|
 |
My resource: one single native speaker | ||
Tags: Nahuatl | Native Speakers | ||
Share with:
| ||
 Language Learning Forum : Learning Techniques, Methods & Strategies |  | |
| hcueva Tetraglot Newbie Mexico Joined 4859 days ago 13 posts - 29 votes Speaks: Spanish*, English, German, French | Message 1 of 4 22 November 2011 at 11:20pm | IP Logged |
|
I live with a Nahuatl native speaker. I really want to learn Nahuatl, but I have found that:
a) It's a horribly large collection of dialects that are barely intelligible among each other. b) Most materials are extremely crappy and, more importantly, not based on the specific dialect that my friend speaks, which is the one that I really want to learn. I would kill for a Nahuatl Pimsleur (as I learn by ear, mostly), but there obviously isn't one, and it wouldn't be based on my friend's dialect, anyway. She has all the time and will in the world to teach me. The question is: how do I go about it? How can I create my own "course" if all my "resources" are this one person? Should I just come up with conversational phrases (à la Pimsleur) and get her to translate each one? Should I get her to teach me conjugations or something? I'm totally lost. The alternative would be to ask her to just start talking in her dialect, but then again it is so different to anything that I know, that I wouldn't understand anything. Any ideas/advice will be appreciated. 1 person has voted this message useful | |
| iguanamon Pentaglot Senior Member Virgin Islands Speaks: Ladino Joined 5197 days ago 2241 posts - 6731 votes  Speaks: English*, Spanish, Portuguese, Haitian Creole, Creole (French) | Message 2 of 4 23 November 2011 at 2:55am | IP Logged |
|
You could look at some word lists for Nahuatl first and ask her if these coincide with her dialect, and if not, what would she say instead. Wikipedia is a good place to start:
Nahuatl word list and links look at "external links". These courses may or may not be of use to you: Mexica: Aprende Náhuatl or Náhuatl de Orizaba. If these links are of no use to you, you could start with basics- greetings, numbers, colors, basic verbs, the house, the body, foods, drinks, weather, people- family, friends, relationships. That should keep you busy. When you've learned that, move on up to a higher level of language usage- the past, the future, habitual action in the past, subjunctive, continuing action in the present... etc. Obviously, if you really feel the need for Pimsleur, you could craft your own version based on a transcript. Have her record it for you, if she is willing, onto mp3 and listen whilst she's at work. Good luck! Please let us know how it works out. Edited by iguanamon on 23 November 2011 at 2:58am 1 person has voted this message useful | |
| jasoninchina Senior Member China Joined 5166 days ago 221 posts - 306 votes Speaks: English* Studies: Mandarin, Italian | Message 3 of 4 23 November 2011 at 3:54am | IP Logged |
|
I know nothing of this language, but I think your post is implying that it is rare or at least extremely varied in its usage. In which case, I think your first order of business is to figure out pronunciation and how to write down the sounds and words you hear. That way, you can document the language and know how to pronounce it at a later time.
At that point, I would find a good phrase book and start translating it into the language. Every day you could work on a different part: greetings, buying things, etc. I would just make sure that you're doing all the heavy lifting, otherwise she'll get bored of translating pages of material. That's why knowing the pronunciation is really important. If she says a word, all you have to do is ask what it means and you can write it down. Good luck. 1 person has voted this message useful | |
| Anno Triglot Newbie Israel acquiringkorean.word Joined 5564 days ago 29 posts - 41 votes Speaks: English, Korean, Dutch Studies: Turkish, Mongolian, Modern Hebrew, French | Message 4 of 4 27 November 2011 at 11:42am | IP Logged |
|
If I were you I'd do something like the
Growing Participator Approach. Get some picture books and first talk about the objects in the book. You can also use the items around the house and talk about that with some TPR. Then let her tell stories and make up sentences about what is happening in the pictures -- you can listen and record them and learn to tell the stories yourself. Good luck! ---- Hebrew Learning Blog Korean Learning Blog "The key to success is making a million mistakes. . now let's make as many as fast as we can!" Edited by Anno on 27 November 2011 at 12:18pm 1 person has voted this message useful |
If you wish to post a reply to this topic you must first login. If you are not already registered you must first register
|  | 
Printable version
|
| Copyright 2024 FX Micheloud - All rights reserved No part of this website may be copied by any means without my written authorization. |
