Learn a Language with Harry Potter

written by Anthea Hawthorne

How I'm using the Harry Potter books in my quest for polyglottery

Last Updated

10/13/24

Chapters

3

Reads

205

Why use Harry Potter to learn a language?

Chapter 1

I have a lot of experience in the language learning sphere, as someone who is actively learning 5 languages, each at differing levels. One tip that is all over the language learning community is "Use Harry Potter books to learn!". But what exactly is meant by that? Why Harry Potter? Hopefully this book will answer your questions.


First, you need to be familiar with the idea of immersion or input based learning. You might have been made to do grammar drills and learn lists of vocabulary at school, read textbooks and do quizzes. While these exercises might have their merits at the beginner stages, they are far inferior to learning a language through studying real content, and getting a feel for how the language is actually used. For more information on this, I suggest looking up Steven Krashen's input hypothesis, and the Refold method, as these are the most popular and wide-spread ways that people find out about this style of learning. 


Okay, now that I've established that using native-content like books or TV is important, why use Harry Potter specifically? To be honest, you don't have to use it. It's just a popular choice for a few reasons:



  1. It's enjoyable. We learn better when we like what we are doing. In order to slog through and analyse the sentence structure of a foreign language book, especially if it is quite above our level, enjoyment is the best motivator.

  2. It increases in difficulty as you get further. Since the book follows Harry as he gets older, each book gets more complex, in narrative, as well as structure and vocabulary, making it great for a progress. 

  3. There's a lot of content. It's seven whole books, a total of ~4000 pages (depending on what editions you use). Getting used to one author's writing style makes reading get progressively easier, and lets you stay focused in mastering one style before moving on.

  4. It's easily accessible. Harry Potter is one of the most translated works of fiction, so unless you're learning a very rare language, it's likely you will be able to find a translation. Many languages also have audiobooks avaliable too. 

  5. It uses modern language. This makes it more relevant than, say, a classic book. It actually has a range of vocabulary and sentence structures, from formal letters, legal proceedings, to conversations between friends and descriptions of scenery. 


There are a few pitfalls of using Harry Potter. For example, learning through a translation is technically less effective than using something written originally in your target language. In my opinion, however, the other benefits outweigh the negatives. If you can find another book or piece of media that fits some the criteria above, and you want to learn from that instead, go for it! Just know for this book, I will have a Harry Potter-focus. 


Here are some videos on "The Harry Potter method" to get you started:



 

Hogwarts is Here © 2024
HogwartsIsHere.com was made for fans, by fans, and is not endorsed or supported directly or indirectly with Warner Bros. Entertainment, JK Rowling, Wizarding World Digital, or any of the official Harry Potter trademark/right holders.
Powered by minerva-b