Which would be easier for you to remember?
1. The entire New York telephone book
2. A small nursery rhyme
If you chose # 1, please stay away!
Scientific studies have shown that we can learn better by absorbing small pieces of information, putting them into practice, and then building on what we already know. As we add more pieces of information, our minds correlate, combine, and link everything, referring to previously learned facts, to create a wider field of knowledge.
What does this mean for you?
Don't face a big book of foreign language grammar or prose as an initial learning project. Start with small projects.
For example, you can start with a few paragraphs of the novel - memorizing the vocabulary - and move on to the next few paragraphs.
Why not choose the most widely published book in the world?
Even if you are not a Christian, the Bible can be an invaluable tool for learning the foreign language of your choice. It is published in more languages than any other book, and has plenty of internet resources, including full texts available for free download.
Many foreign language Bible sites also have free audio clips.
But the Bible is full of 'this' and' thousands' and old language that no one uses anymore.
You are right, The King James Version will not be a good teaching tool for anyone trying to learn English. However, there are many translations into modern English - and that happens in foreign languages as well.
Use your favorite search engine to do searches like 'Modern Bible Translation French', 'Modern Bible Translation German', or 'Modern Bible Translation Spanish'. Do your research and find out what is available for the language you are learning till now.
Start with a few small chapters and work on the larger chapters.
Make a vocabulary list and memorize a few words at a time. If you need help with some difficult phrases, find an online foreign language forum and post questions. Most forums are filled with helpful native speakers who will do their best to help you understand the nuances and meanings.
Download audio clips, save them to your hard drive, and listen to them over and over again - either on your computer's sound system or on a portable audio player. Repeat the words softly, listening carefully to the pronunciation. Make slow progress to speak in a normal voice with the narrator.
A good way is to start with psalms and proverbs. Each chapter is a standalone piece of prose. Start with the smallest and work on the larger pieces.
At the end of this article is a link to a page in which the chapters of both books are listed in order - from the smallest to the largest. The same page points to some Bible servers on the Internet, as well as a wiki page with information and backgrounds in translations into many languages.
The second link is a useful search engine page that lists many search engines.
Remember: The child takes the first step - and repeats - repeats - repeats. This is the way children learn. This is still the best way for us as adults to learn.
Good luck with your foreign language education learning strategy. It can be so much fun if you want to make it!
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