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I am planning on going to Austria this summer, which is not far off, and need a really good text book for German.
I am really trying to avoid touristy ones, that can only manage to explain how to order coffee :(
Basicly, I want one that ifocuses on Grammer and isn't scared of treating me like a grown adult.
Thx :)
I suggest "A German Grammar" by Charles Harris, (c) 1914.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v7...mangrammar.jpg
thx! Was that really written in 1914? If so it must be quite good. I found a book called 'teach yourself Urdu' from the 50's, and compared to the crap that is around now its fantastic.
Btw, do you know is Mr Harris' book is still in print in the UK?
thx :)
Yep, it's from 1914, making it several decades older than me. :) I don't know if it is still printed in the UK; the one I bought was found in a second-hand bookshop somewhere. It's good as a reference, I guess, but it's so dry and boring you may not actually like it(apart from the outdated terms in it and the lovely Fraktur font). If you already know some German, try getting one of those "German grammar in review" books, or something like that.
I don't really know any german at all. And as far as the book being dry goes, thats fine. I want it to say 'the conjugations of the first person present indicative is...'
I find it alot easier that way. Anne Groton spoilt me with her Anciet Greek Text Book i think :(
In that case, if you want dry and boring, just look for German grammars printed in the first half of the last century around the London bookshops, I'm sure you'll be spoilt for choice :)
It's not a good idea to use such old books to learn German that you intend on using. Alot of the grammar isn't used the same way. Does that 1914 book even recognize 'du' (the form of 'you' that is the commonly used)? I have a book from 1969 and it makes no mention of 'du' at all.
Old books are amazing for historical and aesthetic interests, but not to learn modern language. My opinion is that a modern book is a must. The old era stuff is a cultural extra for an enthusiast of the culture and language.
Incidentally, I saw a beautiful book of German poetry, each poem accompanied by beautiful and artistic nature photography. The only reason I didn't buy it was I knew I wouldn't use it (in the near future), as I'm focusing on other languages. But, I still may end up buying it, if I fail to contain myself. If only I can find such items in the languages I'm focusing on now.
Well, the book being lightly out of date is ok because I am studying the inter war period of germany anyway. And also, i can't see the language changing so drasdticly i can't easily adapt :)
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OK :) . But I do suggest you familiarize yourself with the 'du' conjugation patterns if you expect to be speaking in a Germanic country, as that is the one used today, not 'sie' (except in formal settings). Not that I'm an expert, but I know that much. :lol: . Like in French, they teach you 'vous', but you don't use it remotely as often as 'tu', and the French are more sticklers for courtesy than the Germans, so the Germans would use 'sie' even less so. But, for reading old German books, of course learning the older grammar books are better. And, that old writing is so exciting. A bit of an obstacle if you weren't interested in it, but if you are, it's great writing to read. I love it.
is it ismilar to the font you see on a lot of history books about Germany? Theres a few books in the uni library, in english, which it takes me a few mins to decipher :o
Du conjugates:
Dein,
Deine
etc dosn't it? (Similer to mein)
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Brett: I was joking about the old grammar book. For my German grammar review needs I actually use a book "German Grammar in Review" from the '70s.
The old grammar book actually does cover "du", though, but I keep it around because it talks about such quaint words which are not used in German anymore. The writing is, alas, not that great at all; it is primarily a grammar reference book, and those are never written nicely(nor need they be).
Du conjugates du, dir, dich, and to be honest, I've forgotten the genitive of "du." Wessen...dir? Can't be. The genitive of personal pronouns is used rather rarely in German, so you can't blame me.
EDIT: According to the 1914 book, the genitive of du is "deiner." Heh. Bet you don't hear that one every day. ;)
Fraktur was used up until(and during) WW2, when they replaced it with whatever font they wanted to use, like in English-speaking countries.
Another thing you have to be careful about with the older books is orthography; in German they actually do change it from time to time, I think the newest one is that you're supposed to write "auf Deutsch/Spanisch" instead of "auf deutsch/spanisch."
Now all I need to do is find a Russian grammar book from 1914. Hard signs and yats, anyone? :D
Pravit, it depends, e. g. this is a common used construction:
"Ist das mein F
Does anybody know of a German textbook equivalent to the Pengiun Russian course? Or does anyone know a German Frequency Dicitionary. I searched google but to no avail. Having a frequency dictionary makes learning so much easier.