Language Learning Tip : Parallel Reading

One of the techniques that has really helped me learn a new language (at least at the level of reading) is to read a text in English then read the same text in another language. It worked for me when I was learning Latin, and it worked again for me now that I'm learning Cebuano.

I make use of the text of the New Testament since I am quite familiar with it (especially the Gospel narratives since they contain stories; the Epistles (or Letters) are more difficult to process).  What I would do is to read the Gospel, sentence by sentence, in English, then in Cebuano. Of course, at the beginning, I would not understand, word for word, what I read in Cebuano, but I just continue.  After some time, the mind begins to identify individual words (e.g. conjunctions, articles), expressions, parts of the sentence (subject, object), what are the verbs and what are the nouns, word order within the sentence, and other language constructs.  This just shows how great the human brain is in processing disjoint data at first, then making a sense out of them after being given many previous examples (a technique which is exploited by some machine-learning techniques in artificial intelligence).  One can say that this is learning just by "soaking it in"- allowing language elements to enter one's mind without minding at first the language rules or grammar.

Advantages of this practice

• One can learn new words without consulting a dictionary.  These words will also be learned in context - according to how it was used in the sentence.
• One can learn expressions  or words taken together to take on a new meaning
• One can deduce language constructs (e.g. formation of verb tenses, declension of nouns)
• One can identify the word order in a sentence (position of subject, object, verbs with respect to the sentence)
• One can reinforce what he has learned so far, by finding examples in the text he is reading. This helps encourage him learn new things, avoiding the discouragement of thinking that none of what he learns ever comes out in his conversations or readings

How to apply this technique

• Identify a text that you are familiar with (something that you have already read, or you usually read).  Examples : Bible, your favorite children's novel, comic book or manga, news articles  
• Find a translation of that work in your target language (the language you are trying to learn)
• Read that work, first in the language you're familiar with, then in your target language. Do this one "mouthful" at a time, i.e., according to how much your mind can learn. At the beginning, it could be after one clause, or as soon as you encounter a comma or semicolon. As you progress, you can read one sentence at a time, then two sentences at a time, then whole paragraphs at a time.
• Take note of new words, expressions that you learn along the way (in your notebook, or in your handheld gadget). Review these from time to time.
• Once you have taken a bit of mastery in your target language, reverse the process: read continuously in your target language, only stopping when you encounter a word/construct you are not familiar with. Then check out its meaning in the text written in your first language.

Warnings

• The applicability of what you have learned depends on the type of text you are reading. For example, if you're reading the Bible, expect that what you will learn is the formal form of the language, whereas if your text is a manga or comic book, what you will learn is the informal/vulgar form of the language. By formal/informal form of the language, I basically mean the choice of words. However there are some languages (e.g. Spanish, and more so Japanese) which have different sets of construct for formal and informal speech.
• This technique will help you tremendously in reading. However, you have to apply other techniques for improving your listening and conversational skills.

Your feedback is most welcome.

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