ForumsThe TavernWhat language is best to learn in Highschool?

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tegan190
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tegan190
783 posts
Nomad

This was a really big concern to me when I started high school. What language is the best to take, and will be the most useful in my daily life and also a job or getting into a good college. I eventually decided to take Spanish out of the choices of french, German, Chinese and Spanish of course. Living in California, and a part of California that is mainly Hispanic I thought that Spanish would be the best choice because I could communicate with the majority of people who spoke another language besides English. I was also concerned if colleges preferred one language over each other, and if my dream job in the future required a different language than Spanish. So far, the extent of my newly learned language was when I ordered a taco in Spanish at my local Taqueria. What language did you guys choose in highschool, or are thinking you're going to take?

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cje95
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cje95
38 posts
Jester

Spanish for usefulness, Chinese for fun.

thebluerabbit
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thebluerabbit
5,346 posts
Farmer

i live in israel. so its pretty obvious we learn hebrew and arabic. its kind of stupid though because we only start on 7th grade... it would have been so much better if we started studying it in elementary school

GhostOfHorror
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GhostOfHorror
890 posts
Nomad

Well, I've been doing Irish for about 9 years, and, I still speak German better, which I've been doing a couple of months.

PanzerTank
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PanzerTank
1,708 posts
Nomad

I know you aren't from Canada Tegan, but if you were from Canada tis be French you should be taking. It's a very easy language to learn, and a lot of French words sound English.

For example
Petite = small
Touche = touch
Grande = big
Actuallement = Actually
Premier = First
Finalement = Finally

It's also a nice language and sounds right on the tongue. It isn't as intricate as English, but it's still a beautiful language when not spoken by the French from Quebec lol, the Quebecois are a different breed of French. Thetre euphamisms and dialects are odd. They also use to many slang words.

GhostOfHorror
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GhostOfHorror
890 posts
Nomad

I would disagree with that, I find French rather difficult to learn, especially considering you need to speak with an accent.
And, while there are several words that sound/are like English words; there are other ones that are hard to learn, especially in sentence format and whatnot.

Ishtaron
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Ishtaron
359 posts
Blacksmith

I took Spanish but if you can you should learn Latin. Latin would provide the basis to learn several other languages that would be useful if you ever studied abroad or went backpacking through Europe and is commonly used in various scientific fields. Mandarin is also becoming very popular with international business deals so learning that could prove useful depending on what career you plan on going into.

gaboloth
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gaboloth
1,613 posts
Peasant

With the mother tongue being Italian, I think choosing English is quite obvious for everyone, and indeed it's a mandatory subject from elementary school here, and one of my favourites too. In middle school I chose French out of French and Spanish and I liked it very much as well, so when I had to chose my highschool I did an admission test for a linguistic school where I'd have studied 2-3 languages besides English, ended up fourth out of all the 2500 people who tried, then went to a completely different school where I study nothing but Italian and English and where I am slowly forgetting all the French I used to know.

ironblade41
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ironblade41
514 posts
Shepherd

Spanish will be the most useful, but it doesn't matter what language you take, as long as you can understand it and learn it fairly easily. Then again, this is being posted by an 8th grader taking Spanish 1 for high school credit.

tegan190
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tegan190
783 posts
Nomad

Spanish will be the most useful, but it doesn't matter what language you take, as long as you can understand it and learn it fairly easily. Then again, this is being posted by an 8th grader taking Spanish 1 for high school credit.

Taking Spanish, or any language in middle school is really important. Gives you an advantage in high school for taking more classes, and harder classes that look good on your manuscript. I wish I took at least spanish 1 in 8th grade.
Freakenstein
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Freakenstein
9,507 posts
Jester

An incentive..apparently people that take Latin class on average do better on their ACT's (or so my counselor told me >_&gt


I can see that. A lot of English vocabulary words that show up in ACT/SAT tests are straight from Latin cognates.

Inquiry - Quaero Quaerere = to question, request

Mendacious - Mendax = liar, untrustworthy

Turbulence - turba = crowd, agitation, disorder

Amble - Ambulo Ambulare Ambulavi Ambulatum = walk, slow easy pace

If y'all have the option, go take Latin. You'll have an easier time of it and can help you out with determining medical terminology.
ironblade41
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ironblade41
514 posts
Shepherd



If y'all have the option, go take Latin. You'll have an easier time of it and can help you out with determining medical terminology.


Not just medical terminology, but science in general and also Romance languages.
tegan190
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tegan190
783 posts
Nomad

I'm actually thinking I might take some classes at my community college this summer to get a better understanding of spanish if it hasn't improved by the end of the year. Haha I'm not too good at it.

Jumpper
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Jumpper
196 posts
Nomad

Spanish. most definitely the easiest language to take it is just like old english just with different words. but it also depends on were you live. for example I live in arizona so spanish is a good second language to learn.

Jblaze101
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Jblaze101
513 posts
Peasant

I beleieve that spanish was the easiest to learn because the words were so similar in concept and actuality it made it easy for me to remember got two A's from that class

tegan190
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tegan190
783 posts
Nomad

I beleieve that spanish was the easiest to learn because the words were so similar in concept and actuality it made it easy for me to remember got two A's from that class


Yeah. allot of the words are really similar to English. Conjugating verbs is really hard for me though =P
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