French or Spanish?

[Anonymous]

for your children?

DH wants French. I think Spanish. Your thoughts?

[Anonymous]

French is harder than Spanish. If you learn French to a decent level of fluency, picking up Spanish is pretty easy. If someone doesn't have a great flair for languages, or little desire to really learn one, Spanish might be a better one since it obviously will get used more in this country. Of course, that's a little hard to tell if DC is still young. I think exposure to "any" language early gives kids a leg up when it comes to being multilingual.

[Anonymous]

First, how old are your children? If they're young they can start with one and switch to the other when they're older. Many children do. If they're older (a relative term! say Middle School) and will likely only stick with that language, I'd go with Spanish. And I am a francophile and majored in French. I base this on 400 million people speaking Spanish worldwide versus 200 million who speak French. Spanish is easier to learn, mainly because the spelling is phonetic but also because there are fewer exceptions to its grammar rules.

[Anonymous]

Studied four languages when I was young -- none of them Spanish (and have barely used them) and now I am trying as an adult to learn it. I studied French but rarely use it. Spanish I can use every day and if I could speak it well it would make me more marketable. (I am in health and human services.) My friends from France say that French people in the US speak English just fine thank you and so there is little need for native borns who can speak French.

Even though I only studied French in high school I still find it easier in some ways than Spanish because I learned it so young. So I told dd she had to do at least one year in Spanish (so she wouldn't have to start from zero as an adult like me) but other than that she could study French if she wished. She took the year of Spanish and went right back to French. I was disappointed but I decided the main thing is for her to learn a language. If you learn a language as a young person, it gives you confidence when you're older to try a new language.

It's true as pp said that knowing French makes Spanish easier -- between English and French, there are tons of cognate words.

Ultimately I think what decided my child had to do with who was teaching the language and that may affect your child and affect their preferences. The main thing is to emphasize learning a language at a young age! It's so much harder to do as an older adult when your brain cells are rusty!

[Anonymous]

FWIW, I did French and then Spanish was a snap (although I did have to forget that year of Italian in order to learn Spanish -- these two are way too close). My cousin did Spanish but was unable to make the transition to French later. A sample of two, so take it for what it's worth.

[Anonymous]

My husband and I both took French - wanted to encourage our kids to take Spanish instead - our son took Spanish for one year and aced it w/all As. He also did a club with the French teacher and really thought he was cool (he's in Middle school not HS). Asked to switch to French this year - school said okay and we are letting him - I guess we feel electives can really backfire if you force them. He can't wait to take French which makes it a little easier on us....

[Anonymous]

Before you make the decision, and if it is possible, find out who the better teacher is. It can make a huge difference.

[Anonymous]

20:27 True but it's probably only for one year, what if the teacher leaves suddenly before the first day of school? It does happen. I think this is a valid point but I would not make my decision on this alone.
Some students who take Spanish move on to French quite well.

[Anonymous]

Can somebody please explain to me why it's better for children to learn spanish? What job prospects do they have learning spanish? It is spoken in latin america only right? What if someone does not wish to work in latin America, what benefit is there to learning spanish?

[Anonymous]

23:46 Spanish is also spoken in Spain. Spanish versus French: Double the speakers worldwide, 400 m. versus 200 m. Much more Spanish spoken in the U.S. in large cities. Not clear why you'd study a language only if you though you wanted to live someplace where it's spoken. It's hard to live in Ancient Rome these days but Latin instruction is resurgent in the U.S.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Can somebody please explain to me why it's better for children to learn spanish? What job prospects do they have learning spanish? It is spoken in latin america only right? What if someone does not wish to work in latin America, what benefit is there to learning spanish?

Wow, seriously? I desperately wanted to take French or something besides Spanish growing up, but my parents made me keep taking Spanish (thankfully). Then I did study abroad in Mexico and Colombia. I could use Spanish almost every day in the US. There are WAY more people here who speak Spanish all across the nation (and a growing number, at that). Lots of people in the service/construction industries too who really appreciate when you can communicate more with them. And there is a WHOLE continent of people who speak the language, plus Spain, and Portugese is not far off (nor is Italian - I can understand a fair amount sometimes). I used the language for years in volunteer positions and in my career. For French, there are a few African countries and France. Nowhere near as useful in either the US or on a population basis for the rest of the world. In the end, I don't think it's about which is harder to learn first, but which is more useful long term. I've taken a few months of French as an adult and can get by in France just fine (and a hefty percent of French speak English too, not so true for Spanish speaking countries outside of tourist zones).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Can somebody please explain to me why it's better for children to learn spanish? What job prospects do they have learning spanish? It is spoken in latin america only right? What if someone does not wish to work in latin America, what benefit is there to learning spanish?

30 million people in the U.S. speak Spanish.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Can somebody please explain to me why it's better for children to learn spanish? What job prospects do they have learning spanish? It is spoken in latin america only right? What if someone does not wish to work in latin America, what benefit is there to learning spanish?

18:02 again -- as I pointed out, being able to speak Spanish is quite helpful in health and human services work. I am a researcher and if I could speak fluently and run focus groups and write surveys in Spanish, it would expand my job opportunities even more. Also anyone involved in direct service in health, human services, and public safety would benefit from being able to speak Spanish. I've given directions (crappy directions in crappy Spanish) in Spanish a number of times since I've lived in DC. In French, never.

[Anonymous]

18:02 again -- However I should note that it is great to be able to read French during professional cycling season. (Vive le Tour de France! Go Lance!) But especially for those smaller races that don't get covered so much in the English-speaking press such as the Dauphine Libere. Wish I could turn that into a buck!

Again due to my experience with my dd, I've come to the view that the main thing is for a kid to be excited about learning a language regardless of whether it is Spanish, French, or Arabic and to get a good grasp of it. That's the key thing.

[Anonymous]

30M Spanish speakers in the U.S., and a huge number in the DC area.

By 2040, that number is supposed to go up significantly.

Working in civil rights and politics, I have seen literally dozens of job postings that require Spanish or have it "strongly preferred." Have never seen French required.

I took French in HS and college, did the exchange student thing, and am now trying to learn SPanish. My daughter is doing Spanish bilingual immersion for elementary school and I want to learn along with her and understand the many people in our community who are native Spanish speakers.

Knowing any language is a great thing, but Spanish definitely has a greater use in this country right now.