Day 9: Estos son mis libros favoritos. ¿Por qué? ¡Porque los puedo leer en español! Yes, I'm working on Spanish again, and I'm progressing far better than with any previous attempt. Why? First of all, I have been using several different methods of learning, including DuoLingo's quirky, semi-functional website, as well as following several "comprehensible input" teachers on YouTube. I refer to Google Translate for pronunciations and definitions of unfamiliar words, and sometimes type in paragraphs so that I can read them aloud along with the robotic voice, improving on its inflection. However, the thing which is making the most difference in my learning curve is that I am reading books on subjects dear to me, specifically birds, plants and the sciences. Relevance matters! I am not the least bit interested in hotels, taxis and airports, but I find that I retain more if I can infer meaning from context when reading that a bird's wing ("ala") is flat ("plana") on the underside ('por debajo") and curved ("curva") on the upper surface ("por arriba") so that the pressure of the air which passes over the top is less than that which passes underneath, thereby giving the bird lift. This is what is meant by the phrase "acquiring a language," as opposed to learning its grammar and vocabulary by rote. I'm sure I will have many more opportunities to discuss the fact that a fifth of a bird's body cavity is occupied by air sacs than I will have chances to repeat DuoLingo's phrase, "My dog doesn't shower every day."
No comments:
Post a Comment