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Dealing with wanderlust | ||
Tags: Wanderlust | FSI | ||
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 Language Learning Forum : Learning Techniques, Methods & Strategies |  | |
| Sierra Diglot Senior Member Turkey livinginlights.comRegistered users can see my Skype Name Joined 7130 days ago 296 posts - 411 votes  Speaks: English*, SwedishB1 Studies: Turkish | Message 1 of 31 26 September 2005 at 3:15pm | IP Logged |
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It is incredibly difficult for me to focus on just one language, almost to the point where I'm not sure it's even possible for me. I know that I SHOULD focus on one. I know that I should have the willpower to tell myself "no, I'm focusing on Spanish" when I see that book of Italian poetry or those beginner short stories in French, but I can't help myself.
I simply love too many language too much to limit myself to serious study of just one. :( What should I do? Keep trying to restrict myself to one language at a time? Give up and try multiple ones? 1 person has voted this message useful | |
| administrator Hexaglot Forum Admin Switzerland FXcuisine.com Joined 7382 days ago 3094 posts - 2987 votes 12 sounds Speaks: French*, EnglishC2, German, Italian, Spanish, Russian Personal Language Map | Message 2 of 31 26 September 2005 at 3:31pm | IP Logged |
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Sierra, recognizing this problem already gets you halfway towards solving it. You can have periods of wanderlust, or dedicate so many hours a week to this rather pleasurable intellectual adventure. Or maybe do the opposite and assign yourself either specific targets or a minimum number of hours to spend with your main target language every week, in order to be able to concentrate your efforts on one language and yet be able to satisfy a natural curiosity for other languages.
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| orion Senior Member United States Joined 7027 days ago 622 posts - 678 votes Speaks: English* Studies: German, Russian | Message 3 of 31 26 September 2005 at 3:49pm | IP Logged |
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I have the same problem to such an extent that I have started several languages over the last several years, and have no real expertise in any of them. If I had spent that time more wisely, I would probably be almost fluent in at least one, and working on another, by now. As it is, I have a smattering of small talk in several. I hope to correct this by narrowing my focus to ONE during the next year or so, then re-assessing my progress at the end of that time. There are just so many interesting languages out there! I have found this forum to be very helpful.
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| morprussell Diglot Senior Member United States Joined 7169 days ago 272 posts - 285 votes Speaks: English*, Spanish Studies: French | Message 4 of 31 26 September 2005 at 4:42pm | IP Logged |
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Sierra, this can be a difficult problem to deal with. What I like to do is to read about the language that I'm interested in in my target language. I too am learning Spanish, so I sometimes go to this site, Lenguas del Mundo. This usually helps me with my curiosity, but it could also make you want to study the language you're reading about even more.
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| KingM Triglot Senior Member michaelwallaceauthor Joined 7197 days ago 275 posts - 300 votes Speaks: English*, Spanish, French Studies: Russian | Message 5 of 31 27 September 2005 at 8:09am | IP Logged |
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I have the opposite problem. I've moved well beyond my original goals for Spanish and am studying French, but keep going back to Spanish.
The hardest thing, in any event, is maintaining effort over a long period of time. For me, I can't say, "I'm going to learn French." It's just too big of a lump to swallow at once. What I can do is tell myself that I'm going to study fifteen minutes today and then do it. If I do that day in and day out, I'm going to make steady, albeit unspectacular, progress in the language. 1 person has voted this message useful | |
| Miri-chan Tetraglot Groupie United States crimsonietta.ne Joined 7014 days ago 59 posts - 60 votes 2 sounds Speaks: Cantonese, English*, French, Mandarin Studies: Japanese, Spanish, Portuguese, German, Thai | Message 6 of 31 27 September 2005 at 8:13pm | IP Logged |
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You have the same problem I do. I'm wavering between Spanish, Japanese, and Portuguese at the moment. You just have to narrow your thoughts to one language. Remember, if you focus on one language now, then you can conquer it even faster and move on to the other languages soon. ^-^v
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| Sir Nigel Senior Member United States Joined 7110 days ago 1126 posts - 1102 votes 2 sounds | Message 7 of 31 27 September 2005 at 11:34pm | IP Logged |
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I had to put a stop to any additional wanderlust at this time. I've decided that I have to become more or less fluent in one language before I take on another. My point? Set personal goals and maybe even rules about the language(s) you want to learn. If you feel you should study just one language for a time, put your other courses away (out of sight, out of mind), then you won't be as distracted. It's also nice to print out an Excel document so you can write in the dates you finish a certain level of a course. That way you can stay focused and feel more obligated to stay on track with one language.
In addition, it's good to be interested in other languages, just make your mind up though first. Don't be like those that spend inordinate amounts of time just deciding which language to learn, yet never study anything in the end! Edited by Sir Nigel on 27 September 2005 at 11:37pm 1 person has voted this message useful | |
| fanatic Octoglot Senior Member Australia speedmathematics.com Joined 7152 days ago 1152 posts - 1818 votes Speaks: English*, German, French, Afrikaans, Italian, Spanish, Russian, Dutch Studies: Swedish, Norwegian, Polish, Modern Hebrew, Malay, Mandarin, Esperanto | Message 8 of 31 28 September 2005 at 6:16am | IP Logged |
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It happens to me all the time. I don't worry about it. I keep working at my main target language while I play or read in my other languages. If you spend your allotted time working at your target language, I don't think you lose anything by reading or listening to another language as well. I find I have to review my major languages like French, German and Russian or my ability goes backwards. I still spend my time learning my current languages.
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