Do you consume material in your TL that you'd consider beneath you in your native language?

[Elsa Maria]

I’ve really been enjoying reading the replies to this thread. I’ll also say that I don’t really consider content as beneath me - I just don’t like certain things. I won’t spend my time with content I dislike, regardless of language learning benefits.

Here is one I have not seen mentioned: the news. In my experience, highbrow news tends to be behind a paywall and tabloid /sensationalst news is free. I have noticed that the videos on the free news sites often have really good subtitles.

N.B. I don’t mind paying for good journalism, but I can’t afford unlimited subscriptions either.

[Le Baron]

I’ll also say that I don’t really consider content as beneath me, I just don’t like certain things. I won’t spend my time with content I dislike, regardless of language learning benefits.

Agreed. It's also a mistake and lost opportunity. Practically every one of us grew up consuming at least some trivial content (books, TV, film), things we probably wouldn't watch or read now. However all of this is formative and exposes you to a wide range of usage. It's part of how we got better in our native languages, hearing other people talk in different ways. It's also commonly a source of cultural references people tend to use in the languages.

As you said though, there are just some things I dislike and can't push myself to engage with. Like Harry Potter.

[german2k01]

As you said though, there are just some things I dislike and can't push myself to engage with. Like Harry Potter.

I am meaning to ask this question in relation to reading Harry Potter books in target languages. Do you think as a learner for some reason you do not like these types of books and find them a slog to go through; do you consider yourself at a disadvantage of not exposing yourself to the most common and important words that are used in such books? In contrast, other learners like to read them and find them interesting hence they will have a better grasp of the language and a better arsenal of words at their disposal.

How do you address this gap?

[Le Baron]

I am meaning to ask this question in relation to reading Harry Potter books in target languages. Do you think as a learner for some reason you do not like these types of books and find them a slog to go through; do you consider yourself at a disadvantage of not exposing yourself to the most common and important words that are used in such books? In contrast, other learners like to read them and find them interesting hence they will have a better grasp of the language and a better arsenal of words at their disposal.

How do you address this gap?

There isn't a gap, because Harry Potter books aren't the only available source of those words or language structures. I could be reading any kind of YA literature or non-fiction or even just magazines. I actually read one of these books up to about 3/4 and then stopped. I don't like magical fantasy at the best of times, but these are just imbecilic. It's fine that others like them, they're entitled to like what they want.

As I understand it a lot of (especially) younger language learners simply adopted Harry Potter because they were very familiar with them already in whatever their native language is. So that it was a good comparison text. This would hold true for an older generation reading e.g. the works of Roald Dahl or something else.

[Saim]

I remember reading a bit of Harry Potter in Polish back in the day and I actually found it quite difficult (although I also wasn’t doing anywhere near enough explicit vocabulary study). There’s a lot of novels out there that are simpler and shorter, just go to the bestseller section of any bookstore or pick out any 200/250-page YA fiction that isn’t fantasy or sci-fi. The only benefit here is comparison as Le Baron mentioned, or if you just adore Harry Potter (which I did as a pre-teen/young teenager I guess, but don’t care for particularly anymore).

[Le Baron]

There’s a lot of novels out there that are simpler and shorter, just go to the bestseller section of any bookstore or pick out any 200/250-page YA fiction that isn’t fantasy or sci-fi.

I'm agreeing because it's the route I take. When learning the very worst and most demoralising thing for me is to face some 400-500-700 page book. It's masochistic. And then the idea that you spend months, possibly years, toying with this thing over and again in the hope that it unravels the language. The thesis that 'getting involved' in a story engages you holds some water, but I think there's a limit when it's a question of learning. Dozens of characters doing things that barely represent grounded reality would be a difficult chore for me in English. In another language it's miserable and a plain nuisance.

The sort of books at 150-175-200 pages have the air of something mangeable. Something you can really take in and work with, then move on to keep up motivation. In Europe the 'novella' was once a very popular medium for literary fiction. It seems to have been almost wholly superseded by enormous books with tiresomely overcomplicated plots often covering decades or hundreds of years and ten countries and a cast of characters larger than a long-running soap opera. From authors who are trapped between wanting to write fiction and popular history, so just dump it all into the same book. And the reviews and praise are all the same: 'covers a grand sweep of history...touches on 'philosophical truths' ... blah blah'.

As I see it, there's a very good reason 'easy readers' are thin books. You need the new language in mangeable chunks. In the same way that a TL conversation of 5 minutes is taxing enough and a 25 minute one a struggle, and a 55 minute one like falling into a black hole. This is similar when I move onto the non-abridged, non-simplified reading. To jump right into some giant book - especially things like 19th century literature with obsolete, difficult language - seems a glaring mistake.

[PeterMollenburg]

Yes and no. I don’t watch things that grate on me. For example, I can’t stand reality TV or game shows. No amount of language benefit tempts me to watch them.

Ditto. These shows annoy the hell out of me in English (I watched too much Wheel of Fortune as a kid), although I rarely watch anything at all in English nowadays. Still, I'm not opposed to watching one of these in future in a TL if I'm curious enough, it's a concept not seen before perhaps, and it looks like a good language learning actuvity. So far however, I haven't had to even try to avoid them as there plenty of other interesting things out there and I think my life's not lacking because of it!

I didn't like Buffy much at all in English, but it's been useful in French. I like Peppa Gris occasionally in Norwegian given my level. Spanish language telenovelas sound like a good idea. Yabla in French, NEVER in English. Nowadays I love some French rap but rarely listen to it in English anymore. And I have read and really really enjoy a TON of French, Dutch (and some Spanish and Norwegian) children's books and love it. I didn't experience a lot of that (children's books) as a kid in English, so now I'm making up for lost time in my TLs with my kids, and it's bloody great! I'm still yet to read Harry Potter in any language and look forward to doing so in French/Dutch etc. In English I've no desire to read any of this stuff whatsoever but really enjoy so in my TLs.

[german2k01]

To jump right into some giant book - especially things like 19th century literature with obsolete, difficult language - seems a glaring mistake.

I agree with you. My German teacher told me not to touch novels until study all the grammar rules and structures that usually last by B2 level. It is better to choose materials based on your current level. For example, if your current reading level is at B1 then choose magazines or easy readers aimed at your current level. This way you will reinforce grammar structures in parallel while reading such books. They are designed this way.

Also, the danger of tackling 19th-century literature early on is using less common words in your conversations that a native speaker has never heard of or never used it. Thus, there is a break in having smooth communication.

However, some people are of the opinion that when handing difficult books they have already acquired difficult grammar structures and sophisticated vocabulary so when they actually sit down to read easy readers and magazines they can easily read them with above 90% understanding and use them more as a free flow reading practice. In the process pick up grammar structures smoothly and by osmosis.

I do not know which route is more valuable for your time spent.

[Le Baron]

I watched too much Wheel of Fortune as a kid...

Can anyone watch too much Wheel Of Fortune? It's what makes life worth living!

[David27]

Yes