any suggestions for foreign language?

lefthandofdog
Thu, 11 Jan 2007 07:46:06 +0000

I’m of the “take what interests you” camp, too. Somewhat like NSM, I studied French from junior high (what is was called back then) half way through college and in my late twenties lived in Germany for a year and a half. So you never know where life will take you. At this stage, I would be ruled by interests, accessability and quality of the teachers. It’s nice to go further in depth in Spanish since he’s got a background, but if the teaching and opportunities for immersion aren’t promising, switching now isn’t a bad idea. I’d want to be sure his college can provide follow up experiences, though, if he takes a summer course somewhere else.

Many people will tell you to study Arabic or Chinese because those will be the ‘hot’ languages in the coming years. That makes me think speakers of Finnish or Swahili or Korean or Farsi will be in greater demand since those aren’t the languages American students are flocking to. Languages are like shoes - you start out with one pair, then see another one that looks good and you’ll need those boots for when the weather gets cold … Your son has a start in Spanish - he can go further in that language or begin another. If he stays in IR, he’ll have reasons and opportunities to add to his list. If it were me, I’d take the language with the best teaching environment - best classroom teacher, opportunities for immersion, etc. and realize that beyond learning that particular language, I’m learning how to acquire new languages, and can apply those skills to learning the next language.