Which Class Should I Take Next Semester?

[Gerry]

It's that time again where I need to finalize my Fall schedule and get ready for the semester which starts at the end of next month. I'm trying to pick out my classes but have an empty slot which I need filled. So I'm down to two different classes: Chinese and Latin. Which do you guys think would more beneficial to pursue?

Just FYI - I've studied French for years and know quite a lot of that. And I'm studying Italian in depth, if that matters. Thanks a bunch! Any input is valuable. The hardest part of college is putting schedules together!

[Spectre]

It depends on what you're going into or planning to do afterwards. Regardless, being able to speak or understand Chinese is a hugely marketable skill to have.

[OutToSea]

Latin if you're going to go into the medical field, otherwise Chinese.

[Apocalypte]

If you're studying Italian, then Latin would complement that well.

[george678]

Well, Latin is a dead language but if you want to study Italy it might help, and Chinese is useless unless you plan on going there.

[Shevanel]

LATIN IS NOT DEAD.

>_>

Seriously.

[george678]

Originally Posted by Shevanel

LATIN IS NOT DEAD.

>_>

Seriously.

Latin is no longer spoken as a main language.

[theJosephDean]

Originally Posted by george678

Latin is no longer spoken as a main language.

It still exists in every language that uses the Latin alphabet. Until the day comes that perhaps everyone writes in kanji, Latin still thrives as a very important part of the linguistic world. :3

Many languages used in the past are no longer spoken today, but that doesn't mean they are dead. Languages never die because communications never die. As long as one person shows an interest in it, it still lives.

Sorry, just my love of languages kicking in there ^_^

[SolitaryKnight]

Learn Ancient Greek instead, way better than Latin.

Originally Posted by george678

Well, Latin is a dead language but if you want to study Italy it might help, and Chinese is useless unless you plan on going there.

You obviously know nothing about business.

Chinese will be wonderful if you are going to live in any city with more than 200,000 people.

Latin will not help you at all in life unless you're going into the medical field.

Latin is good for the medical field.

Chinese is good for the business field and some aspects of everyday life.

However if you go apply for a job that has nothing to do with the medical field, and you put "I SPEAK LATIN!" on your resume, they either will think you're stupid or at best just ignore it.

[Stuie]

Since you're studying European languages, I'd do Latin. French and Italian are both based on Latin and it's really interesting either way.

However it does depend on what you want to do afterwards. Chinese is good if you're going to be working in international business relations, which since you're doing an Arts degree, seems a little unlikely, but possibly.

Personally, if I was in your situation, I'd take Latin.

Originally Posted by Stuie

Since you're studying European languages, I'd do Latin. French and Italian are both based on Latin and it's really interesting either way.

However it does depend on what you want to do afterwards. Chinese is good if you're going to be working in international business relations, which since you're doing an Arts degree, seems a little unlikely, but possibly.

Personally, if I was in your situation, I'd take Latin.

The time it takes to learn Latin you could have mastered both French and Italian already.

Latin takes a long time to learn to a decent level.

----------

Originally Posted by theJosephDean

It still exists in every language that uses the Latin alphabet. Until the day comes that perhaps everyone writes in kanji, Latin still thrives as a very important part of the linguistic world. :3

Many languages used in the past are no longer spoken today, but that doesn't mean they are dead. Languages never die because communications never die. As long as one person shows an interest in it, it still lives.

Sorry, just my love of languages kicking in there ^_^

I am pretty sure there have been millions of languages spoken by small tribes thousands of years ago that we have never heard of.

So yes, languages die. :P

[Stuie]

Originally Posted by Steven

The time it takes to learn Latin you could have mastered both French and Italian already.

Latin takes a long time to learn to a decent level.

That doesn't mean it isn't interesting nor worthy to learn. Chinese is also difficult coming from a Romance languages background as well.

[Black Cat]

Definitely Latin! I took it in high school. It was the only thing I seemed to retain from 4 whole years of learning. Plus it is so much fun!

Although, that being said, I once tried to teach myself Chinese using only fortune cookies. It's been 5 years since I started and I still can't use full sentences yet. xD

[otc877]

Unless you're partial to Chinese, I'd suggest Latin. Especially since you have a background in French and English and are studying Italian. You'll find some aspects of those 3 languages making more sense.

[Gerry]

Originally Posted by SolitaryKnight

Learn Ancient Greek instead, way better than Latin.

Just out of curiosity, but why do you suggest learning Greek?

[SolitaryKnight]

Originally Posted by Gerry

Just out of curiosity, but why do you suggest learning Greek?

I studied ancient history at university, and thus I learned both Greek and Latin, and I just prefer Greek. Latin is dull and the ancient authors are a bit dry. The Greeks are just fun to read no matter what. Thats my only reason, there is no real value in learning it. - oh and I love the Greek alphabet, I would write in it all the time if I could.

Originally Posted by Stuie

That doesn't mean it isn't interesting nor worthy to learn. Chinese is also difficult coming from a Romance languages background as well.

But there are over or at least around 1,000,000,000 (yes, one billion) Chinese speakers. How many people speak Latin in everyday life again? None?

[stratavos]

if you plan on being a scientist of sorts that uses chemicals, grab Latin. Well grab both that way you can tal kto patients if you become a pharmacist .

[Hoppip]

It is said that if you can speak English and Mandarin, you can communicate effectively with over half of the world's population. The validity of this statement I'm not sure about, but still... that sounds really friggin' badass.

I think you should take time to study both languages now. Which one feels right? Which one interests you more? Latin has an extensive grammar system but only twenty-six letters... Mandarin, on the other hand, has a very strict and basic syntax (more similar to English) but requires knowledge of almost 5,000+ characters. There are pros and cons to both.

Do what feels right. Do what's fun and interesting. If you end up hating a language, it may not do much use to you regardless of how "useful" it is.

Good luck. :')