Latin or Spanish?

Question

I'm going into high school next year and I have to choose between French, German, Latin and Spanish. French and German are right out, but I can't decide between Latin and Spanish. I have been taking Spanish for 8 years in school but still have a lot to learn. Which class should I take and why? Please do not say German or French because I know I don't want to take those. Thank you!!

My spanish experience is limited and I did most of my learning in the past three years of school. I think I'll take Spanish because its more usefull and I'm already a good student (straight As).

Answer 1

This will actually depend on the school you go to. When it comes to foreign language, colleges like to see you go above & beyond the basic 2 or 3 year "requirement". Does your school offer any AP (advanced placement) classes in Latin or in Spanish? Many schools, such as the HS where I teach, offer AP classes in Spanish... but only offer first and second year Latin. That means that you can take Spanish I, II, III, IV, V, and AP language or AP literature.... but if you chose Latin you could only take Latin I and Latin II... with no other Latin courses after that. I think that you should probably go for the Spanish... simply b/c where I teach, that would give you the most options and offer you an opportunity to earn some college credit. But then again, I'm biased, b/c I'm a Spanish teacher lol :)

Answer 2

Take Spanish, how many people will understand you when you talk to them in Latin? However with Spanish you can:
1) Visit about 20 different countries and speak the native language.
2) Get a much better job by being bilingual, especially with Spanish (18 countries in the Americas speak Spanish!) How many companies in the US do you think do business with Latin America and Spain?
3) Save somebody's life by being able to translate.... I don't think the paramedics speak Latin.
4) Most Spanish words come from Latin anyway, so you'll be killing two birds at once, but with a more useful single stone.

Answer 3

The fact is that German and Latin are actually closer (in the grammatical point of view) than Latin and Spanish. Both German and Latin are based on declinations. Spanish and Latin have in common most of their vocabulary, like Latin and Italian or Spanish and Italian. I'd suggest you to pick Spanish because Latin is a dead language. However, if you are looking forward to a medical school or a Litterary school, Latin would be the best choice because of all the medial and litterary terms directly taken from Latin.

Answer 4

Well here's my input & i hope it will help you come to a decision.
My experience comes from having traveled extensively & been schooled in different countries. Because of this i've learned & studied several languages & dialects.
I've studied in the four you've mentioned.
At the least learning Latin will give you a base for understanding the romance languages which will help you with Spanish, hense 'killing two bird with one stone'.

If you are able to do some research, talk with a teacher or proffessor who knows the subject & look into what your long tearm benefit would be. Weigh out the work you'll be putting in to the results, what you'll gain & where you want it to lead you.
Also ck out if the teacher who'll be teaching you is fun and makes the learning fun. There's nothing more arresting than the subject made more challenging by it being uninteresting and unapealing.

Answer 5

In practical terms, Spanish is your best choice.

Unless you're planning to study law or medicine, Latin will only be a seldom boasting nice thing to know. You'll be able to say cool things that other people won't understand, but it won't take you far.

As a previous responder stated, Spanish will open the doors to many countries that speak it as the official language. Besides, you have already an 8 years kick start, and all you have to do is become serious about learning it.

Remember, learning a language is not only about learning words and phrases. It is also about learning about the cultures of the people who speak that language.

There is a wide variety of literature available, offline and online.

However, if you want to learn to say things like:

Res ipso liquotor (the thing speaks by itself)
Nemo dat quod non habet (You can't give what you ain't got)
Mens rea (The mental or intentional component of an offence)
Quo vadis Domini? (Where are you going, Lord?)
Alea jacta est (The dice is cast)

... and other stuff like that... be my guest. Go for latin, and see how far you go with it.

Answer 6

Latin is a dead language. You won't be able to really communicate with people. It is good for learning the basis of many languages, including our own. Many of our words are derived from Latin words. This will be helpful in your SATs and other such cases where you will need to define words.

I think Spanish is more useful, since there is a rapid growth in the United States of Spanish speaking individuals. There are a lot more opportunities to use Spanish than there is for Latin.

Answer 7

Spanish

Answer 8

Spanish. Latin is a dead language and won't really help you that much in life.

If you take Spanish, you will not only be learning a great language, but you have openned yourself up to many occupational and travel options. Think of all the people who speak Spanish in South and Central America and Spain. If you speak Spanish fluently, more employers will want to hire you so they can serve more people.

Not to mention all the attractive people you could date if you spoke their language...!

Answer 9

I agree with SkinnyJe.

Wow, you're an achiever. Straight A's in Spanish. My advice for you is to take Spanish. There are many Spanish-speaking countries and it would open doors for you professionally, if you master Spanish as a second language. Just like my cousin who is a lawyer, she was accepted immediately by my country's Foreign Service since she speaks fluent Spanish.

It is advisable for you to have cultural immersion. Spend at least one-three months in Spain or any Spanish-speaking country to imbibe the culture and the people speaking it. Good luck!!!

Answer 10

Take spanish..it is more practical...you can go to south america and speak to anyone and meet so many people. In the states they speak only spanish...it is a beautiful language and easy to learn. On the other hand latin...you'll lose your money you cant practice it with anyone and all that you learned will be gone with the wind