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 Language Learning Forum : Language Learning Log |  | |
| Lizzern Diglot Senior Member Norway Joined 5911 days ago 791 posts - 1053 votes  Speaks: Norwegian*, English Studies: Japanese | Message 121 of 182 11 December 2009 at 11:54pm | IP Logged | ||
Back when you started this log, you wrote:
How do you feel about this now? Isn't it kinda cool to know that you totally can learn another language? :-) Liz 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| numerodix Trilingual Hexaglot Senior Member Netherlands Joined 6785 days ago 856 posts - 1226 votes Speaks: EnglishC2*, Norwegian*, Polish*, Italian, Dutch, French Studies: Portuguese, Mandarin | Message 122 of 182 12 December 2009 at 9:08am | IP Logged | ||
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Damn right, Liz :D
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| numerodix Trilingual Hexaglot Senior Member Netherlands Joined 6785 days ago 856 posts - 1226 votes Speaks: EnglishC2*, Norwegian*, Polish*, Italian, Dutch, French Studies: Portuguese, Mandarin | Message 123 of 182 13 December 2009 at 1:32pm | IP Logged | ||
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In the middle of chapter 23 now, which is on various forms of the passive voice. Not really doing so well, because there are so many forms of it and it's kinda hard to keep it all ordered in my head. I'm also not that bothered or interested, because it's something I think is gonna be picked up easily in the course of reading. Really long chapter though, longest in the book, and it's kinda depressing to see how much of this I have left.
Eccoli: 1. Questo progetto è realizzato dall'ingegner Rossi. 2. Questo progetto viene realizzato dall'ingegner Rossi. 3. Questo progetto deve essere realizzato. 4. Questo progetto si deve realizzare. 5. Questo progetto va realizzato. 6. Questo progetto può essere realizzato. 7. Questo progetto si può realizzare. 8. Questo progetto si realizza facilmente. 9. Chi ha realizzato questo progetto? 10. Da chi è stato realizzato questo progetto? 11. Chi ti ha realizzato questo progetto? 12. Chi te l'ha realizzato? 13. Da chi ti è stato realizzato? 57 pages to go. Edited by numerodix on 13 December 2009 at 3:37pm 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| numerodix Trilingual Hexaglot Senior Member Netherlands Joined 6785 days ago 856 posts - 1226 votes Speaks: EnglishC2*, Norwegian*, Polish*, Italian, Dutch, French Studies: Portuguese, Mandarin | Message 124 of 182 14 December 2009 at 11:38am | IP Logged | ||
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I did a quick estimate and if I can keep up my regular pace I should be done by the 28th. That's accounting for a couple of days that will almost certainly be lost through travel. Even so, there'll have to be some reviewing afterwards, and probably a bit heavier than the review of the first half, because some of this material has been tricky.
Over the last weeks I've been doing almost a constant 6 pages a day, which I think may be a bit high. Perhaps going slower would be more ideal to take in the material. On the other hand, I've encountered a number of things that I have never seen yet in the wild, which means I can't relate to them. Which again means I'm not too worried about it. I'll be in a better position to pick up the slack once it becomes something I have to deal with in daily use. 54 pages to go. Edited by numerodix on 15 December 2009 at 7:21pm 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| numerodix Trilingual Hexaglot Senior Member Netherlands Joined 6785 days ago 856 posts - 1226 votes Speaks: EnglishC2*, Norwegian*, Polish*, Italian, Dutch, French Studies: Portuguese, Mandarin | Message 125 of 182 15 December 2009 at 7:20pm | IP Logged | ||
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Spent a bunch of time in transit today, so I took the opportunity to review the last few units of Michel Thomas that deal in the imperative and subjunctive, ie. the stuff I didn't get way back when. Well, the presentation of those topics isn't bad, but I still say it's rather messy the way he goes about rehearsing it.
I also decided to go over the last quarter of Assimil. By now I've listened to all the lessons at one time or another. And my conclusion is that there is very little left in there that's new to me. So I'm not driven to return to it. I may just read through all the lessons in the booklet later, and the explanations. But it seems I effectively routed around that street and arrived at the same destination. As regards shadowing, however, which still pops up in my head from time to time, I don't think Assimil is a good choice. Even the later lessons are spoken too slowly, with too many breaks in between sentences. It doesn't sound like normal speech and I wouldn't have fun shadowing that. 46 pages to go. Edited by numerodix on 15 December 2009 at 7:23pm 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| numerodix Trilingual Hexaglot Senior Member Netherlands Joined 6785 days ago 856 posts - 1226 votes Speaks: EnglishC2*, Norwegian*, Polish*, Italian, Dutch, French Studies: Portuguese, Mandarin | Message 126 of 182 17 December 2009 at 12:51pm | IP Logged | ||
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I just noticed something. If you load the forum page of the Language Learning Log forum, have you noticed how dreary the titles are? Mine is the only one with the word "fun" in it. Isn't that sad? Anyway.
So I was making my way to school today to get some more gratifying paperwork done. Total chaos today in this country, it snowed 3cm lol. And in moments like this I always have stuff to fall back on on my player. For one thing I have the audio book for "Anna Karenina". This is a bit of a tangent, but you should know that Rai did several productions of audiobook broadcasts over the years, you can find them here. Those are streaming links. But the awesome people at Podcast Hall (registration required) have recorded lots of those audiobooks and put up download links. Now, because this is a "cultural" radio program, the books they've produced have to be "classics". Here's an (incomplete I think) index. Anyway, back to Anna Karenina. I didn't intend to actually start reading it, I was just checking it out. And I found out that I could probably read this book as is. I understand most of it. This I didn't expect, I was planning to do some L-R but maybe that's not even necessary now. But that's not my point. My point is that I have a little over 400h of Italian under my belt. I've nearly finished a textbook that has shown me the grammar. And I can read this book without too much frustration. It got me thinking about the nature of language learning. Everyone who's learned at least a second language knows how long it takes to become smooth in the new language. How long before the idioms are at your fingertips, how long before you can make witty remarks off hand, how long before you can truly say exactly what you want almost all the time. It probably took me on the order of 10-15 years with English. And that kind of command of language is what I always used to associate with people who are heavy into literature. But it's not true, is it? There are different parts to a language. A person can study something like 400h, or a year, to start reading classics, but the same person will be struggling to compose emails. And when you're out in public with said person, he/she will seem utterly awkward and incompetent at the mechanics of daily language. Doesn't know what to say to a waiter. Doesn't know how to ask for information. Doesn't understand the reply. Awkward. Inept. And it's gonna seem like a contradiction. But it's not. There is a lot to a language, and you can choose to learn 'all' of it, or you can choose to limit yourself to one particular aspect. People who read classics aren't necessarily graceful in the spoken language, and people who are fluent in the application of the language to the business of life aren't any less skilled. 2 persons have voted this message useful | |||
| numerodix Trilingual Hexaglot Senior Member Netherlands Joined 6785 days ago 856 posts - 1226 votes Speaks: EnglishC2*, Norwegian*, Polish*, Italian, Dutch, French Studies: Portuguese, Mandarin | Message 127 of 182 20 December 2009 at 1:02pm | IP Logged | ||
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I hope you enjoyed that little thinking interlude. Now back to the doing.
Just wrapped up chapter 24 on forme implicite. It was largely about the use of gerundio to indicate the relation between two events. - Camminando per la strada, ho visto la sua macchina. - Avendolo già visto, sapevo che si trattava di un buon film. My mind wasn't fully on it, though, because it seemed to be so easy at first, just like English. Then they added uses of infinito and participio into the mix and suddenly it wasn't so trivial. - A dire il vero, non ho ben capito cosa vuoi che io faccia. - Partiti i miei amici, andrò anch'io in vacanza. But oh well, will pick up some of the pieces in my review round I guess. On the passive front, I've been packing it in before the holidays since I had the time. Expecting to lose ground over Christmas, I wanted to get ahead and so I now stand at 445h since "the beginning of the month", which for me is the 18th (since I started August 18). It's been rather crazy lately, but now I'm looking at a quieter period ahead of me. If I maintain this advantage I will actually hit 600h before my 6 month mark, yay for luxury problems. 21 pages to go. Only one chapter left now! Edited by numerodix on 20 December 2009 at 1:11pm 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| numerodix Trilingual Hexaglot Senior Member Netherlands Joined 6785 days ago 856 posts - 1226 votes Speaks: EnglishC2*, Norwegian*, Polish*, Italian, Dutch, French Studies: Portuguese, Mandarin | Message 128 of 182 21 December 2009 at 2:22pm | IP Logged | ||
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Picked up Corriere della Sera today, the 'most serious' (or what have you) Italian paper. Read a bunch of it. Findings:
1. Found no grammar I haven't seen before - thank you textbook. 2. I'm not completely comfortable reading it yet. But(!), it doesn't feel like I have to make an effort either, it's quite easy to read at this point. Not too many words that completely stump me. Win! 1 person has voted this message useful |
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