Foreign Languages Taught in US Public Schools

[Frodo]

I only listed the top 15 languages other than English according to this site.  And you can only pick the top 5 that you think should be given the greatest emphasis.

[Oak Hills]

Spanish, French, Mandarin, and German should be offered if possible, in addition to local Native American languages, where applicable.  (Although that last one isn't exactly "foreign".)

[Mr. Smith]

As the U.S. currently is:

Spanish, Arabic, Mandarin Chinese, German, and ASL.

[Хahar 🤔]

Spanish, French, Mandarin, Arabic, Russian

You can make allowances for Japanese or whatever if you want, but I can't imagine the utility of teaching German or Italian.

[🦀🎂🦀🎂]

Spanish, mandarin, German Russian and Latin seem the most helpful.

[FEMA Camp Administrator]

Why is there a limit to five? Shouldn't we want our children to be as knowledgeable as possible? Admittedly, with high school, you're limited to only (usually) four years to drill in the necessary knowledge, but in ideal circumstances, for those few classes that high schoolers do have as electives, they'd have virtually unlimited possibilities.

[Yelnoc]

I voted Spanish, French, Mandarin, Arabic, Russian.

Why is there a limit to five? Shouldn't we want our children to be as knowledgeable as possible? Admittedly, with high school, you're limited to only (usually) four years to drill in the necessary knowledge, but in ideal circumstances, for those few classes that high schoolers do have as electives, they'd have virtually unlimited possibilities.

In the ideal, it would be wonderful to be able to choose from all the major languages, but there are fiscal constraints. The school I went to could only afford to offer three languages (Spanish, French, and Latin); I suspect two or three is probably the norm. I think Spanish should be offered by every high school, regardless of location. The second language offered should vary by location; for example, Duluth, GA should obvious teach Korean at the high school level, schools in Arizona and New Mexico near reservations should offer Navajo classes, etc. If the school can afford a third language, I think French is the best choice considering both the number of global speakers, and the  historical interaction between the Francophone and Anglophone world which makes French literature more approachable (IMO). If there's room for a fourth class, whichever of Mandarin, Arabic, and Russian that a school can find a qualified teacher for would be good; all of those are spoken by hundreds of millions of people in.

[Crumpets]

Voted for Spanish, French, Chinese, Arabic, and Italian, as they're the most widely spoken of these languages in the US. However, as a Russophone, I'll say we're very lonely here, and it would be great to have more tovarishchi.

[Antonio the Sixth]

All should be offered, and kids should have to pick two among them.

Maybe Spanish should be mandatory in NM, CA and TX.

[Mister Mets]

I went with Spanish, Mandarin Chinese, Italian, German and Latin.

Spanish is relevant in the US due to the large immigrant population. Mandarin is relevant due to China's impact on the world.

Latin can help with an understanding of the classics, and it's the foundation for other languages.

Italian is widely spoken in the US, and Germany is one of the top economies in the world.

[Del Tachi]

Spanish, French, German, Japanese and Latin

[TJ in Oregon]

It really depends on the size of the school. My high school could never have supported more than 2-3 languages. Some of the massive suburban schools probably could support 10.

[Mercenary]

It depends on the area and the demand.

I voted Korean though since it is the only language I can speak conversationally.

[Famous Mortimer]

Spanish, Arabic, Chinese, French, and leave the last one up to the schools themselves. Probably German most places. Japanese in Hawai'i. Somali or Hmong in Minnesota.

[politicallefty]

I voted Spanish, French, Mandarin Chinese, Arabic, and Japanese. I think Spanish should be mandatory in all public schools, along with at least one of the others.

[Sol]

Spanish should probably be a full-on core subject like math or English in the U.S., while the others should definitely be taught as well. If pressed to pick, I'd say French, Mandarin, Arabic, and ASL.

[JohnRM]

Elective or required? I don't think any foreign language should be required.

As electives, the standard group should be Spanish, Chinese, and Hindi, as these are three most useful languages as a composite of usefulness in business and those using the language in the United States.

Additional languages should be chosen based on local inclinations combined with adequate consideration of the above standard. I think, however, that five languages would be too many for the majority of school districts in the United States. Three might be pushing it, as well.

[VPH]

Spanish, French, Chinese, Portuguese

[Хahar 🤔]

As electives, the standard group should be Spanish, Chinese, and Hindi, as these are three most useful languages as a composite of usefulness in business and those using the language in the United States.

Nobody conducts business in Hindi.

[Clark Kent]

Spanish, French, Mandarin Chinese, and maybe one of the Indian languages (Hindi?).

[JohnRM]

As electives, the standard group should be Spanish, Chinese, and Hindi, as these are three most useful languages as a composite of usefulness in business and those using the language in the United States.

Nobody conducts business in Hindi.

Really? I would have thought that it was rather common. I suppose I stand corrected.

[Vosem]

My high school offered Spanish, French, German, and Latin, and there was a great deal of activity and interest in all four. Beyond that, some ambitious students undertook to study Mandarin Chinese and Russian at a nearby college (Kent State offers a summer program for high schoolers; originally, Arabic was also offered, but it was dropped because of a lack of interest). So, those are the six I voted for.

EDIT: So, you can only vote for 5? Dammit. Not really sure which of those should go. Didn't vote.

[PJ]

Spanish ought to be a core class. As far as other languages, standardization isn't really necessary given the cultural differences in different communities, and should be left up to individual schools.

I understand the motivation to want to teach Latin or other dead languages, but what makes these languages worthy of taking slots in high school curriculums that could be allocated to languages with much more practical usage in the 21st century?

[politicallefty]

Elective or required? I don't think any foreign language should be required.

You don't think all American students shouldn't have to at least learn one foreign language? That's a debate point on its own. However, it has been shown that learning another language leads to significant cognitive enhancement (see here, for example). Like I said, in our country, I think Spanish should be required and at least one other language required that would be an elective choice (ideally something very different from English, like Mandarin, Japanese, or Arabic).

[TNF]

Spanish should be required for everyone, and elective courses should include Chinese, Arabic, Russian, and French.