As I previously mentioned and Sear so rightly observed, our "fairly well evolved language" is only that way because it has borrowed so much from Latin and Greek (among others).
Indeed, so why devolve it back to it's constituent components?

The main problem with language, ancient and modern, is that it is contextual. Words mean different things, depending on the structure of the sentence and the context of the sentence within the main body of text/speech. Whilst a single phrase may be in "common" use, it cannot really express what is meant better than using the reader's native language. Just look at the way that they are used in religion to confound and obfuscate the real meaning of what is actually being said. Even lawyers use Latin and Greek phrases to confuse onlookers.

It's like the old cliche "the question is only easy if you know the answer". If we were all English language students, it may be reasonably safe to assume that we should know some common phrases in Greek or Latin. In general, I tend not to use phrases in foreign languages unless I am sure that the reader knows them. If I'm not sure, I use a similar English one.

How times have changed. Not so very long ago it would be assumed that educated men would have a certain amount of Latin and Greek (and for anyone considering a scientific subject they are still always beneficial since so much technical terminology is rooted in them) as a given; nowadays it seems Latin is reserved for use as a military unit's motto and amusing mock-Latin proverbs that bounce round the internet.

Indeed, Latin in particular was used to set the "upper class" apart from the rest. That's why it was mainly taught in public schools rather than state schools. (For our American friends and to point out translation errors - a "public school" in England actually means a "private school".)

The main reason for the Latin influence on European languages is the Roman conquest. Latin was the language of the oppressor and invader for those living in the British Isles. It has become the language of the "elite" now, those who hold the reigns of power and oppression - those who "lord it over" the rest of us. Whilst certain Latin words have been incorporated, they are usually in heavily modified forms. We don't often use the suffix "us" in everyday life, for instance. Of course, there are exceptions, such as "terminus" and "bus".

Many languages have been incorporated by English, including Japanese, Norwegian, Cantonese, Hindi, French, German, Spanish... the list is extensive and includes almost every language. So, using the same line of thought, should English speakers also have a rudimentary knowledge of all those other languages? Or is Latin a special case?

John