I’ve seen different sets of numbers, depending on whom you ask and how they counted. If you’re talking about native speakers, then Chinese probably exceeds English. If you talking about total speakers (2nd- and 3rd-languages), English easily surpasses Chinese and has the advantage of being a truly global language. Chinese is pretty much restricted both geographically and culturally. But also keep in mind that not all Mandarin is created equal. While I get by quite well here in Taiwan, I have difficulty communicating with any Mandarin-speaker west of, say, Chongqing, China.
Also keep in mind that, even though spoken Chinese is relatively easy to learn, learning to read and write isn’t. You will spend probably 80% of your time in the early years just memorizing – and forgetting, ad nauseum – characters. And you’ll need 2000 of them just to read the newspaper. It will take several years of study before you can begin digging into Chinese literature, and even then, Mandarin has changed greatly in recent centuries; you will still be unprepared for anything other than modern literature, especially if, as you probably will, you learn the simplified characters.
Not to discourage you from studying. Yes, Chinese will continue to grow in importance and influence – though probably not as quickly as you suspect – and if you’re interested in business opportunities or travel, go for it. But learning to read and write the language is a laborious process.
Just ran across this, for what it’s worth. Claims that on the verbal portion of the SAT Latin students outperform all others, including French, German and Spanish, with Spanish students consistently placing last.
http://www.bolchazy.com/al/latadv.htm
You seem susceptible to arguments based on the quality of a language’s literature (mentioning French classics and a vibrant modern community), so I’m still puzzled that you’re impervious to the lure of real classical literature.
When do you have to make a final decision? Hopefully you’ll have a lot of time, since it is a serious decision to make. In which case, I’d recommend you read the following things, which will make the case for the value of Latin much better than I ever could. You seem like someone who has access to a good library, but if you have any trouble obtaining these I might be able to help get you photocopies.
- The first essay “Center of Resistance” in Donald Carne-Ross’ book Instaurations (Los Angeles: Univ. of California Press, 1979).
Françoise Waquet’s Latin: or The Empire of a Sign, trans. from French by John Howe (New York: Verso, 2001).
Kenneth Haynes’ English Literature and Ancient Languages (Oxford: OUP, 2003).
If you’re interested in Biblical studies and their intersection with European scholarship, you should read up on the Reuchlin affair (Johann Reuchlin), which was one of the most exciting moments in the history of Hebrew studies, and it was all fought in Latin.
Whatever decision you make, I hope that you’ll understand and forgive my partisanship. If you don’t take Latin I think you will be locked out of the front door to European literature.
Adam