Hwæt. We Gardena in geardagum, þeodcyninga, þrym gefrunon, hu ða æþelingas ellen fremedon.
-First line of Beowulf
A cook they hadde with hem for the nones
To boille the chiknes with the marybones,
And poudre-marchant tart and galyngale.
- From Canterbury Tales by Chaucer
Let me not to the marriage of true minds Admit impediments. Love is not love Which alters when it alteration finds, Or bends with the remover to remove. O no! it is an ever-fixed mark That looks on tempests and is never shaken; It is the star to every wand'ring bark, Whose worth's unknown, although his height be taken. Love's not Time's fool, though rosy lips and cheeks Within his bending sickle's compass come; Love alters not with his brief hours and weeks, But bears it out even to the edge of doom. If this be error and upon me prov'd, I never writ, nor no man ever lov'd.
-Sonnet 116 by William Shakespeare
I have been one acquainted with the night. I have walked out in rain—and back in rain. I have outwalked the furthest city light. I have looked down the saddest city lane. I have passed by the watchman on his beat And dropped my eyes, unwilling to explain. I have stood still and stopped the sound of feet When far away an interrupted cry Came over houses from another street, But not to call me back or say good-bye; And further still at an unearthly height, One luminary clock against the sky Proclaimed the time was neither wrong nor right. I have been one acquainted with the night.
-I have been one acquainted with the Night by Robert Frost
Can you read these poems and bits of poems? Believe it or not, every poem I included above is written in English; it is just English from different eras. The bit from Beowulf is Old English, sometimes called "Anglo-Saxon". Chaucer wrote in what is known as Middle English. Shakespearean English is from only a short time after Chaucer, and Robert Frost is a poet from the Modern Era. The Poem by Robert Frost is pretty easy to read providing you are used to poetic language, while Beowulf is pretty much in a different language. In Chaucer you can recognize words, and hearing it read you might be able to follow the gist. Shakespeare is pretty understandable with a patient reading and brushing up on some archaic vocabulary. These poems illustrate the fact that Languages change and evolve over time, and that is something we must keep in mind when learning a new language.
One of my stumbling blocks in language learning is that I love literature. That may sound weird, but it is a struggle I have. In a previous post I talked about trying to translate a story told by Peig Sayers into English, and how difficult that was because of the grammatical conventions used and the age of the language used. Well, I have had other struggles along a similar vein in French. I have learned a lesson by burning myself on literature over and over. Walk before you run, crawl before you walk. When you start looking for things to read on your own in your target language, start simple and stay there for a while. After I finished the French tree on Duolingo, I was trying to decide what I should do next. How should I continue to pursue my French learning? I began reading French news websites like https://www.lemonde.fr/, https://www.france24.com/fr/, and https://www.franceinter.fr/. I began listening to French talk radio and podcasts.
However the big search I began to make was to buy the classics of French Literature. For Christmas one year I just gave my family a list of French books I wanted; Le Petit Prince, The Three Musketeers, The Stranger, and the Letters of Napoleon to Josephine. That summer my good friend from Paris came to visit us. I proudly got out my little French Library to show her. She looked through the titles and said that Le Petit Prince was a good one for me to read. She also said that The Three Musketeers, The Count of Monte Cristo, The Letters of Napoleon to Josephine were hard books even for Native French speakers to read. She told me that French has changed quite a lot since the early to mid-1800's when they were written.
I had to admit they were very hard to read. Just as my experience with Peig I needed a dictionary on hand to make sense of the story. Words were different, figures of speech were different, and I kicked myself for not thinking "Of course it would be like this." I mean how could it not be?! Look at the poem by Shakespeare up there and think about a three year old trying to make sense of it.
Well, after that conversation I did some research and bought myself the first two books of the Harry Potter series in French. These books are much easier to read but still above my level if I am honest, but I am getting better every time I sit down to read.
Now, I work in an Elementary School. I am in a 3rd Grade Classroom, and I have learned so much about how better to learn language from the kids in my classroom. I was an advanced reader in third grade, I remember beginning to read chapter books at this time; reading was beginning to click with me. Yet I was still reading books at this point that, to my adult sensibilities are very simple.
Simple does not equal bad though. I have fond memories of reading Roald Dahl, R.L. Stein, and others. You probably don't remember struggling with reading and writing like these 3rd graders do, but you did; everyone did. So how could I expect myself to go from learning basic French to reading Victor Hugo? The answer is that I should not have expected that of myself, but I did.
My advice to language learners looking to move into the literature of their target language is to start simple. Start so simple that you are bored with what you read.
Here is a simple tool you can use for yourself when choosing a book. This is targeted at children but you can use it yourself too.
Making sure a book is at the right reading level for your child can be a challenge. Parents often seek a "just right" book: not too hard, but not too easy. When looking for books for your child to read on his own, try the 5-finger test:
Open the book to the middle. Choose a full page of words. Read the page out loud, and hold up a finger each time you come to a word you don't know.
One finger (thumb): Thumbs up! Great book choice, this will be easy reading for you.
Two fingers (thumb and index finger): Makes an L, still Looking good! Enjoy.
Three fingers (makes a W): Warning! This book may be best when read with someone.
Four or more fingers (whole hand): Stop! This book may be too tough to enjoy alone. Ask an adult or older sibling to read this book to you.
Finding the right book may involve a little bit of extra work, but it's worth it in the end.
http://www.readingrockets.org/article/finding-right-book-your-child
For French, Le Petit Prince is a great book to start out on. It is not very difficult to read and is also very enjoyable. You will also find quotes that most French people will know even if they have never read the book. "Dessin-Moi un mouton." is a very famous sentence in the French Language. It's a bit like "Shall I compare thee to a Summer's Day?" It's a phrase that has entered the collective unconscious of the Western English world.
Le Petit Prince can also be found in many other languages so it might be a good place to start no matter what your target language is.
Another good read for learners, in my opinion, is The Adventures of TinTin comics. They have been translated into many languages including Irish. I have read some in French, and though some of the exposition gets advanced, the story is easy to follow because pictures, and you can learn a lot of great vocabulary from context. The only caution I would give with TinTin is to keep in mind the era in which they are written, there is some culturally insensitive language and depictions in the stories; but for me these don't diminish from enjoying the story.
There are children's books in almost any language you can purchase, it's only a google search away. Search for bookstores in the country that speaks your target language and search on their website for children's books. There are also an increasing amount of good multi-lingual children's books. I found these the last time I was in Ireland; they are in Irish, English, French, and Spanish.
http://www.leabhar.com/books-is-maith-liom.html
As you read you will find your understanding will grow and you'll be able to read increasingly difficult books. Eventually you'll be reading the great works of literature in your target language! Please please take it slow though! When I tried to force myself to read The Three Musketeers in French I nearly burned myself out! There is a reason we do not give students Shakespeare in Kindergarten. We have to start small and build up little by little. When you do get to the point of reading great works of literature remember that language evolves and there might be words that are no longer used, just as in Shakespeare there are words we no longer use,
Reading in your target language is just as important for your learning as it was when you were in school reading in your native tongue. Reading and comprehension are directly related to your ability to use the language you speak in a cohesive and competent manner. It does not prevent you from communicating and surviving in your target language, but it will effect your vocabulary and your ability to put together complex ideas and turns of phrase.
So keep up the good work! You've got this! You can do it! Don't be discouraged by the fact that you can speak and read like a 3 year old or younger in your target language. After all, everyone has to start somewhere!