|
 |
Lianne’s TAC 2011 Fun Times - Team Ŭ | ||
Share with:
| ||
 Language Learning Forum : Language Learning Log |  | |
| Lianne Senior Member Canada thetoweringpile.blog Joined 5108 days ago 284 posts - 410 votes  Speaks: English* Studies: Esperanto, Toki Pona, German, French | Message 33 of 49 08 August 2011 at 10:13pm | IP Logged |
|
Oof. Things are not going so well in study-land. I have not studied at all since my vacation. I finally got Michel Thomas from the library, which I thought would spur me on, since it's a new method for me, but I barely started it. I've been focusing on so many other things, and just haven't been in the mood. It's weird: I signed up for the 6 week challenge, which is normally the kind of thing that would have a great effect on my study habits. I love competition! And yet, it seems to be having the opposite effect. And once I had gone the first couple of days of the competition without clocking any time, it just felt pointless to try.
On September 20th, I'll be starting a French class. I signed up for it through the local school division's continuing education program. That's still a while from now, but at least I know that I will definitely be studying then. The class is for people with no knowledge of French. Already I'm a bit beyond that, but I still think the class will be really helpful for me, because my conversation skills are pretty much non-existent. Hopefully I'll get back into my routine soon. Maybe I should do a bit of Esperanto, ignoring my French for a bit, even though it's what I'm supposed to be studying for the 6WC. French makes me feel stressed and rather hopeless. It's just so freakin' hard. Esperanto is nice and pleasant, the grammar makes sense, and the vocabulary is easy. OK, French vocabulary is easy, too, but I don't spend any time learning it because I don't know how to learn vocabulary in a language with hard grammar. *sigh* Oh, and I recently took up knitting. Will my excessive number of hobbies never stop growing? 1 person has voted this message useful | |
| Lianne Senior Member Canada thetoweringpile.blog Joined 5108 days ago 284 posts - 410 votes Speaks: English* Studies: Esperanto, Toki Pona, German, French | Message 34 of 49 26 September 2011 at 10:14pm | IP Logged |
|
I started French class on Tuesday!
I haven't studied in months. It's terrible. But now I'm in a weekly, 2.5 hour beginner French class. I've done one class so far, and it was super easy, but I'm hoping it will get hard enough to challenge me as we go along. It focuses on conversation, and we repeat everything we learn A LOT, so I feel like that will really help me. Therefore... September 17 - September 23: French: 2:30 I'm hoping also to get back into Michel Thomas, and then maybe back to Pimsleur French II. But I don't want to burn out again either. At least now my class is forcing me to focus on French a little bit! 1 person has voted this message useful | |
| Lianne Senior Member Canada thetoweringpile.blog Joined 5108 days ago 284 posts - 410 votes Speaks: English* Studies: Esperanto, Toki Pona, German, French | Message 35 of 49 05 November 2011 at 10:56pm | IP Logged |
|
I know I've been quieter here, but I've been continuing with my weekly French class and quite enjoying it. Unfortunately, I haven't really been doing much studying outside of class. The class is easy enough that I don't feel under pressure to study, even though I know I should to get the most out of it.
So, here's my rather monotonous update for the last while: September 24 - September 30: French: 2:30 October 1 - October 7: French: 2:30 October 8 - October 14: French: 2:30 October 15 - October 21: French: 2:30 October 22 - October 28: French: 2:30 October 29 - November 4: French: 2:30 1 person has voted this message useful | |
| Lianne Senior Member Canada thetoweringpile.blog Joined 5108 days ago 284 posts - 410 votes Speaks: English* Studies: Esperanto, Toki Pona, German, French | Message 36 of 49 30 November 2011 at 3:46pm | IP Logged |
|
November 5 - November 11:
French: 2:30 November 12 - November 18: French: 2:30 November 19 - November 25: French: 2:30 I'm really disappointed in my own lack of progress during this year's TAC. I've just been so busy that language learning has often been pushed aside. I'm now working full time, running two blogs (one book review blog and one genealogy blog), and spending a huge chunk of my spare time working on my genealogy. It's been intense. So, my French class is over for the semester. I've signed up for level 2 starting in late January. I've formed some goals that I'd like to accomplish by then to help me get the most out of the class: 1) Learn all the vocabulary that was touched on in my level 1 class very well. 2) Complete Michel Thomas: Speak French for Beginners. (I'll have to start over, since it's been awhile.) 3) Practice conjugating regular -er and -re verbs until I'm comfortable with them. 4) Familiarise myself with the passé composé tense. It's kind of a lot, but most of it is fairly simple, and I have over a month in which to do it. As for next year's TAC, I'd love to be in a team again, though I don't know if anyone would want to be in a team with me after this year's performance. :) But I do feel that I'd do better in a bigger team, and one with more communication. LittleBoy and I didn't communicate enough right from the start, I think, and both of us ended up falling off the face of the earth. I definitely don't recommend teams of only two people, in the future! 1 person has voted this message useful | |
| Lianne Senior Member Canada thetoweringpile.blog Joined 5108 days ago 284 posts - 410 votes Speaks: English* Studies: Esperanto, Toki Pona, German, French | Message 37 of 49 16 December 2011 at 5:47pm | IP Logged |
|
November 26 - December 2:
0 :( December 3 - December 9: 0 :( However! Last night I restarted Michel Thomas and did the whole first disc. I plan to do the second disc tonight, and maybe some verb conjugation work, too. My too-long vacation from language study is over, and it's time to prepare for a new year of learning. Right now my focus is on French review to get myself ready for my French Level 2 class that starts in late January. Edited by Lianne on 16 December 2011 at 7:50pm 1 person has voted this message useful | |
| Lianne Senior Member Canada thetoweringpile.blog Joined 5108 days ago 284 posts - 410 votes Speaks: English* Studies: Esperanto, Toki Pona, German, French | Message 38 of 49 17 December 2011 at 6:21am | IP Logged |
|
December 10 - December 16:
2:00 I've finished the first 2 discs of Michel Thomas Speak French for Beginners! This is still review, but I find it's been making things come back to me and also giving me a nice sense of accomplishment for simply having studied anything. I'm hoping to finish this course (10 discs) by the end of the year. After that I've got a few different things I want to try, and I haven't decided yet what I'll do first. We shall see! In the meantime, I studied! Yay me! :) 1 person has voted this message useful | |
| Lianne Senior Member Canada thetoweringpile.blog Joined 5108 days ago 284 posts - 410 votes Speaks: English* Studies: Esperanto, Toki Pona, German, French | Message 39 of 49 19 December 2011 at 6:31pm | IP Logged |
|
I know it's not time for my weekly update yet, but I'm excited about progress! In the last 2 days, I've done 3 more hours of Michel Thomas, so I'm now done half of the 10 disc Speak French for Beginners program! If I keep this up I'll have it done before Christmas! I've got the Advanced course on hold at the library, and only one person's ahead of me, so I should get that within a month.
Also, I really need to start using the one huge resource that I've yet to really tap into: my rather large, native French speaking family. In particular, one of my cousins and her daughter (Mel) live right across the field from me. I keep meaning to get their help, but it's just never really happened. Well, yesterday was my family's Christmas party, and Mel suggested that she could come over and read French kids' books with me! So I'm hoping that this will happen soon. This is my big chance to have a private tutor, which is not a luxury I could otherwise afford. So I'm very excited! Overall, I'm feeling very optimistic about my French right now. I just hope this feeling lasts, and keeps me this productive! 1 person has voted this message useful | |
| Lianne Senior Member Canada thetoweringpile.blog Joined 5108 days ago 284 posts - 410 votes Speaks: English* Studies: Esperanto, Toki Pona, German, French | Message 40 of 49 21 December 2011 at 6:22pm | IP Logged |
|
Last night I did disc 6 of Michel Thomas. It suddenly got harder. I'm still getting it, though. I might re-do it to really make sure I know it. Right now I sometimes get mixed up with when to use le/la, lui/elle, or lui/lui, but I'm getting there. I was also just introduced to the fact that you have to add "de" in between an adjective and an infinitive verb, ie. "C'est impossible de le faire" as opposed to just "C'est impossible le faire". So I need to hammer that into my brain.
On Monday I went to the library and picked up a French grammar called A Comprehensive French Grammar by Glanville Price. Believe it or not, I've never had a grammar before. Looking through this book, I'm wondering why I have not always had one of these. It's amazing! So much information, all in one place! I'm really looking forward to reading it. Also, I've picked out my main study tool for after I finish Speak French for Beginners, while I wait for the Advanced MT course to come in at the library. I'm going to do FSI Introduction to French Phonology. I'm not sure how good this is for me to do, since it will probably teach me a France accent, which will then cause the St. Boniface French people to say I'm pronouncing things wrong, but at least it will make sure I'm pronouncing things in a way that some French speakers do! Question: Does anyone have advice on how I should use the FSI phonology course? ie. number of lessons per day, whether lessons should be repeated, etc. Any suggestions are welcome! I'll be off work for a week around when I start using it, so my usual one hour a day of studying could be increased temporarily to adopt a more FSI-appropriate schedule. 1 person has voted this message useful |
|  | 
Printable version
|
| Copyright 2024 FX Micheloud - All rights reserved No part of this website may be copied by any means without my written authorization. |
