Reading books is not just a pleasant pastime, but also one of the best ways to broaden your horizons, enrich your speech and shape your worldview.
Classical and modern literature is an integral part of the culture of any country. If you have begun to study any foreign language, familiarity with works of art will help you quickly replenish your vocabulary, master the grammatical system, and also at least touch the thinking system and emotional essence of another nation.
Ilya Frank: reading method and features of adapted literature
It is quite easy to find all sorts of textbooks and various adapted literature in different languages these days. One of the best ways of learning was suggested by Ilya Frank. The method of reading offered in his books greatly facilitates the study of a foreign language. The principle is as follows:
- A short passage of text is given with a literal translation in brackets, as well as lexical and grammatical comments, if necessary for betterunderstanding;
- Further, the same fragment is given without translation.
According to Ilya Frank, the reading method helps to quickly master the language due to the frequent repetition of words that come across and getting used to the grammatical system.
Benefits
Ilya Frank's reading method, reviews of which are only positive, is actually very effective:
- With carefully selected translations of each word and unit of meaning (i.e. phrasal verb, idiomatic expression, idiom or set phrase), it helps to save time, which many had to spend looking up in dictionaries.
- In addition, this method helps to memorize the desired translation options. In some languages, such a linguistic phenomenon as polysemy is very common. This means that many words have multiple translations. It can be difficult for a beginner to find the correct translation of a foreign lexical item among the many Russian words offered in the dictionary. If a person has just started reading in a new language, sometimes they may misinterpret some concepts.
- Many lexical units are remembered by whole expressions, as well as by understanding the context. It is not advisable to learn each word separately, as this may later cause difficulties in building a sentence.
- In Asian languages, not only the translation is given, but also the transcription, which helps to remember the reading of this or that hieroglyph. For example, Ilya Frank's reading method (Chinese)looks like this: a sentence in the original language is given, and then the text in pinyin transcription with the translation of words in brackets.
What else is important to consider when learning?
It is very important that the educational process is enjoyable. Therefore, it is advisable to select exactly the literature that interests you. Vivid impressions and pleasant emotions greatly accelerate learning. You should not be limited only to the above described method. Any foreign language must be mastered comprehensively. In addition to reading adapted literature, you should also pay attention to working through grammar books and reference books, listening to songs, audio books, watching movies and TV shows, writing your own notes, articles or stories.
Regularity of classes is one of the important components of success. Even 30 minutes of study every day is more effective than a three-hour lesson once a week. However, as Ilya Frank, the author of the idea, advises, the reading method will be more effective with daily two-hour classes. Thus, it will be possible to increase your vocabulary up to 1000 within a month. Starting to read, you should be patient and tune in to constant studies. If you allow long gaps, loose knowledge can be lost. Learning a foreign language is like an icy slide that you have to climb quickly or risk sliding down. Such a striking comparison is made by the author of the above idea, Ilya Frank. The reading method developed by him will help you quickly master anylanguage.
Conclusion
The idea of passive learning is far from perfect. After all, in order to master something, you need to make some effort. Nevertheless, one of the best options for implementing this idea is the method of reading Ilya Frank. Italian, Spanish, English or German - no matter which language you choose, the above technique will help you save time and succeed.
