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Four Little Birds, TAC 2015 | ||
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 Language Learning Forum : Language Learning Log |  | |
| Teango Triglot Winner TAC 2010 & 2012 Senior Member United States teango.wordpress.comRegistered users can see my Skype Name Joined 5549 days ago 2210 posts - 3734 votes  Speaks: English*, German, Russian Studies: Hawaiian, French, Toki Pona | Message 33 of 54 06 March 2015 at 12:01am | IP Logged |
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As most of you probably know, we all lost approximately a week's worth of posts when the administrator/hosting company backed up to a previous version of the Forum without warning. Sadly, I don't have a copy of your comments or my replies for this missing period, but luckily, I make sure I post all fortnightly updates on my own blog (Travels with Teango) first before copying them here, so this means I can share my journal entry for 25th February again with you below:
*** Weeks 7-8 After appraising my study plan, and having consequently decided to study one "major" language for 6 days a week (i.e., Russian), and each of four "minor" languages for a run of 3 consecutive days every fortnight (i.e., French, German, Hawaiian, and Irish), it seems appropriate to upgrade my little flock to five in the title of my blog to reflect this change. Hence "Three Little Birds" has risen to "Five" (I'm sure Bob Marley won't mind ;) ). This week also marks the end of my initial tentative plan for this year, and the beginning of my updated fortnightly study regime outlined briefly above and in the previous post.  Russian (1.6h)
I'm up to episode 48 (season 3) of Кухня, and easing myself back into speaking more Russian at home. I'm also interested in fitting in some supplementary intensive listening and reading exercises with material on Easy Languages, and am keeping my fingers crossed for more annotated videos in Russian in the near future.  French (-)
I bought a cute little book for my wife today called "Parisienne French" which contains colloquial basic expressions and interesting cultural tidbits you wouldn't usually find in a textbook. I hope she likes it. We'll both be starting our study of French from scratch tomorrow, each with our own personal copy of Assimil. German (0.2h)
I switched over to playing the card game "Taboo" in German for a little while for fun at home. Clearly my vocabulary needs a little work for more advanced or unusual topics. Hawaiian (5.5h)
Given that it was Lā Kiʻiʻoniʻoni ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi on university campus today (Hawaiian language movie day), I dropped by to watch "Kaʻililauokekoa" (crescent leaf of the koa tree) and talk story with the organizers. This is the first feature-length film I've watched in Hawaiian, and hearing that it's free to access through the university library system, I intend to watch it again with my wife (as it's a traditional Hawaiian love story and has subtitles in English). Irish (0.8h)
Hurray - Level 8 in Duolingo! I can now say ever-so-useful phrases such as "the turtles eat rice" and "what did the fox say?" with increasing confidence...  Other (-)
I'm eager to learn a few basic phrases in both Nepali and Tagalog sometime, simply to impress friends I know. Other than that, not much in the way of wanderlust or other distractions over the last fortnight. (Total time spent on learning languages over the last fortnight: 17.5 hours) *** Edited by Teango on 11 March 2015 at 6:30am 1 person has voted this message useful | |
| Teango Triglot Winner TAC 2010 & 2012 Senior Member United States teango.wordpress.comRegistered users can see my Skype Name Joined 5549 days ago 2210 posts - 3734 votes Speaks: English*, German, Russian Studies: Hawaiian, French, Toki Pona | Message 34 of 54 11 March 2015 at 7:48am | IP Logged |
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I found a copy of the missing comments on an alternative version of HTLAL (which is still running on http://62.50.91.152/!):
*** Posted by Teango on 27 February 2015 at 2:31am: @Josquin, Expugnator, Cristina, tarvos Товарищи...you guys are sorely tempting me to defect. ;) @ellesevia In the words of cigar-toting Hannibal from the 'A' Team, if this "plan comes together", I'll expand further on this tag team strategy in my next fortnightly update. Posted by Cavesa on 27 February 2015 at 2:38am: Great log, Teango, as usual. I'm looking forward to following your progress. Each of the two of you having your personal copy of Assimil, that sounded strangely romantic :-) I can only recommend Les Trois Musquetaires, which caught your attention earlier. I think the book is quite accessible even for an intermediate, so perhaps you might like it right after Assimil. While we don't have in common the most important languages of the year, I am curious about your Russian, Hawaiian and Irish progress. Could you recommend me a hawaian song or two that you like? I'd like to listen to such a sample of the language and culture, please, and I have no idea what to look for on youtube. And the Russian series you're following, is it a learner aimed one (like French in Action) or a normal one? *** @Cavesa Gracias, amigo! Where would language learning be without l'amour and la pasión... :) There are so many great Hawaiian meles (songs), it's hard to know where to start. Let' me think on this a bit more, and whilst I'm deliberating, here's one I like to listen to (sung/played by several people in this particular video): Kaulana Nā Pua (Famous are the Flowers). It just sounds like a typical pleasant mele, but the lyrics go much deeper for the Hawaiian people, and are actually a cry of resistance against occupation. As for Кухня, it's a normal series on Russian tv. It's great fun to watch, but quite fast-faced and colloquial; definitely not like "French in Action". ;) Edited by Teango on 11 March 2015 at 7:50am 1 person has voted this message useful | |
| Teango Triglot Winner TAC 2010 & 2012 Senior Member United States teango.wordpress.comRegistered users can see my Skype Name Joined 5549 days ago 2210 posts - 3734 votes Speaks: English*, German, Russian Studies: Hawaiian, French, Toki Pona | Message 35 of 54 13 March 2015 at 3:26am | IP Logged |
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Weeks 9-10
I've tried out a few things, reformulated my study plan on the basis of how these fared, and am ready to begin my new schedule again. One noticeable addition to the list below is my slow-burning side project in Ancient Egyptian ("Paddling down the Nile"), which is described in more detail towards the end of this post. Hence the change in title to "Five Little Birds + 1", where the "+1" stands for "one old chick" ;) Having previously made good progress in "Champollion's Challenge", I just had to fit it in somewhere. Another tweak to the schedule is that I plan to study my key languages for only 4 weeks each month (excluding reviews), and reserve whatever days remain for satisfying recurrent "wanderlust" urges. Hopefully this will keep any distracting language flirtations at bay, as well as provide short breaks on both a weekly (i.e., Sundays) and monthly basis, which will help avoid potential burn-out. Russian (3h15m)
I've watched 3 more episodes (49-51) of Кухня, studied and reviewed 10 chapters of Russian Assimil, practiced talking to myself in Russian during walks home from work, and submitted some free writing for correction. I only did this halfheartedly over a stretch of 4 days, so it's not a lot, but it's a start. French (3h50m)
I found a cool new spooky series called "Les revenants", and have already watched a couple of episodes with my wife (the context is relatively easy for us both to follow so far). Although we initially intended to start Assimil together last fortnight, my wife and I have rescheduled to start again tomorrow. In the meantime, she's been reading "Parisienne French" on the bus to work, and I've submitted a couple of pieces of free writing for correction, and had a chat with a French taxi driver and a chef at my local organic supermarket. German (1h)
Dipping my toes into the water, I reviewed German Assimil up to lesson 6, and practiced speaking to myself a couple of times by describing the moving landscape and any features in the environment that peaked my interest during transit. My main goal with German is to blow the cobwebs off my vocabulary and get back into using it on a more regular basis. Going through a basic textbook like Assimil is perhaps overkill, but as I've never actually completed any course books in German before (I mainly just used native materials whilst living in Germany, and worksheets way back in high school), I might as well try to fill as many gaps in my knowledge as I can. Hawaiian (18h)
Between preparing for quizzes, haʻi ʻōlelo (short oral presentations in class), and other assignments, it's been a busy fortnight for Hawaiian. The big highlight, however, was attending a 3-hour theater production of Lāʻieikawai at the University of Hawaiʻi completely in Hawaiian. Although I could only pick out words and short phrases here and there, I could follow most of what was going on, and really enjoyed the show. The actors, singers, musicians, and dancers were all amazing, and the production and set very professional. I'm keeping my fingers crossed for more shows like this in the future... Irish (20m)
Just visited Duolingo on a few occasions to keep up reviews.  Ancient Egyptian (-)
Side Project: "Paddling down the Nile" After my intrepid 2 week challenge to round off 2014 (Champollion's Challenge), I admittedly let my paddle drop in the water and didn't keep up with the ensuing wake of Assimil reviews for lessons 1-38 as planned. So it's time to get back into the flow and christen my return to rowing with three new goals: 1. The first goal is to catch up with all my Assimil reviews for Ancient Egyptian, and be ready to continue where I left off (i.e., be ready to start from lesson 39). I plan to achieve this by gradually adding all these reviews to my current daily review schedule, one lesson a day, starting from lesson 8 (as I've already "assimilated" the first 7 lessons very well by now). 2. The second goal is to complete my initial mission for "Champollion's Challenge" by reaching the end of lesson 50. I intend to pursue this at a more leisurely pace by studying a new lesson every week on Sunday (when I don't have any other language study planned; just reviews). 3. The third goal is to complete all 101 lessons in Assimil's "L'Egyptien Hieroglyphique" and reach my final port of destination charted by this excellent resource. At one new lesson a week, and accounting for all the ongoing reviews and any possible setbacks, this should hopefully take place sometime in 2016 next year. Other (Tagalog 10m; Japanese 15m)
Having learned a few simple phrases of Tagalog from people I met in my travels, I've been putting them into practice at every possible opportunity recently (e.g., with cashiers at the supermarket, bakery, pancake house, 7-Eleven, and also with taxi drivers). My basic attempts are always warmly welcomed, and I try to learn a new word or phrase each time if I can. Also, a few more acquisitions for the language bookshelf this fortnight...5 Japanese books! This includes a parallel text - "The Mouse Bride" - which completes one of my collections, 2 books from the "My Darling is a Foreigner" series (which are hilarious), and a couple of lighthearted reference books on Japanese culture: "Salary Man in Japan" and "Japan at a Glance". (Total time spent on learning languages over the last fortnight: 26.8 hours) Edited by Teango on 13 March 2015 at 3:35am 1 person has voted this message useful | |
| Teango Triglot Winner TAC 2010 & 2012 Senior Member United States teango.wordpress.comRegistered users can see my Skype Name Joined 5549 days ago 2210 posts - 3734 votes Speaks: English*, German, Russian Studies: Hawaiian, French, Toki Pona | Message 36 of 54 27 March 2015 at 8:22am | IP Logged |
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Weeks 11-12
The last couple of weeks have been particularly busy workwise, and it looks like the coming fortnight may prove even more of a challenge. This means I've let my language learning take a back seat for a short while whilst I answer to other responsibilities and deadlines. All the same, I continue to dabble where I can... Russian (1h)
No Кухня this fortnight, which leaves me standing on episode 51 (Season 3). However I did have a very brief chat in Russian with a visiting Ukrainian tourist who mistook me for a Russian teacher *lol* (I wish!). French (5h)
I've gathered some more resources for French (not included in my hours), and am up to lesson 9 in Assimil's "New French with Ease". Whilst my wife has already eclipsed my petty efforts by finishing lesson 10, and is making really great progress. We've changed our strategy now to watching "Les Revenants" without subtitles one day, and then with subtitles the next, and are up to episode 3 (Season 1). And I've got to say, it's good fun studying French together this year! German (20m)
I had a 15 minute conversation with a German tourist the other day, and learned the word "die Flitterwochen" (honeymoon) in the process. I also tried to talk to some members of the university German club whilst buying lunch to support their cause. Sadly they looked like petrified rabbits in the headlights when I leapt into speaking German, so I swiftly took my leave along with a plate of bratwurst, senf, and sauerkraut. Hawaiian (7h)
Our class had a mid-term oral exam last week. This involved learning off a short speech in Hawaiian about one of our classmates, and then presenting it to our kumu (teacher) and the rest of the class. Although most of us were as nervous as a junebug in a henhouse, I quite enjoyed this alternative form of assessment (not being a fan of long written exams ;) ). We'll all find out our results after the spring break... Irish (20m)
A few reviews in Duolingo; no big surprises here. However I have a new addition to my little library of Irish fiction: "An Fhondúireacht" (a translation of Isaac Asimov's sci-fi classic: "Foundation"). I'm really excited about reading this translation once my proficiency in Irish has likewise propelled itself into the future. Ancient Egyptian (-)
Side Project: "Paddling down the Nile" Ok, confession time...I haven't actually started down this historic river just yet, but I hope to find my paddle soon (for fear of the mummyglot's curse). (Total time spent on learning languages over the last fortnight: 13.7 hours) 1 person has voted this message useful | |
| Teango Triglot Winner TAC 2010 & 2012 Senior Member United States teango.wordpress.comRegistered users can see my Skype Name Joined 5549 days ago 2210 posts - 3734 votes Speaks: English*, German, Russian Studies: Hawaiian, French, Toki Pona | Message 37 of 54 12 April 2015 at 1:33am | IP Logged |
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Weeks 13-14
Starting a new schedule is one thing; sticking to it is another. My first week went well in this respect, which is reflected in an overall increase in my hours of language study (i.e., 33 hours over the last fortnight, bringing my total so far this year beyond the 150 hour milestone), but I then found lots of good reasons to bunk off my studies and play hooky during the second week. I guess it'll take time and determination to build up consistency... Russian (11.6h)
Considering I didn't watch any Кухня during the previous fortnight, I've more than made up for it since, having completed another блюдо (i.e., the third season), and followed this with a feature film ("Кухня в Париже") на десерт. With the roller-coaster of ups and downs in the scripts so far, heaven knows what the fourth season will bring! French (7.2h)
Just one more episode of Les Revenants, and a few lessons of French Assimil (lessons 10-12). I did, however, get a short opportunity to practice some French with a tourist from Luxembourg. I was doing fine until asked what I teach at university, to which I responded "J'enseigne les second language studies [in a highly exaggerated French accent]". On reflection, I could have just worked out another way to say it, but in the moment and under pressure, I ended up sounding more like Inspector Clouseau! German (2.6h)
I've completed 5 lessons of Assimil, and watched a couple of episodes of "Stromberg" (a German comedy modelled on the UK tv series "The Office", but with distinct German characters and office culture). My German's pretty rusty at the moment, having not really used it properly since I lived in Darmstadt five years ago, but I get most of the dialogue in the series with occasional islands of "..hmm, I have no idea what on earth they just said" every now and again. Hawaiian (12h)
More speeches, more quizzes, and more vocabulary under my belt, which brings me up to the end of lesson 17 in Ka Lei Haʻaheo, with only a quarter of the book left to go. I feel I've made a lot of progress so far this year, and can understand so much more. I'm probably just a whisker away from the low intermediate (B1) level now! :) Irish (-)
Like a dilapidated donkey cart, my Irish studies have fallen by the wayside, but I'll make sure it's fit for travel next fortnight. Ancient Egyptian (-)
Side Project: "Paddling down the Nile" With time a precious commodity, I'm still working hard at fitting in my five other languages each fortnight. However I haven't forgotten about this little side project with Ancient Egyptian; it'll just have to take a back seat for a short while until I sort the other languages out and get into some kind of consistent rhythm. (Total time spent on learning languages over the last fortnight: 33.4 hours) 1 person has voted this message useful | |
| Teango Triglot Winner TAC 2010 & 2012 Senior Member United States teango.wordpress.comRegistered users can see my Skype Name Joined 5549 days ago 2210 posts - 3734 votes Speaks: English*, German, Russian Studies: Hawaiian, French, Toki Pona | Message 38 of 54 24 April 2015 at 5:30am | IP Logged |
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Weeks 15-16
I’ve been very ill over last fortnight, and am only just starting to recover a little bit, so I’ll keep my update brief today... French (1h)
I’ve started checking out some new popular YouTube channels (e.g., Cyprien, Parole de chat), and also watched a couple of episodes of South Park dubbed into French (such a bizarre experience, I still feel slightly scarred!) Hawaiian (15h)
I also attended a big rally in support of Mauna Kea just before I fell ill, and ended up (very briefly *lol*) in the local news on tv! It was wonderful to see so many come together in respect and support of native Hawaiian culture, and add to the growing voice and body of people unafraid to stand up for their indigenous rights in the face of corporate injustice and mainland cultural indifference. Most of the event was in the Hawaiian language, with many of the key speakers and those building the “ahu” (a spiritual shrine, largely made of rocks collected from the shores of O’ahu and the other islands) in traditional Hawaiian dress (e.g., malo). We were also joined by several busloads of schoolchildren chanting in Hawaiian, who helped us pass the rocks along a line of around 1,000 people from the local Hawaiian Studies taro patch all the way up to Bachman Lawn on university campus! (Total time spent on learning languages over the last fortnight: 16 hours) Edited by Teango on 07 May 2015 at 9:13am 1 person has voted this message useful | |
| Josquin Heptaglot Senior Member Germany Joined 4837 days ago 2266 posts - 3992 votes Speaks: German*, English, French, Latin, Italian, Russian, Swedish Studies: Japanese, Irish, Portuguese, Persian | Message 39 of 54 24 April 2015 at 12:53pm | IP Logged |
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Sorry to hear that. Get better soon!
1 person has voted this message useful | |
| Teango Triglot Winner TAC 2010 & 2012 Senior Member United States teango.wordpress.comRegistered users can see my Skype Name Joined 5549 days ago 2210 posts - 3734 votes Speaks: English*, German, Russian Studies: Hawaiian, French, Toki Pona | Message 40 of 54 25 April 2015 at 2:27am | IP Logged |
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@Josquin
Thanks, mate. I'm hopefully on the mend now, and it'll be a long path to full recovery, but I'll keep plugging away. ;) 1 person has voted this message useful |
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