Hebrew by osmosis
Apr. 21st, 2003 10:49 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
cellioI've had poor results trying to learn Hebrew formally, and some ok results just picking things up by osmosis, so it's time to ask for some pointers from my Hebrew-literate friends. (Ok, my timing probably stinks what with Pesach and all. If I don't get any replies, I'll try this again in a week. But I'm thinking of it now.)
I think it's time for me to read.
I should probably aim for a mix of children's books (real young children) and books that are a little less, err, intellectually lame. I mean, most adults will tire pretty quickly of "see Dick run", and I'm no exception. I'm wondering if books with simpler vocabulary that are already familiar to me would be reasonable candidates -- things like The Little Prince or some of Aesop's fables or the like. I read that stuff in English as a young child (definitely fables before kindergarten), so it should be possible.
Anything I try to read has to have full nikud (vowels), at least for now. Larger print is a plus. And I'd like to be able to buy it by mail, to avoid funny looks in Pinsker's (or, worse yet, them assuming I have children).
Does anyone have any suggestions?
And no, I'm not interested in reading Harry Potter in Hebrew. Didn't read it in English; don't want to read it in another language. And anyway, it doesn't have nikud. :-)
I think it's time for me to read.
I should probably aim for a mix of children's books (real young children) and books that are a little less, err, intellectually lame. I mean, most adults will tire pretty quickly of "see Dick run", and I'm no exception. I'm wondering if books with simpler vocabulary that are already familiar to me would be reasonable candidates -- things like The Little Prince or some of Aesop's fables or the like. I read that stuff in English as a young child (definitely fables before kindergarten), so it should be possible.
Anything I try to read has to have full nikud (vowels), at least for now. Larger print is a plus. And I'd like to be able to buy it by mail, to avoid funny looks in Pinsker's (or, worse yet, them assuming I have children).
Does anyone have any suggestions?
And no, I'm not interested in reading Harry Potter in Hebrew. Didn't read it in English; don't want to read it in another language. And anyway, it doesn't have nikud. :-)
(no subject)
Date: 2003-04-21 10:09 pm (UTC)I know that I have not commented in your journal in a while but this topic piqued my interest and so I've decided to reply to the best of my abilities. When I came to the States from Bulgaria, I was six years old at the time, I did not know a lick of English except the words "Yes, no, and Ninja" and that was about it.
One of the ways that I quickly learned English, besides living here and going to school, was to get a copy of a children's book that had a cassette tape attached in which one could follow along the text with what was said on the tape. Of course, that can work if you know the language fairly well but otherwise, I'm sure it can backfire.
I would also like to suggest that you start simple and work to larger things (I know that I might be restating the obvious here, but it's true). Start with the newspapers or something out of Torah (can you read Torah Hebrew fairly well?) and keep a dictionary close by. If there is one word that you do not understand then check it in the dictionary.
I hope that these suggestions are helpful.
Alex
(no subject)
Date: 2003-04-22 07:19 am (UTC)"Yes, no, and ninja"? Eek. Was that "ninja" as in "guys in black pajamas doing unlikely acrobatics", or as in "turtles"? :-)
(no subject)
Date: 2003-04-22 07:50 am (UTC)You're welcome for the suggestions.
Alex