Tuesday, December 6, 2011

No entiendo!

That is a phrase that I would have to know but I would like to never have to use,"I don't understand".
Spanish is a beautiful language. As for most languages, translation can not do it justice. That is why I have wanted to learn Spanish. I want to read Bolivar and Marti. But I have been trying to learn from books and sources like CDs. Some may relate , I get bored and lose interest. I hate that!
Spanish has 400-500 million first and second language speakers. It is the language of 21 countries. If you look anywhere in the US (except Alabama) you can find area where it is the language by default.
A page of Cantar de Mio Cid, the oldest preserved Spanish epic poem, in mediaeval Spanish.
Let's not forget Puerto Rico. Many forget that these Spanish speakers are American citizens!
I have been doing this on and off for twenty years! If I went to a Spanish speaking country I could get along and probably read some simple signs but enough is enough. I want to speak it NOW!!!
"It is estimated that the combined total number of Spanish speakers is between 470 and 500 million, making it the second most widely spoken language in terms of native speakers.[110][111] Spanish is the third most spoken language by total number of speakers (after Mandarin and English). Global internet usage statistics for 2007 show Spanish as the third most commonly used language on the Internet, after English and Mandarin. [112]" wiki   






Did you know that Spanish is an official language of the African Union?



I have been using on line sources and came across one that I am going to use for my children. It is called Discover Spanish. One reason I am using it is my daughter immediately sat down to use it. She is ten. She likes the interactive and the ability to move at her own pace. For me , I feel like the words or phrases are slowly and clearly pronounced.
The program is aimed at the middle grade age group. I have two that are 5 and 7 that listen to it but aren't quite ready for the quizzes. They do,however, like watching and listening to it.
In the next few months I will post on our progress with this program. I recommend you take a look for yourself and see if it fits your style. Maybe they will be able to read some great literature in it's native language!

The main characters of Don Quixote,
a master work in Spanish literature.




2 comments:

  1. Currently we are trying to do a word of the week... but I was looking for something interactive as well

    ReplyDelete
  2. This has that feature coming soon.It is a good start and a nice supplement to worksheets. Which is also a coming soon feature.
    Thanks for visiting!

    ReplyDelete

Impressions from friends, thanks.