Greetings!

I have been on the list for many months and have completed the courses, but
I do not write here for the same reasons. It does appear very high level and
I am afraid to show my ignorance of the subject. I am, at best, a beginner.
Like Arlie, this is not my first language, but I am very new.

Jennifer

>From: Arlie Stephens <arlie@...>
>Reply-To: norse_course@yahoogroups.com
>To: norse_course@yahoogroups.com
>Subject: Re: [norse_course] Isn't there anyone out there?...must must must
>read, everyone!!! you too, konrad.
>Date: Tue, 1 Apr 2003 10:04:11 -0800
>
>On Tue, Apr 01, 2003 at 11:53:14AM -0500, Lewis, Raymond J. wrote:
>
> > I'm a bit confused. Is not this discussion group centered
> > around the norse course found at www.hi.si/~haukurth/norse?
>
>It is indeed. More correctly, it was founded as a discussion forum
>in support of that course. However it was decided fairly early on
>(while both course authors were still involved with the group) to include
>people with more advanced interests, within the general area of
>Scandinavian languages, particularly Old Norse/Old Icelandic.
>I think the reasons for this were practical; there's not much use
>to a group where everyone's a beginner; we need people who can
>answer begineers' questions, and the course authors didn't have
>time and enthusiasm to do all that work themselves. Moreover,
>they are interested in languages in general. Haukur Thorgeirrsson
>"only" knows 4 or 5 (I may have remembered that on the low side,
>particularly if you count those he's only beginning to learn), and
>Oskar knows rather more. (This appears to be fairly normal in Iceland;
>they all seem to learn English and [I believe] Danish in school (not
>university), and then like as not learn a few others out of curiousity,
>since language learning gets easier the more you know.)
>
> > If this is indeed the case, then why is it that nearly all the
> > discussion generated on the norse_course discussion group is so clearly
> > authored by people with an understanding WELL beyond the parameters
> > established within the course?
>
>Very good question. I'm just about as frustrated as you are, but the only
>people with much to say seem to be those whose postings are too advanced
>to even be comprehensible to the people this course is intended to serve.
>
>That's one reason I'm glad to see you posting. It's also why I responded
>to Teja on list, rather than offlist.
>
>[big snip]
>
> > As an abject beginner, I can say that the present discussion seems
>very
> > sophisticated, scholarly, and completely intimidating. Tell me, what am
>I
> > now in a position to add to the discussion that doesn't seem utterly
> > ridiculous?
>
>What I suggest doing is ignoring it. I stopped reading it long ago. I don't
>even attempt Konrad's translation exercises, because they appear as a bunch
>of stuff in Icelandic with no introduction in English.
>
>For the record here, I'm not all that much more advanced than you are.
>I was the "guinea pig" for early versions of this course, and continued
>studying the language from books and offlist conversations with Icelanders.
>However, I can't read the language, just painstakingly translate it, with
>many errors; nor can I handle anything too complex.
>
>One advantage I do have is that Icelandic is not my second language, but
>about my fourth, depending on exactly what you count. The second language
>is very much the hardest; unfortunately, many of the advanced members of
>this
>list learned their second and third languages as children, as I did, and
>may not remember this quite so clearly. (I've been living in the US, where
>what I consider my so-so linguistic ability generally impresses people a
>lot,
>so I get reminded very frequently how hard it is to cross that first second
>language hurdle, especially as an adult.)
>
>I've been to some extent the class gofer from the beginning, and my role
>as moderator is part of that pattern; I'm online and available more than
>Haukur, and the group needed someone who'd be able to check messages daily,
>several times a day.
>
> > With this in mind, please consider the following comment by Teja
> > Johnson-Lewis with the reply by Arlie Stephens who declares himself to
>be a
> > moderator:
> >
> >
>**************************************************************************
> > On Mon, Mar 31, 2003 at 02:12:11PM -0800, Teja Johnson-Lewis wrote:
> > >
> > > Hi ya, everybody in the norse course groups!
> > >
> > > Now, I'm not going to sit here and delete messages that I don't
> > > understand. All this stuff is very brilliant and all, BUT I just
> > > don't get it. I think all the people like me are in hiding, scared
> > > to feel silly, but then again...what do you think I am??
> >
> > Certainly much of the material that's been posted recently is not
> > suitable for beginners. The only solution to that, however, would
> > be for beginners to do more posting.
> >
>**************************************************************************
> > Sorry Teja, Arlie says that you should just "get over it". Sorry
>Arlie,
> > but I must say that your solution only seems thoughtless.
>
>You were pretty well reasoned, _and reasonable_, until this point. But this
>is not what I said.
>
>What would you suggest instead? That we convert this list to a general
>Asatru list, and discuss the mythology, as read in translation? That's
>what Teja appeared to me to want. If that's what you want, I could
>suggest any of a dozen alternate lists, and those would just be the ones
>I'm personally subscribed to.
>
> >
>__________________________________________________________________________
> >
> > And now, if I may indulge in Arlie's proposed solution, I actually
>have
> > a knuckle headed question/statement of my own (gasp!). As I have said, I
> > have recently finished the sixth lesson in the norse course at www.h -
>well
> > - you get it, and I've gone on to number seven. Unfortunately, there's
> > really not much to it beyond the grammar section. I've grown accustomed
>to
> > the wonderful reading and writing exercises and have found them to be
> > rewarding. Unfortunately, when I look elsewhere for so-called "easy
>reading"
> > material, I find it way beyond where I'm presently at. I'm familiar with
> > Latin and German GRADED readers which don't require one's eyes to be
>glued
> > to the glossary since they predominantly consist of words already
>contained
> > within ones limited vocabulary. My guess is that there probably isn't
> > something like this, for Old Norse, that might extend backwards to my
> > present skills (as discussed above). Does anyone have any ideas?
>
>I really wish Haukur had the time and enthusiasm to continue writing more
>lessons. He does a wonderful job with them, and I really haven't seem
>anything equivalent, at least not in English. The closest I've seen is
>_Easy Readings in Old Icelandic_ on an Australian university web site.
>I believe this is taken from a now out of print book, possibly part of
>a series of books for several languages.
>
> > Also, I have written my own exercises - although I, of course,
>cannot
> > know how "correct" they are. Perhaps we beginners could consider posting
> > homespun exercises for the group's consideration (gulp!)? That is, if
>the
> > more advanced members didn't find it impossible to appreciate.
>
>That sounds interesting. Please do so.
>
> >
> > Raymond Jess Lewis (de los Estados Unidos)
>
>--
>Arlie
>
>(Arlie Stephens arlie@...)
>
>
>Sumir hafa kv��i...
>...a�rir spakm�li.
>
>- Keth
>
>Homepage: http://www.hi.is/~haukurth/norse/
>
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>
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>

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