Language

Complexity of Dantes Inferno

Complexity of Dantes Inferno

Quick glance at The Divine Comedy and how difficult it is to read.

A while back I read Dante's Inferno, knowing next to nothing about the history or story. Only having fragments of knowledge which I'd gleaned from games. As I began to read I learnt that it is a poem, originally written in Italian. By Florence poet Dante Alighieri 1265 – 1321. His work known as Dante's Inferno or The Divine Comedy, is a masterpiece of world literature. He begun working on it c. 1308 and completed in 1320, a year before his death in 1321. Its release in Italian was contentious, as notable literature of the time was published in Latin, available only to the affluent that could read it. The Italian language was considered a 'common' language, and works published in this tongue (Italian) didn't receive the same esteem. Dante helped establish Italian as the national language.

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Analysis of Harry Potter in German

Analysis of Harry Potter in German

This is a minor analysis of German - Harry Potter & The Philosophers Stone, for language learners.

A common technique for language learners is mass exposure, where you immerse yourself in all mediums of a language. The most accessible and perhaps the most beneficial when beginning a language is reading. Ebook readers make books from all languages very accessible. And have the added benefit of onboard dictionaries, where translations are a finger gesture away. I've found it a helpful technique myself. And believe its popular amongst polyglots out there (at least the one or two I follow). And after breaking it down it starts to become clear why this is an effective learning technique.

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