Been trying to knock some of the cobwebs out of my brain today; my linguistic skills are getting a bit rusty, and I decided I needed to do a bit of vocabulary and grammar revues. I was looking up something that Caesar wrote, and found that my Latin was a bit out of practice, so I thought I might brush up a bit. I had already found that my Anglo-Saxon was not what it used to be, so I will be spending a bit of time with Beowulf, also. It's interesting how you lose touch with a language when you aren't using it a lot. Though not fluent in any language, I have a working knowledge of several, mainly in their written form. Looks like I need to do a bit more work with them than I have been doing lately.
I found music helps when studying, but only instrumental, highly structured types. For studying, lyrics can be distracting, and some repetitive types are mind-numbing if you are trying to concentrate. My favorite for studying is mainly baroque (Vivaldi and Bach, in particular), and some light jazz, such as Brubeck; I find it to be conducive to thinking and organizing the thoughts. Any suggestions on methods that you have found to work well with languages?
8 comments:
I am the worst when it comes to languages. i don't even understand my own, never mind another. I cant wait to learn how to spell and use grammar properly one day!
I just realized today that I forgot all my spanish and cannot talk to my roofers.
The only Spanish I know is odds and ends I've heard over the years. I can figure out some of it from Latin. Actually, I think I know as much Nahuatl as I do Spanish, except for the grammar.
I worked with a guy once that knew 7 languages. I asked him whhat would be the easiest way for me to learn Spanish. He said to move in with a young Senorita. He had worked for years as a Merchant Seaman and I guess he had a girl in every Port.
JDP
I have to have silence when I read or write anything...
However, as far as studying in a language other than English: I studied Spanish for many years and to refresh my skills I watch random Spanish soap operas on Telemundo or Univision. The characters tend to speak slightly more slowly and of course more dramatically than "normal" conversation so its a bit easier to follow.
I also studied Latin in high school I only use it when we use certain old hymns at Mass...
Music - Dave Brubeck. Jazz trio or quartet.
Beowulf - get the new translation by Seamus Heanly. A verse translation. Wonderful.
I hardly listen to anything with lyrics anymore unless it's in a foreign language and unrecognizable, it's too distracting. I haven't read any Medieval German in a long while either.
Zendo, I listen to just about anything of Brubecks. For Beowulf, I prefer the original Anglo-Saxon.
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