World Languages

Latin and Modern Language Studies in the Middle and Upper Schools

Mrs. Lisa Hernández, Head of Department

The Cistercian World Languages Department commits itself to educate students on linguistic and cultural proficiency in world languages. Students are prepared for college and exceed the introductory level collegiate requirements. This includes fostering sensitivity to and an awareness of other cultures to communicate successfully in a pluralistic American society and abroad. Our department principally commits to whole language acquisition, promoting understanding of culture and language.

The Foreign Language program in the Middle School complements the Language Arts curriculum by introducing the students to Latin. Latin has been chosen as the required foreign language throughout Middle School for several reasons. First, studying Latin helps the students see how a text’s grammatical structure yields its meaning. Latin studies also expand, deepen, and reinforce students’ English vocabulary. Furthermore, Latin is an effective introduction to the study of any inflected language, particularly the modern European languages offered in Upper School. Finally, learning Latin opens students up to the cultural wealth of Western civilization, from ancient Rome through the Middle Ages and the Renaissance.

Based on the results of four years of Latin in Middle School, the Foreign Language program in Upper School allows the students to learn one of two major modern languages of the West—Spanish or French. From a utilitarian standpoint, Spanish introduces students to the language and the culture of our neighbors to the south and the vibrant Hispanic heritage in this country. While Spanish is the foreign language most widely spoken in Texas and most often studied in the United States, French remains the second most frequently taught after Spanish. French culture and language are studied in the context of the 43 French-speaking countries; Spanish culture and language are studied in the context of the 19 Spanish-speaking countries. French is the language spoken by our largest trading partner, Canada. France’s economy is the 5th largest in the world.

There is regular oral and written expression practice in the foreign language courses, along with work in grammar and vocabulary. Throughout the first two years, students learn basic vocabulary and grammatical forms. In Form VII, studying culture, history, and literature enriches the students’ continued practice in writing and conversation. In Form VIII, students can take a seminar class in French or Spanish. These seminar courses focus on building writing, listening, and conversational fluency.

For more information on the value of studying French, please click here: French Presentation. 

World Languages Department Faculty