<p>I've been accepted to an excellent high school in my state and will begin my junior year there in the fall. I am having a problem choosing which foreign language class I want to take while I'm there. </p>
<p>My options are Spanish, French, Chinese, Japanese, German, and Latin. I refuse to take Spanish or French, and I don't have much interest in Japanese. My strongest interest is in Latin, but my parents are kind of hesitant about letting me take Latin. I've grown up in the Catholic Church, and the Latin used in Mass is what started my interest.</p>
<p>I really want to take Latin, but am considering German or Chinese. I did have some interest in German for a while, but that basically died. And Chinese isn't exactly my cup of tea, but apparently it is or will be very beneficial in dealing with business. I forgot how it was said.</p>
<p>So, do I convince my parents to let me take Latin, basically a dead language, or take German or Chinese, which I don't have much interest in but am willing to consider?</p>
<p>I don’t have the slightest interest in either of the two. They are the only FL courses offered at my school, and for some reason, neither have ever interested me. And I have gotten really tired of Spanish, I don’t know the reason exactly, but it just bothers me when I think about it.</p>
<p>If Latin is what you’re really interested in then try to explain it to your parents. Not all subjects you take have to be aimed at your future profession. Rather take a subject you like than something you don’t find interesting.</p>
<p>When that is said, I personally find German very interesting. I will definitely recommend it.</p>
<p>Spanish: You said you didn’t want to take it
French: You said you didn’t want to take it
Japanese: Little interest
German: Little interest
Chinese: Little interest
Latin: Main interest</p>
<p>When you list it like this, I think the choice is obvious :)</p>
<p>Plus this is just High School. Take Chinese in college, your professor will be better anyways.</p>
<p>I’m sorry to hear you don’t like Spanish or French. I take both and love them :)</p>
<p>If you don’t have much interest in Japanese or German, there’s no point in subjecting yourself to them. Having to sit through language classes when you don’t actually want to learn the language sucks. </p>
<p>You seem to have a keen interest in Latin, so I think that’s what you should do. Although people don’t actually SPEAK it anymore, it’s the base of all the Romance languages (so if you ever do want to learn Spanish/French/Portuguese/Italian later on, it’ll be easier) and it’s also helpful in English vocabulary acquisition, particularly SAT words. It’s definitely not useless. </p>
<p>Chinese may be a good language to know, but I never saw the point of taking it in high school. It’s so hard that you won’t really learn much, especially in two years. It seems more suited to college classes, if you ask me.</p>
<p>Latin will help a lot with vocabulary and it will help you understand English better. It will also give you a great foundation for many western languages you may want to take in the future. My daughter took Latin as a summer course before she started high school and loved it. You are indeed lucky to have so many languages offered.</p>
<p>If you’re going to be starting your junior year there, you’ll only be in Latin I and Latin II, right? The classes at those levels are very easy. You only have to worry when you hit Latin IV and V H/AP when you have to translate and memorize lines from the Iliad or Aeneid. </p>
<p>Chinese is fairly easy, as long as you memorize the vocabulary. (I am both a Latin and Chinese fanatic. (: )</p>
<p>I have a knack for languages, and I find both equally challenging yet doable. I’d honestly say Latin is harder as you begin to translate more texts and such, but if you won’t reach Latin III +, then don’t worry about that. </p>
<p>If you’re most interested in Latin, go for it. It will help you with grammar and writing.</p>
<p>I love languages as well. I know French from living abroad, and I learned Latin and continued French in high school. In college, I learned/am learning German (I will be fluent by the end of the summer). I am also Catholic.</p>
<p>In your position, I would without a doubt pick Latin. You have an opportunity that many others do not have, and it is not one to waste. Ecclesiastical documents are written in Latin, the Tridentine Mass, etc. – part of the Latin Rite heritage is the language (and His Holiness is bringing that back). Furthermore, ancient Latin opens up all sorts of doors – Virgil, Caesar, Catullus, Cicero, etc. Classics is in my opinion the most sophisticated discipline. Plus, it is likely your state has the Junior Classical League – a Latin Convention (read: party) that happens every year and includes language competitions, arts competitions and festivals, performances, banquets, etc.</p>
<p>In other words, it’s a no-brainer.</p>
<p>French is easily my favorite modern language, followed closely by German and Italian. I am surprised you are not interested in French as it is arguably the most closely related to Latin (being a direct descendant by means of vulgarity). You like German better though, and that’s fine obviously.</p>
<p>French is a beautiful language. I’ve been taking it for three years, one year a college level course. It’s spoken in sooo many places, making it useful if you want to travel. I also studied Japanese for a few years, it’s very interested but it has very complicated grammar. </p>
<p>Take Latin since you’re interested, though. If you’re not interested truly in a language, it will be so difficult and boring to learn.</p>
<p>If you’re interested, take Latin. If your parents hesitant, ignore them. (My parents told me to take Spanish instead of Japanese, but I ignored them and took Japanese, and I am glad I did take that language).</p>
haha</p>