I was in Portugal for three weeks in June. Five hours a day for four days I was in this inlingua classroom in Porto, or one much like it:
The results:
B1 in Portuguese after about two years of fairly relaxed study – relaxed until those four days – which seems pretty good. Maybe B2 in reading (standards defined here). An enjoyable part of this visit to Portugal, my fourth, is that I could aggressively buy books:
And also:
And even moreso:
The Portuguese school curriculum includes an anthology of historic shipwrecks.
Still a while before I can, or I mean dare, read Saramago or
Lispector in Portuguese, but I have plenty to read until then.
I strongly encourage anyone who does not overcome with
anxiety at the idea of taking a language class to take an immersive class in
the relevant place. Cavilam in Vichy is pleasant,
for example. They give you a test and
drop you right into a class.
I put a photo on Twitter every day, mostly adding to my collection of Pessoaiana. Pessoa soap, Pessoa
dish towels. The Fernando Pessoa brand expands
with Portuguese tourism, my puzzle being that so few people who did not go to a
Portuguese-language school have any idea who he is. Yet his image is everywhere, on everything.
A minor pleasure was this photo of a Pessoa board game, photographed in a museum gift shop, that went mildly viral, my only such experience. At this moment, 481 likes, 37,000 views, whatever any of that means. I wonder how many copies I sold. The main use of Twitter is advertising, and turning its users into marketers. Still, it was amusing.
It was an extremely educational vacation. Many thanks, as usual, to St. Orberose for his time and advice. How sad that I cannot link to his blog anymore, but he is busy with his novel.
Yes, I recommend intensive language courses for making rapid progress, but they are exhausting!
ReplyDeleteBTW As a beginner reader of French novels, I find the French equivalent of YA (Young Adult) novels easier to start with. Not too long, language structures that aren't too complex, and not too much in the way of metaphor... but though occasionally tricky with contemporary urban slang, they often come with interesting themes so they can be quite satisfying to read.
The French are meticulous about reading level for educational purposes. So helpful to the language learner. The Portuguese are pretty good at it, too.
ReplyDeleteLiving in France, learning the language, I spent a fair amount of time checking about books form the children's section before at some point discovering I could handle Maupassant stories. My choices were a bit more "classic" than contemporary, but the idea was the same.
Sounds like a fun, if intense trip. I always enjoy your language-learning posts; they always make me think I should really get back to Spanish, but the time doesn't seem to be there right now. Maybe down the road someday. (Though I'm not sure I'd be brave enough for an intensive course!)
ReplyDeleteYes, sometime for the Spanish. It is all vey doable. But it takes time and a certain level of motivation.
ReplyDeleteThe main issue with a class, as I udnerstadn it, is overcoming the fear of being wrong. I guess I do not have that fear so much anymore.
Stay away of Viegas books.
ReplyDeleteHa ha ha! Right now all that matters is that I can read the book, that it teaches me Portuguese. Not that the book is good. My main concern about the Viegas mystery is that it is too long.
ReplyDeleteStill, I would prefer good over bad. Portuguese needs a George Simenon-like figure who writes short, easy, entertaining books perfect for the B1 reader.