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Penelope 2014 TK / FR / RU / HE | ||
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 Language Learning Forum : Language Learning Log |  | |
| renaissancemedi Bilingual Triglot Senior Member Greece Joined 4351 days ago 941 posts - 1309 votes  Speaks: Greek*, Ancient Greek*, EnglishC2 Studies: French, Russian, Turkish, Modern Hebrew | Message 209 of 252 14 April 2014 at 11:11pm | IP Logged | ||
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After some thought, I decided to put Russian on hold, take baby steps with Hebrew (but continue studying), deal with French occasionally but listen to it a lot, and not deal with Italian until we actually decide to go to Italy.
I’m sick of wanderlust, experiments and delays. I’ve been in that frame of mind for some time now, and it took considerable effort to admit my motives, goals and actual needs regarding languages. I also reevaluated my reasons for doing all this in the first place. I have other things going on in my life, and I need languages to play a positive role in it. To provide distraction, knowledge and a feeling of accomplishment. Dabbling will not give these things. It’s Turkish I want to study right now, and my goals are FSI oriented. Until I see some actual progress I will focus on this particular language, and if during the year I can give priority to another language I will. But for now that’s it. The good news is that I have already reviewed the first five units, and I continue with the rest, although I have covered some of that material before. I will read the TY book again (I have already read it very carefully, but didn’t learn it by heart), as I encounter the grammar on the FSI units. I watched a Turkish series today, and some words were clear to me. They do speak fast and sometimes not very clearly, or maybe that’s the speed, I don’t know. The way I see it, the FSI Turkish course is huge. But that’s fine. There is also a graded reader that is part of the FSI course, as the third and final part of it. I’ll be leaving on Friday for about a week (Easter break), and no internet will be available. I will do as much work as possible within 5 days, without the usual distractions. Of course I will have social and family obligations, but I will still have plenty of hours to myself. 3 persons have voted this message useful | |||
| Lakeseayesno Tetraglot Senior Member Mexico thepolyglotist.com Joined 4327 days ago 280 posts - 488 votes Speaks: English, Spanish*, Japanese, Italian Studies: Esperanto, French | Message 210 of 252 15 April 2014 at 3:49am | IP Logged | ||
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Congratulations on coming to terms with what you want to do. It sounds absurd when put down in words, but wanderlust can be a monumental waste of time. However, I've come to realize that a certain level of dabbling is also necessary to understand what one really wants to do.
I can relate a lot on what you want out of languages for your life. Last time I crashed and burned (because of overdoing it), I took a long while off but it didn't provide much R&R for me. It took me a while to understand that not being involved with studying languages made my life a lot more boring. :P Have a good Easter break! 2 persons have voted this message useful | |||
| Bakunin Diglot Senior Member Switzerland outerkhmer.blogspot. Joined 5123 days ago 531 posts - 1126 votes Speaks: German*, Thai Studies: Khmer | Message 211 of 252 15 April 2014 at 11:07am | IP Logged | ||
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Excellent. I'm glad you're going for Turkish and we can share part of the journey :)
I can relate to your experience, I also find it difficult to manage several new languages at the same time. On the other hand, it's pretty doable to work on a few intermediate or advanced languages in addition to one new one. Just consuming media and keeping up relationships in an intermediate to advanced language go already a long way towards making continued progress. It's cool that you already have a clear plan how to tackle Turkish. I'll certainly stick around and will follow your progress with interest! I'd be interested to hear about how people in Greece react to you learning Turkish. Yesterday, I went to eat at a Greek place and was insensitive enough to ask whether what they had on offer was similar to a kebab. I got the grumpy response that gyros has nothing, but nothing at all, to do with kebab, it was a completely different thing :) Maybe I was just very ignorant or he had a grumpy day, but I couldn't help but feeling reminded of long-standing historical grievances. Looking at my own culture, Germany, I have a sense of foreboding that not all of my countrymen (or even my family) will share my excitement about the Turkish language and culture either, if you know what I mean. I mean this pretty light-hearted, though... 3 persons have voted this message useful | |||
| Ogrim Heptaglot Senior Member France Joined 4632 days ago 991 posts - 1896 votes Speaks: Norwegian*, English, Spanish, French, Romansh, German, Italian Studies: Russian, Catalan, Latin, Greek, Romanian | Message 212 of 252 15 April 2014 at 11:27am | IP Logged | ||
We all experiment wanderlust from time to time, It happens to me every year at least once, and often in spring:) I think you have made a wise decision. Unless you can spend eight hours a day learning languages, it is probably better to concentrate on one or two where you are still at an early stage, and just try and maintain your more advanced languages. I had to make the same decision about Russian and Greek - but I will certainly return to Greek at one point this year. 2 persons have voted this message useful | |||
| renaissancemedi Bilingual Triglot Senior Member Greece Joined 4351 days ago 941 posts - 1309 votes Speaks: Greek*, Ancient Greek*, EnglishC2 Studies: French, Russian, Turkish, Modern Hebrew | Message 213 of 252 15 April 2014 at 11:36am | IP Logged | ||
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Well, some Greeks speak turkish for several reasons, but I can't say I've met anyone actually learning it. On the other hand there is the Κρατικό Πιστοποιητικό Γλωσσομάθειας, the state certificate of languages (or something...) that includes turkish, so I assume people take classes and exams. There are also the turkish soap operas that many people watch (although some pretend they don't :D )
I personally don't tell people I study a language, untill I can actually use it to some extend, and that has nothing to do with turkish. However, I know what you mean. I really think that if I suddenly appear speaking turkish most will probably be impressed, rather than anything else. That goes for all languages. Your kebap question wasn't insensitive, I think. Maybe it was a food thing and not a patriotic thing that upset him, but then again who knows... In any case he should have aswered you with an explanation about how it is different. Kebap is minced meat or pieces of meat, while gyros are slices of meat prepared differently, at least in Greece. Gyros means turn, because the meat turns as the fire cooks it. :) Shops in Greece offer both, and that's how you order: gyros please, kebap please. I really don't know why he was upset! Thanks Ogrim, Bakunin and Lakeseayesno for the support! Edited by renaissancemedi on 15 April 2014 at 11:37am 2 persons have voted this message useful | |||
| Bakunin Diglot Senior Member Switzerland outerkhmer.blogspot. Joined 5123 days ago 531 posts - 1126 votes Speaks: German*, Thai Studies: Khmer | Message 214 of 252 15 April 2014 at 5:43pm | IP Logged | ||
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Indeed, it was exactly that, and it was delicious! :) So Gyros and Döner (what we Germans call Kebap) interestingly both refer to the rotating spit.
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| renaissancemedi Bilingual Triglot Senior Member Greece Joined 4351 days ago 941 posts - 1309 votes Speaks: Greek*, Ancient Greek*, EnglishC2 Studies: French, Russian, Turkish, Modern Hebrew | Message 215 of 252 21 April 2014 at 9:19pm | IP Logged | ||
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I'm just happy the forum seems to be up again. I think I have an addiction...
Back from Easter break, and it was very nice. On the rainy side, and with a couple of very cold nights. But from tomorrow things will change, apparently. Unfortunately there were a few people injured by the self-made fireworks. Again, for one more Easter. The more serious was a death from dynamite, and a tourist in icu from a bomb... sorry, I meant a firework. No language study at all. But I have no regrets at all (is that a bad sign?) I thought I'd share a custom of language interest: On Easter Sunday, there is a vesper called "love", where passages from the bible are read in many languages, and not only the usual greek. I suspect that each church has a different number of languages, according to who can read what language, but I'm not sure. Edited by renaissancemedi on 21 April 2014 at 9:29pm 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| Expugnator Hexaglot Senior Member Brazil Joined 5159 days ago 3335 posts - 4349 votes Speaks: Portuguese*, Norwegian, French, English, Italian, Papiamento Studies: Mandarin, Georgian, Russian | Message 216 of 252 22 April 2014 at 10:23pm | IP Logged | ||
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What an interesting tradition of reading in many languages! As for the fireworks, we never associate them with Easter (we in the Northeast of Brazil), but rather with St. John's day (June 24th).
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