A modern language is any human language that is used by societies in the world today.
The term is used in a language education context (in high schools, secondary schools, colleges and universities) to distinguish between languages such as French or Russian, which are still spoken by millions of people and are often learned for their usefulness as tools of communication, and classical languages such as Attic Greek or Classical Chinese, which are studied for their cultural or lngusitic value, rather than for any practical purpose.
Modern Languages in the UK
Modern Languages is a compulsory subject in the state education system in the United Kingdom. You have to choose at least one language, though you can pick a second language; though that means possibly losing a subject in science. Schools are required to teach a programme of languages according to local and national guidelines.
Languages most studied in schools
The content of this page is retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Modern_language under GFDL
