<p>Starting in 10th grade, I self-taught myself Esperanto and can speak it fluently. It was an artificial language created by a Polish guy in the 1800's. It's easy to learn because of its very simple and regular grammar (takes about 200 hours of study). I taught myself the language because I have a passion for language and culture. About 2 million people speak Esperanto.</p>
<p>Anyhow, mi parolas ĝin! (I speak it!)</p>
<p>So, should I put it on my college app? Will they think highly that I taught myself a language? Or will they think I wasted my time teaching myself a language like Esperanto rather than a more useful language like Spanish?</p>
<p>Go ahead and put it down. There’s no better way to show that you have a passion for languages/linguistics (well, not unless you study other languages too). Besides, I’ve heard that Esperanto helps with learning other Romance (?) languages, sort of like Latin…</p>
<p>I would put it! Esperanto, despite being easy, is related to other Romance languages. Once you learn one language, it’s easier to learn another, especially if they are in the same language family. And in addition, you’ve shown that you have initiative and drive - you taught yourself to speak a language fluently. That means that with some work, you could teach yourself another one. It shows that you can self-study well and teach yourself concepts without hand-holding. That kind of skill is very valuable.</p>