<p>Hello everyone my number school is Georgetown and specifically the Walsh School of Foreign Service, I realize that it is very difficult to be accepted to either one but everyone I talk to (gc, admissions, students, etc.) tell me that it is important I have a good knowledge of a language. I am a native english speaker from NYC, so I get lots of interactions with other cultures and languages daily for me it's not hard to pick up words or phrases since i'm surrounded by them everyday. I have a working proficiency in French, i've taken 5 years of it in school and by the time I graduate I will have 6 years I also have family in France so I know lots of the slang. Anyways, i'm interested in challenging myself with a difficult new language I've been brainstorming and the top three for me are (not in order) Russian, Hebrew or Arabic. I wouldn't be taking these languages at school since my HS doesn't offer them (only the generic spanish, latin, italian, french) so i'd learn using a program or the like, also I'd like to be able to continue learning in college and I know GU offers all three of these languages with extensive programs. So if someone could tell me what their opinion is it would be greatly appreciated! Also please don't tell me to take Spanish, I already know enough to get around. Also feel free to throw something new out there that I haven't considered!</p>
<p>*number one!</p>
<p>Well, I know Arabic and its a beautiful language (first language) but there are SO many dialects that it depends which dialect you learn.</p>
<p>Honestly, if I were you, I would LOVE LOVE LOVE to learn Russian.</p>
<p>If i learn Arabic, i’m guessing the basic one or main dialect would it be universally understood by other Arabic speakers?</p>
<p>I’d choose a language that interests you most. If you have a particular interest in the history/culture/civilization, that would be an added bonus.</p>
<p>IMO, I’d add Chinese as an option. From a future benefit perspective, I’m not sure how helpful Hebrew would be for SFS given that there is a small population of speakers.</p>
<p>Any of these languages will be time-consuming and difficult to learn, and proficiency after 4 years will be a challenge. Certainly if you have an opportunity to study abroad, that will help in the learning.</p>
<p>like you said pick a language that interests you and at the moment i’m not sure if i’m ready to take on learning mandarin </p>
<p>@arios98o‌ Most likely, but the problem will be if YOU understand them. I know Egyptian/slang arabic yet I have trouble understanding the more formal arabic or Saudi Arabian/Iranian/Lebanese arabic even through they are the same language. They understand me however. </p>
<p>The thing is, there is no MAIN arabic. If you learn it from a Pakistani, you will be learning a different language then I know. I would understand you, but would you understand me? That is the problem. Another difference is the tone/pronunciation of words.</p>
<p>And it will be RIDICULOUSLY difficult learning it online if that is something you planned on doing.</p>
<p>I’m planning to get Rosetta Stone to help me with the basics at least help to understand, not necessarily for speaking. Once I “graduate” from that I would like to do person-person classes, also i’m hoping I can pursue this in college and do a semester/year abroad in the Middle East if I learn to love the language. </p>
<p>Russian would be really cool; I’d certainly love to learn it, along with a bunch of languages my school doesn’t offer (of course, my school only offers Spanish, French, Chinese, and Japanese; and I doubt that there’s even a Chinese 1 class at all). Honestly, you’re lucky to have a selection like that at your school. </p>
<p>What about German? German is really cool; I tried learning a few phrases at one point in time (although really, the only phrases I remember are from The Book Thief. </p>
<p>Also Greek, because, well, it’s Greek.</p>
<p>I’d love to learn some other languages (because honestly, I don’t like Spanish); you’re really lucky that you can.</p>
<p>I agree with some of the previous posters that Hebrew wouldn’t really be useful.</p>
<p>The easiest language would be Spanish. Spanish, German, French, and English are among the most common, but Japanese would be cool to learn for Anime. I don’t know. I’m up to level 3 in Spanish, so I guess I’m biased. Do what you like and/or are interested in.</p>
<p>Do you have a friend from one of those cultures that you can practice with? That is another thing to consider. I find it much easier to learn a language when you get to actually get to interact with people that use it daily. That way, it’s not just rote memorization, but you’re using what you learn</p>
<p>No unfortunately I don’t have any friends or know of anyone who speaks Arabic but for now i’m just trying to pick up on the basics and then i’d like to move on to person-person classes. I always would love to take it in college and then go study abroad in the middle east. </p>
<p>Choose a “critical language” that the U.S. government wants people to study, even awarding scholarships for overseas study. Just make sure it’s a language you enjoy. My daughter has tried studying five languages over the years, and she disliked two of them, and loves the other three and continues to study those. See <a href=“Languages List - Critical Language Scholarship Program”>http://www.clscholarship.org/languages/</a></p>
<p>wow very cool, i’ve never heard of this and am happy to discover that Russian and Arabic are on that list! May I ask what languages your daughter has tried and which she has liked?</p>
<p>I second what others said - just choose whichever one interests you most. I’m teaching myself German and Scottish Gaelic and plan on moving to either Old English, Irish, Cornish, Welsh, or Manx after I’ve learned some more. I’ve also studied Latin, Ancient Greek, and Scots (which is only questionably a language). If usefulness were important to me, I only would have studied German. Just choose whichever langauge (and the area’s history and culture that goes along with it) interests you the most.</p>
<p>I also agree with everyone else, you will learn fastest if you really have a passion for the language. I am interested (and LOVE) anything that has to do with the Russia- the Russian language, the culture, and the people there. I am teaching myself Russian, and I am loving it! It makes learning fun if you really want to learn the language.</p>
<p>P.S. Have you looked into NSLI-Y or CLS? I am guessing that you are a senior so you could apply for both programs. NSLI-Y has both Arabic and Russian at all levels, beginner to advanced. CLS is for people that are college age but it requires one year of college study (of Arabic) for the Arabic program, and two years of college study (of Russian) for the Russian program. If you have any questions, feel free to P.M. me! :)</p>
<p>I’m actually a junior, but those programs would be great to look into for next year and the years following! thank you for al the info. </p>
<p>Well, NSLI-Y is for all high school students, so you could apply next year as a senior! It is also for people who just graduated from high school. </p>
<p>You’re welcome, I really enjoy talking about things like this. :)</p>
<p>Chinese is the language of the future, especially with China’s growing world status. </p>