The Many Tongues of HP

[Petra Pan]

Amy, on her almost HP-less week in Quebec:
> I bought myself a
> French copy of PA, 
> excusing myself with the argument that it would
> be a great way to 
> practice my French.  

I too highly recommend this technique...so glad
to hear someone else mention it!  :)

In case you haven't heard, if you are (or know
someone who is going to) studying the classic
languages of Latin or ancient Greek, you should
know that at the end of the year 2001, it was
announced that HPPS will be translated into those
two languages and published in 2003.  Talk about
a boon to teachers of those languages!  

Haven't heard anything else since then.  Hmm,
2003 looks to be a very busy year for JKR's
publishers unless they manage to publish OoP in
2002.  Since I now own the HP books in every
language (2 total) that I have ever learned, I
wonder if at my "advanced" age I can learn yet
another language?

> Actually, it really is. 
> If in another lifetime 
> I'm a foreign language teacher, I'll recommend
> the technique of 
> reading a book one knows very, very well in
> one's native tongue.

To go one step further: if you can find
audiotapes to go along with said books, you can
sharpen your verbal comprehension too.

Back in college, I discovered that I understood
Shakespeare so much better when I read along with
the BBC videotapes.  Yes, I do consider
Elizabethan English a "foreign language."  Just
hearing the text performed as I scan the passages
improved my understanding drastically - it was
like night and day - and the whole concept of
scansion finally gelled for me.

Sadly, I find the selection of books on tapes for
non-English languages rather limited.  This is
why I tend to recommend the read-along technique
to those who are trying to learn English rather
than the vice versa.

Language aside, who performs the story makes a
huge difference.  I have heard many books on
tapes (while stuck in LA traffic) that were just
awful.  But I have yet to tire of Stephen Fry or
Jim Dale (best tonic for road rage).  Both are
heads and shoulders above the fray...with Mr. Fry
just slightly taller.  In hindsight, I know now
that I really should have splurged and bought the
more durable CD's of the UK versions.

> I have a report for you Sirius lovers out
> there:  the back cover has 
> the studliest Sirius I've ever seen.

<snip>

> I'll 
> scan them in if I can, because there are
> websites with the front 
> cover (same as the French) but I've never seen
> one with the back.  
> Don't hold your breath, though.  I don't have a
> scanner.

Ooh!  I don't suppose you process your films with
those services that uploads them to websites?!?

Petra
a
n   :)

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