Languages

[SkyRider]

If you have a baby son or daughter which languages do you think would best equip the child for success later in life? Obviously, English would be first choice for most of us but what would be second choice? French, Spanish, Mandarin, Hindi, German, Italian, Russian, Portugese, Japanese, Arabic, etc.?

 

[Worf]

That's a good question. In Canada I would recommend French, even though I can't speak it. English is the universal business language. I say the more the better. If only I knew this when I was younger.

 

[SkyRider]

In Canada I would recommend French,

Yes, I would agree with French in Canada but your child might not be a resident of Canada when he or she grows up. How universal will French be in 25 years time?

 

[stinkynuts]

French for sure, it's an asset for almost any job, particularly government jobs.

 

[1HandInMyPocket]

i agree, french would be the best in Canada. Also, after learning french (hopefully at a young age) it should then be easier to learn (latin american) spanish. Since this is a growing language base in the US.

 

[Aardvark154]

One important question is whether you or your wife come from a ethnic background. I believe that children find it both interesting and an advantage if they can speak a language with which they have a connection.

For instance let us say that your child's second language is Mongolian, it is true that Mongolian is not a language for which there is a huge demand. Does, however, that mean that there are not companies that do business with Mongolia? Does the Ministry of External affairs require no one who can speak Mongolian, what about the DND?

All of the above said - and they are very significant caveats - given a tabula rasa I would say Mandarin or Hindi.