- This topic has 4 voices and 6 replies.
-
Posts
-
The more I study history the more convinced I am becoming that if you study anything other than American history and probably then too, you need to learn at least one other language. The school I am going to does not require mastery of a second language as part of its MA curriculum, which is at odds with most programs I researched.My personal specialty is Prussian History in the late 18th century to the end of WWI. I have discovered that learning German is a must. There is a quite a bit of English scholarship on this period but it is amazing the amount of Primary material that would be unavailable if I did not speak German. I dont see how anyone studying the history of a country or people that speak another language could actually call themselves a historian if they dont attempt to learn the language.One of the biggest things I have discovered is the different ways things can be translated. The same sentence can usually be translated at least three different ways depending on the translation. I have three different translations of Clausewitz and a copy in the original German, all three differ in some ways to a lesser or greater extent and I would translate certain sections differently. The different translations can have a huge difference in the emphasis and meaning of certain sections.I would highly encourage anyone studying history to learn at least one foreign language, preferably two. I personally plan on learning French and maybe taking a crack at Polish or Russian. Any or all of them will help me with my studies when I try to do my own original research.
I have to learn another language for my program and so later this summer I intend on taking an exam in Italian. The exam is only on translating a written passage in the foreign language. I already speak Spanish and Italian is somewhat similar, but I still have a ways to go before I feel confident enough to have some mastery of the language.I must say that there have been times when I've read secondary sources which have cited important primary research done in Italian. At times like that I realize I am at the mercy of the secondary source translation.
What would be the best language for one who is interested in ancient/classical history? Latin? (also, I find a lot of the sources for Greek and Roman things are in French)
Answer: Greek, Latin, and French.Actually, Greek or Latin would probably be the best choices because of the primary source materials. If you are finding a lot of secondary sources in French, then that is probably the next best choice. German is also a good one for classics. Much research was already done in the 19th and 20th centuries by scholars coming out of France/Germany. Italian would be another good one if you want to focus on Roman history.
Answer: Greek and Latin, but make sure both languages are of the ancient variety. Modern Greek is nothing like its ancient counterpart Modern Latin is much the same. Modern Latin is called Ecclesiastical Latin because it was developed for use by the Catholic Church. I have been told that the differences between Ecclesiastical Latin and Roman Latin are minor. But you definitely want to ensure that you learn Classical vice Modern Greek.
I am currently working on a bachlors degree, and my school does not require a language either. Some schools around where I live (looking at Master's) don't require learning a second language, and some do. I believe learning a language relevant to your field is extremely wise, and should probably be required at all schools. It's because there's a wealth of knowledge in other languages.I personally plan on going into Chinese history, and Asian history in general. I speak Chinese (Mandarin) and am learning Italian too. 🙂
Hi MA, welcome aboard! Just curious, are you in the states? Most schools in my area do require a languge. Usually a romance language. I'm fairly certain that if I knew ancient Greek, they would accept that. That's cool you know Mandarin as well as Italian. I think that puts you way ahead of most. Mandarin looks extremely difficult too! A professor recently told me that most PhD programs require two languages and expect you to know 4 by the time you're finished.
Thanks, I was so excited when I stumbled upon this site! 😀 I am in the States, actually. I admit, I haven't done a lot of research on PhD programs. I remember some school requiring certain languages for certain areas of study for Ph.D.'s. As I said, I want to do Chinese history, so my knowledge of Chinese helps a lot. It is quite challenging. I studied abroad in China for a year and lived there on and off half my life. The Chinese interest came first, and history followed. 🙂Lately I've been having dreams of studying in Europe for a period of time, but I am sadly broke. 🙁
