So, television has been a pretty instrumental tool in helping me learn German since I've been here. At home, I watch television a fair enough. I have my standard shows and channels, and I will watch them for entertainment. I catch the news fairly regularly, and it keeps me informed. Generally, though, I never feel super productive after I watch tv. It is completely different here. I almost feel exhausted after watching television. I don't get a chance to sit down and flip it on too often, but when I do, it is a brain workout.
When I first moved in, I thought I only had about 4 channels, and those 4 channels repeated themselves. But one day, I got adventurous and kept flipping to find that I've got about 50 channels. All kinds of basic ABC/NBC type channels, a couple of music channels, some sports, a few American channels, the BBC, and some shopping channels. I really have an opportunity to watch whatever you can imagine.
First, Germans appear to love wildlife shows. That was about all that I watched when I first moved in, and it is nearly all you can find in the middle of the afternoon. For example, right now there's a documentary on about giraffes. Yesterday, there was something about alligators. It is really impressive. Second, Germans have their fair share of Asian documentaries. For a good two weeks, I'd come home and flip between an animal special and something about India or China. This can be particularly helpful with some specialized vocabulary. I can learn how to say different animal names in German, etc, etc. Ultimately, it is just entertaining to watch these shows.
I find that the most helpful is the German game show. Shows like the German "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire" really help me. There's another show where contestants can win 1 ton of Euro (for you 4th graders, that's the money they use in Germany). They use the coins, so it might not be as much as you imagine. As far as which coin, I don't really know. What is most helpful about these shows is that they will show the question down at the bottom of the screen and read it at the same time. So I can have the text and hear the pronunciation. It might sound kind of basic, but it really is a good learning tool.
I think most of all, it helps me train my ear. Generally, these hosts have good enunciation and lack any kind of regional accent (which can make German pretty difficult to understand). I might not understand everything that they say, but I can tell you what words they say. A few weeks ago, I saw a special on the Free Masons. I'm certain that I don't know any more about the Free Masons than I did before I saw this show, but I'm positive that it helped my hear. I'm finding it easier and easier to recognize German words when I hear them. Less and less do I ask, "Wie, bitte?" or "Huh?"
So, the lesson for today--watch television. When learning a foreign language, television will not suck your brain out. While you might not understand the words, you can help yourself by hearing the language. But when you've got homework to do for your 4th grade teacher, you better turn the television off!
Deutsches Wort des Tages:
das Fernsehen -- television
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