Learning the "Scaffolding" of the German Language

I decided to create this blog after reading an article written by Joshua Foer for The Guardian about how he came to grips with an all new language in just 22 hours. He explained in the article that he was by no means fluent in this new language, but by learning about 1,000 words, he had learned enough to get by, and become conversant enough to get through his trip.

According to Foer, these 1,000 words, the ones most frequently used, give the learner the "scaffolding" to learn the basics of a language - just enough to allow one to become conversant in a language. Just imagine how being conversant in a language might improve your next trip Europe, or in our case, Germany. Foer had it right when he said:

"What if instead of tabbing over to the web browser in search of some nugget of gossip or news, we could instead scratch the itch by engaging in a meaningful activity, such as learning a foreign language?"

So, with Foer's interesting approach in mind, I decided to apply the same concept to learning German, which has become a hobby of mine in recent days and weeks. I have always been interested in learning new languages, but I have always had starts and stops when it comes to language learning. I know bits and pieces from a few languages, but I have never been able to become conversant. From my past, I realized that phrasebooks, dictionaries, podcasts and a dose of Rick Steves' travel programs ain't gonna cut it (although I love his show). 

This blog is going to focus on the top 1,000 most frequently used words in German - a list that was compiled by Leipzig University. By learning the words on this list a little at a time, we will be coming to grips with the language in hopes of slowly, but surely, become conversant in the language. Will we learn enough German to get by on our next trip, or read the daily news in our new language, or will we find out that Foer's article is just empty words? I guess only time will tell.