<p>I've argued (and lost) that German grammar surely came from Latin even if German is classified as Germanic and Latin is the basis of the romance languages. Of the few languages I've studied only Latin and German decline nouns, and German has the full complement of conjugations with similar sentence structure to Latin. However, the missing link is that they both are Indo-European Proto-Indo-European</a> language - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia and probably based on the theoretical Proto-Indo-European language. The logic of both languages is based on PIE. Anyway, I've gone off topic, but there it is.</p>
<p>Yes, Russian, Polish and other Slavic languages also have the same declensions as German and Latin, but certainly aren't related to German and Latin. It's due to their proto-indo roots. I studied Latin in HS and college, German, Romance and Slavic languages. Your study of Latin will help you with your German for about one week (you'll know what nominative, ablative, etc. mean), but after that, your Latin won't come in that handy. I still am all for studying any language you can get and like! The more, the merrier!</p>
<p>daughter will be taking chinese next year. already has two years conversational via local tutor (only because our school offered NO FOREIGN LANGUAGE until highschool,...sad, really.) you may also want to consider arabic. remember,. spanish, latin, french,...easier and all but if the child likes "rubick's-cube" then give it to them.</p>
<p>tango14 [this is in response to your post on the 2nd page],</p>
<p>It is true that China has not yet caught up to the level of development in countries such as America, and they do not always deal with all issues in an appropriate manner (as we see fit). But one issue, that has happened recently as well, can be used as an example to describe the progress China has achieved in the past 2 decades: Look back at the earthquake of Tang Shan in 1979 (if you've lived that long, or heard about it)...and compare what China did in response to that to what China is doing right now to deal with the earthquake of Wen Chuan in Sichuan province.
That comparison is all that's needed to sum up the progress of China's development.</p>
<p>So that I'm not completely off topic, I'll answer the question. I think you should choose Chinese..it is the language of the fastest developing country in the world, and it will definitely aid you in the future if you're looking at big careers.
And it's what I'm choosing =)</p>
<p>The point I was trying to make was that Chiinese is not the be all and end all. Nor is/was Spanish. There is room for many languages, and the decision as to what language(s) a student should take should be based on real thought, not a "fad" language. If the kid is intrigued by a language such as Chinese or Arabic or even Swahili, that's great. If they are interested, they will probably stick with it and learn. But one should be aware of the opportunities available.</p>
<p>Yes, Chinese is growing in importance, but it will limit you to one part of the world. What about all of Central and South America? Africa? Asia outside of China? The Middle East? </p>
<p>In fact, one solution is to learn more than one other language. This is the norm in Europe as well as in many countries where several languages are spoken either in the country or in close proximity.</p>
<p>central and south america - spanish (and brazail, portugese)</p>
<p>middle east - arabic</p>
<p>africa - afrikaan, french, english</p>
<p>asia - chinese, japanese, korean</p>
<p>by far, asia will have the most impact as its booming economy and population will make it an extrmeley useful language in the future</p>
<p>but if you take latin...you'll be learning a dead language that is the root to many languages. ohand yes you will be learning what AQUA and HYDRO means or sth. great...?</p>
<p>yeah, chinese is the way to go for sure</p>
<p>Keep in mind that this is high school, not a trade school. You also learn history in high school and that's just as "dead" as Latin. And what good is calculus if you don't plan on being a scientist or mathematician, right? How about English? Parents: exactly how many times has any employer of yours appreciated (or given you a raise or good review) that hinged on your understanding of the motifs in Heart of Darkness?</p>
<p>Maybe -- just maybe -- the choice of a language in high school shouldn't be driven by predicting which language will be the most marketable following graduation from college (or more likely, graduate school) in 8 or more years from now.</p>
<p>If, however, marketability is the driving force, isn't it actually unwise to start learning that language now when you'd have to keep up with it for at least 8 straight years in order to have been studying it at the time you're entering the job market? As reluctant as I would be laying down a bet that I know today which language will be the "hot" language in the job market 8-10 years from now, I'd be much more reluctant laying down a bet that someone who started studying a language in 9th grade would keep up with it all the way through MBA school.</p>
<p>I haven't read the whole thread, but my advice to the OP is choose a language that you will have opportunities to become fluent in.</p>
<p>Think about the ethnic communities around where you're studying/planning to study. If there's a large and active German contingent, think about how much easier it'll be to get involved with local groups and have a bit of immersion. If you have family in France, consider how much easier and cheaper it might be to pick that language and do an in-country course while living with your relatives for a few months. If your school has a large proportion of internationals from China, think about Mandarin.</p>
<p>There are many grads out there with mediocre skills in very useful languages, but it goes to waste because they haven't developed their skills to the point where it's properly ingrained.</p>
<p>Exactly, D'yer. I think many are confusing education and training. I want to stress to all kids out there that this time in boarding school, to discover and focus your energies on learning as much as you can across the liberal arts spectrum, is unique. You may not ever have the chance to pursue a subject just for the sake of quinching a thirst again. Even in college, you will pick a major and have to begin limiting your studies to a narrower field. </p>
<p>Take it from someone who has changed careers numerous times, (and still doesn't know what to be when "grown up"). Don't think you know exactly what you want to do at 40 when you're 13 or 14. Instead, broaden your horizons so that when the time comes, you will have experienced enough to make an informed choice.</p>
<p>All the schools discussed on this board are steeped in the liberal arts tradition. It's what makes them so appealing to so many of us. Don't treat them as vo-tech schools. There will be time for specialized training.</p>
<p>I agree with D'Yer Maker and Neatoburrito. A prep school is not a trade school, and the study of languages rewards the student, whether or not the student then uses the language as an adult. It is important to begin learning a language in high school, at the latest, but it's more the experience of learning how to learn a language that makes a difference. On a long term basis, arguments about the relative value of one language over another are beside the point. If you plan to attend graduate school in the humanities, you may find yourself expected to have at least a reading knowledge of two languages, from two different language groupings. Thus, Spanish and Russian would suffice, but Spanish and Latin would not. </p>
<p>From combing through available materials, it seems many prep schools offer Latin, French, and Spanish. Latin is not a contemporary spoken languages, but most educated people, until very recently, learned Latin and (sometimes) Greek. This has left its imprint on academic writing. I would also note that writers trained in the Classics often have an enviable prose style, probably from the study of those writings which survived the collapse of the Roman Empire.</p>
<p>At any rate, French and German are root languages for English. I would argue that Latin and Greek also influenced English heavily, because they were the languages shared by the church and the aristocrats.</p>
<p>another consideration is student interest -- I have noticed that many summer program activities and for some schools, special upper-class classes and programs are aimed at those who have taken a certain language.</p>
<p>For instance -- the School Year Abroad Program offers a year of study abroad in both Spain and France (among other locations). The require a minimum of 2 years of study in that language to apply. If you are not interested in the Spanish culture or interested in ever studying abroad in a Spanish speaking country, it might be wise to select a different language.</p>
<p>this is the same for many summer programs/classes -- in order to apply or be competitive you must have some of the appropriate language skills. Think ahead -- if you might want to spend the summer in France, take French. If you think visiting China would be fantastic -- take Chinese.</p>
<p>I GOT INTO FRENCH 3 AP. Yaaay</p>
<p>hey soccerlife, havent talked in a while...lol.. well since it will be ur first year at choate i think u might not want to start a such a hard language like chinese....u should save that for later years...its going to be hard juggling all that in a new school with new teachers, new EVERYTHING, but if u think u can handle, go for it!!! :)</p>
<p>hi! thanks for the input! i havent made a final decision yet, but i have to by the end of this week.</p>
<p>I am taking Spanish, because it will be pretty easy with a hard course load and I know some of it already, but barely any. Plus, it is so useful!</p>
<p>thanks for all of the responses. after much thought, i have chosen to continue spanish and add chnese, mainly because it isn't a dead language.</p>
<p>My S had also found it difficult to choose just one language, and so will be continuing Spanish and starting Latin....We found the input here very helpful!</p>
<p>I'm doing German. Think its a great language and Germany is the #2 language of business behind English. Chinese may eclipse it but I prefer German because I like European culture and travel.</p>
<p>I want to take German, but I can't at my school.</p>
<p>in eighth grade ill be in latin II and its really good and a very useful language. it also really helps you with english grammar and vocabulary!</p>