Languages - which one to choose

[foundaspottysock]

Dd currently does French, she now has to pick up a second language of German, Spanish or Italian. The idea is they do both until yr10 and then choose 1 or take both.

Dd is dyslexic and finds languages difficult. I am wondering if she should just concentrate on French (as she will have done it the longest) and not worry too much about the second language and therefore just take French GCSE.

I am assuming that she will have to take a language.

Or is one of the others a better fit for a dyslexic non linguist?

Obviously although they have a choice, she may not get her first choice anyway.

Can anyone shed any light on the order she should choose. DD thinks she might prefer German, Spanish then Italian but I am not sure there is much reasoning behind this decision!

If she prefers German, I'd go along with that.

Spanish is very similar to French so she may find that helpful.

German OTOH is easier to say for English people once you get beyond a few basic rules - a good French/Spanish accent is hard to master for the English tongue.

German is very logical with lots of rules but they do work if that makes sense. But then I love German so I am maybe biased :)

Can she try a bit of both on duolingo or similar and see which she prefers?

Italian pronunciation is very easy.

German is more different from French than Spanish or Italian. For anyone interested in languages it's the better choice because it requires a subtly different approach with more grammar. I'd always recommend German for anyone who doesn't have additional considerations like dyslexia because as well as having 90 million speakers, it sheds light on all the Scandinavian languages and Dutch, and its megalithic grammar structures are a good preparation for Russian.

I'd still say if this language may be a "shot to nothing" that German is worth a try. It may actually help your Dd that it's less similar to French than either of the other two options. Its spelling system is completely logical, and if you can learn the grammar rules that gives you excellent building blocks for structuring sentences.

The PP's suggestion of trying out the three language choices in Duolingo is great. Ultimately choose the one she likes the sound of most as she's going to hear it a lot.

I'd go Spanish. It's a much simpler language than German. And, practically, for most British people a few words of Spanish are going to be more useful than a few words of German.

Bertrand, not sure I agree that Spanish is more useful than German for Brits.

The German economy is doing much better, there are lots of engineering and science jobs there, and it's useful for holidays including Austria and German speaking Switzerland. Also, German universities are free!

Spanish might be useful for a weeks summer holiday, but I don't foresee many work related opportunities in either Spain or South America for most Brits.

But more importantly, she should choose the language she prefers and likes most.

"Bertrand, not sure I agree that Spanish is more useful than German for Brits." What I meant was the few words you might remember from school and use on holiday. Working is a different matter.

Yes, a few words for holiday use might make Spanish more useful (although we spend more time in Austria than Spain but most families might not).

German is a different language group and more structured - when mine were picking two (was required at their school from yr 7) linguist friends all said choose the pair which gives you two language groups. I don't know if the structure and rules make it easier for a dyslexic to pick up.

In terms of usefulness - Spanish and German are both more useful than French (holidays aside). Italian is least useful but it does sound lovely :-)

"Yes, a few words for holiday use might make Spanish more useful (although we spend more time in Austria than Spain but most families might not)"

If you are talking usefulness, there are plenty of areas where having the basics of a language can be useful even if you don't have native speaker competency.

Somebody on another thread mentioned using German for reading engineering manuals. I use German and French on a regular basis for reading scholarly articles. Spanish otoh only for tourist purposes.

If it's a choice for a language that will likely be dropped for a dyslexic child who finds languages difficult, I think Spanish. There is more chance that she'll get confused with French but it's similar and, as Bertrand says, she might remember 'una cerveza, por favor'.

French is hard from a dyslexic spelling point of view - verb endings that aren't pronounced for example. Spanish is very phonetic which technically makes it more dyslexic friendly as it's very consistent.

What are her career aspirations? For international relations, probably French. Science probably French. Business all of them ,possibly a bias towards German. Hospitality all 3, possible bias towards Spanish as a Brit abroad. But there are opportunities in all fields with all 4 language all over the world. Clear as mud.

I would go for Italian as it is the language that's most heavily based on Latin. The pronounciation is super easy and is generally considered an easy language. German is quite difficult, just so you know. I heard that Spanish is easy but I personally never liked Spanish, but it if your daughter likes it then go for it. I would seriously not choose German.

Science probably French
I'd have said german, but in reality the medium of science is English.

Anyhow, she may not have to take a language - unless her school insists, which now they're tending to do fewer gcses hopefully they won't (if the school tells you she 'needs' the EBacc or that some universities require a language, they're wrong)

^Science probably French
I'd have said german, but in reality the medium of science is English.^
Errol there are some pretty major science projects in France such as www.iter.org/proj/inafewlines.

Of course English is the international language but In fact any European MFL will help interactions ( work and social) within European collaborations and, in the case of French, some Canadian ones.

Founda as your DD is dyslexic I would have though that Spanish is more likely to be the easier for GCSE level
If she gives it a trial alongside French, she could then drop the one she least prefers.

DS2 is has "mild" dyslexia he had absolutely no problem learning German and French he also did Latin which helped with both apparently. He was advised by one MFL teacher that German is "easier" than French in the beginning, up to (I)GCSE, but then this reverses.
He initially loved German but towards the end he found German an "ugly language" on his ear where he thought French was very mellifluous and loved learning it.

Should add he is teaching himself Italian he says it's a very easy language to speak especially as he also does Latin but has been advised by Italian friends that it's a complex language to write.

DD did Italian and French GCSEs and then also for a degree. At school she chose the second language (Italian) because it had the best teacher and this counts for a lot. We gave no consideration to groups of languages, where it could be used or ease of learning. She liked Italy and Italian art so had an interest in that country more than Spain or Germany. (Anyone who goes to Austria, German is the answer).

She found Italian easier than French but of course there are links with French. Both have their challenges, of course! You cannot learn any language without effort and eventually you do have to write it, speak it, read it and culturally understand it. The fun bit is staying in Italy as an undergrad! She also went to a school that did great trips to Italy as well so she loved it from the start. She never expected to use Italian or French in her job and doesn't - but so what?! She has the skills and the love of learning the languages. I realise some children find learning any MFL difficult, and like Science and Maths, it suits some and not others, but it is good to give at least one language a go.

Dyslexic DD took French and German, as did DS. They are both mathematical and enjoyed logic of German. DS liked that fact that the accent used for spoken German is closer to English.

Both spent time on a Goethe Insitut Jurgendkurs, which they both really enjoyed. It is like a summer camp with lots of kids from all over the world of the same age and with language classes in the morning and activities in the afternoon. To be honest the language they learnt there was probably enough to get them through the GCSE. Not cheap but I was working full time so wanted the child care anyway. Both wound up with A*s. Dyslexics can learn languages, but often prefer to do it orally, rather than via classroom/textbooks. DDs aural memory is very good presumably in part because she has needed to compensate for her slow processing.

bojorojo is right the teacher makes a big difference as it does in any subject. Of course one man good teacher is not another ones but if you DD particularly likes one teacher then I would let that influence her decision.

My school became a specialist language college. In years 7 and 8 everyone did French. Then from year 9, depending on what set you were in for French, the school chose another language for you.
Spanish was picked for me, and in year 9 I did both French and Spanish.
I found Spanish easier to learn, and I enjoyed it a lot more than French, and I got better results in it. I even paid more attention in the Spanish lessons than I did in French.

The hardest thing about German is getting Germans to speak to you in German, rather than English! It's a great language, though, for English speakers and has very few exceptions to rules.