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TAC 2009 - sabotai | ||
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 Language Learning Forum : Language Learning Log |  | |
| sabotai Senior Member United States Joined 5813 days ago 391 posts - 489 votes  Speaks: English* Studies: German, Japanese, Korean, French | Message 1 of 34 27 January 2009 at 12:52am | IP Logged |
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I guess I'm a bit late to the party, but figured I'd take a stab at the challenge anyway. I didn't know about TAC until tonight when on one of my irregular visits to the forum I saw a bunch of TAC threads. After doing a bit of searching, I saw they are part of a "challenge", and a challenge is something I can not resist. :)
German Current Level: I'd say it's about an A2, possibly between A2 and B1. Background: I took 4 years of German in high school, but pretty much forgot most of it the day of my High School graduation. I kept some simple words and phrases with me, as well as a lot of the pronunciation, but anything beyond what someone learns within a day of self-study was gone that day. Fast forward to today. I am 31 years old, and have been studying German for awhile (about 2 years, off and on...mostly off). The main reason for my lack of progress is that I've started over several times as I try to find what works for me. I tried Rosetta Stone, Pimsleur, Michel Thomas, various ways to learn and retain vocabulary, etc. The second reason is your standard brand of procrastination and laziness. What I learned is that RS (version 2) bores me and is a good cure for my insomnia. Pimsleur also feels slow and a bit boring to me, but is very good for pronunciation. I love Michel Thomas' method, and after many attempts, I think I finally found a system for learning vocabulary that works for me. For the last 2-3 months, I've been spending at least some portion of the day on my studying, but it's still not quite enough. I don't have the time to devote 4-5 hours a day to it, but 1 hour, with up to 2 hours on some days, is doable. 3-4 hours each day on the weekends might be possible as well. Current Routine: I try to read a grammar book everyday. Even if it's just a few pages. I've read through 1001 Pitfalls In German and I read Hammer's German Grammar and Usage. 1001 Pitfalls is a good overview of the grammar, while Hammer's is packed with tons of grammar and usage. I plan on rereading a few chapters in Hammer's. I try to listen to a Michel Thomas lesson for at least 30 minutes a day. Sometimes up to an hour. I have listened through his Beginner and Advance courses. I just got done his Advance course. I am now moving onto his Language Builder course. For vocabulary, I have started taking flash cards with me to work and it's done wonders for my memorization. If I spend 30 minutes or an hour studying vocabulary in one sitting, I find that a week later I will have forgotten most of the words. Now, I will write down some words on flash cards at night. I will look over the flash cards once or twice before bed and then put them in my wallet. I will go through them several times at work, and then several times at home. It takes me about 2-3 minutes each time I look through them, but the day long repetition has really worked well for me. I will review words I have not looked at for a few weeks and find that I am remembering most of them. I started off with just 10 words a day, but over the last week I have increased it to 20 words a day (I put 5 words on each flash card) Goals: By December 31st, 2009, I would like to be able to confidently describe myself as B2 in German, possibly higher. For a more specific goal, I'd like to be able to start reading Kafka without the need or urge to look up any words. Thanks to Project Gutenberg, I have plenty of Kafka text available (as well as Goethe, Mann, Nietzsche and plenty of other German authors). Other Languages: This summer, I'd like to start on 2 more languages. The languages I want to begin to study are Japanese and Spanish. My goals for them will be to simply get them up to about A2 level by the end of the year. But for now, I am focusing on improving German as much as possible. 1 person has voted this message useful | |
| sabotai Senior Member United States Joined 5813 days ago 391 posts - 489 votes Speaks: English* Studies: German, Japanese, Korean, French | Message 2 of 34 27 January 2009 at 7:46pm | IP Logged |
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January 27th
Michel Thomas - Spent about 40 minutes listening the the Language Builder course. Because of the constant pausing, I got through about 25 minutes of the recording. It's a short course, only 2 hours long total, so I should be done with it by the end of the week. Vocab - I have been taking my vocab words from Mastering German Vocabulary: A Thematic Approach. I skip any word that looks similar to its English counterpart (or, of course, I already know from other sources). I finished up chapter 3, which is about medicine and health. Chapter 4 in on Eating. Recently, I got my hands on a 1970s version of Linguaphone Deutsch (a version that has each section in its own book). I know Professor Arguelles really likes Linguaphone, so I figured I'd give it a shot. I'm hesitant to start fresh with a new system, but seeing as how German is my guinea pig language for finding methods that I like and work best for me, I should try as many as I can find. When I am finished with the Michel Thomas Language Builder, I will start working on this. Edited by sabotai on 27 January 2009 at 7:53pm 1 person has voted this message useful | |
| sabotai Senior Member United States Joined 5813 days ago 391 posts - 489 votes Speaks: English* Studies: German, Japanese, Korean, French | Message 3 of 34 28 January 2009 at 9:50pm | IP Logged |
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January 28th
Michel Thomas - The weather was really crappy today, so my boss left work early, which means I got to leave work early. :) The extra time allowed me to listen through the rest of the Language Builder course from Michel Thomas. I didn't like this nearly as much as the Beginner and Advanced courses. One of the reasons I liked the first two was because of the two students with him. Not only do I get to work through what he teaches by pausing the recording, I get to learn from their mistakes as well. In the Language Builder course, it's just Michel Thomas. It allows him to put much more content in the recording per hour, but it loses a bit of the hook. It was pretty boring. Tomorrow I begin Linguaphone Deutsch. Vocab - The short workday did interrupt my flashcard routine. I didn't feel like I got enough time with my vocab today so I'll carry today's words to tomorrow. 1 person has voted this message useful | |
| sabotai Senior Member United States Joined 5813 days ago 391 posts - 489 votes Speaks: English* Studies: German, Japanese, Korean, French | Message 4 of 34 30 January 2009 at 12:49am | IP Logged |
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January 29th
Linguaphone - Worked through the first section. Didn't take long since I knew most of it already. I like how it has the 3 different phases (Listening & Understanding, Speaking and Writing). One problem I have with a lot of other systems, including the ones I like, Michel Thomas for example, is that they do get boring since it's just the same thing over and over again. The 3 different phases will be good at breaking the lesson up and keeping it from getting stale. I did all three phases today. I think once I start getting into areas that I am far less familiar with, it may get to where I am doing just 1 or 2 of the 3 phases a day, even to where I am repeating sections to make sure I understand everything. Also, I am going to add new words and phrases that I find in the Linguaphone lessons to my daily vocab list. Vocab - New list for tomorrow: Linguaphone der Beamte - officer, government employee verzollen - to declare in Ordnung - in order, all right, ok Mastering German Vocabulary (Eating) der Blumenkohl - cauliflower die Bohne - bean die Erbse - pea die Kartoffel - potato die Zweibel - onion die Johannisbeere - black current, red current die Brombeere - blackberry die Heidelbeere - blueberry die Stachelbeere - gooseberry die Zwetschge - plum der Kohl - cabbage der Pilz - mushroom der Schnittlauch - chives Prost! - Cheers! Zum Wohl! - Cheers! der Sekt - sparkling wine, champagne der Sprudel - soft drink, mineral water 1 person has voted this message useful | |
| sabotai Senior Member United States Joined 5813 days ago 391 posts - 489 votes Speaks: English* Studies: German, Japanese, Korean, French | Message 5 of 34 31 January 2009 at 1:31am | IP Logged |
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January 30th
Linguaphone Deutsch - Only had time tonight to do phase 1 (Listening and Understanding) of Section 2. Section 1 started off with a family arriving at the airport. Section 2 has them checking into the hotel plus ordering drinks in the restaurant. Tomorrow I'll do phases 2 and 3 and also try to do all of Section 3. Vocab - Vocab words for tomorrow Linguaphone die Empfangshef - reception clerk mieten - to hire erwarten - to expect der Meldezettel - registration form leider - unfortunately lieber - rather, preferably Mastering German Vocabulary (Eating) der Most - cider, natural fruit juice lieblich - sweet (for wine) der Schwips - tipsy, slight drunkenness süchtig - addicted das Rauschgift - illegal drug abhängig - dependent, addicted der Metzger[-in] - butcher der Sonderangebot - sale, special offer die Dose - can das Pfend - deposit aufhaben - to be open zuhaben - to be closed die Konditorei - bakery, pastry shop die Büsche - can Edited by sabotai on 31 January 2009 at 2:24pm 1 person has voted this message useful | |
| sabotai Senior Member United States Joined 5813 days ago 391 posts - 489 votes Speaks: English* Studies: German, Japanese, Korean, French | Message 6 of 34 01 February 2009 at 1:51am | IP Logged |
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January 31st
Linguaphone Deutsch - Finished up Section 2 in the afternoon and did all of Section 3 in the evening. With the Super Bowl tomorrow, I doubt I'll have time to work on this so I wanted to spend a lot of time on it today. Vocab - No new words from Linguaphone. These are all from the vocab book tiefgekühlt - frozen der Kassenzettel - receipt satt - full ernähren - to live on, to eat decken - to cover, to set (the table) das Messer - knife der Gabel - fork der Löffel - spoon die Tasse - cup die Mahlzeit - meal der Imbiß - snack das Besteck - cutlery das Geschirr - dishes, china die Kanne - pot die Schale - bowl die Schüssel - bowl (bigger than Schale) die Kerze - candle die Zutat - ingredient das Gewürz - seasoning, herbs and spices vorbereiten - to prepare 1 person has voted this message useful | |
| sabotai Senior Member United States Joined 5813 days ago 391 posts - 489 votes Speaks: English* Studies: German, Japanese, Korean, French | Message 7 of 34 03 February 2009 at 12:26am | IP Logged |
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January 31st
Linguaphone Deutsch - Finished up Section 2 in the afternoon and did all of Section 3 in the evening. With the Super Bowl tomorrow, I doubt I'll have time to work on this so I wanted to spend a lot of time on it today. Vocab - No new words from Linguaphone. These are all from the vocab book tiefgekühlt - frozen der Kassenzettel - receipt satt - full ernähren - to live on, to eat decken - to cover, to set (the table) das Messer - knife der Gabel - fork der Löffel - spoon die Tasse - cup die Mahlzeit - meal der Imbiß - snack das Besteck - cutlery das Geschirr - dishes, china die Kanne - pot die Schale - bowl die Schüssel - bowl (bigger than Schale) die Kerze - candle die Zutat - ingredient das Gewürz - seasoning, herbs and spices vorbereiten - to prepare February 2nd Linguaphone - Did Phase 1 of Section 4 tonight. Wanted to do the other two phases, but had some things I needed to get done. Vocab - I forgot to write down my words on to flashcard for work today, so the words above will be my words for tomorrow plus the five I took from Linguaphone today. höflich - politely, courteously ziemlich - rather, fairly, quite einsteigen - to board (a vehicle) wechseln - change (money) dauern - to take, to last 1 person has voted this message useful | |
| sabotai Senior Member United States Joined 5813 days ago 391 posts - 489 votes Speaks: English* Studies: German, Japanese, Korean, French | Message 8 of 34 04 February 2009 at 12:31am | IP Logged |
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February 3rd
Linguaphone Deutsch - Finished up Section 4. Vocab - Switching things up, I took 20 random words from the back of one of my Dual-Language books. (First German Reader) adlig - aristocratic arglos - innocent behend - swift boshaft - malicious die Einladung - invitation der Erwerb - acquisition die Gasse - lane, alley der Gram - sorrow keck - bold knurren - to growl munter - cheerful die Qual - torment sachlich - factual der Schutz - protection tragbar - tolerable unfruchtbar - sterile der Verrat - treason wahrhaftig - truthful winzig - tiny der Zorn - anger 1 person has voted this message useful |
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