Learning by reading
Posted: Sun Sep 20, 2020 8:08 pm
Last Sunday, I decided to cancel my upcoming monthlong trip to Germany, and found myself heading towards 5 weeks free from work and without any travelling plans. So what to do with all that free time? I decided to dedicate it to languages, what else?
So early on Monday morning, before breakfast, I re-started Assimils "Polnisch ohne Mühe". I had tried to learn Polish a year and a half ago, but gave up about 4 weeks later, frustrated by my disability to learn the Polish vocabulary. Later that year I did some Clozemaster, but put no serious effort in that. So that morning, I did lesson one, and liked it (again).
After breakfast, I wondered what to do. Another lesson of Polish? No, one lesson per day is enough, I decided, while looking at Assimils "Yiddish with ease" which had been tempting me far too long, and now I couldn't resist any longer.
Yeah, I know that it's not a good idea to start two new (more or less new) languages simultanously! It won't be effective, wouldn't it? But why should I care about efficiency regarding my hobby? I want to enjoy my free time, not win a medal! So Yiddish it is. I actually dabbled a bit in Yiddish these last 5 years or so. From time to time I borrowed a Yiddish children's book and slowly made my way through it, with the help of my native language (German) and a dictionary. I very much like the sound of it, and I'd love to be able to fluently read books and listen to audiobooks in Yiddish.
Next stop French. Seven or eight years ago I took some classes, loved them, as the teacher was great, and reached about A2. Unfortunately, the classes didn't continue, and I slowly forgot my French. Last year, after the Polish debacle, I went to the Children's Library in Stockholm and borrowed a few books in French. To my great surprise, I discovered that I understood much more French than I had expected. I started with some books written for children which just had learned to read; they were the perfect level for me. Then I chose books which were more and more complicated, and step by step I worked my French up to my first novel written for adults, a crime novel by Georges Simenon. (In fact it was easier to read than some of the books aimed for 12-years-old kids.) Just now I'm listening/reading a crime novel by Fred Vargas (Pars vite et reviens tard). I listen to every chapter twice - first time, I read the English translation, second time around the French text.
Then a trip to town for a walk in one of the parks, and an hour or so at a café, reading my current book. I am an avid reader - have been so for the last 50+ years - and read fluently in German, Swedish and English. I always have (at least) one book in progress. Just now I'm in the middle of a Pratchett-spree, re-reading some of his fantastic Discworld novels. (The Shepherd's Crown, The Truth, Carpe Jugulum, and now The Monstrous Regiment.)
Back home, I had another look at my (far too small) collection of Assimils. Bad mistake! "Griechisch ohne Mühe" almost by itself jumped onto my desk and didn't let me put it back without at least opening the book and putting the first CD into the player. Again I couldn't resist a new language's temptation, so all this week it has been Greek as well. Three new languages! I'm crazy, I know... (I think, I might soon abandon Greek, as the lessons are very long, and take at least two days each. But it's a fascinating language and I love the script.) We'll see.
On Tuesday the September Esperanto-Sumoo started. While I forgot to sign in this month, I nevertheless decided to read a few pages in Esperanto each day. I borrowed Erich Maria Remarque's "En okcidento nenio nova" from the library. As it's too difficult to read with just a dictionary, I first read some pages in the German original (Im Westen nichts Neues), and then in Esperanto. I had read the book once (must have been in the early 80's) and had wanted to re-read it ever since then.
Yesterday I started to read a book in Afrikaans (Deon Meyer - Kobra). Another book from the library. I have some unread Afrikaans books in my bookshelves, but they are a bit too difficult to read, while Meyer's crime novel's language is not too complicated.
All in all a really good language week. I'm enjoying all these languages, but won't be too sad if I shouldn't continue one (or two, or all) of them next week or the following weeks. My aim is having fun, and should something more tempting turn up, or should I get bored by the languages, that's okay, too.
So early on Monday morning, before breakfast, I re-started Assimils "Polnisch ohne Mühe". I had tried to learn Polish a year and a half ago, but gave up about 4 weeks later, frustrated by my disability to learn the Polish vocabulary. Later that year I did some Clozemaster, but put no serious effort in that. So that morning, I did lesson one, and liked it (again).
After breakfast, I wondered what to do. Another lesson of Polish? No, one lesson per day is enough, I decided, while looking at Assimils "Yiddish with ease" which had been tempting me far too long, and now I couldn't resist any longer.
Yeah, I know that it's not a good idea to start two new (more or less new) languages simultanously! It won't be effective, wouldn't it? But why should I care about efficiency regarding my hobby? I want to enjoy my free time, not win a medal! So Yiddish it is. I actually dabbled a bit in Yiddish these last 5 years or so. From time to time I borrowed a Yiddish children's book and slowly made my way through it, with the help of my native language (German) and a dictionary. I very much like the sound of it, and I'd love to be able to fluently read books and listen to audiobooks in Yiddish.
Next stop French. Seven or eight years ago I took some classes, loved them, as the teacher was great, and reached about A2. Unfortunately, the classes didn't continue, and I slowly forgot my French. Last year, after the Polish debacle, I went to the Children's Library in Stockholm and borrowed a few books in French. To my great surprise, I discovered that I understood much more French than I had expected. I started with some books written for children which just had learned to read; they were the perfect level for me. Then I chose books which were more and more complicated, and step by step I worked my French up to my first novel written for adults, a crime novel by Georges Simenon. (In fact it was easier to read than some of the books aimed for 12-years-old kids.) Just now I'm listening/reading a crime novel by Fred Vargas (Pars vite et reviens tard). I listen to every chapter twice - first time, I read the English translation, second time around the French text.
Then a trip to town for a walk in one of the parks, and an hour or so at a café, reading my current book. I am an avid reader - have been so for the last 50+ years - and read fluently in German, Swedish and English. I always have (at least) one book in progress. Just now I'm in the middle of a Pratchett-spree, re-reading some of his fantastic Discworld novels. (The Shepherd's Crown, The Truth, Carpe Jugulum, and now The Monstrous Regiment.)
Back home, I had another look at my (far too small) collection of Assimils. Bad mistake! "Griechisch ohne Mühe" almost by itself jumped onto my desk and didn't let me put it back without at least opening the book and putting the first CD into the player. Again I couldn't resist a new language's temptation, so all this week it has been Greek as well. Three new languages! I'm crazy, I know... (I think, I might soon abandon Greek, as the lessons are very long, and take at least two days each. But it's a fascinating language and I love the script.) We'll see.
On Tuesday the September Esperanto-Sumoo started. While I forgot to sign in this month, I nevertheless decided to read a few pages in Esperanto each day. I borrowed Erich Maria Remarque's "En okcidento nenio nova" from the library. As it's too difficult to read with just a dictionary, I first read some pages in the German original (Im Westen nichts Neues), and then in Esperanto. I had read the book once (must have been in the early 80's) and had wanted to re-read it ever since then.
Yesterday I started to read a book in Afrikaans (Deon Meyer - Kobra). Another book from the library. I have some unread Afrikaans books in my bookshelves, but they are a bit too difficult to read, while Meyer's crime novel's language is not too complicated.
All in all a really good language week. I'm enjoying all these languages, but won't be too sad if I shouldn't continue one (or two, or all) of them next week or the following weeks. My aim is having fun, and should something more tempting turn up, or should I get bored by the languages, that's okay, too.