Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Spanish is everywhere. Learn Spanish

Yep. Helpful for so many careers to have some basic skills, at least.

There's a weird stigma of Spanish as being the language of the poor.

Only if you're a racist jerk. The rest of us learn Spanish because 700 mn people speak it in and around the USA, and it's a far easier language than Mandarin and more useful in the USA than French.

Most of the world doesn't care about Spanish. Spanish is important here politically, but not elsewhere.
Mandarin, Russian and Arabic are the key languages the US State Department would like to cultivate.

I think enough people speak Spanish here now that not speaking it feels like a disadvantage. There was some point about 10-15 years ago where it become clear that it is impossible to find a housekeeper that speaks English.

Think about that for a moment. English is incredibly easy to learn for a Spanish speaker.
The U.S. has decided it is not necessary to learn English, long ago.

Anonymous wrote:Children of elites speak Russian, Hebrew, and Arabic.

Hebrew? That is unlikely unless they have that heritage. Oh… I see what you did there.

Anonymous wrote:Spanish is everywhere. Learn Spanish

You could argue that because Spanish is everywhere you really don’t need it. There is a human translator available to your left or your right, in addition to AI. It’s also easy to learn without a teacher, on your own.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Assuming the child has no preference. Is Mandarin overtaking Spanish? Is French or German making a comeback?

For children of elites, Mandarin overtook Spanish 30 years ago. But for the very top, French or Spanish is the third language.

And yet, very few "elites" can speak even elementary Mandarin.

I’m certainly not an elite, but I suspect that if elites care about foreign language they probably hire native speakers as nannies and start lessons in elementary, if not preschool. They may send their kids abroad or seek out immersion programs. Whatever your kid learns in middle school isn’t likely to impress elites.

I suggest that if your child has any preference at all, you let them choose. A language’s usefulness depends on the skill of the speaker. Whichever language motivates them to learn and possibly continue to more advanced levels will benefit them the most. As PPs have suggested, there are great reasons to choose many languages. Keep in mind, however, that much of the world speaks English better than your child is likely to learn any foreign language.

Our children speak Russian and Arabic because these are our heritage languages. The added bonus is that they don't have to take any foreign language credits at school.

Children of elites speak Russian, Hebrew, and Arabic.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Spanish is everywhere. Learn Spanish

Yep. Helpful for so many careers to have some basic skills, at least.

There's a weird stigma of Spanish as being the language of the poor.

Only if you're a racist jerk. The rest of us learn Spanish because 700 mn people speak it in and around the USA, and it's a far easier language than Mandarin and more useful in the USA than French.

Most of the world doesn't care about Spanish. Spanish is important here politically, but not elsewhere.
Mandarin, Russian and Arabic are the key languages the US State Department would like to cultivate.

I think enough people speak Spanish here now that not speaking it feels like a disadvantage. There was some point about 10-15 years ago where it become clear that it is impossible to find a housekeeper that speaks English.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Speaking English well should be the first priority. That is the international language. And all too often, foreigners are far more articulate, expressive, and concise than Americans.

Being able to hold an intelligent conversation in English gets you far.

Second language should be Mandarin.

English is the official language of the USA.

The US does not have an official language.

You would be wrong about that.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Spanish is everywhere. Learn Spanish

Yep. Helpful for so many careers to have some basic skills, at least.

There's a weird stigma of Spanish as being the language of the poor.

Only if you're a racist jerk. The rest of us learn Spanish because 700 mn people speak it in and around the USA, and it's a far easier language than Mandarin and more useful in the USA than French.

Most of the world doesn't care about Spanish. Spanish is important here politically, but not elsewhere.
Mandarin, Russian and Arabic are the key languages the US State Department would like to cultivate.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Speaking English well should be the first priority. That is the international language. And all too often, foreigners are far more articulate, expressive, and concise than Americans.

Being able to hold an intelligent conversation in English gets you far.

Second language should be Mandarin.

English is the official language of the USA.

The US does not have an official language.

Anonymous wrote:Speaking English well should be the first priority. That is the international language. And all too often, foreigners are far more articulate, expressive, and concise than Americans.

Being able to hold an intelligent conversation in English gets you far.

Second language should be Mandarin.

English is the official language of the USA.

Anonymous wrote:Spanish is everywhere. Learn Spanish

- if you want to work in public service / charity.

Anonymous wrote:Assuming the child has no preference. Is Mandarin overtaking Spanish? Is French or German making a comeback?

Their children don't need to speak any other language as long as they still have money.

Agree about the language of money.

There is wisdom in selecting the best teacher at a given school. Particularly since the deeper value is in the cultivation of language learning in a particular area of the brain, rather than actual usage. Sadly.

Because none of this matters in the age of AI outside academia. Give it a few years and everyone will be speaking their native language and the ubiquitous AirPod or other device will be translating in real time directly in the ear of the listener, who will then answer in their own language.

I am amazed that higher ed in the US is clinging to FL requirements. Other countries let it go after high school.