Hello,
I was just wondering if anybody knows whether or not learning 3 languages from scratch is a bit too excessive and unmanageable. I plan to study Arts with a Classics (Latin & Ancient Greek) and Philosophy major + diploma of language (German or French). Is that too much? What are some down sides to doing too many languages if any? Also does combination of languages change the difficulty? For example, I heard French is in some ways similar to Latin; so that would reduce workload? I am completely oblivious so any input would be much appreciated!
Thanks.
Normally I'd question the utility of learning three modern languages at once. Mainly because this doesn't see students leave their degree with a real diversity of skills. This is partially relevant to your case, but less so because you'll be doing Latin and Ancient Greek as part of a classics major. Although it must be said that often people who study classics will focus on one or the other language, after having taken the basics in both.
In terms of workload I think you'll find it manageable. It would certainly be challenging, but this combination provides some short cuts. As you said, Latin and French are similar, which may be slightly useful (although probably less so than you'd expect); however, there are some striking similarities between Latin and Ancient Greek. The manner in which these subjects are taught is very much the same. Moreover, some of the more complex grammatical concepts pertinent to both Latin and Ancient Greek are shared across both languages, which will no doubt make it easier. The downside of studying the two together, however, is the sheer amount of rote learning you have to do. They really are about remembering tables of declensions, and this could be difficult if you have to do it for not one but two languages.
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