Student100 said:
Latin might have been suggested
tongue-in-cheek (not tounge), but that's actually not a bad idea for someone who wants to study biology. Most of the scientific names of plant and animals are made up of Latin words. For example, in botany, red-flowering currant is
Ribes sanguineum. I don't know the etymology of the genus, Ribes, but I suppose it means gooseberry or currant, as the Ribes genus includes those kinds of berries. The species name, sanguineum, part has to do with blood, and the berres are blood-red in color.
The genus name Quercus, is the genus of oaks, and I believe the English word "cork" is derived from this Latin word.
Other examples of flowers and plants that grow near where I live:
Trefoil foamflower - Tiarella trifoliata -- "small tiara" and "three-leaved"
Elephant's head - Pedicularis groenlandica -- Pediculosis is "infestation by lice" Elephant's head is also called "Elephant's head lousewort." Long ago, the plant was believed to cause lice infestation when ingested by stock animals. The "groenlandica" species name suggests that it was first identified in Greenland.
Rhododendron -- an odd combination of Greek rhodos (red) and Latin tree (dendron).
Bleeding heart -- Dicentra formosa -- another mix of Greek and Latin. Dicentra (Greek dis -- two, kentron -- spur) formosa (Latin -- beautiful).
The same holds for animals:
Grey wolf - Canis lupus -- Canis (dog) genus, lupus (wolf) species. The English word canine obviously derives from the Latin, and lupus survives in Spanish lobo, French loup, and English lupine, a kind of flower, but also meaning "wolf-like"
Homo sapiens - Homo (man) and sapiens (thinking)
And so on.
I hope this is the right place to ask for opinions on which language to learn for science purposes. I want to become a research molecular biologist working in the field of genetics. I am comfortable in English currently. I've also started learning Spanish, but I’m wondering what other languages should I study next? Comments are welcome!