Language Options

[SN]

My DS has to choose his language options. Can any one give me some information if Latin is a useful subject to offer. He has chosen French and has an option of Latin, German, and Spanish. Many schools do not offer Latin. Anyone offered Latin before? and how have they found it. Any information will be appreciated.

[Minesatea]

My DS has to do 3 years of Latin and although languages are not his thing he quite enjoys it. He certainly prefers it to french his other compulsary language.

I think it may depend on his interests. If he loves the french and thinks he might continue to A level I would go with another modern language but if he is more into History or English then the Latin would go well. The grammatical structure learnt from Latin can be useful with other languages. There has also been suggestions before that Latin's uncommonness makes it stick out on CV's but whether this is true I don't know.

However it has been suggested in the past that the easiest of the options is Spanish!

[guest43]

Hi there. My DD took Latin in Year 7 for 1 year and then dropped it. However she started Greek in Year 9 which she intends to continue to GCSE. She also takes French and Spanish. She is good at languages and found them all enjoyable and easy.

Obviously in your situation taking Latin will reduce the number of Modern Languages to one, which probably isn't a great idea if this is a serious option for A Level. That said choosing Latin will broaden the curriculum being studied. It also has the benefit of scarcity which may open doors for Classics courses at Uni.

[SN]

Thanks for the replies. My son does Classics as a subject to so Latin may come handy. He is in year 8 at the moment, however they have to choose their language options now. At the end of the day its what he likes but Latin seems to be a good option. He has chosen French as one language and needs to decide on one of the others.

[gatley too]

Hi,
we are in a similar position, my dd is in yr 7 and has to choose an additional for yr 8 - French is the main MFL - then an option of Spanish, German & Latin.

The latin teacher has confused her saying if wanting to go into medicine / Vet schl the Latin will be the best choice - Now she is really confused Spanish Vs Latin any ideas anyone. She has been told will be in top set for French this year not sure if this should sway her decision on the second language.

[hermanmunster]

deffo don't need Latin at school for medicine - all the latin you ever need is picked up as you do along and tends to be odd phrases ... lawyers probably use more. best to do language she likes - might be useful for electives abroad.

[SN]

Hi! gatley too,

It all depends what your Son likes. My Son selected French and Latin. He enjoys Latin as he does classics too as a subject and the two complement each other. However, the decision should be made by the child as he is learning the subject. French and Spanish are quite similar and apparently Spanish is an easy language which can be learnt even later on. Latin is not offered by many schools, so it's good to take advantage of it if the child has an interest. Hope this is helpful, I know it is a big decision to make.

[workhard]

I have noticed two things about Latin:

1. Universities like a good grade at Latin GCSE and Latin A level. They consider it to demonstrate intellectual rigour above most other subjects.

2. Kids often really enjoy it.

And, of course, it is a wonderful foundation for so many Romance tongues (e.g. French, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese),other European languages (e.g. English), European humanities studies and general knowledge.

If it were up to me, every child in the UK would attempt Latin GCSE.

Good luck with your choice!

WH