Latin, Spanish or French?

I spent two hours today answering a question to a concerned mother about what language I thought was best for a high school student at my alma mater to take. They have three options: Latin, Spanish, and French.

Learning a foreign language creates a voluntary habit within one person that, given enough practice, will allow them to use it quickly, easily, and with pleasure. At first it is difficult and awkward to learn any new language, but with years of practice and experience having the use of another language(s) is a useful, impressive and exciting quality to have. Nevertheless, having to choose a foreign language to teach your son between Latin, French, and Spanish is a difficult decision to make especially for a Long Island Family in the year 2014 because all three have their benefits. For a concerned mother, many decisions having to do with the high school education of her child probably will be made with considerations for college plans. In regard to college planning I would like to offer two points for your reflection: 1. Many colleges offer Spanish and French as part of their foreign language degree options. This is relevant to those who may want to study Spanish beyond Spanish IV or Spanish V or to those who may have a similar desire in French. This is not to say that many colleges do not offer upper-level Latin. However, it is undoubtedly more common for colleges to offer upper-level coures in Spanish and French. 2. Knowledge of Latin introduces the pupil to the world of classical antiquity. For the student that desires to study Classics (or a degree in Classics), Latin (and Greek) are essential. Colleges that offer courses in upper-level Latin would typically be those that offer a degree in Latin or Classics. (Which is by no means uncommon, but is (like I said) undoubtedly less common than colleges that offer degrees in French or Spanish.) Knowledge of the languages of French, Spanish, and Latin each have their individual benefits. In the case for Spanish, the language I learned while I was at Kellenberg, there are many practical usages. In addition to being able to read certain texts with a degree of fluency, it is significant to note that many people in the Western Hemisphere do speak Spanish. With the large influx of Hispanic Immigrants into the United States of America (especialy around New York), familiarity with the Spanish language is ever more important. If one was to travel to a Spanish-speaking land, basic understanding would be very helpful for the sake of communication. I took Spanish I, II, III, and IV at Kellenberg. Coming out of that class, I am able to read Spanish very well, and I can hear and understand quite a bit. My verbal composition of Spanish, however, is not very good at all. I have the vocabulary and the grammar, but I haven't the parsing skills I would need to be anything other than a very good reader and listener. I don't regret taking it because I was exposed to great deal of history, geography, and literature in Spanish III and IV which we did read about in the Spanish language. For French student, I can imagine one having a similar degree of fluency on graduation day that I have for Spanish. The practicality of speaking French is obvious in that French was, in fairly recent history, the official language of the world. Many people in Europe, Canada, the Caribbean, and the United States use French daily. Knowledge of French is particularly handy for scholars. Being that the French was the last true "global language," many scholarly works have been translated into or can only be found in French. I have been trying to teach myself French, should I potentially need a basic understanding of it in the future. I have been using the DuoLingo app which is a fantastic resourse for French, Spanish, German, and other languages. Also, I have begun translating the Catechism of Pope St. Pius X from French into English. This was at the advice of my Latin 101 teacher, Dr. Edward Strickland. He is the Chairman of the Classics Department here at Christendom and is fluent in Latin, Greek and Spanish among other languages. I have noticed that my familiarity with Latin grammar and vocabulary which I am learning here at Christendom and my knowledge of Spanish syntax which I learned at Kellenberg is aiding me in understanding the French passages that I am reading. Nevertheless, for all the Romance languages (Spanish, French, Italian) one should note very well that the all derive from Latin. Knowledge of the grammar and vocabulary of any one of the three Romance languages would help one in learning the other, but none more so than for the Latinist attempting to learn one of those languages. I would highly suggest taking Latin for a number of reasons. The first objection one would make to taking Latin is that it is a dead language. The Latin language is certainly alive, well, and used every single day. One must remember, the fact that Latin usage has stopped developing does not mean that the Language has fallen off the face of the earth. Granted, certain elements of very early Latin are no longer used and there are some parts of early Latin which I would say are only partly dead (e.g. the locative and vocative cases) as well. However, it is important for the sake of Western Civilization that we hang on to these early forms of Latin, lest we loose our understanding of the great works which we have from antiquity. Next, I would like to point out that Latin is very much respected in the scholarly world. Classicists are very much in demand, and to say that you have knowledge and understanding of Latin is not something that one can fake. It is in a way a substantial tool that becomes part of who you are and what you have to offer. This is because Latin is the door to the great works of classical antiquity and of scholarly works from the classical antiquity up until today. Many scholars today in classics, theology, and philosophy are writing in Latin for the sake of Latin's immutability and universality. In addition to that I would like to offer this quote from Pope John XXIII: "There can be no doubt as to the formative and educational value either of the language of the Romans or of great literature generally. It is a most effective training for the pliant minds of youth. It exercises, matures and perfects the principal faculties of mind and spirit. It sharpens the wits and gives keenness of judgment. It helps the young mind to grasp things accurately and develop a true sense of values. It is also a means for teaching highly intelligent thought and speech." With no doubt to the immense educational value of Latin and of classical literature which knowledge of the classical languages is the gateway to, it is important to note that all classical literature must be read in light of what we believe as Catholics lest we tend to think something ridiculous like "Dido was right for committing suicide in Vergil's Aeneid." For more information on how a Catholic might make the most out of reading classical Greek literature, I highly suggest reading St. Basil the Great's "Address to Young Men on the Right use of Greek Literature." (Copies of which can be found for free online. Spiritually, I believe in the primacy of the study of Latin over the study of the Romance languages in order of priority because Latin is the language of the Church. Vatican II was clear in that "Latin in the Roman Liturgy should be preserved." (cf. Sacrosanctum Concillium) Also, not only have the great works of Science, Philosophy, Mathematics, and Literature of classical antiquity up until modern times been preserved by Western Scholasticism (which was founded with the Pontifical Universities of Paris, Bologne, and Oxford) and by Christian (aka Catholic) monks, but the official language for the study of Philosophy and Sacred Theology is Latin. There is nothing like reading the Latin Vulgate of St. Jerome or St. Thomas Aquinas' Summa Theologica in the language in which they have been preserved for centuries. The common language of Latin ensures universal orthodoxy and the immutability of the Language (as opposed to vernacular languages in which the meanings of words are subject to change) ensures that the beliefs of the Church as they have been held since the Apostles and have been defined (in latin) through the centures remains constant. (In addition to all those disciplines whose texts are found in Latin I would like to make a small point that the footnotes of many scholarly works written in the vernacular are in Latin and in the fields of science, philosophy, law, and medicine many works are written in Latin. I am sure you can ask Samantha what "exeunt omnes" means. As a thespian, even she should be able to tell you that is a common stage direction for "exit all.") (Side note: EXIT comes from Latin where "it" means "he/she goes" and the prefix, "ex," means out, so "exit" as a Latin word can literally translate to "he or she goes out") As another side note, I would like to point out that language differences were a major cause of the Great Schism of East and West in the year 1054 between the Orthodox and Catholic Churches. One major language difference between the Greeks and the Latins occurs when trying to define the different processions within the Holy Trinity. The similarities of words between Latin and Greek that have dissimilar meanings was highly confusing and enough to make the Greeks call the Latins Sabellianists (aka heretics) and the West call the east Tritheists (aka heretics). Hence, the schism. A personal argument I would make for the study of Latin is that in addition to opening the door to the immense virtues of classical literature, the study of Latin as a language itself helps order the mind to form a person more likely to live a well ordered life. There is something unique about the parsing, the declensions, and the conjugating of words and sentences that helps train the mind to function in a way that is well ordered. And we all can realize that living a well ordered Catholic life is conducive to eternal salvation. So, that goes to prove that "It is in a way a substantial tool that becomes part of who you are and what you have to offer." I hope that this helps you make a decision! I at least hope it hasn't made things worse. God Bless! Oh! By the way, one of the Latin teachers at Kellenberg is Mr. David Bonagura who is a professor of Christology at the diocesan seminary at Dunwoodie. He is an excellent teacher and Latinist.I highly recommend him.Unfortunately, at Kellenberg you can't choose your teachers. But I am sure that Mr. Bonagura would be an excellent for extra help as would any of the Kellenberg foreign language teachers.If you're at all interested in Latin and the Church I highly recommend reading Pope John XXIII's Veterum Sapientia.You may also consider Pope Benedict XVI's words which he spoke at an audience, "Pro Dei amore Latinam linguam discite" which translates to, "For the love of God, study Latin!"And for further aide in studying Latin (perhaps not Classical Latin, but certainly Ecclesiastical Latin) you might enjoy checking out the Traditional Latin Mass at St. Ladislaus in Hempstead. (Every Sunday and Holy Day of Obligation at 9:00 am) I can certainly help you to find the text and translation of the changing and unchanging portions of the Mass.