<p>I'm interested in taking up another language in college. I don't plan on using it for a career, but if at all possible, I'd like to have some degree of fluency in a modern language upon graduating. (I say "modern" because it's likely that I'll major in Classics, a major which usually entails the study of both ancient Greek and Latin, with both of which I have a good deal of experience.)</p>
<p>Anyway, that said, if I were to minor in Spanish, and perhaps complement the minor by studying abroad in Spain, how well would I likely speak/read the language? (I choose Spanish because (1) apparently it's the easiest language for an Anglophone to learn (hence facilitating my acquiring fluency), and (2) because it enjoys a good deal of usage in the United States; I'd actually be able to converse with people in Spanish in this country.) Be realistic; I know a lot of students have fantasies like this, so if I'm completely off the mark, tell me so. I'm pretty skilled with languages in general, but I'd like to know if anyone else, who having no prior knowledge of a language has actually majored/minored in the language and attained fluency.</p>
<p>well i'd say for sure, you can obtain at least a certain amount of fluency in a language. People often don't start learning languages like Arabic or Chinese until college, but end up fairly fluent in them by the time they finish schooling. But a main factor to obtaining fluency in any language, is actually immersing oneself to a country that speaks the learned language in question. Hope this helps!</p>
<p>Spanish is a comparatively easy language to learn. I'm studying it while abroad in Germany, and I'm picking it up quite well. With a semester in a Spanish-speaking country I'm sure I would be comfortably fluent in the language (no time for that though). I'm confident that I can achieve facility in the language without that though.</p>
<p>Definitely go for it. You can't study abroad in a ancient Greek or Latin-speaking nation. Spanish is a good choice if you're not entirely sure of how much time you would have to devote to a language, as with just a little effort you will make a lot of progress in the language.</p>
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Spanish is a good choice if you're not entirely sure of how much time you would have to devote to a language, as with just a little effort you will make a lot of progress in the language.
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Yeah, that's exactly my case. I don't really know how much time I want to spend on it, or if I truly want to minor in it.</p>
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if you are to learn Greek, brace yourself...the grammar is the most complex thing you will ever run into in your life..
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I know, I've been studying for a while now. Even so, the National Greek Exam often seems like Chinese.</p>
<p>Arabic is hard core....like for reals...there are soo many sounds you couldn't make until like after 15 years of practicing..it's just not natural for a non-native speaker to say them...</p>
<p>go with spanish. it's the best language ever, and you'll be beyond the intermediate level by the time you're a junior in college (assuming you take it consecutively each semester)</p>
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go with spanish. it's the best language ever, and you'll be beyond the intermediate level by the time you're a junior in college (assuming you take it consecutively each semester)
<p>In the above context, "intermediate" means between "beginner" & "advanced" level of linguistic ability in a foreign language. Spanish & the Mandarin dialect of Chinese are two of the three most commonly spoken languages in the world, with English being the third. Study of languages such as French, Spanish & Chinese (Mandarin) can begin as early as Kindergarden in the U.S. Where I live, a new charter school is opening for grades K-8 which requires study of all three languages--English, Spanish & Mandarin (Chinese)--during all 9 years. Can you believe that there is actually substantial neighborhood opposition to this small charter school due to increased automobile traffic? Fluency in Spanish is relatively easy to obtain with several years of collegiate study combined with a one academic year study abroad option in Spain, Argentina or South Texas.</p>
<p>Spanish is an easy language to learn. You have experience with Latin, so you shouldn't have any trouble with the grammar. With pronunciation, the most difficult thing would probably be rolling your Rs. It's what most people have trouble with. But seriously, if you devote even a minimal amount of time to learning Spanish, you'll pick up a lot.</p>
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Fluency in Spanish is relatively easy to obtain with several years of collegiate study combined with a one academic year study abroad option in Spain, Argentina or South Texas.
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<p>South Texas? There are study "abroad" programs conducted in South Texas?</p>