Analytic started with the observation that some philosophical problems can be solved (or rather, be made obsolete) by carefully analyzing the language in which

Analytic started with the observation that some philosophical problems can be solved (or rather, be made obsolete) by carefully analyzing the language in which these problems are stated. So this school of philosophers is very careful in ensuring what they state is clear and unambiguous. Obviously, this limits analytic philosophers to a subset of our language when they express their thoughts. Continental philosophers are harder to characterize in a few words (at least for me), because in a sense they use more diverse methods when seeking insights. Many of their works are at the same time philosophical and sociological. For example, Habermas states that truth is a social construct, and explains how society constructs their truths. I'd say both schools contribute useful insights to philosophy. Read analytics to deepen your understanding of language and scientific method, and to refine your 'fallacy detector'. Read continentals to deepen your understanding of human behavior and social structures. And this is of course a huge simplification, because a) the distinction between these schools is purely artificial, and b) philosophers of both schools have contributed significantly to all areas of philosophy.