I believe that studying a foreign language helped me understand my own language better.  In Spanish your adjectives come after the noun; in English it's the opposite.  Example - the black cat vs. el gato negro  So it really reinforced the basics of English grammar for me and even served me well in college when I took an advanced grammar class.

I can still read and write a good portion of *very basic* Spanish, but don't ask me to understand it if someone is speaking it!  LOL

I took Latin in high school and I'd say that my basic understanding of Latin did (and still does) help me with English and French vocabulary.

My paternal grandmother is Italian. She has been in Canada since 1949 but she never really learned English. Unfortunately, I never really learned Italian so our conversations are limited but I can figure out most of the words because of the Latin base. The same is true for Spanish when I hear it or read it.

I am not very fluent in French despite taking classes all through high school. I think it's really a case of use it or lose it and I've mostly lost it. I can still read the language quite well and I can almost watch a French movie without subtitles. I could speak it if I had to but I would probably revert to English quite a bit.

Still, knowing any other language is a good thing. I really think that once you know a language you can pick it up again fairly easily if you choose to do so.

mikasha:

I really think that once you know a language you can pick it up again fairly easily if you choose to do so.

I hope so! When I began speaking, it was a mix of English and French. My maternal grandparents never learned to speak English and my mother's first language is French. Over the years and as more children were born into my generation of the family, everyone spoke more English. Since my grandfather's death several years ago, I have not spoken it at all. I think I could still follow some words in a conversation but for the most part, I am lost.

Does anyone use Rosetta Stone to learn another language?

thyme2save:

Does anyone use Rosetta Stone to learn another language?

We are considering it for Korean but it's not in the budget yet.

We use Prima Latina and Latina Christiana for Latin.

My Oldest speaks Spanish also he uses it in business he is able to talk to the crew and he can talk to customers

my 14 year old her uses her Spanish to help at the food bank she will help people fill out applications for Food stamps and go with them to WIC .

Brandy thank got for the different langues instead of just one I speak german only at home with mom and yes in a deli where moms friends hang out I only speak alittle latin it was eigther that or flunk collage so forced to take it ok flunked it but yes I know alittle latin only due to the care years when I and my x ran the 2 offices of titleing...

My dad knows russian-german-spanish- norwedgain from when he was a kid mom knows danish,swedish,main mother tounge is german from her home land now at us english

Not having kids nor having any issues with homeschooling... I'll chirp in and still voice a small opinion.

In high school (went to a private Lutheran school), starting freshman year we had the option of taking Latin (aimed at the males mainly to go on to ministry), and that was only time to join since it was 4 years of learning. I did not join at that time and have regrettedt it ever since. I struggled through 2 years of Spanish (sophmore and junior years), while seeing the Latin students whiz through with A's. I know I would have developed more of an understanding of languages and possibly retained more.

I did try doing tapes and books, and even simple conversations, in Kiswahili while I was married but never did grasp it. I do still have some Swahili in my head, which funny enough, gets mixed up with my Spanish! I have now decided that I will invest in Rosetta Stone if/when I would meet someone who speaks another tongue. 

We use Prima Latina and Latina Christiana for Latin.

Why do you use these programs instead of others?

thyme2save:

Why do you use these programs instead of others?

These are made by a publisher of classical curriculum. It supports the methods we use to teach our children. Not knowing Latin myself, I needed a program that was self explanatory and this one definitely is. It's also affordable. The cost is about $35-$40 for the teacher's manual, student workbook and pronunciation cd.