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読みたい！ TAC 2015 (Rätsel|東亜) | ||
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 Language Learning Forum : Language Learning Log |  | |
| g-bod Diglot Senior Member United KingdomRegistered users can see my Skype Name Joined 5974 days ago 1485 posts - 2002 votes  Speaks: English*, Japanese Studies: French, German | Message 65 of 91 28 March 2015 at 8:02pm | IP Logged | ||
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Thanks Evita! Your kind words are really motivational when I feel I am wavering!
So back when I was feeling all wanderlusty at the end of February, I put a hold on the Teach Yourself Czech book and CD set at the library. The library catalogue showed they had two copies, both of which were out with other people and had been overdue for some time. So I wasn't expecting to see a copy any time soon, I could satisfy my wanderlust just by pressing the "hold" button and then get on with my life. Anyway, to my surprise I got a message from the library this week to say that they had the book ready for me to pick up, which I have dutifully done. I really don't want to distract myself from German any more, at least not while I am making so much visible progress, but I figure I can at least satisfy a little curiosity about the language over the next couple of weeks. In any case, I would like to take a trip to Prague later this year, so it would be rude not to at least learn how to pronounce dobrý den. Speaking of trips, I've just booked myself a short break in Germany, having had a craving for Käsespätzle I just can't shake off. It certainly feels like my German is better than it was last time I visited Germany in 2013, however it will be interesting to see if this translates into real life situations! 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| g-bod Diglot Senior Member United KingdomRegistered users can see my Skype Name Joined 5974 days ago 1485 posts - 2002 votes Speaks: English*, Japanese Studies: French, German | Message 66 of 91 31 March 2015 at 3:26pm | IP Logged | ||
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So over the last couple of days, I decided, just for fun, to have a go at the sample B1 papers on the Goethe website. I was somewhat shocked when I graded the listening and reading papers. I scored 100% for reading and 90% for listening. (So now I'm going to start claiming my German comprehension is B1 already). However, unlike JLPT, for the Goethe exams active skills are properly tested, and this is where I can't really check my level on my own. I had a go at the writing paper anyway, just to see whether I could produce texts in response to the questions within the time limit. That, at least, was possible, although I have no way of telling whether what I produced was really up to standard or not. Having checked against the sample responses, I think the range of vocab and grammar I used was probably too limited.
So now I have a bit of a dilemma. Shall I go for the B1 exam in summer? I wouldn't have even considered it, were it not for the fact that the comprehension papers were much easier than I expected, so I could focus my energy more on prepping for the output parts of the test and might have a good chance. But then having a B1 certificate is worth little more than a slight boost to my ego, which I don't really need. Really I would do better to save my money and energy, and aim for B2 in summer 2016 instead. 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| Lundrum Diglot Newbie Ireland Joined 3521 days ago 20 posts - 21 votes Speaks: English*, French Studies: German, Polish | Message 67 of 91 31 March 2015 at 3:50pm | IP Logged | ||
I know what you mean, I tried the reading and listening for the C1 French exam on the CIEP website and I was really surprised that I found it pretty easy. I feel like most people on this forum tend to underestimate their language ability. 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| g-bod Diglot Senior Member United KingdomRegistered users can see my Skype Name Joined 5974 days ago 1485 posts - 2002 votes Speaks: English*, Japanese Studies: French, German | Message 68 of 91 01 April 2015 at 10:21pm | IP Logged | ||
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@Lundrum, I think this comes down to the fact that it is very hard to self assess, particularly for active skills. Also this forum attracts some exceptionally skilled linguists; in comparison my own skills are very, very mundane! Plus there's the whole imposter syndrome thing, which I have experienced recently in other domains of my life, so hey, maybe I do just need to be more self confident in general! But on the whole I think it's far better to demonstrate your skills by using them (in the right context) rather than just making unsubstantiated claims on the internet...
Anyway, since I have somehow proved to myself that my comprehension skills in German are already B1, I need to ramp up my studies yet again. I still need to continue working through my A1/A2 books to continue building a strong foundation for my active skills, but at the same time I think I need to push harder to develop my comprehension. So I've graduated from Deutsche Welle's Top-Thema (aimed at B1) to the Video-Thema (pitched at B2/C1). It's a very noticeable step up, since the video reports include various different people speaking what sounds like pretty normal German (at least normal for a factual TV show). But as with Top-Thema, it comes with a complete transcript plus definitions (in German) of some of the key vocab. I spent a good hour working through today's episode and came out with a list nearly two pages long of new vocabulary and phrases. But having done that, most of the video became a lot more comprehensible, although there are some bits where the speakers seem to swallow half their words, which I think means the language is pretty natural! Still, it's good to be pushing myself, once again, back outside my comfort zone. Edited by g-bod on 01 April 2015 at 10:21pm 2 persons have voted this message useful | |||
| g-bod Diglot Senior Member United KingdomRegistered users can see my Skype Name Joined 5974 days ago 1485 posts - 2002 votes Speaks: English*, Japanese Studies: French, German | Message 69 of 91 06 April 2015 at 11:35pm | IP Logged | ||
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My recent enthusiasm for German is causing me some problems, since I am suffering once again from a surfeit of new vocabulary which I am still somehow determined to push through the Anki mill. Since I've been enjoying a long lazy weekend of Bank Holidays, I have increased my daily limit of new cards to 40 a day, which I can manage in the short term but I'm pretty sure I'll need to go back to 20 a day once I'm back to work tomorrow. I'll need to find a way of moderating my enthusiasm to study accordingly. Which I guess means spending more time on extensive activities without generating lists of words for Anki. Really, that should be no hardship.
I'm halfway through Der Vorleser and each new chapter seems to get a little easier than the last one. However, due to the nature of the subject matter, at least from part two of the book, I feel like I can't really afford any misunderstandings. I'll continue extensive reading in German, but once I finish the book I'll try to track down a synopsis in English to confirm my understanding. 2 persons have voted this message useful | |||
| g-bod Diglot Senior Member United KingdomRegistered users can see my Skype Name Joined 5974 days ago 1485 posts - 2002 votes Speaks: English*, Japanese Studies: French, German | Message 70 of 91 19 April 2015 at 11:30am | IP Logged | ||
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Der Vorleser - Bernhard Schlink
I've finished my first proper grown up book in German! I have to say I am generally not overly interested in reading about Nazis, and I would not have picked this book on that basis were it not for the fact that a google search for German reading suggestions uncovered a number of recommendations for this book as a good place to start with German novels. The style of writing is very direct and straightforward, which not only contributes to the impact of the book, but is also a real help for comprehension for novices like me. However, the content of the book is, naturally, far from straightforward. I can't call it an enjoyable read, but I would say that despite my initial reservations about the subject matter, I am very glad to have read it. 2 persons have voted this message useful | |||
| Via Diva Diglot Senior Member Russian Federation last.fm/user/viadivaRegistered users can see my Skype Name Joined 4226 days ago 1109 posts - 1427 votes Speaks: Russian*, English Studies: German, Italian, French, Swedish, Esperanto, Czech, Greek | Message 71 of 91 19 April 2015 at 11:56am | IP Logged | ||
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Congratulations!
I was listening to the Vorleser audiobook and just dumped it due to the low comprehension level even though I have seen and liked the screen adaptation really much. And it's twice as great that you're motivated enough to read books which you don't really enjoy :) 2 persons have voted this message useful | |||
| g-bod Diglot Senior Member United KingdomRegistered users can see my Skype Name Joined 5974 days ago 1485 posts - 2002 votes Speaks: English*, Japanese Studies: French, German | Message 72 of 91 19 April 2015 at 12:15pm | IP Logged | ||
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Last night I arrived home after spending a week in Germany. We took in Heidelberg, the middle Rhein and Bonn, and I finally got to know Köln a little better.
So yesterday I was eating Brot und Marmelade for breakfast, with a view of the Siebengebirge and watching ships go by on the Rhein, and this morning I was back in my own kitchen eating Weetabix and wondering if I could ever organise my life so that I could actually move to Germany. Given that I am finally at a stage in life where both myself and my husband have decent steady jobs and we are looking to try and buy a house later this year, I don't think that's likely. But it's still fun to think about. I can definitely understand more, say more, and interact more than I could when I was last in Germany (which I can't believe was 2 whole years ago). But this comes at the cost of recognising mistakes as soon as they fall out of my mouth, and feeling frustrated by gaps in my comprehension when people are speaking to me. The result was that, for the start of the week, I was actually less confident in my interactions with people than I had been when I knew a lot less. I did find my stride again about halfway through the week though and could start to communicate more confidently despite all my flaws! The biggest frustration was my listening comprehension. When it comes to basic tourist interactions, railway announcements, or parents chatting to their little kids I can pretty much keep up. But when things start to get interesting, I lose the thread quickly. For example, a guy running a tourist train up a hill was telling me a story which I could barely keep up with because I just couldn't parse the clusters of verbs quickly enough. I knew there were passives and plusquamperfekts going on but I just couldn't make sense of it all quickly enough before he moved on to the next part of the story. In fairness, these are grammatical features which I can parse in the written text mainly due to prior experience with other languages, but I have not done any specific drills to activate my own use of them in German. So I think I need to do more grammar work, but I also need to watch a lot more TV! I still have a load more Sex and the City to watch in German, and I also brought back a box set of Stromberg as a souvenir, along with the B1 textbook which follows on from the course I'm currently working through, and a Lernkrimi which will provide some light relief after finishing Der Vorleser. I really pick the best souvenirs! 3 persons have voted this message useful |
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