any farther than a college teaching job and maybe a quirky book on the history of words that no one would read. That's what my parents have been telling me all along. I told them that college was more than vocational training, that it was also making me a well-rounded and well-educated member of society, and they laughed at me. My dad had a good long belly laugh, and my mom let out a sharp little "Ha ha!" This seemed pretty ironic to me, as my dad has master's degrees in music and theology, and is now a pastor, while my mom gives piano lessons and teaches highschool music.
Well, I suppose that they would have first-hand experiences of the subject at had, so maybe they are right. Maybe knowledge for knowledge's sake is doomed to be relegated to the realm of liberal arts professors. But while I'm here in college, I figure I might as well do the stuff that I enjoy, and pick up a Classics minor while I'm doing it. And maybe I'll have the balls to reject money in favor of something I enjoy. I did it before, I can do it again.
Non credo pecuniam esse rem maximam.
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