Yahoo Answers is shutting down on May 4th, 2021 (Eastern Time) and beginning April 20th, 2021 (Eastern Time) the Yahoo Answers website will be in read-only mode. There will be no changes to other Yahoo properties or services, or your Yahoo account. You can find more information about the Yahoo Answers shutdown and how to download your data on this help page.
Trending News
If my goal is to obtain a PhD in English, which romance language would be best to learn?
I have considered returning to school for a PhD for some time now. While I do not know exactly what I would like my area of concentration to be as of yet, I would enjoy studying medieval lit in part. So, Latin would make sense I would think. The only problem is, I have no background in Latin and have heard it takes many, many years to perfect. I did try German and struggled with it so much I have basically written it off as an option. Of course, I was also taking my medieval course at the time where they tried to teach us to read and speak both old and middle English. I remember trying to keep straight middle English's schlepen (not sure of the spelling now) and German's geschlafen. Fun. I tried both Spanish and French back in high school but had poor teachers who gave up due to the antics of the class, so I learned nothing. Japanese is ironically the only language I have taken where I retained anything. But then, not being a romance language I know it is ill suited for an English PhD. Plus, I only learned hiragana and katakana, no kanji. So even if the school allowed me to take a translation test, I'd basically have to start over with Japanese anyway, focusing on my reading as I am pretty much limited to speaking it. At this point, I am thinking Spanish would be my best bet as I've always heard it is easiest to learn. Plus, if I fail to get into a program at all (or one I like enough to bother going) then Spanish would still be useful to know. However, if anyone out there thinks otherwise, please, please let me know. Should I go for the Latin after all, or is Spanish sufficient? Thanks in advance for the advice. I'd like to enter into a program within 1-2 years. If this does not happen, I still plan on getting a PhD when I'm retired and in my 60's or 70's just because I look forward to the advanced study. Thank you.
I have decided what I *want* to learn is Latin. Spanish, well, as practical as it is, I have zero desire to learn it. With Latin, I enjoy noticing how the words have transformed into modern words today. Don't ask me why, but I do. That being said, I have no clue how to go about learning Latin on my own, so it may be a moot point. I'd do Berlitz if I chose Spanish, but they appear to have no Latin. We'll see. I know Spanish is more practical, but practicality is what I've focused on since college, and it has brought me nothing but misery, especially in this economy. Practicality is what landed me in the wrong MA program, which in turn made me panic and run to law school. But then, nowadays a JD isn't any more practical than a PhD it seems, and I want to return to what I love, which is language and literature. Thanks to everyone for the advice. I haven't taken any of it lightly. I just think I need to start being me at long last.
4 Answers
- aidaLv 71 decade agoFavorite Answer
As a medievalist with a PhD in Comparative Literature, an MA in English, and an undergraduate major in Latin, I think--well, I bet you know by now! Yes, take Latin if you possibly can! Any Romance language will come all the more easily if you do, and Latin will be rather useful for a concentration in medieval literature even if all the literature you study is in English. And actually, two years of college Latin should be sufficient for the immediate purpose.
The problem may be to find a conveniently located college or university that offers Latin, especially at a time you can fit into your work schedule. If you can't find classes in it, French would be my second recommendation. There's far more significant medieval literature in French than in Spanish.
One more thing: graduate schools usually offer (or did when I was there) "reading courses" in some foreign languages, specifically designed to enable students to pass the reading exams in those languages. Since doctoral programs often (maybe usually) require more than one language, this fact may be handy to know.
BTW, by the time I finished my master's, for which I had specialized in English literature of the Renaissance, I had decided that I wanted to be a medievalist and that Comp. Lit. was the way to go, and as soon as I had defended my thesis, I enrolled in the first of three additional semesters of French to help me prepare for the next step.
So go for it, and good luck! May you enjoy your doctoral work as much as I enjoyed mine!
Source(s): Please see above! : ) - Anonymous5 years ago
I live in America so I speak English. For the past three years I've been taking French. It has been pretty easy for me to learn French so I think it would be the same for a European to learn English. In Many ways English is easier than Romance Languages because of gender and all the tenses of verbs, but English can be very confusing. In English, we have a lot of words that mean the same thing, we use slang continuously, and there is at least one exception to every grammar rule you learn. But it is probably easier for an European to learn than an Asian or African person.
- 1 decade ago
Assuming you are not a spring chicken, possibly a middle aged person, I would suggest an alternative.
Why not Behavioural Sciences?
That way it not only enriches you, but also gives you a chance at giving back to Society.
If i may be presumptious, read "Games Peple play" and I'm OK, you're OK", and then re-consider.
Just my two pieces worth.
pickaydas.
