23 December 03

Immersion Learning

cajatypog.jpgAt left is a bit of typography from a sign outside a bank in vila. Pica noticed this sign on account of the unusual DE ligature; meanwhile I did what I was doing throughout the trip to Spain – notice the language. Try to figure out patterns in words, phrases and make sense of a language that I’ve never studied. My favorite book in one of the places where we stayed turned out to be a copy of the Oxford Spanish Dictionary.

I’ve returned from Spain determined to learn Spanish. I don’t know what it will be like to learn a language at age forty. I’m monolingual, but along the way I’ve studied Hebrew, some German, some Latin, and most of all French (six years in secondary school). I’ve signed up for a class in the new year, and right now I’m starting by trying to read, with aid of dictionaries and grammars, whatever Spanish I come across.

Posted by at 09:00 PM in Books and Language | Link |
  1. Great idea Numenius, you will be fluent in no time.

    — Jennifer    24. December 2003, 06:45    Link
  2. Well I started Spanish three months ago Numenius (and I’m 40+). Maybe we should practice writing to one another in Spanish!?

    — Jenny    24. December 2003, 11:25    Link
  3. What a fun idea! We too like to practice our Spanish from time to time to try to keep in touch with the language. Perhaps we could have a page on this site were we can do just that, write to each other and keep practising. (Im sure Pica will keep an eye on it and correct us where nesecary! ( Pica being fluent in Spanish already ). And anyone else who is 40+ and just taken up Spanish may also join in!

    — Jennifer    25. December 2003, 00:35    Link
  4. I too started learning Spanish late (37). I’m sure you’ll love it.
    The DE ligature you noticed seems to pop up all over the place. I’ve seen it in some of the latin inscriptions and ‘graffiti’ on buildings in Salamanca, too.

    — Tim    21. January 2004, 05:08    Link

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