Is Modern Icelandic mutually unintelligible with Old Norse? –not that I speak Old
Norse, just asking.

 

N. Scott Catledge, PhD/STD

Professor Emeritus

history & languages

 

From: norse_course@yahoogroups.com [mailto:norse_course@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of Edgar Widlund
Sent: Thursday, September 03, 2009 10:39 AM
To: norse_course@yahoogroups.com
Subject: Re: [norse_course] Old Norse grammar

 

 

Hi Alec,

Thanks for your advice. From what you said made me remember how it was
studying French
which I am very familiar with.I even was able to pass a test in the
army and was credited with a proficiency
in french.Thanks again for your pointing me to the right perspective.

Ed Widlund

On Thu, Sep 3, 2009 at 2:21 AM, <CalecM@...> wrote:

>
>
> ____________ _________ _________ __
>
> Ed
>    Let me give you different perspective.  I've been
studying ON for
> something measurable in weeks.  However, it is far from my first
foreign
> language.  (French, Italian and Japanese).  You will not learn
ON the same
> as you would learn Swedish or Swahili.  You will not become
"fluent" in it
> because you will not use it as a communicative system with another human
> being.  Rather, you will most likely sit in the middle of a pile of
books
> and laptops, which you will use to decode or decipher the text.  As
time
> goes on, you will rely on the reference materials less and less, as you
> remember more and more.  But the ON language in your brain will
consist
> mostly of this.  It will not be connected to memories of personal,
physical
> experiences you have had.  It will lack the positive reinforcement of
> successfully communicating with another human being.  (If you're
familiar
> with Piagetian Constructivist learning theory, this will make more sense.)
> If you have studied other second languages, think back:  some of the
> language you know best is tied to the moment you learned it. 
Somebody on a
> bus, a key line in a movie, etc.  You're not likely to get that
studying ON
> texts.  Doesn't mean your experience won' t be fun,
informative, successful,
> satisfying-- but it will be different.
>
> One man's opinion--your mileage may vary!
>
>    Alec MacLean
>