105 Journal #3

[Bradley Fischer]

My experience of learning Hebrew will be different from the "normal" acquisition of a language. While it is most likely necessary to have some understanding of the grammatical structure of a given language in order to to read and write, I will not be learning how to read or write. My goal is to develop a better grasp of the conversational realm. One might say it is necessary, too, to understand the structure of a language when you lean to converse, but my way of learning precludes this. I learn best when I listen to a phrase and apply that phrase to some context of which I can associate. These complex grammatical structures confuse me -- almost like too much stimuli at once, and therefore I cannot grasp the larger concept. It is easier for me to acquire a language by looking at it from a macro level first, and then delve into the micro level, not vice versa. So, to proceed I will watch videos with dialogue so I can pick up both the context and the language. In sum, I would prefer to learn a language the "organic" way rather than adhering to convoluted rules that dictate a given language's structure.