Latin, which used to be taught in our schools back when Americans spoke English and not Ebonics, still has a place in our society. It's used extensively in law and scholarly work, and shows up nightly on cop shows -- as in, "I've got an alibi..."
Have some fun with Wikipedia's list of Latin phrases:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Latin_phrases:_A
Maybe you can come up with a motto to go with that family coat of arms you've been doodling on restaurant napkins. Here are a few of my favorites:
Barba tenus sapientes, directly translated as "Wise as far as the beard" meaning "In appearance wise, but not necessarily so." I kinda resemble that remark.
Cacoethes scribendi, an insatiable urge to write,
caveat lector, or let the reader beware!
o tempora, o mores! -- Oh, the times! Oh, the morals!
Here's one for all us bloggers out there who think highly of our own work:
Quae non prosunt singula multa iuvant , or, "what alone is not useful helps when accumulated..."
Hey, we can even work Buzz Lightyear into this: Ad infinitum ad extra! - which roughly means "To infinity and beyond!"
and a final comment on our present government:
corruptissima re publica plurimae leges,
which means "When the government is at its most corrupt, the laws are the most numerous."
