Here's why:
* Historical Tradition: Scientific naming, or binomial nomenclature, was established by Carl Linnaeus in the 18th century. Latin was the language of scholarship at the time, and Greek was also widely used in scientific terminology.
* Universality: Latin and Greek are considered "dead" languages, meaning they are no longer spoken as everyday languages. This makes them neutral and avoids bias towards any particular culture or language group.
* Clarity and Precision: Latin and Greek have precise and unambiguous grammatical structures, making them suitable for scientific naming.
While Latin is the primary language used for scientific names, Greek words are often incorporated for specific terms and descriptors.
