Learning a New Language
There is a conventional wisdom about how you should go about learning a new language. Let's say that you decide you've got a thing for German girls (or guys, as the reader's orientation may vary), and so you decide to learn German and spend a year in Germany drinking beer and getting freaky with the (hopefully) attractive locals.
To learn German, here are the four things you should practice, in this order, to ease yourself into the language:
1. Read German.
2. Listen to German being spoken.
3. Speak German.
4. Write German.
The reason these steps exist, and are in this order, makes sense. Reading is done first because you can do it at your own pace, and gives you a visual sense of the language before you hear or speak it. Then, practice listening to it spoken aloud, and catch as much as you can. Once you've been able to comprehend what others say and write, work on getting other people to comprehend what you say and write. Writing comes last because it requires a really good command of grammer, idioms,
There's a fifth step here, which I'm going to tack on: Write a German children's book. The reason for this is that you can write anything you like in German, but it's going to be tough to get German mothers to read it to their children if it clashes with their culture. Mothers are very careful about the morals and values they expose their children to, and if you haven't mastered German language, you won't be able to convince German mothers they should read your book to their child.
I suppose I'm blurring the lines between mastering a language and mastering a new culture. In some ways, I don't really think there's a distinction there. Besides, unless you're really attractive, you'll need to understand the German culture if you want to effectively lure people into bed with you.
To learn German, here are the four things you should practice, in this order, to ease yourself into the language:
1. Read German.
2. Listen to German being spoken.
3. Speak German.
4. Write German.
The reason these steps exist, and are in this order, makes sense. Reading is done first because you can do it at your own pace, and gives you a visual sense of the language before you hear or speak it. Then, practice listening to it spoken aloud, and catch as much as you can. Once you've been able to comprehend what others say and write, work on getting other people to comprehend what you say and write. Writing comes last because it requires a really good command of grammer, idioms,
There's a fifth step here, which I'm going to tack on: Write a German children's book. The reason for this is that you can write anything you like in German, but it's going to be tough to get German mothers to read it to their children if it clashes with their culture. Mothers are very careful about the morals and values they expose their children to, and if you haven't mastered German language, you won't be able to convince German mothers they should read your book to their child.
I suppose I'm blurring the lines between mastering a language and mastering a new culture. In some ways, I don't really think there's a distinction there. Besides, unless you're really attractive, you'll need to understand the German culture if you want to effectively lure people into bed with you.