Being unable to correctly read and
pronounce all but a few French words has bothered me only little
until now. Now I not only want to learn to read comfortably in
that language, I feel it’s an absolute necessity, and an
embarrassment that I’ve put it off for so long. Luckily, my copy of
Heath’s French and English Dictionary (1903) has a guide to
pronunciation. That will be a good place to begin, as well as Chapter
13 of George Moore’s Avowals†, which is a lecture of his presented in French. As I told
my son this morning in a brief email exchange, how can I skip that
chapter and still say I’ve read the book? Next and simultaneously
on my list: Latin.
† a book mentioned here
yesterday
9 comments:
I don't think it'll harm your reputation if posterity remembers you for having little Latin and less French.
Quite true, and in any case, my reputation at that point, if it even exists, will undoubtedly rest on my general ignorance, much as it does now. But this is important to me for other reasons. Language, I find, as music, sets the mind agreeably adrift and lets it wander in different realms. Like listening to the sounds of Joyce in Armenian, I think taking on French and Latin, even if I don’t wholly succeed, will have a similar worthwhile, satisfying, enjoyable effect. And of course there are other languages I’d like to learn. English, for instance.
then William you willl have to add this to your armoury : http://www.forvo.com/languages/fr/
and the poems below are just beautiful...
Ach so, my good man Wilhelm--when English is no longer Greek to you, you can join me over here!
Thank you, Rahina, and thanks for the link. As a matter of fact, I happened on that very website not long after I posted this entry. The adventure continues....
Vassilis, I can see us now, side by side, enjoying a hearty bowl of alphabet soup!
Well William, I'll come down this summer and teach you both! :) I was looking for a reason to disturb your quietude! :P
Ha! I’m sorry you feel you need a reason, but this one will surely do!
She's dreadful, don't take her. Come visit the Northeast and I'll do it. She'll just puy her feet on the desk and sleep. ;)
Maybe she snores in Latin?
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