Choosing the First L2 Book (Italian)
Posted: Thu Dec 10, 2015 2:10 am
I am interested in diving into native materials sooner rather than later. I don't want to make a mistake of overthinking coming up with the "perfect" study plan, and am happy having just one course, like Assimil & a short grammar, as the background of true study while tinkering around with Italian in its native form.
A few ideas I had, and I'd welcome everyone's thoughts:
A) http://www.amazon.com/Divine-Comedy-Bil ... 47658/ref=
Purchase this lovely dual-language copy of the Divine Comedy and see if I can find the Italian audio either for free hopefully (though I find that unlikely since any recording would possibly still be under copyright), or buy it. Then just read and compare the translation while listening to the audio.
Pros:
It is fairly lengthy, so I'd have time to get used to its rhythm
It is significant culturally and has many allusions in later works and is an important piece of western civilization
Cons:
It is an 800-year old poem that, while understandable for a modern Italian, is far from a current vernacular
Maybe I get bored. I am a millenial. Who has time for concerns about sin and redemption?
B. Il Gattopardo (The Leopard) by Giuseppe Di Lampedusa with audio
http://www.amazon.com/Gattopardo-Italia ... 83821/ref=
http://www.amazon.com/Leopard-Novel-Giu ... 14790/ref=
http://www.amazon.it/Gattopardo-letto-S ... 3527X/ref=
Pros:
The book looks interesting and has great reviews in both languages
Ties into Italian history
Audio is clearly easy to come by
Cons:
May be too long/challenging to start with
Since it is two separate books, maybe it is a bit unwieldy to compare lines/translations
C. Robinson Crusoe
http://farkastranslations.com/books/Def ... fr-nl.html
Found this handy site that has a side-by-side translation for English and Italian (plus many others).
Cons: No audio, no connection to Italy, and I'd be tied to the computer.
Any thoughts on any of these, or any alternatives? Am I being too ambitious, approaching it the wrong way, etc....
My idea was just having a longer-term project to work towards while doing the daily minimum with Assimil would be nice. Then fill in the gaps with other native stuff where and when I can.
Oh, and anyone know a good place to read the news in Italian that may have transcripts or anything in English? I know there is a really good resource like that for French, but haven't discovered it for Italian. Thanks everyone!
A few ideas I had, and I'd welcome everyone's thoughts:
A) http://www.amazon.com/Divine-Comedy-Bil ... 47658/ref=
Purchase this lovely dual-language copy of the Divine Comedy and see if I can find the Italian audio either for free hopefully (though I find that unlikely since any recording would possibly still be under copyright), or buy it. Then just read and compare the translation while listening to the audio.
Pros:
It is fairly lengthy, so I'd have time to get used to its rhythm
It is significant culturally and has many allusions in later works and is an important piece of western civilization
Cons:
It is an 800-year old poem that, while understandable for a modern Italian, is far from a current vernacular
Maybe I get bored. I am a millenial. Who has time for concerns about sin and redemption?
B. Il Gattopardo (The Leopard) by Giuseppe Di Lampedusa with audio
http://www.amazon.com/Gattopardo-Italia ... 83821/ref=
http://www.amazon.com/Leopard-Novel-Giu ... 14790/ref=
http://www.amazon.it/Gattopardo-letto-S ... 3527X/ref=
Pros:
The book looks interesting and has great reviews in both languages
Ties into Italian history
Audio is clearly easy to come by
Cons:
May be too long/challenging to start with
Since it is two separate books, maybe it is a bit unwieldy to compare lines/translations
C. Robinson Crusoe
http://farkastranslations.com/books/Def ... fr-nl.html
Found this handy site that has a side-by-side translation for English and Italian (plus many others).
Cons: No audio, no connection to Italy, and I'd be tied to the computer.
Any thoughts on any of these, or any alternatives? Am I being too ambitious, approaching it the wrong way, etc....
My idea was just having a longer-term project to work towards while doing the daily minimum with Assimil would be nice. Then fill in the gaps with other native stuff where and when I can.
Oh, and anyone know a good place to read the news in Italian that may have transcripts or anything in English? I know there is a really good resource like that for French, but haven't discovered it for Italian. Thanks everyone!