| Author |
Comment |
asgeirssone
Registered User
Posts: 10
(8/16/01 6:25:12 pm)
Reply
|
Best language to
learn: French or German?
I need to decide which foreign language to take at my IB
(International Baccalaureate) high school as my four year language.
I'll be locked into it for four years (I can take the other for my
Junior and Senior years, though), so I want to make a good choice. I
need some advice as to which would be more useful in music, travel,
and as a general second language (let's assume the difficulty is not
an issue), German or French. I may go into cello performance as a
career, if that'll influence the usefulness of each later on. I
really need to make my decision by tomorrow. Thanks for any
insight.
|
Ellen
G 
Registered
User
Posts: 855
(8/16/01 6:34:15
pm)
Reply
|
Re: Best
language to learn: French or German?
Hmmm... A lot of German is "translatable" and "pronounceable"
without formal training whereas I find French next to impossible.
For that reason alone, I'd vote for French. I prefer training in
areas that AREN'T self-evident. I've had some foreign language
courses, and in each instance it was quite easy to find words in the
dictionary. A French-to-English dictionary, however, is of little
value to me since I can't spell what they are saying.
|
Cellospieler
Registered User
Posts: 66
(8/16/01 6:51:34 pm)
Reply
|
Re: Best
language to learn: French or German?
I believe that learning German will be more beneficial, as you will
most likely be playing more germanic music than french i.e. Bach,
Beethoven, Brahms, Strauss, Wagner, Hindemith the list goes on and
on . . . . There are also more opportunities to play in Germany (at
least for me there have been). Very seldom do orchestra jobs become
available in France, but there are myriad orchestras in Germany with
frequent openings.
I have studied german for years and have
learned much about the culture and music through the language, and
it has helped me immensely in my musical studies. If what Ellen says
is true about understanding and pronouncability, all you have to do
is come across your first "etwas bewegter" and it's all gibberish
unless you know the language. Even translations of the most simple
instructions lose something.
Guten Tag!
CS
|
AaronReeves
Registered User
Posts: 225
(8/16/01 7:48:32 pm)
Reply
|
Re: Best
language to learn: French or German?
My vote goes to French. Not only is it a lovely language, but it
really is more useful than people give it credit for. Most people
think that French is only spoken in France, and maybe Canada might
come to mind. But it is also spoken in many African countries (which
probably won't help you that much) and some tropical islands.
(Tahiti and Martinique for example.) It's also the second language
of Vietnam and a few other Asian countries, which many people don't
realize. Also I believe that many people in the surrounding European
countries speak French, even if only for the sake of business
contact. But since I don't live in Europe, I don't know if that is
true or not. But if it is, you could communicate with Europeans of
many different backgrounds and nationalities using
French.
Aaron
|
Ellen
G
Registered
User
Posts: 856
(8/16/01 8:29:12
pm)
Reply
|
Touche
I would agree that German is more valuable where musical studies
are concerned.
But I did say "a lot of German" I believe, not
ALL German is more easily translated and pronounced. In my
experience, when I've heard a German phrase or French phrase and
tried to look it up in a dictionary to write it, I've had much more
success finding the German words than the French.
But
Milhaud, Goethe... hee hee. It's been pretty embarrassing at times!!
|
 Steve
Drake
Registered
User
Posts: 431
(8/16/01 9:03:19
pm)
Reply
Community Supporter
|
Is Spanish not
an option?
Spanish is probably the most prevalent language on earth. I became
fluent in it at an early age, but lost most of it later, but the
smatterings of it I still have have been very helpful. In most of
the US, knowledge of spanish is almost a requisite in several
businesses, such as construction and restaraunts.
My MP3's
My Cello
Homepage |
asgeirssone
Registered User
Posts: 11
(8/16/01 9:16:24 pm)
Reply
|
Spanish is,
but....
I could take Spanish, however, I think I would prefer to take
German or French (I already took a year of Spanish). I figure if I
know either, Spanish will come easier should I need to learn it, and
German or French will allow me to test out of a language requirement
in college (should I decide go into music). In addition to which one
is more useful in music, which one would be more useful while
traveling in Europe? My main concern for choosing the "right"
language is first, I will need to study it for four years, and
second, my IB language tests will be written exclusively in the
target language. Thanks for the great insight so far!
|
Tracie
Price 
Registered
User
Posts: 592
(8/16/01 9:21:27
pm)
Reply
|
Re: Best
language to learn: French or German?
For studying music, German is the language to choose. It is the
language of musicology, as it was "invented" in Germany. However,
unless you're going to be doing some serious research, you probably
aren't going to need to read the MGG anytime soon.
I've found
German to be useful, but then again, I work in a music library. I'd
have to agree with Steve that Spanish would definitely be most
useful in everyday life in the US, but I know in many college music
programs, (I know you're talking about high school here) you have to
study German, French or Italian in order for it to "count".
|
ashley
Registered User
Posts: 48
(8/17/01 1:35:14 am)
Reply
|
Sprechen Sie
Deutsch?
I would go with German. Actually, I am studying German right now,
and it's loads of fun!
I agree with everything Cellospieler said
(is this not a German name,
CS??? I love it!).
Germany just seems to be THE place for music. Plus, they have the
money to support music, and they do
 . That's good
 Music is
very important in the German culture (so I understand).
Anyways,
my (unprofessional) opinion is to go with German!!
|
zambocello
Registered User
Posts: 734
(8/17/01 2:13:09 am)
Reply
|
I say
Spanish
If you might live in California, Texas, or Florida, or any of many
other places in the USA, Spanish will be helpful and useful. Also,
it will give you a leg up on Italian. My dissertation involved the
early history of the cello, so my materials -- both original and
modern sources -- were in Italian. If I had studied Spanish I might
have limped through them on my own.
Because of my viola da
gamba interest, my second most useful language to have studied would
have been French. What language did I study? German, of course.
German was good to have when on orchestra tours, which
(coincidentally?) took us mostly to Germany, and German made some
things helpfully understandable in the library during student
days.
You know, whatever language you choose will be fine.
Maybe rather than choosing the most utilitarian language, choose the
language you think will bring you the most enjoyment while you
study.
|
rocel
Registered User
Posts: 55
(8/17/01 3:30:53 am)
Reply
|
'nother vote for
Deutsch!
I go with Tracie ect. Maybe it's different because I allready live
in Europe, so I'm not sure which would be more useful travel wise
for you. Music wise, German is extremely useful, interesting and
important. An awful lot of the music that we play is Germanic, and
I've found that speaking the language gives me more insight into
styles and interpretation. Also, the point about jobs in Germany is
a strong one, as is the touring point. Almost every town in Germany
has a decent concert hall, so if you are touring Europe at some
point, you are certain to do a concert in Germany, Austria or
Switzerland.
Another thing- Study in Germany is free. I know a
lot of Americans who went there for post grad. The level of teaching
is extremely high, and who knows what you might want to do study
wise later on? There are many fine teachers ion the German speaking
countries, and only a handful in france or spain.
|
RemRem
Registered User
Posts: 213
(8/17/01 3:46:19 am)
Reply
|
Re: Best
language to learn: French or German?
What about Finnish?
|
Corrina
Connor
Moderator
Posts: 739
(8/17/01 6:25:06 am)
Reply
|
Re: Best
language to learn: French or German?
IMHO, why not do something completely different, and learn Russian,
or Greek? Then you'd learn a new alphabet, and be able to write
secret messages to people.
Of course, you could learn Latin,
which would 'cover' Italian, Spanish, and to a large extent French.
And also do German?
Oh yes, maybe your school doesn't offer
Latin, as it is a 'dead language'. . . .well, my opinions on this
are too strong for this forum.
|
CelloBass
Registered User
Posts: 56
(8/17/01 6:55:07 am)
Reply
|
Re: Best
language to learn: French or German?
Hi asgeirssone,
I am German and I basically agree with the
comments of my predecessors. If music is your priority number one,
you can't do wrong if you learn German. Talking about the
communication in European countries, you have two options: You speak
the language of the country where you just live, or you switch to
English. What I want to say is: You won't find many people in France
who speak German fluently, and vice versa. Though Europe becomes
more and more unified, in a political and economical sense, the
language barriers still exist. One reason might be that there are so
many languages. For example, if I wanted to learn the languages of
our neighbor countries only, I would have to learn Danish, Dutch,
French, Italian for some parts of Switzerland, Polish, Tchech. And
that's not all, I omitted some. English is accepted as the universal
language, and though I learned French for 4 years (25 years ago), we
speak English when colleagues from France visit our company. I just
try to do some conversation in French. French is very difficult
because they slur the words and omit syllables, it takes a lot of
practice and you have to speak it continously to keep your level.
You said that difficulty is not important to you. The main problems
of French are pronounciation and spelling, while the German grammar
is pretty tricky, and there are many dialects in Germany that even
Germans sometimes can't understand. But this is true mainly for the
southern parts.
Horst
|
karenlee
Registered
User
Posts: 55
(8/17/01 7:34:48
am)
Reply
|
Re: Best
language to learn: French or German?
I have to agree that German is more useful for music, unless you
are heavy into Satie or Debussy, in which case French is
indispensable. However, French will be much easier to learn, read
and speak with fluency. I took both four 3 & 4 years in college.
Although it was interesting to read Schweitzer and Freud and Mann in
German, it was very slow slogging. French is just easier; I don't
know why. If you have a lot of spare time to look up vocabulary
words take German. If you're short of time and like French movies,
take French!
|
Tim
Janof
Administrator
Posts: 259
(8/17/01 9:10:18 am)
Reply
|
Re: Best
language to learn: French or German?
Of these two languages, I would choose German, although you can't
go wrong with either choice, of course.
From my travels, it
seems that many people in Western Europe speak English, in addition
to their native tongue. Those from Eastern Europe seem to use German
as their second language. Therefore, you will have all your bases
covered if you choose German, if and when you travel abroad.
|
RobertPlaysCello
Registered User
Posts: 9
(8/17/01 2:02:38 pm)
Reply
|
Re: Best
language to learn: French or German?
I know you're really asking which language would be most useful to
your musical career, but I think the first consideration should be
which is more beautiful to you. Learning a language that you love is
ultimately beneficial to every single endeavor in your life. Foreign
languages teach you how to think differently, how to use your voice
(your first instrument) differently, how to express yourself within
a whole new worldview. If you really get inside the new language
you'll be able to bring fresh and exciting insights to every aspect
of your cello playing. And most importantly, if you're going to
study anything for four (4!) years, make sure you can at least enjoy
it, and maybe even fall in love with it. I mean, think about it,
you're about to burn thousands of new neural pathways into your head
permanently. Make them count for something.
Which language
rolls off your tongue? Which language do you most like to hear
spoken? Which culture (or cultures) of language speakers do you most
resonate with? Which have the most prominent cellists or musicians
you admire (imagine reading their letters and journals in the
original tongue)?
Okay, that's it. I'll get off my soapbox.
Good luck with whichever language you choose!
-rl
|
Cellospieler
Registered User
Posts: 67
(8/17/01 2:33:20 pm)
Reply
|
Prima! Klasse!
Super!
It appears german is the winner here, for music and travel, at
least. Contrary to popular belief, when spoken nicely, german is not
the gutteral, hacking language we have been told it is. I am not
sure where Ellen is coming from about "hearing" words and then
trying to look them up in a dictionary. When I play some Hindemith
or french text publishers, I just use my dictionaries to translate.
Anyone who takes a semester or two of any language will have have
little trouble understanding a conductor when they say "cellos play
softer at 34" or "faster" in whatever language they
speak.
What is funny, is now that german is my second
language, my spanish comes out with a german accent. I suppose
that's cause it all comes from the same tiny pea-sized part of my
brain.
Yes, my screen name is german, my wife is german, and
I have learned to make many german recipes along the way. My
favorite classical CDs: german composers. German has many words that
do not occur in english "schadenfreude" is my favorite.
It's
easy to understand why I suggest german studies when considering a
musical career, although the french are no slouches when it comes to
music. Milhaud's "Creation of the World" continues to be one of my
most beloved pieces. Faure's "Impromptu" for harp is another piece
that stuns me everytime I hear it. I could go on and on . . . oh, I
already have!
Alles Gute,
CS
|
RonH
Registered User
Posts: 78
(8/17/01 2:50:08 pm)
Reply
|
Both
I believe that French and English are considered to be the two
primary internationally used languages. Adding German in your junior
and senior years should give enough background for use with music.
IMHO.
|
Tracie
Price
Registered
User
Posts: 594
(8/17/01 4:17:50
pm)
Reply
|
"schadenfreude"
>"schadenfreude" is my favorite.
That's interesting--
I was chatting with a good friend last night who is currently
spending some time in Berlin, and he too brought up this word (which
I'd never heard before). But he said it was a word he really
DISliked.
I like the way they squish a bunch of words
together to make one GIANT word. Hehehhee. (Riesenwort? hahaha)
|
ashley
Registered User
Posts: 50
(8/17/01 5:31:14 pm)
Reply
|
Let us know what
you decide...
...and good luck with whatever language you choose!!!
| |
Internet Cello Society
Forums
Email
This To a Friend
Topic Commands (Moderator only)