Hi there, I need some help advising my 12 year old son about second languages at school.?

Question

I have a very bright 12 year old who has been offered the opportunity to take a second language at school. The chances are that he may drop this language when taking his options in a couple of years. He (at the moment would like to become a doctor) One of the languages on offer is Latin. I was wondering how relevant Latin is these days? to take this subject he will need to give up one session of P.E and all drama lessons. My concern is getting the balance right, if Latin is relevant, and he is serious about becoming a doctor then this is the way to go. If on the other hand it is not relevant then why sacrifice the enjoyment of drama and the benefit of extra P.E!? to add to the confusion i have also been told by another source that Latin is actually becoming a 'Dead' language and that it may be being sold to us to raise the demand to help the school continue to run this as a subject. I would love to hear from anyone who can shed some light! i have two days to

make a decision.

Answer 1

ok latin is already a dead language and it is not relevant but he could take spanish

Answer 2

Latin has been a "dead" language in itself for hundreds of years now.  However, there is still a huge benefit in learning it.  Many modern languages, including English, French, Spanish and Italian have Latin roots in many of their words, so it can be an effective tool if someone who has studied it wanted to learn another language later on in life.  Certainly, for those wishing to do into either legal or medical practice will benefit from having studied Latin.  It is considered a discipline as well, and never does any harm on a cv or at interview.  Bright children often really enjoy this subject, my nephew is literally a genius and was bored at school, a tutor offered to teach him Latin during break times, within a short while he was flying in the subject and loving it.  It is a great subject for developing both language study and language recognition, say for example, on holiday in France, the French language, even if not learnt, would be better understood as a tourist if they have learnt Latin.

It is quite a challenging language, and therefore bright children do not tend to get bored with it, as it is more written and less spoken it is an effective form of study.  It would be very useful if he wants to become a doctor, but will not hinder him in this chosen path if he does not study it.

If he were keeping the subject up after taking options, it would probably be better to study a modern language, but if he is going to drop it then, it would be a good idea to study Latin.  

As for dropping drama and PE, you will need to discuss with your son how motivated he is on these particular subjects, and if he is likely to take either of these up for options later.  If not, then he has nothing to lose by learning Latin, if he wants to take exams in either subject, then Latin may not be the answer.

Answer 3

<<I was wondering how relevant Latin is these days?>>

It's not particularly relevant beyond learning Latin or for some historians and theologians.  While plenty of Latin words and phrases turn up in medicine and anatomy, you can learn them as with any other specialized vocabulary despite no background in Latin.

Lots of biologists, who coin Latinized names for species and genera, do so without knowing the language.  It's far from unheard of for the new name to be wrong, as they're not familiar with the gender rules.

One advantage of Latin is, apparently, it's relatively straightforward grammar which, according to Latin teachers, makes it comparatively simpler to learn.

Answer 4

let him decide what he wants to do. you can if he wants is to get some language tapes he could use to learn another language. or check with a medical school and see what requirements they have. he still has a few years till high school to check out other lanruages and other choices on what he would like to be.

Answer 5

Spanish and French are more widley used in the United States, the truth is Latin is becoming a dead language, it would help your son with medical terms but he is only 12 and his mind is constantly changing. If Spanish is offered to him I would advise you to enroll him in that class, PE and Drama are fun but a child's brain at his age is more spongy and he will be able to gain more knowledge and learn Spanish better than someone in Late middle school or highschool would be able to. Spanish is more used than Latin so I would stick to that route if at all possibly.

Best Wishes to your son

Answer 6

Well Latin is really a "dead" language. i mean no one speaks or really writes it anymore. If he wants to be a doctor, lets say un america? then maybe spanish would be more usefull so he could speak to all patients. And if your in Europe maybe look into what other languages are being spoken around him and have him take that course. Itll benefit him more if he can speak other languages to help communicate with his patients.

Answer 7

My personal suggeston is that he would be much better off taking spanish.  He is at an age when learning a new language is not too hard and he will definitely need to speak spanish for a career in medicine.  

Latin would help him with medical terminology, but he may want to just take a class that studies latin roots, prefixes, and suffixes in college.

I would say that for a career in medicine, taking spanish would be far more beneficial (and definitely worth skipping PE!)

Answer 8

well latin would really help if he wanted to be a doctor but hes only 12 and has plenty of time to change his mind ..

anyway my brother is doing latin as ita compulsary.

also when i chose my options i chose language so....

many schools have a careers adviser so you could go and talk to them and also the teachers they would be happy to help

Answer 9

Latin is of some help in the study of medicine, but far from essential. Latin is also good for studying the rules of grammar. But, all things considered, I personally would choose to be fluent in another language. I guess these days, Spanish makes the most sense.

Answer 10

Well Latin has been a dead language for several centuries now! It is useful in the sense that it' s going help you out with other languages which originate from Latin such as French, Spanish or Italian. Plus it is said that studying Latin helps you develop a logical mind because of how Latin grammar works. Now , in complete honesty, I had to endure several years of Latin at school. What saved me was the amazing teachers I had, who somehow managed to make it really interesting and lively. I developed a keen interest for Ancient Rome and ancient civilizations. So on a personal level it was great, but on a very practical level, well, I didn' t gain any valuable skills for my future working life. I  now regret  not having studied instead another modern language that I could use either at work, or for travelling. So unless your kid REALLY feels like studying Latin, don' t force it upon him. Let him pick whatever appeals more to him. He is only 12, and got the rest of his time in education to feel the pressure of studying imposed subjects...

Answer 11

Wow, I can't remember my parents helping me decide my subjects. In fact they never knew what I did, and even up until 5 years ago didn't really know what job I did. Ultimately I'd let him decide, because if he doesn't enjoy it, what's the point. It would make absolutely no difference for medical school. With the obesity epidemic, a bit of structured exercise would serve him better.

Answer 12

Althoughy latin is a "dead" language, it's the basis of most of the european languages. I'm in secondary, and we had to take 2 MFLs. I took french and spanish, and I don't feel 'over-loaded' at all. In the end, it's the childs choice, but you should weigh the benefits. Will drama and PE help him in life? Or will latin improve his english and also make him look quite intelligent on paper.