Learning Languages as if It's the Year 1800
How Were Languages Studied 200 Years Ago?
First modern polyglot’s method
Giuseppe Mezzofanti, an Italian cardinal (living in 1774–1849) is a first polyglot of the modern era. It's hard to verify the evidence or put his knowledge to CEFR levels on the scale from A1 to C2, but even if the half is true, it still looks very impressive, even by modern standards.
What is different today and 200 years ago for language learning? The easy and cheap (and often free) access to all possible kinds of materials (one could only dream about video and audio) together with the ease of travel and communicate.
What resources were available to Mezzofanti? One of the few texts available in multiple languages at the time was, of course, the Bible. Significant resources were invested in its high-quality translation (e.g., the Greek Septuagint involved seventy translators, and kings commissioned translations like the English King James Version).
Still valid today?
Is it still a valid method today? The text itself has some advantages: even if you've never thoroughly read it, you may already know the stories and names through TV, films, art, songs, cross-references, and common sayings. The Tower of Babel, a metaphor for language learning used by some apps and websites, also originates from the Bible.
However, there are also notable disadvantages: the language often becomes outdated, as it is essentially "frozen" in the time it was written. For example, the English King James Version (KJV) was published in 1611, Luther's Bible in German dates back to 1522, and Greek and Latin versions go back millennia.
By today’s standards of gamification and engaging learning materials (and rather short length), the text might seem particularly unappealing and hard to concentrate, especially to younger audiences.
Simulate 1800’s available learning …
In the end, I'm not sure if this is a universally promising approach—much depends on the individual.
To let everyone explore it (as if it were 1800), I've developed a free tool: langtools.io/gb
It generates parallel versions of Bible quotes or longer text passages, incorporating modern elements like gamification and quick access.
While building the toolkit, I was surprised to find out that there's a strict formatting required for Bible citation. For example, "Proverbs 1:5" refers to the first chapter of Proverbs, fifth verse. Similarly, "Proverbs 1:5-9" covers verses five to nine. This formatting is similar to hyperlinks: an incorrect format won't direct you to the desired passage.
Here’s an example of a quote available in three languages: Proverbs 1:5, or a longer one Proverbs 1:5-9
… but with the touch of 2024
With the ability to directly reference specific text locations, you can effectively utilize tools like spaced repetition or integrate this into your personal knowledge database.
Regarding gamification, I've integrated a 'Random Verse' button that generates a random Bible quote with each click. While there are certainly more interactive games available, this feature adds a playful element that's better than nothing.
Additionally, users can search through the text using keywords, much like a Google search. This functionality returns Bible quotes that match the search terms, similar to how Google provides hyperlinks.
To conclude, you can experience language learning as it was in the year 1800, but equipped with the tools of 2024.
p.s. For more technically-savvy users, you can install the command-line interface tool— grepbible —which, with a bit of experience, should take less than a minute to set up. This provides all the functionality directly within your terminal.
p.p.s. For those interested in running the server locally, extending its functionality, or customizing the user interface, the server is also open source: grepbible-server.