Importance of latin and greek in biology . ( 40 marks
Importance of latin and greek in biology . ( 40 marks
Many languages have their share of contribution towards modern day medical lexicon, but the large majority of them are derived from Greek and Latin. Greek and Latin were sphere head of knowledge, especially in the medical field. The ancient Greeks were challenged to develop the vocabulary for the clinical observation that they encountered for the first time led them to develop a suitable lexicon. Clinical terminology is usually Greek origin (e.g. pathology, haematology) while the majority of anatomical terminology (e.g. femur, homo) are of Latin origin. They remain in use as they have not changed over time hence it provides standard scientific vocabulary.
This Greek and Latin medical lexicon can conveniently describe a clinical phenomenon in one word, for example, it is quicker and easier to say "microcephaly" than to say "an abnormally small head." Microcephaly is derived from the Greek word, "mikros," which means "small," and the Greek word "kephale," which means "head." This language forms the origin for many medical terminology and health professionals squeeze in these words to express a medical phenomenon during their usual English communication.
Science began to develop at the time of Renaissance where educated people in Europe knew Latin and Greek. Latin provides root word for modern science. The advantage of using the Latin and Greek is its academic influence as the majority of vocabulary comes from these roots. The present day English is hybrid of English and Latin root. Latin word is bigger, harder and have more syllables and have more abstract meaning.
Simply:Greek or latin language is also referred to as the dead language, meaning that no changes can be done in the language,it remains constant and no new words are added. So, to maintain the uniformity of scientific names all throughout the world, latin/greek is used in biology and other fields as well.
Many languages have their share of contribution towards modern day medical lexicon, but the large majority of them are derived from Greek and Latin. Greek and Latin were sphere head of knowledge, especially in the medical field. The ancient Greeks were challenged to develop the vocabulary for the clinical observation that they encountered for the first time led them to develop a suitable lexicon. Clinical terminology is usually Greek origin (e.g. pathology, haematology) while the majority of anatomical terminology (e.g. femur, homo) are of Latin origin. They remain in use as they have not changed over time hence it provides standard scientific vocabulary.
This Greek and Latin medical lexicon can conveniently describe a clinical phenomenon in one word, for example, it is quicker and easier to say "microcephaly" than to say "an abnormally small head." Microcephaly is derived from the Greek word, "mikros," which means "small," and the Greek word "kephale," which means "head." This language forms the origin for many medical terminology and health professionals squeeze in these words to express a medical phenomenon during their usual English communication.
Science began to develop at the time of Renaissance where educated people in Europe knew Latin and Greek. Latin provides root word for modern science. The advantage of using the Latin and Greek is its academic influence as the majority of vocabulary comes from these roots. The present day English is hybrid of English and Latin root. Latin word is bigger, harder and have more syllables and have more abstract meaning.
Simply:Greek or latin language is also referred to as the dead language, meaning that no changes can be done in the language,it remains constant and no new words are added. So, to maintain the uniformity of scientific names all throughout the world, latin/greek is used in biology and other fields as well.
