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20 in 20 - learning log of the deranged | ||
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 Language Learning Forum : Language Learning Log |  | |
| Spanky Senior Member Canada Joined 5948 days ago 1021 posts - 1714 votes  Studies: French | Message 25 of 138 29 October 2008 at 9:38pm | IP Logged |
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Thanks Jaseur for the comments.
I can assure you that I absolutely do follow the correct stroke order, and my kana nonetheless absolutely turns out totally and completely awful, but I am having fun and am prepared to take my chances about the being hated part! I tried out your finger writing on the bus this morning, complete with strange waving of finger in the air and quietly muttering unintelligble sounds. Honestly, I sensed that everyone on the bus took an unconscious step backwards in case whatever madness I was afflicted with was contagious. But I am finding it very useful to do on my leg while, for instance, watching TV and running through some hiragana words during a commercial. I note from your own learning log your stint in Japan - if I can figure out the hiragana for "how cool does that sound?" then I will finger wave it on the bus tomorrow morning just to scare the other commuters (again). Edited by Spanky on 29 October 2008 at 10:14pm 1 person has voted this message useful | |
| Spanky Senior Member Canada Joined 5948 days ago 1021 posts - 1714 votes Studies: French | Message 26 of 138 29 October 2008 at 10:00pm | IP Logged |
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Thanks fsinglehurst - though I note that others might use the words "misguided" or "foolish" in place of your "ambitious"!
My plan might be less ambitious than it seems, and likely less ambitious than your own proposed decaglottery depending on how deep your understanding will become (I read the beginning of your log from yesterday - best wishes!). I am looking only for a limited level of familiarity with languages - I am engaged not so much in a "Learn (and maintain) 20 languages in 20 years" plan, but rather a "Study 20 languages over 20 years" or more descriptively, "Dabble sufficiently to be able to order a beer and ask where the bathroom is in 20 different languages, and take your leisurely time doing it over a couple of decades". If I can get through the equivalent of perhaps a Pimsleur III level of study of that many languages, I will be extremely happy (and surprised, frankly). I have not done up a definitive list of the twenty languages I hope to study (well, to be perfectly honest, I have scribbled out about 30 or 40 lists from time to time for fun instead of actually studying!!). I want to maintain complete flexibility to account for the changing interests that I will undoubtedly have over time. Currently I have some personal preferences as to languages (Norwegian, due to a mad crush in my earlier years on a Norwegian girl, and a nostalgic preference for Czech over other slavic languages due to an earlier unrealized plan to go to Prague in 1991 after university to teach English, drink beer and enjoy life), as well as some concerns about my likelihood of success (the thought of tonal languages scares me, so some asian and african languages may be more a test of courage than a realistic learning target), but I won't actually know till I get there I suppose. Whatever languages I pick, I will try to separate languages from the same family (romance, Germanic, slavic, etc). from each other by at least two full years to limit language blurring/blending/confusion/a mental breakdown. All of this assuming I do not lose interest entirely in another week or so (the smart money would bet on that possibility). In response to your question, I do not count modern English as one of the twenty, but I may do a stint of Old English, which is so sufficiently incomprehensible to a modern English ear as to count from an intellectual challenge perspective as a foreign language. I had an opportunity at university of reading some Old English texts during an interesting History of the English Language course, and it might be fun to return to that, particularly after I study German. The downside: relatively few speakers, and the reading material apart from some early christian documents is entirely consumed with heroic recounting of the chopping up of Grendel. In choosing languages, I am mostly choosing on the basis of something interesting about the language itself at this point rather than travel utility, but undoubtedly, I will want to give some thought down the road to increasing travel usefulness - particularly for areas of the world I know very little about at this point, such as the middle east and Africa. I would like to learn the form of Arabic that will get me the farthest in terms of local oral conversation and printed language choices, so down the road I will want to research more some of the issues I see arising on this site (MSA v. Egyptian Arabic v. etc) and will want to choose whichever African language has the widest lingua franca status for whatever parts of Africa may be of interest to me in the future. Depending on how space travel may be handled within twenty years, may need to resolve the old Romulan v. Klingon debate in terms of usefulness, but I am betting this will not be particularly an issue. Places I would like to visit? Anywhere and everywhere that there is no wheat. I started life in the middle of the Canadian prairies - where one's entire world is comprised of either wheat (during the habitable part of the year) or 35 feet of snow (during the unbearable other half of the year, when the agile take to snow tunnels and forage for left-over wheat stalks). I have since moved to the left coast of the country, where we have mountains, an ocean, indoor plumbing and what have you. But early impressions are indelible ones and accordingly practically everywhere in the world seems interesting to me, provided that I can avoid crops. Edited by Spanky on 31 October 2008 at 12:39pm 1 person has voted this message useful | |
| Spanky Senior Member Canada Joined 5948 days ago 1021 posts - 1714 votes Studies: French | Message 27 of 138 01 December 2008 at 1:01am | IP Logged |
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Still poking around with language learning, though having difficulties maintaining consistency and putting in the effort that I had hoped to by this point. This is only a hobby, not required for work or family purposes, but I really want to make some progress and accordingly am hoping to get a bit more serious about my dedication and commitment.
Given that I have not been finding the appropriate amount of time for French, German and Japanese, I have decided to do the only sensible thing and have added, just on a trial basis, another language – Scottish Gaelic – just for tinkering around with from time to time. Given that three-quarters of my grandparents came to Canada from Scotland, I have heritage reasons for learning this language – at least that is my present justification for being so irresponsible in spreading my thin capacity too widely. There is more information online about Scottish Gaelic (Gàidhlig) than I had assumed there would have been, for example the links available through the following: http://www.smo.uhi.ac.uk/gaidhlig/ionnsachadh/ I conducted a day-length hearing recently through a Tsilhqot’in interpreter. The 36 year old who was interpreting for us figures she and her younger brother are likely the youngest surviving fluent speakers, and that despite recent efforts to teach Tsilhqot’in (an Athabaskan aboriginal language) to the children, it is pretty much doomed, so it was neat to have had an opportunity of hearing it. Edited by Spanky on 01 December 2008 at 1:32am 1 person has voted this message useful | |
| Crush Tetraglot Senior Member ChinaRegistered users can see my Skype Name Joined 5857 days ago 1622 posts - 2299 votes Speaks: English*, Spanish, Mandarin, Esperanto Studies: Basque | Message 28 of 138 01 December 2008 at 4:39am | IP Logged |
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I really enjoy reading through your log, you always have an interesting way of explaining things. I was waiting for your log to jump back to the top, and I'm glad it finally has!
But anyway, it's like you said, this is just a hobby and so it should be fun. Relax and find what makes it the most enjoyable for you. I know you were joking about your studying schedule, saying it was closer to 1-in-20 than 20-in-20, but even if you do end up enjoying your time studying just one language, learning a second language is still an accomplishment (and a big one at that)! Besides, there are a lot of people here actively studying multiple languages, if your "side projects" help you maintain your interest in your target language (French) I don't think they'll get in the way of studying French tooo much... Well, anyway, good luck with everything and have fun :) 1 person has voted this message useful | |
| Spanky Senior Member Canada Joined 5948 days ago 1021 posts - 1714 votes Studies: French | Message 29 of 138 08 December 2008 at 1:47am | IP Logged |
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Thanks very much Crush, and I could not agree more with your comments about finding an enjoyable approach and having fun.
I am going to be completely tied up for perhaps the next two or three weeks, but will get back to having fun, perhaps through a TAC approach, by no later than the end of the month. Scottish Gaelic looks like even more fun than I had imagined (hopefully not more than I am prepared for!) - what with lenited consonants and epenthetic vowels, it sounds like Scottish Gaelic may live up to the following introduction to written Scottish Gaelic on the www.akerbeltz.org website: "bloody hell, how are you supposed to pronounce that?" Edited by Spanky on 08 December 2008 at 1:49am 1 person has voted this message useful | |
| Spanky Senior Member Canada Joined 5948 days ago 1021 posts - 1714 votes Studies: French | Message 30 of 138 14 January 2009 at 2:43pm | IP Logged |
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My father passed away unexpectedly over the holidays. I am posting this as a reminder for myself and for whoever else may find it of benefit: as important as it may seem from time to time to remember how to conjugate a particular verb or properly decline a noun, it is far more important to regularly remember to appreciate those we love while we still have the opportunity.
1 person has voted this message useful | |
| ExtraLean Triglot Senior Member France languagelearners.myf Joined 5986 days ago 897 posts - 880 votes Speaks: English*, French, Spanish Studies: German | Message 31 of 138 15 January 2009 at 11:29am | IP Logged |
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As saddened as I am to hear that Spanky, it is good to see that you are still around. I hope you get back in the saddle soon.
Thom. 1 person has voted this message useful | |
| Lindley Bilingual Triglot Senior Member Ukraine Joined 6063 days ago 104 posts - 109 votes Speaks: Russian*, Ukrainian*, English Studies: Spanish, Japanese | Message 32 of 138 15 January 2009 at 3:34pm | IP Logged |
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Sorry for your loss, Spanky, I hope you have the support from relatives and friends right now - it´s never as needed as during such times. I really enjoyed reading your log and hope that later on you´ll be able to continue your challenge.
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