Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:French.

In Spain and other areas, Spanish is a lovely language. In the US, Spanish is low-class: the language of people who don't respect our immigration laws and expect to be catered to. And are, sadly.

So much for Rubén Darío, Jorge Luis Borges, Jorge Luis Borges, Gabriela Mistral, Mario Vargas Llosa, Gabriel García Márquez, Carlos Fuentes, Isabel Allende, and Octavio Paz, among many others.

Never heard of these people, but they must fill some quota somewhere?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Our neighbors speak Spanish. Not French...

Except for those pesky Quebecois.

Maybe the PP meant literally the PP's neighbors...

I took Spanish in middle school, and French in high school and college. Later, I took a trip to Spain with a side trip to Morocco, so I got to use both (although my Spanish is pretty poor). I'm glad to know a little of both, but I think given demographics, Spanish will likely have more practical use. My kids are learning Spanish, and I will try to learn with them.

Anonymous wrote:Our neighbors speak Spanish. Not French...

Except for those pesky Quebecois.

Actually, are the students in MCPS really able to speak the language adequately after they graduate?

Anonymous wrote:French.

In Spain and other areas, Spanish is a lovely language. In the US, Spanish is low-class: the language of people who don't respect our immigration laws and expect to be catered to. And are, sadly.

So much for Rubén Darío, Jorge Luis Borges, Jorge Luis Borges, Gabriela Mistral, Mario Vargas Llosa, Gabriel García Márquez, Carlos Fuentes, Isabel Allende, and Octavio Paz, among many others.

Anonymous wrote:No one here knows anything about Northern Africa or Canada, apparently.

Or West Africa.

Anonymous wrote:French is spoken by many Middle Eastern elites. There is quite a bit of growth and development going on in that area, so I could see a use for knowing French in international business.

In regards to Spanish. There are so many different dialects spoken. The Spanish that is taught in schools is based on Castillan Spanish, which differs from the Spanish spoken in many of the Latin American countries, especially Mexico. Peruvian and Colombian Spanish are the closest to Castillan Spanish outside of Spain.

Anecdote: In college, I had Mexican American friends study abroad in Spain who hated their experiences as the Spaniards preferred to speak English with them as they viewed Mexican Spanish as not being true Spanish.

The Spanish I learned in high school was Latin American Spanish, and that was 30 years ago.

No one here knows anything about Northern Africa or Canada, apparently.

French is spoken by many Middle Eastern elites. There is quite a bit of growth and development going on in that area, so I could see a use for knowing French in international business.

In regards to Spanish. There are so many different dialects spoken. The Spanish that is taught in schools is based on Castillan Spanish, which differs from the Spanish spoken in many of the Latin American countries, especially Mexico. Peruvian and Colombian Spanish are the closest to Castillan Spanish outside of Spain.

Anecdote: In college, I had Mexican American friends study abroad in Spain who hated their experiences as the Spaniards preferred to speak English with them as they viewed Mexican Spanish as not being true Spanish.

French remains the language studied by the upper classes. Spanish is selected by folks looking to be more marketable. Project out your future needs....

Spanish, hands down.

I took French in HS and college. It is useful for reading literature and not a whole lot else. I wish I'd learned either Chinese or Spanish. My daughter wanted to take French, because all her friends were taking it, but we told her that she had to pick either Chinese or Spanish because frankly, besides English, those are the ones she'll encounter most going forward. She took Spanish 1A/B.

I've never hired someone who says they've studied French.

Anonymous wrote:French.

In Spain and other areas, Spanish is a lovely language. In the US, Spanish is low-class: the language of people who don't respect our immigration laws and expect to be catered to. And are, sadly.

WTF? Are you for real with this BS?