Mandarin???

[moved]

Commercially, Mandarin is currently useful but not essential. It is a tough language. DD is taking it after school and began in yr 9. She started Spanish in yr 10 and finds it much easier. However Spanish is a classroom subject. She also takes German and already has French. She has found tha Mandarin tougher than any of the others.

[Middlesexmum]

My dd is currently in Year 7 at St. Helens and has chosen French and Spanish.

I would echo what others have said, don't think too long term at the moment, let her choose! If she has a flair for languages she can always start others later on.

[Tinkers]

Coincidently, I've just received my order from the Works, which included an Oxford mini German dictionary.

At the back it's got some 'interesting facts' about German/Germany.

Apparently 'more people in the EU have German as their mother tongue than English, French or any other language'.

Don't know if that helps you choose though.

[Amber]

I really wish schools would start offering Arabic. Mandarin and Japanese are good and a step in the right direction; Russian seems sadly to be disappearing (the greatest language ever imho) and German is on the decline too despite my one-woman campaign to ensure that every child in my care learns it (success in 2 out of 3 cases so far, though the little one is enjoying teasing me - I hope he is teasing me- that he intends to do French instead). Tbh I am not sure it really matters, though if they are talented it might be better to choose something other than Spanish (or in addition to it). In terms of usefulness, don't go thinking GCSE anything at all will do you a huge amount of practical good in industry, but there are so many other benefits to being a polyglot.

[Jean.Brodie]

Hi Exampipe! I worked in a Year 7 Mandarin class not long ago. They start with compulsory Spanish and Mandarin for all at that non-selective, State school. .... I have also seen Year 10 'enrichment' Mandarin classes.

So this view is from the classroom. All the Year 7 kids loved it and took to spoken Mandarin like ducks gleefully diving into water. Amend their enthusiasm and commitment was sustained. I've never seen such a strong response in any subject. ... The Year 10s also loved it, especially the music-like aural effect and the calligraphy.

My DD? ... She is at Henrietta Barnett and currently takes French, German, Spanish and Latin, like they all do in Year 9. She loves three and will drop German. I would have loved her to have had the opportunity to learn Mandarin.

I'm broadly with Marigold and Middlesexmum and Amber in spirit. I've been lucky to have had to use English and various South Asian languages, because of our nomadic upbringing. I chose to study French and Spanish at secondary school from Year 7 and Year 9, respectively. I still speak bits when I can, here and overseas, and can also just about manage a short concersation or a newspaper article in each of five European and South Asian languages. The total experience has been extraordinarily enriching for me. My only regret is that I didn't formally study any of them for long enough.

[moved]

I really wish schools would start offering Arabic. Mandarin and Japanese are good and a step in the right direction; Russian seems sadly to be disappearing (the greatest language ever imho) and German is on the decline too despite my one-woman campaign to ensure that every child in my care learns it (success in 2 out of 3 cases so far, though the little one is enjoying teasing me - I hope he is teasing me- that he intends to do French instead). Tbh I am not sure it really matters, though if they are talented it might be better to choose something other than Spanish (or in addition to it). In terms of usefulness, don't go thinking GCSE anything at all will do you a huge amount of practical good in industry, but there are so many other benefits to being a polyglot.

Russian is alive and kicking in Essex. DS takes his gcse this summer.

[Amber]

Russian is alive and kicking in Essex. DS takes his gcse this summer.

It's all those oligarchs. Essex is crawling with them I understand.

очень хорошо: русский самый красйвый язык по-моему!