Memorizing texts to achieve fluency

I have a question for successful language learners: Do you find memorizing texts (stories, dialogues, poems, sections of novels) helpful in achieving fluency in a foreign language?

I find that "comprehensible input" is great for listening and reading--but it doesn't necessarily help me to speak or write. The phrases that come out most naturally are the ones I've memorized somewhere along the line from tapes or books.

I'm asking the question after reading about Heinrich Schliemann. (http://wiki.anomalytv.com/tavi/index.php?page=LanguageMethods) He memorized entire novels! He obviously worked very hard, but he was able to become fluent in several languages, each in a short period of time.

"Do you find memorizing texts (stories, dialogues, poems, sections of novels) helpful in achieving fluency ...?"

Very helpful. (Good etc)Chess players do something similar - memorizing many openings and whole games.

Memorising has never helped me, but lots of reading has. I hate memorising more than anything, so when I have to do it, I focus more on remembering the text that seeing the linguistic patterns, so it really doesn't help my cause. By reading, it all sinks in way more easily. However, there is no unique formula that works for everyone; everyone's brain is wired differently. If you found that memorising does the trick for you, stick to it - whatever helps is good.

Mindless memorization does not work. What works for me is to speak interesting expressions/phrases a few times out loud while reading. That helps my brain to retain and recall them when neccessary. Extra reading would definitely help than memorizing stuff which you might forget later.

The first time I ever been to the Far East was five years a go. I started learning Chinese upon my arrival. Now, when I speak to people on phone, they think I am a Chinese.

I used to listen to every text in the book probably more than 20 times (most of the times while jogging). In between I also used to read same text laud. At the 20th time of reading and listening, I was able to memorize that text. This is very essential in my opinion as a beginner, because those texts are formed from easy language, and you will find most of these expressions can be used in your daily life, and to memorizing the text will definitely help you to reproduce them out.

Memorizing means you have to speak out the text to test yourself whether you have memorized it or not, and that’s a good practice by itself…(but anyhow, I never intentionally went to memorize any text. And I never noticed that I have memorized the whole text till the teacher asks a question; I used to give a very VERY lengthen answer as in the text, and by then the teacher used to say “oh my god, you have memorized the who text)

What I meant in the above posting is that to practice to memorize just for the sake to memorize was not my way. Practice reading and listening until you can memorize the texts was the way that made me fluent in Chinese.

Try memorizing songs. That works very well for me and the more you get used to them the better your pronnounciation.

But I don't think that memorization of the words without sound will help you learn it much better, but that's just me.

If you're going to do that, read a book instead. Many books.

Memorizing monologues will definitely help. Even if you don't know every grammatical detail to why certain phrases are structured the way they are, the psycological boost from being able to say them fluently will help a lot.

Just remember to have a good sense of what you are saying. Over time, if you keep up learning that language, the structures and patterns will begin to make sense to you.