For reading
I really hate x-for-reading courses on modern languages. I’m in the middle of one on German right now–having taken exactly the same class three summers ago–and I’m painfully aware of how little is actually sticking in my head. It’s impossible to learn the language this way, without writing or speaking a single word. My professor even avoids saying anything in German, preferring just to spell German words out so as not to overtax us with the burden of proper pronunciation.
Just like last time I took this class, I’ll learn enough to be able to very roughly translate a short passage from German to English at the end of the summer, and so pass the test. And then I’ll forget everything about the language within three weeks, since my knowledge of it never penetrated its purely structural aspect.
6 July 2009 |
Comments (3)
Tags: Academia, Personal
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This is so true.
And if you’re using “Jannach’s,” the pedagogically challenged text only further confuses the temporary retention.
Seriously! I’ve been sitting here for quite a while now trying to figure out what that book is even actually saying about the declension of adjectives.
word.