What Foreign Language do you teach and why??

[Amy+2]

I have been debating which route to go for our upcoming 'school year' and just cannot seem to make up my mind. We are using English from the Roots Up this year and really enjoying it. Ready to spread our wings and go for something MORE! So, do I choose to go with Latin, Mandarin, French, Spanish, or even German??? Just wondering how you all came to your decision on which path to take, and which curriculum to use, since I seem to have no direction right now...or, maybe, I have too many directions from which to choose??:rolleyes:

[nmoira]

My oldest is doing Latin and Spanish. Lively Latin is a gentle program and only takes about 15 minutes per day. We've cut back on other subjects time-wise to get a headstart in Spanish; she's using more than one program and is averaging 1-1.5 hours per day. However, she's very language oriented and has set this as her main priority. We chose Spanish as a modern language solely because of the number of Spanish speaking people in the area; it will be easier to find a tutor locally than if we'd chosen French or a non-romance language. Our plan is to focus on mainly receptive language and reading for a year or two and then have twice a week sessions with a tutor.

[Raders Fan]

A lot of what I have written below applies more to older students, but it's something I wrote up a year or so ago in response to a similar question.

Spanish probably is the easiest language to study, at least in this country. It is taught everywhere, materials abound at every instructional level and every media format, native speakers are easy to find. If there is an easier language for Americans to learn, I don’t know what it would be. When compared with Chinese, Japanese, Finnish, or Hungarian, in the area of ease for Americans to learn, Spanish wins hands down.

There is no one best language. Best for you and your family may not be what’s necessarily best for someone else. Some factors to consider:

1. What do you want to learn? That will be best.
2. What do your children want to learn? That will be best. A child will not do well studying a language in which he really has no interest. I studied Spanish in high school. I did well, but was bored to tears. I began studying Russian in college and fell in love with the language. Decided to double major (I completed the zoology degree for my dad—he wanted me to go to med school—and the Russian degree for me). I completed a four-year program in three years. I wish I had realized that I had a gift for learning languages much earlier. People who have this talent can easily be bored learning an easier language.
3. Will you be able to find a native speaker to tutor your children? Is this important to you? Are you ready to pay for it? We pay $12 an hour for a native Chinese girl to tutor our dc.
4. What types of careers do you think your children will be interested in? If I thought my child would work in public schools, construction, landscaping, agriculture, social or government services, or health care, I would definitely suggest Spanish. Spanish-speakers have a competitive edge in these fields. In fact, I have read of people being demoted because of an inability to speak Spanish fluently.

I don’t see my sons going into these fields, so they are studying languages that may give them an edge in the future. All dc study Russian. Ds17 also studies German and Japanese and picks up languages with ease. He is planning to major in Arabic when he enters the university in the fall. Ds14 also studies Mandarin. Each child in our family will study at least two other modern languages (I just can’t bring myself to study a dead language when live languages are so much fun!). With over 1 billion Chinese people on the planet, I really believe Mandarin will be a very important language to know. The dds are all young and I don’t yet have a sense of what they will want to do, so for now they study Russian and Mandarin.

5. Do you expect them to make a career out of the language they study? Then the best language to study might be Arabic. We’ve read articles about students graduating with bachelor’s degrees in Arabic making six figures right out of college. One of them turned down the 100K offer and was offered 150K a few months later.
6. Do they have the intellect to learn languages? I’m not trying to sound snarky here. There are very intelligent people who just can’t pick up a more difficult language. Of course, a lot will depend on how early your child begins to study a foreign language. In my first Russian class, about a third of the students withdrew within the first few weeks and only about a third continued to take the second semester class. And many of these students had already learned another language.
7. Do they want to go into the military, CIA, FBI, NSA, or other similar government service? Pick Arabic, Mandarin, Korean, or ?? (I think that fourth language was Vietnamese—not sure. The NSA is building a new facility in Utah that will focus on these four languages.)
8. Will your child be able to study the target language for the 2 or even 3 years that colleges want to see? I think Rosetta Stone is a great program to use, but definitely not as a stand-alone. Most people on this board seem to think Rosetta Stone can count for two years of high school language if it is supplemented. Currently, Rosetta Stone offers a third level of their program only for Spanish, and some languages only have one level. So will you be able to meet the two-year high school minimum? If not, does the local community college or university offer your desired language? And, will your child be able to take classes there?

HTH,
Jennifer

[Tami]

Spanish because we found a program we really like and because my dd was more interested in Spanish than classical languages. I'm not that in love with any particular language, but require at least ONE. I will likely require at least 2 years of Biblical Greek in high school, in addition to a language of choice.

I've let go of Latin. :eek:

[ArwenA]

We do French and Latin here. Latin doing Latin for Children or Latin's not so Tough starting in 3rd. Informal French starting in K and more formal French using Rosetta Stone starting in 5th. In 9th each child will choose another language they want to learn or they can just do Latin and French.
Why have you chosen the languages you mentioned? I'd choose the ones you think would be the most beneficial in your family. We study French because we live in Canada and it is one of our official languages. It is also in our heritage and will help with communication with some countries in Europe and Africa.
We study Latin because it helps us learn French, English and other Romantic languages. It is a springboard for learning other languages and also builds our vocabulary and grammar skills.

[one l michele]

Spanish for a foreign language because it's pretty much a second language here and many careers would benefit from knowing it.

We will study Latin/Greek roots starting in 3rd using EFTRU flashcards to help with vocabulary.

[Beth in Central TX]

We wanted to follow the traditional classical education route of Latin and Greek. I teach Latin, and my DH teaches Koine Greek. We will study these languages through high school. If they are interested, my boys can learn a modern language in high school, but I will leave it up to them as to which language they want to take. I'll probably outsource whatever they choose. My oldest has expressed a desire to learn Hebrew...not a modern language, but we're open if that's his desire.

I have a background in German, and I've been thinking about taking a refresher course and continuing my studies. If I do, I'll probably include the boys if they are interested. German would be studied on an informal basis though.

[g007girl]

We do German because my mil is German. I think Spanish would also be beneficial, since it seems like it's almost a second language here in America. But, like others said, do what you and your children want to learn.

[PariSarah]

So, the short version:

We do French because we lived there. We all spoke it (dh and ds better than I), and so it was relatively easy to continue on with more formal study when we got home. We have also been able to find a French babysitter fairly easy, which helps keep up his aural skills.

We added Koine Greek for a couple reasons: it was the only other language we both felt comfortable teaching. (We've taken Hebrew and German, but suck at both.) It had a different alphabet and syntactical structure than either English or French, but it is still foundational for English vocab. It stretches his mind a little more than Latin would have, but doesn't stretch us too much.

We'd like to add a third language in high school, but that's a ways away. But my primary criteria for that will be ds's interest and our access to native speakers. I probably won't consider future usefulness much at all--my feeling is, if he can learn a language that he wants to learn, he can probably learn another when he needs to learn it.

[Mama Lynx]

We teach Latin, and are just beginning koine Greek.

I have a background in Spanish, and a bit of a background in German. I will let the dc choose whatever modern language they want to learn, but I can best help them with Spanish or German. If they do not choose, it will be Spanish, because it is the modern language I"m most familiar with, and because of the prevalence of Spanish materials and speakers in the U.S.

We teach Latin and Greek because we are sold on the benefits of a traditional classical education, because it it excellent training in grammar and logic, because we plan to read ancient texts in the original ... and many other reasons! I think that their training in Latin will make it fairly easy to learn any of the other romance languages.

[strider]

We chose Spanish specifically because it is so commonly spoken here and because dh really wanted this language. I toyed with teaching French, because I know that language and could have taught it somewhat easily. I toyed more seriously with learning German with dd because that was my father's first language, and I have bazillions of German-speaking relatives. In the end, the sheer practicality of Spanish won out.

We are also doing Latin for all the reasons SWB enumerates in TWTM. In our case, my dd picks up foreign language pretty easily--she has inherited a knack for languages that runs through my side of the family. (My father was fluent in several languages.) As such, having her learn the basis for modern romantic languages just seemed to make sense. I have hopes that Latin will boost her language arts abilities and eventually, SAT scores. :D

Because my dd is doing so well with Latin and Spanish, I hope that she will choose a third language in high school. I REALLY hope it's German, but will not pressure her in any way.

My ds is doing Spanish now, and will eventually do some Latin as well. I don't think he will progress like dd, and I don't think I will ask him to consider a third language. For him it makes more sense to focus on math and science, although we are flexible and will make that determination as he grows and matures.

[CleoQc]

English

(sorry couldn't resist, but it *is* our foreign language!)

DS, 10, is also learning Latin and Greek.

DD, 7, is dabbling in Latin, but not in a very structured way. I'm waiting for her English skills to be stronger first.

[GothicGyrl]

This is going to sound horrible, but, you asked.

I've tried spanish, 4 times. And I am cuban/italian! None of us are getting into it at all. And I know why--I live in a predominantely spanish speaking population and I'm tired of hearing "learn their language" instead of them "learning ours", so I've put up a mental block against spanish, as have my kids.

So I gave them a choice-Spanish(again), French, or Latin.

And I tried Latin, once. Latina Christiana grated on my nerves..her voice was "fingernails on a chalkboard" for me and them. So we blocked it like Spanish.

So French it is. And I'm fully aware of the irony in this (french and spanish being almost equal in language (la/le) with a few exceptions). But we will be doing French. And I can handle that. ;)

[Laura Corin]

We teach Mandarin because we live in China, and DH and I both speak it. I expect both boys to learn Latin, because it's great brain training, as well as being good background to English and other languages. The boys will be learning French from middle school (because I have a degree in it and I want them to have another modern language). They can start Spanish or German at sixteen in school (if they want to). And Hobbes chose to learn Greek, so he and I are doing that too (Classical). I wouldn't be at all surprised if Hobbes wanted to learn Russian, Japanese, Thai, Korean or Arabic in the future - he just like different scripts.

A quick note on Mandarin: I don't suggest doing it unless you can get a native or near-native speaker to help you out. The tones are crucial, and you need someone to drill you on them, otherwise they just won't make sense to your ears.

Best wishes

Laura

[Jenny in Atl]

Were a mess... Worked on German for a couple years (lots of Swiss/German in the family), even went to a Sat German school, but we pooped out. We have also played with Spanish for years (since pre-school), but now we are back at it in ernest. French lasted about three months, until I realized dd 12, needed a real French teacher, and not me :eek:
Latin we started backup again this year after flirting with it a few years ago; this time it's a winner, and we are committed for at least 3 more years.

[Daisy]

I sat down with DD and DH and we had a pow-wow. I guess we are going to start Greek in the fall. I have resources already for that and DD is really excited.

[Kate in Arabia]

We have a kind of mixed trilingual thing in our household, probably should have been more emphasis on the Arabic than the English, but it came out that the kids are native English speakers but pretty strong in Arabic (and very basic knowledge of Urdu).

Our main reason for learning Arabic is religious, but it is also the only other common language between dh and I other than English - I studied it in school and he is a fluent speaker having grown up in an Arab country. I think it has a fascinating complex structure, which, like Latin, is great in strengthening the mind and beefing up knowledge of your own language.

[Closeacademy]

Spanish--because I studied it and I can just insert it throughout the day and our library has a good selection of picture books in spanish.

Latin--because it trains the brain and helps to understand all those big words. It is good for my little scientist and increases SAT scores.

Greek--Have dabbled here for that whole reading the New Testament in the origional language thing plus if we learn attic or Homeric eventually we could read the classics in the origional.

[Sasha]

They are learning Russian because my family is Russian, German because dh spent time in Germany while in the military, and Latin for vocabulary.

[DSAcademy]

In order to mirror the language program of our school board, the kids are studying French, and will continue to do so until they have high school level mastery. This way if they choose to attend a public/private high school, instead of remaining at home, they will have the prerequisite background.

Having said that, my dd loves languages and would study it on her own even if it wasn't a core requirement for us. She is also learning Latin because someone told her it was a dead language, and she thought that was a horrible fate to carry around. Resultantly, she is making it "alive" again, so it doesn't feel left out!!!

[Michele B]

We study German because I took some graduate classes in German and my husband has a masters in Anglo-Saxon literature. So we can incorporate linguistic connections into everyday. "Why is 2 spelled with a w?" "Think about the German "zwei" or its other form "zwo;" think about that in relation to "twain," twin"etc. Latin and German are the "bookends" of English. Also, there is great German lit to read: novels, poetry. You may like going to operas or may even want to sing , German is useful. Great literature, great music, relationship with our own language, beautiful place to visit....lots of reasons.

Michele

[Amy+2]

Thanks everyone for the responses!

I started this post because my original intent was to go with German. My MIL, who I love dearly, said she thought German was not a great choice. Not worldly enough, I guess, in her opinion. I was greatly surprised at the variety in the responses, and pleased to see that German was listed a few times. My grandparents both spoke fluent German, and, unfortunately, none of their children or grandchildren learned to speak a lick of it! :001_rolleyes:

Anyway, wanted to say thanks for the replies!

BTW~I asked the dear ones today what foreign language they would like to learn and, of course, my oldest said "Chinese, or maybe French, Mama..." and my youngest said "Spanish, because I already know some of the words." :ohmy: Imagine that!

[Plaid Dad]

Currently, Latin. Here's why. (http://www.latincentered.com/node/196) We plan to add Greek in third grade. We have done some French very informally and may well add it or another modern language when our dd is older.

[Tokyomarie]

Japanese is THE foreign language for our entire family because we lived in Japan for nearly 11 years. Our two daughters grew up truly bilingual, equally fluent in both English and Japanese. They were 12 & 15 when we moved to the USA and at that point their English became dominant.

Dd #1 studied about a year's worth of Latin in high school until her tutor moved and we didn't have any support to continue. Sorry, I know not a thing about Latin and could not help her! Despite attempts to muddle through there were too many other things to worry about. She also studied Spanish for a year until our study group disbanded. This dd resumed her Japanese study in college, eventually taking the Japanese Language Proficiency Test (JLPT) and passing the highest level.

Dd #2 was in the Spanish study group. She did not do Latin. She resumed her Japanese study when she was about 15, but had lost so much that she had to pretty much start over again.

Ds was only 5yo when we moved here and because of speech delays did not learn Japanese as a pre-schooler. He is in a co-op Japanese class this year so is starting from the ground up. I've toyed with the idea of trying Latin again, but I would want to use a gentle curriculum and wouldn't worry how far we get.

I just feel really badly that the girls couldn't keep up their Japanese more after we moved here. It was my goal to find Japanese friends and tutors for them but the reality didn't meet the dream.