INALCO - CNED

Lemanensis
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Joined:2008-09-09, 13:09
Real Name:Martin Ecott
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Country:CHSwitzerland (Schweiz / Suisse / Svizzera / Svizra)
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INALCO - CNED

Postby Lemanensis » 2016-11-19, 11:46

In other news, I've just signed up for the French distance course (via CNED) from the INALCO (the renowned French school of oriental languages and cultures).

I decided to start from scratch as that would fill in any gaps and would also familiarise me with the way they approach distance learning. After this you can go on to do the full degree, also by distance learning.
A whole bunch of books and CDs, for what amounts to 3 different courses, arrived. They make up the basic diploma, which is supposed to take you to somewhere between the baccalaureate and first year of uni, or the high level of baccalaureate you would normally need to enter INALCO straight from high school.

The first course was odd. Instead of throwing you into learning vocabulary and grammar, it takes you straight into Hebrew phonetics. Which is great, but means that you're analysing words you don't understand. Surprising, but very interesting.
Theoretically, my reading should have improved with this method - there are lots of rules and reasons, so I'll see if I can review that book again later on to refresh my memory and help all the info to sink in.

The second and third courses are supposed to be studied concurrently, though they don't explain how. :?

The materials are a pleasure to work with, at least so far. I'm filling in some gaps in vocabulary. Obviously it's not as challenging for me as it would be for a complete beginner. Not a bad thing as I've just come out of major surgery, so I need to rest a lot more than was expected when I signed up.
Martin
http://www.hebrew.ecott.ch <= catalogue of resources for learning Modern Hebrew

Lemanensis
Posts:271
Joined:2008-09-09, 13:09
Real Name:Martin Ecott
Gender:male
Location:Geneva
Country:CHSwitzerland (Schweiz / Suisse / Svizzera / Svizra)
Contact:

Re: INALCO - CNED

Postby Lemanensis » 2017-02-21, 19:29

Just a quick update about this course. I've been on it since September, so roughly 7 months.

In a word, it's amazing. While I can't deny it's great to have already studied Hebrew before starting it, and that is bound to have made my journey easier, it is (finally) almost exactly what I needed.
The vocabulary is relevant, the texts are interesting and fun. After the first short introductory course, you then have to work on two courses in parallel.
One is the more traditional approach, to learn language and syntax. The other is grammar, morphology and vocalization which was, admittedly, hair-raising at first. But now I understand why and what they are looking for, it's very good.
My whole approach to Hebrew has changed. Now I'm not just interested in the sounds of the vowels, it's even interesting to find out why it is one rather than another and how consonants influence the vowel patterns. It certainly makes spelling and reading easier!
Martin
http://www.hebrew.ecott.ch <= catalogue of resources for learning Modern Hebrew


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