How should one go about teaching oneself to read a foreign language?
Your most important tool will be daily practice. I made a half-hearted effort at teaching myself Latin last winter. I gathered a couple text books, and a couple of Latin texts. (I used both classical texts and modern texts re-written in Latin (e.g. Harry Potter, Winnie the Pooh).) I found a box of one thousand vocabulary cards. My progress was great for two weeks, during which time I was devoting at least an hour a day to the subject. I would go for long walks and read a chapter from one of my textbooks while I strolled the neighborhood. I’d do the exercises as I walked. I was pleased. Then life interrupted, and my studies became more sporadic. I tried to carry the vocabulary flash cards with me, but found that I wasn’t taking the time to look at them. From time-to-time, I’d find a week or so during which I could spend an hour a day at the process, and again my progress would be pleasing. Eventually, though, I lost the time and the motivation. For me, at least, the most important aspec
