Is Latin Harder than Spanish?

[Mom0012]

I'm trying to decide what to do with my 8th grade boy who has some language based lds. He's had a number of years of elementary Spanish and has done fine. Recently, I started Latin with him and I'm starting to think this will actually be easier for us to do and successfully hit a third level than Spanish.

 

I asked my dd, who is taking a Spanish 2 course and Latin 1 if she had any thoughts and she said, from what she's seen of the Latin so far, she thinks it would be the better choice. I am taking the Latin class with her and while it is tricky and requires a very good memory, it seems more straightforward than Spanish. Spanish seems to be riddled with idioms and I think this will be a major hangup for my son. I took French in high school, so I am no help beyond Spanish 1. The other problem is that my son is really struggling with typing (we are working on that), so the online Spanish course my dd is taking isn't really going to be an option for him whereas I could teach him a very rigorous Latin course at home or he could take the same class my dd and I are.

 

Is Spanish really easier?

[mom2bee]

They are equally difficult and equally easy in their own way. I prefer Spanish for its applications to communication in the modern world. You should probably look at the material for Latin 2 and Latin 3 before you can make an informed decision about which one you can expect to have greater success with in your situation.

[Dmmetler]

I think Spanish is easier to find practice opportunities. I can put a DVD on in Spanish or find a Spanish-language TV station, can go to a Spanish-language church service, and can find local Spanish-speakers to talk with. Latin is pretty limited to the academic and reading side.

 

I do think Latin was easier for me than French was-I can get to reading proficiency in a language pretty easily, but I really have trouble with the spoken side-I have a diagnosis of Apraxia, so I suspect that's a big part of it-that even though I've learned to work around and make English work, a new language almost starts me at square one again.

 

 

[Mom0012]

They are equally difficult and equally easy in their own way. I prefer Spanish for its applications to communication in the modern world. You should probably look at the material for Latin 2 and Latin 3 before you can make an informed decision about which one you can expect to have greater success with in your situation.

Yes, I know the Latin is going to get harder, which is one of the reasons I was asking. I was initially very pro-Spanish anti-Latin for various reasons, but now that my dd and I are taking this Latin class, it has me wondering. It seems almost impossible to get to a point of speaking fluently in a modern language unless you can travel, so a lot of the benefit seems like it will be lost on us. The Latin class we are taking is excellent, so I have been wondering if this would be more doable for ds. As I mentioned, he has language-based lds, so it's unlikely he's going to be speaking any language fluently. I've always heard Latin is hard and Spanish is easy, and believed that, but now I'm not so sure.

[Matryoshka]

I think Spanish is easier.  The verb conjugations are very similar (both in form and number), they both have the Latin roots, but Latin has 6(?) cases including noun and adjective declensions.  Spanish has no declensions at all.  Adjectives have to agree with nouns in gender and number - that's it. 

 

It's true you don't have to worry about pronunciation in Latin, but I'd pick having to learn pronunciation and being able to speak and use it in real life someday to 6 declensions (each in more than one gender - aren't there three in Latin vs. two in Spanish?)

[chiguirre]

I think it depends on what lds your ds is dealing with. Spanish is a spoken language and you need to be able to process quickly enough to speak. Latin has a more complex grammar but you only need to read and write it (and you don't need to do much writing if you don't want to) but it has more memory work than Spanish does. There are more hs oriented options for Latin and it's easier to find a book to meet your needs.

I'm trying to decide what to do with my 8th grade boy who has some language based lds. He's had a number of years of elementary Spanish and has done fine. Recently, I started Latin with him and I'm starting to think this will actually be easier for us to do and successfully hit a third level than Spanish.

 

I asked my dd, who is taking a Spanish 2 course and Latin 1 if she had any thoughts and she said, from what she's seen of the Latin so far, she thinks it would be the better choice. I am taking the Latin class with her and while it is tricky and requires a very good memory, it seems more straightforward than Spanish. Spanish seems to be riddled with idioms and I think this will be a major hangup for my son. I took French in high school, so I am no help beyond Spanish 1. The other problem is that my son is really struggling with typing (we are working on that), so the online Spanish course my dd is taking isn't really going to be an option for him whereas I could teach him a very rigorous Latin course at home or he could take the same class my dd and I are.

 

Is Spanish really easier?

 

The perception is certainly that Spanish is easier than Latin, which may be a good reason to take Latin...

 

However, it is difficult to define "harder".  Generally, the goals for studying the two languages are very different, and thus the goalposts are different.  That is, the standards for getting an "A" in Latin 4 are very different from getting an "A" in Spanish 4.  If your goal is to study to an "A" grade level in the fourth year, my guess is the amount of work would be about the same.  However, by that fourth year in Spanish, the student should be able to speak at length in a way that a native speaker could understand her, and should be able to read Spanish language texts with some speed (maybe 10 to 20 pages a night (taking about an hour)).  In Latin 4, a good student is reading 20-30 lines of poetry a night, again, taking roughly an hour, and not speaking or listening to the language at all.  Which is harder?  I think it boils down to the individual student, and how their brain is wired.

[Mom0012]

I think Spanish is easier. The verb conjugations are very similar (both in form and number), they both have the Latin roots, but Latin has 6(?) cases including noun and adjective declensions. Spanish has no declensions at all. Adjectives have to agree with nouns in gender and number - that's it.

 

It's true you don't have to worry about pronunciation in Latin, but I'd pick having to learn pronunciation and being able to speak and use it in real life someday to 6 declensions (each in more than one gender - aren't there three in Latin vs. two in Spanish?)

With my son, I am encouraging proper pronunciation because it helps with the spelling, but it's different than having to make conversation off the top of his head as he would need to do in Spanish. Everything you say is true, but I am still wondering if his strong memory skills will help him in Latin whereas I'm not sure there is anything I can do to help him with the speaking skills. Thanks.

[Mom0012]

I think it depends on what lds your ds is dealing with. Spanish is a spoken language and you need to be able to process quickly enough to speak. Latin has a more complex grammar but you only need to read and write it (and you don't need to do much writing if you don't want to) but it has more memory work than Spanish does. There are more hs oriented options for Latin and it's easier to find a book to meet your needs.

These are my thoughts exactly. I think he might have more success in Latin, even though he will have to work at it. Plus, I have a class locally that is excellent and will take him as far as he wants to go with it. I wasn't able to find anything beyond Spanish 2 in our area, so my dd is doing an online Spanish program and I don't see that working for my son.

[Lolly]

I took both in high school (3 years of Spanish, 2 of Latin. I found Latin to be easier. Then again, I already had 3 years of Spanish under my belt when I started taking Latin. Might have helped make learning Latin easier... Personally, I prefer Latin as a language to take. I have been able to utilize what I learned in it more than Spanish. (Took a lot of science, particularly life science, where Latin comes in really, really handy!) 

[Mom0012]

The perception is certainly that Spanish is easier than Latin, which may be a good reason to take Latin...

 

However, it is difficult to define "harder". Generally, the goals for studying the two languages are very different, and thus the goalposts are different. That is, the standards for getting an "A" in Latin 4 are very different from getting an "A" in Spanish 4. If your goal is to study to an "A" grade level in the fourth year, my guess is the amount of work would be about the same. However, by that fourth year in Spanish, the student should be able to speak at length in a way that a native speaker could understand her, and should be able to read Spanish language texts with some speed (maybe 10 to 20 pages a night (taking about an hour)). In Latin 4, a good student is reading 20-30 lines of poetry a night, again, taking roughly an hour, and not speaking or listening to the language at all. Which is harder? I think it boils down to the individual student, and how their brain is wired.

Yes, it has been a bit of a surprise to change my view on this and I've been trying to be cautious about that since we are not as far into the Latin as we are into the Spanish. Interestingly, my dd finds Latin easier and more interesting than Spanish at this point. That is not something I expected, but she is very logical and a quick problem solver, so I can see why it is the case. We also have a fantastic, engaging teacher. I am starting to think it may be the same for my son, but we'll see what happens when we hit chapter 4 of the Latin book. Then I will know if Latin will work for him.

[ks-sunflower]

Don't be afraid to tackle Latin! Studying Latin has been very beneficial for my math/science son, especially in the areas of learning English grammar and vocabulary! You don't need as much of an oral/listening component with Latin as you do with Spanish. You can study Latin too right along side your dc! The curriculum, Latin for the New Millenium (http://www.bolchazy.com/Assets/Bolchazy/ClientPages/LNM.aspx), was once recommended on this board as a friendly resource. We are using  LNM 3 and some other readings for Latin 4 this year. LNM is pricey but the first level covers enough for almost two years IMHO, especially for beginning foreign language students. I don't stress about this class as it's been great for my son's thinking skills and SAT scores - and it gives his home school transcript a little boost(IMHO)! He'll take the Latin SAT2 in the spring to finish out his studies (the REA Latin SAT2 prep book is great ISBN-10: 0738610763.)  Also, the National Latin Exam has different levels and is given in the spring- preparing for it can be a lot of fun for kids who like to challenge themselves (http://www.nle.org/) and the test can be administered in your home school.

[brownie]

I am trying to make the same decision with my son for next year.  Right now he is taking introductory 9 week courses in French (we wanted Spanish but did not get our preference) and in Latin.  He has some LD's (very slow processing speed) and had speech issues while younger.  My thoughts are similar to what people have said above.

 

Spanish -

pros: I can help to some degree, it is more practical and easier to practice with outside resources, is it easier grammatically?

cons: I don't think he'll ever trill an "r" (I never did and I don't have a lisp), I think he will struggle with oral language

 

Latin -

pros: It seems to include some Roman history and he LOVES history, it is primarily read and written (not spoken), it will help in the sciences

cons:  He regularly fails grammar wkshts in English class despite having an excelling working knowledge of grammar (he is not detailed oriented in the least)

 

Really my objective is to determine where he will get the higher grade bc I don't see this as a critical part of his education, seeing as it will not be one of his strengths, but he is overall a very bright, well-rounded student.