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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 5957 days ago 1021 posts - 1714 votes  Studies: French | Message 9 of 138 08 September 2008 at 1:46am | IP Logged |
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Progress Report #4 - September 7, 2008
General Sick most of this week, but still got some studying done. Tried to interest my daughter into learning Japanese with me, but without success. She is however interested in learning German (she thinks it sounds cool) and if this interest persists, we may start learning German probably through Michel Thomas on a casual basis, even though I did not have German slated until Year 3 at the earliest. French (français) Reviewed, again, some FSI Phonology chapters that presented some difficulty first time through. I much fear my pronunciation of "r" is getting worse rather than better over time. My ten year old daughter alternates between actually cringing and sympathetically trying (not always successfully) not to laugh when she hears me mangle words with mid-word "r" sounds (particularly where "r" is followed by "i" as in "Paris" for example. An "r" sound at the end of a word comes out super well, oddly. Reviewed Michel Thomas, Speak French for Beginners from stem to stern. Would like to purchase the Michel Thomas intermediate 5 cd collection, but I am working on a budget for the time being. Have however come across library access to Pimsleur French materials: not French I, but complete audio copies of French II and III, as well as the Pimsleur French Short course (4 hours). Even though I originally did not anticipate I would turn to Pimsleur for French, I will work through the Pimsleur Short Course and hope that I can slide into Pimsleur II sans problèmes despite not working through Pimsleur French I. Have dumped background French language listening (TV, radio) - too little of the material was comprehensible to me and it was just giving me headaches. Have listened several times to Chapters 1 through 4 of a recording of Le petit prince. As the recording of this text is batched every four chapters, I will use that as my learning chunk, and am working on understanding the French text and listening while reading along with the French text. Will work on chapters 1-4 until I understand all the French and can recognize the text aurally. Japanese (nihongo) Have not started learning the katakana yet. Spent some time on the Anki website learning how that works, and also figuring out how to type Japanese characters on the computer (easier than I figured it would be). May set up an Anki deck for japanese learning - possibly in addition to hand-made cards as I want to continue practising actually writing the characters. I am currently using a very conservative SRS system for my hand-made index cards for Japanese - moving a card up through five daily sets, then five weekly sets, then five monthly sets (missing the card entirely or having difficulty with it moves it back to the beginning). Will start with the katakana tomorrow. Edited by Spanky on 08 September 2008 at 1:51am 1 person has voted this message useful | |
| ExtraLean Triglot Senior Member France languagelearners.myf Joined 5995 days ago 897 posts - 880 votes Speaks: English*, French, Spanish Studies: German | Message 10 of 138 11 September 2008 at 5:30am | IP Logged |
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Dear Spanky,
It is now one month since you started, and it seems to me like you are well on your way, ;) Congratulations on making it this far. Thom. 1 person has voted this message useful | |
| Spanky Senior Member Canada Joined 5957 days ago 1021 posts - 1714 votes Studies: French | Message 11 of 138 11 September 2008 at 12:32pm | IP Logged |
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Thanks ExtraLean, yep, I have lost a bet I made with myself about whether I would stick with it for a month. Probably won't last another month though ....
What I find helps quite a bit is reading the learning logs of others - you can count me as one of the many "anonymous" interested regular readers of your log and of the logs of many others even concerning languages I am not yet studying. These are a source not only of information but even more so a source of inspiration and motivation. If nothing else, I have learned that I am leading a far less interesting life than many of the regular posters here, oh well. Edited by Spanky on 11 September 2008 at 12:38pm 1 person has voted this message useful | |
| Spanky Senior Member Canada Joined 5957 days ago 1021 posts - 1714 votes Studies: French | Message 12 of 138 15 September 2008 at 12:40am | IP Logged |
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Progress Report #5 - September 14, 2008
French (français) Completed Pimsleur, French Short Course. Finished units 7 and 8 in FSI Phonology. Further reviewing of Michel Thomas, Speak French for Beginners. While I am against over-scheduling, I worked out a rough schedule of some minimum performance targets for getting through, prior to the end of May 2009, the following: FSI Phonology FSI Basic Pimsleur II and III French in Action video-immersion course Living Language French Passport Books, Just Listen and Learn and Just Listen and Learn Plus French for Oral and Written Review (non-audio) I hope to do much more than this, including as much work as possible with audio transcripted material and books on tape with accompanying printed material, but the above represents the minimum that I want to get through, in addition to as much conversational practice I can arrange at work or home. Japanese (にほんご） More reviewing of hiragana compounds and learning a few of the katakana. Still trying to limit time spent on Japanese this year to approximately 15 minutes per day and in any event not more than 30 minutes a day so as not to distract from French language learning. Worked out a rough acquisition schedule which should, optimistically, result by the end of May 2009 in my having learned about 400 words spelled with hiragana, 200 katakana words and 200 kanji, all with appropriate pronunciation (as per on-line audio files if I can track them down), which hopefully will put me in a good position to begin learning Japanese using kana rather than romanji beginning June 2009, and to accelerate acquisition of more kanji at that time. German Will be obtaining Michel Thomas German for Beginners this coming week and starting on some informal sessions with my daughter, just for fun at her request. No schedule or expectations, just goofing around, but if we continue through the course, should result in some pre-learning of basic German, which most likely will be my Year 3 language. All I know at this point are some of the simple hello/goodbye greetings, how to count up to ten and (courtesy of one of my favourite Steve Martin films, Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid) the word "reinemachefrau" Edited by Spanky on 15 September 2008 at 12:53am 1 person has voted this message useful | |
| Spanky Senior Member Canada Joined 5957 days ago 1021 posts - 1714 votes Studies: French | Message 13 of 138 22 September 2008 at 3:17am | IP Logged |
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(Lack of) Progress Report #6 - September 21, 2008
Work was oppressively awful all week continuing even into the small hours of this evening, and accordingly little was accomplished in terms of languages. Working for a brief change of pace on vocabulary with Global Access disks in French, and have begun an Anki Japanese deck (hiragana words and katakana characters, no kanji yet). Michel Thomas German materials have arrived, but have not even had the time or energy to open the package. 1 person has voted this message useful | |
| Spanky Senior Member Canada Joined 5957 days ago 1021 posts - 1714 votes Studies: French | Message 14 of 138 29 September 2008 at 12:51am | IP Logged |
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Progress Report #7 - September 28, 2008
Very busy days and evenings and occasional nights with work, which may continue into next week as well. French - some continuing FSI Phonology work and have located Pimsleur French I instead of just the four hour short course, so am working through the back half of that. Also working through audio/text of Le petit prince. Japanese - still poking around at the katakana. German - got fatigued and frustrated part way through unwrapping package, so will put this off another week or two. 1 person has voted this message useful | |
| Spanky Senior Member Canada Joined 5957 days ago 1021 posts - 1714 votes Studies: French | Message 15 of 138 06 October 2008 at 1:37am | IP Logged |
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Progress Report #8 - October 6, 2008
Very little available time this week. Current work project should be finished by Tuesday, at which time I am hopeful that I will get my evenings and weekends back, and may even swing a day off during the week for some much needed study catch-up. French (français) Practically no French studied, much to my shame. Another week like this and I will be changing the name of the thread to “1 in 20” Did spend a certain amount of time asking my daughter "Comment dit-on … en francais?" about various items and generally having her speak with me in easy French about simple matters (only for her to be forced to re-phrase it in even simpler French upon seeing the blank look, and eventually saying something about me that appears to alternate between the French for either "orangutang" or "neanderthal", but I’m just guessing here). Japanese (にほんご) I remain determined, despite a current extreme shortage of time, to spend at least ten minutes a day on the kana so it does not all slip away again. I have memorized all the katakana (かたかな), apart from working with the diacritics (the dakuten だくてんand the handakuten はんだくてん). Deutsch, blast it I have fully and finally unwrapped Michel Thomas, Speak German for Beginners, and the discs just sit there, daring me. While time has been the biggest factor, I much suspect dread and fear are paralyzing me from popping a disc into the computer. Edited by Spanky on 06 October 2008 at 1:49am 1 person has voted this message useful | |
| Spanky Senior Member Canada Joined 5957 days ago 1021 posts - 1714 votes Studies: French | Message 16 of 138 14 October 2008 at 2:27am | IP Logged |
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Progress Report #9 - October 13th
Studying has been delayed, but I am back at it now and even loaded some German onto the mp3 player, along with the French and Japanese (thus officially making me a language tramp), but am still focussing my efforts on French. Now that life has become more manageable, I anticipate adopting the following pattern: - upon waking up, Japanese flash card and Anki review in the morning for a few minutes - then 30 minutes Pimsleur French while getting dressed, etc. - Michel Thomas German, while travelling to/from work - 2.5 hours French in the evening (FSI for 60 minutes, transcripted oral material for 60 minutes, and 30 minutes miscellaneous French study, including Anki deck, french.about.com and now frenchpod101.com - ending off with learning a few more words in hiragana - have found lots of words spelled in hiragana with sound files at iknow.co.jp, a site mentioned by others in a separate thread. Edited by Spanky on 14 October 2008 at 2:28am 1 person has voted this message useful |
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