Well, now that I have been a member since 2009, I suppose it's time I stop lurking and post something. I am starting this log in order to keep myself focused on what I want to accomplish. The languages which I am learning now are at different levels, and I cannot allot equal amount of study time to each language. After spending several years thinking that focusing on one language actively at a time was the best plan, which led various months being spent studying one language only, I have given up that plan as utterly unsuitable for me and really just a source of procrastination, where I would review some grammar or listen to some music and tell myself that I was practicing my target language, when I was really just lollygagging.
Instead, I have decided to break my study into smaller, more intense study sessions, focusing on pronunciation, comprehension, grammar, etc. And I decided that if I wanted to learn these languages, that it is going to be now or never, and that procrastinating until I "have more time" is really just an excuse I make to myself. That said, I do have my hands full with other hobbies, studies, and work, besides language study, so lower priority languages get less time.
Weekly, I will be putting in a minimum of ~28.5 hours into studying my target languages, which roughly what I was putting in before while studying only Russian, or only ASL, etc. But this time I will not count time spent talking to friends in the target language, or listening to music, as active study time, and am also not counting the additional listening practice I will get while I commute. So I expect to exceed this number!
Russian: I have been learning Russian for 4 years now, and would like to get to a point where I can read most academic texts in my field without a dictionary. Right now I can slowly do so with a dictionary. I would also like to be able to make small talk without struggling, which sometimes I can do, and sometimes I struggle. With my current schedule, I will be putting in 7 hours a week to study Russian.
Azerbaijani: I have been learning Azerbaijani for 5 years now, and is the language I am most proficient in. Nonetheless, I would like to continue to improve to the point that I can understand Newscasters easily. With my current schedule, I will be putting in 3.5 hours a week to study Azerbaijani.
American Sign Language: I am a beginner here, only learning for 5 months overall. I would like to be able to discuss abstract topics and to improve my fingerspelling recognition. With my current schedule, I will be putting in 4 hours a week to study ASL.
Russian Sign Language: I am even more of a beginner here. I would like to be able to improve my production and recognition of fingerspelled words, and be able to introduce myself without pausing. With my current schedule, I will be putting in 4 hours a week to study RSL.
Korean: I have been learning Korean for 7 years now, and I have let myself get rusty. I want to dust off my Korean and finally buckle down and read a novel in the language. I'd also like to learn a few Hanja. With my current schedule, I will be putting in 1 hour a week to study Korean.
Spanish: I started learning Spanish in high school and hated it. I no longer hate it, and want to improve my Spanish so that I can read academic texts in my field with minimal resort to a dictionary, and so that I can engage in small-talk with people. I don't know if I want to focus more on Castilian, Puerto Rican, or Mexican, but I regularly am around all those varieties! With my current schedule, I will be putting in barely 1 hour a week into studying Spanish.
French: A bit of a lapsed beginner here. I would like to be able to introduce myself and ask for directions. With my current schedule, I will be putting in a little over 1.5 hours a week into studying French.
Hebrew: I have been learning Hebrew on and off for 3 years. I would like to be able to read some easy texts, to understand directions, and to refresh my knowledge of what I already learned. With my current schedule, I will be putting in a little under 3 hours a week into studying Hebrew.
Irish: I started learning Irish a few years ago and completely forgot everything. I would like to be able to introduce myself, to learn colors, numbers, etc. With my current schedule, I will be putting in a little under 1 hour a week into studying Irish.
Indonesian: I have been learning Indonesian for a month. I would like to be able to order food at a restaurant, and to introduce myself more elaborately than I can now. With my current schedule, I will be putting a little over 2.5 hours into studying Indonesian.
So, here is my planned schedule at the moment:
MONDAY:
60 minutes of Russian, 30 minutes RSL
TUESDAY:
60 minutes Russian, 30 minutes RSL, 120 minutes Indonesian
WEDNESDAY:
60 minutes Russian, 30 minutes RSL, 30 minutes Korean, 60 minutes ASL
THURSDAY:
60 minutes Russian, 45 minutes RSL, 15 minutes Korean, 15 minutes Spanish, 105 minutes Azerbaijani, 150 minutes ASL, 15 minutes French
FRIDAY:
60 minutes of Russian, 30 minutes RSL, 50 minutes French, 20 minutes Indonesian, 15 minutes RSL, 15 minutes ASL, 90 minutes Azerbaijani. Maybe additional Hebrew for fun?
SATURDAY:
60 minutes Russian, 45 minutes RSL, 170 minutes Hebrew, 50 minutes Irish, 35 minutes Spanish, 15 minutes Korean, 15 minutes Azerbaijani, 15 minutes ASL, 15 minutes French, 15 minutes Indonesian
SUNDAY:
60 minutes Russian, 30 minutes RSL
Hopefully I can keep this updated at least weekly!
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