I suppose the first answer is that I wouldn't say I actually know German... I certainly can't speak or understand the spoken language much at all. But when I was in first and second grade (I was allowed to attend school through fifth grade), I had a little bit of German at school (that's a story in itself). Then in my teens I had voice lessons. I love classical music, so I began singing songs by Schubert and other Austrian and German composers, which brought me into contact with the great German romantic-era poets.
In other words, I'm not very good at German, but I love that poetry... if that makes any sense! I have a very very curious vocabulary--all the poetic words!! And I can only deal with the written word...
loved hearing the VOCES8 version. Where and when did you learn German?
I really enjoyed that one too!
I suppose the first answer is that I wouldn't say I actually know German... I certainly can't speak or understand the spoken language much at all. But when I was in first and second grade (I was allowed to attend school through fifth grade), I had a little bit of German at school (that's a story in itself). Then in my teens I had voice lessons. I love classical music, so I began singing songs by Schubert and other Austrian and German composers, which brought me into contact with the great German romantic-era poets.
In other words, I'm not very good at German, but I love that poetry... if that makes any sense! I have a very very curious vocabulary--all the poetic words!! And I can only deal with the written word...
We all came from such a mish mash of experiences, parenting, histories, genetics- it's a wonder we can communicate at all and understand one another.