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Oh the poor people who try to learn German by reading Kafka. I'm not sure literature in general is suitable for learning a language that you don't already have
by bunkerbewohner 8y ago
Oh the poor people who try to learn German by reading Kafka.
I'm not sure literature in general is suitable for learning a language that you don't already have a tight grip on. Maybe children's books, but even then it's too far removed from spoken language for some languages.
- t-3 8y agoHaving some simpler and easier selections ala Lingua Latina (https://lingualatina.dk/wp/ https://lingualatina.dk/wp/) would definitely help. If you haven't heard of it, that is a book for learning Latin Wooten entirely in Latin. It starts off with very simple grammar and vocabulary and adds more each chapter. You can find digital copies pretty easily.
- sarabande 8y agoI've found the concept of extensive reading with a 98% threshold (that is, you must be understand 98% of words on a page) to be pretty effective in picking up foreign languages. Less than that and I give up. You're right, starting to learn German through Kafka is going to lead to bad times. I tried that with Mandarin and a translation of an Orhan Pamuk novel and gave up some twenty pages in after a brutal slog.