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Tecktight TAC 2012 Team Sputnik | ||
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 Language Learning Forum : Language Learning Log |  | |
| Tecktight Diglot Winner TAC 2012 Senior Member United States Joined 4976 days ago 227 posts - 327 votes  Speaks: English*, Serbian Studies: German, Russian, Estonian | Message 1 of 96 28 December 2011 at 5:40pm | IP Logged | ||
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So, I decided to start a new log especially for TAC, since my old log is a bit word-heavy and convoluted, and I
figured starting a new log would help organize my thoughts a bit. In any case, here we are. For the TAC 2012 challenge, my two focus languages will be Russian and German. For fun, and in my spare time, if I have any, I'll try to sprinkle in some Estonian and French. I had really thought I'd pursue Spanish, since I studied it for a few years in school already, but my interest in the language has wavered. As much as I'd like to attain good and fluid proficiency in the language, it just hasn't captured my interest lately. We'll see what becomes my third focus language later down the line. It depends on where I decide to go. FOCUS LANGUAGES Russian, German SPARE LANGUAGES Estonian, French In the next few weeks, German is my #1 priority. This is because I am trying to hop levels by skipping one academic year's worth of German so that I may be admitted into the Berlin study-abroad program (which requires 2 years of German). When I get back to uni around January 15th, then, I will be required to pass a placement test, which will consist of oral and written portions. So my focus is on preparing for this test. If I manage to get into that German class I want (fingers crossed!), I can turn my attention back to Russian more fully. Since I'm doing a language program in Moscow this summer, I'll have to study intensely to guarantee that I won't be placed in a Level 1 class. I am not wasting my time and money for a class that will spend weeks on <<что в чемодане?>> again. Anywho, that's that for the first post. Will update with progress. 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| Solfrid Cristin Heptaglot Winner TAC 2011 & 2012 Senior Member Norway Joined 5334 days ago 4143 posts - 8864 votes Speaks: Norwegian*, Spanish, Swedish, French, English, German, Italian Studies: Russian | Message 2 of 96 28 December 2011 at 7:11pm | IP Logged | ||
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Good start, team mate! I am happy that there are several of us who are going for Russian and German. Which level are you at in German, B2 -C1? You will probably make amazing progress in both languages since you are actually stydying it, and not just fooling around,like some of us :-)
Estonian is an uncommon choice, is it just for fun? 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| senor_smile Diglot Senior Member United States Joined 6386 days ago 110 posts - 115 votes Speaks: English*, Spanish Studies: Latin, Russian | Message 3 of 96 28 December 2011 at 10:54pm | IP Logged | ||
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I wish you success! Let us know what resources and specific study strategies you'll be
using for both German and Russian when you get a chance. With all of this German learning happening in team sputnik, I may just have to move German into my dabbling pile. 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| Teango Triglot Winner TAC 2010 & 2012 Senior Member United States teango.wordpress.comRegistered users can see my Skype Name Joined 5556 days ago 2210 posts - 3734 votes Speaks: English*, German, Russian Studies: Hawaiian, French, Toki Pona | Message 4 of 96 28 December 2011 at 11:39pm | IP Logged | ||
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Good luck with your placement test in January and your preparations over the next few weeks. Like you, I need to really start swotting up for an exam in January too. Mine's on the 18th, and I've simply been putting it off and been far too wrapped up in other obligations over the holiday period. So here's to getting back to language study in our free hours, once the exams are done and dusted! And forgive my curiosity, but I've got to ask...<<Что хе было в чемодане?>>. :P Edited by Teango on 28 December 2011 at 11:40pm 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| senor_smile Diglot Senior Member United States Joined 6386 days ago 110 posts - 115 votes Speaks: English*, Spanish Studies: Latin, Russian | Message 5 of 96 28 December 2011 at 11:46pm | IP Logged | ||
Я думаю, что в чемодане была бомба, конечно! 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| Tecktight Diglot Winner TAC 2012 Senior Member United States Joined 4976 days ago 227 posts - 327 votes Speaks: English*, Serbian Studies: German, Russian, Estonian | Message 6 of 96 29 December 2011 at 4:27am | IP Logged | ||
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@Solfrid: I'd say B1, for now. I'm sort of all over the place with German, because I'm still learning basic grammar,
yet I can understand some texts, with a dictionary in hand. But I'm also shooting up the ladder, since I have to cover so much material so quickly. I've only really been seriously studying German for five months or so. Basically, I don't know where I am now really, but we'll see where I'll be by the time I (hopefully) land in Berlin. As for Estonian, I agree, it's rather unusual, and heaps impractical, considering there are only a million or so speakers of the language. But, somehow, I've fallen in love with Estonia, and I feel an odd, extremely strong connection to it...it's like a deep bond that lay dormant for years has recently awakened within me. I loved Estonia when I went, and now I'm fascinated with the history, culture, and, of course, language of the country. I'm slowly racking up Estonian songs on my iTunes playlist (I'm pushing 50 or so now), and I listen to these over and over again. I just find the language beautiful and intriguing. I'm even considering spending a semester at the University of Tartu before I graduate. Moreover, I hope Estonian can function as a platform for later learning Finnish, which I plan to do later. @senor_smile: Thank you for the well wishes! I’ll definitely update with my materials soon, once I finish up some other work I have to do. And I agree you may just have to add German to the pile! It’s a welcome break from the grammar structure of Russian… @Teango: Thanks! Best of luck studying for your exam! I’ll cross both hands now, one for you, one for me. ;) И в чемодане хе было, к сожалению, ничего интересного. Одежду, обувь, компьютеры, и т.д. @senor_smile: В чемодане не было бомбы. Как скучный. :( 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| Tecktight Diglot Winner TAC 2012 Senior Member United States Joined 4976 days ago 227 posts - 327 votes Speaks: English*, Serbian Studies: German, Russian, Estonian | Message 7 of 96 29 December 2011 at 4:34am | IP Logged | ||
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Update: December 27, 2011
GERMAN So, I just got to the past-perfect/preterite/etc., paired with module verbs and prefixes and the whole nine-yards. This is all featured in Chapter 6 of the textbook I am using. I need to get through Chapter 12 by January 15th. Let me say...Chapter 6 was one giant headache. It seems to me that the difference between "strong" verbs and "weak" verbs is entirely arbitrary, so I'm unsure of when a verb should end in '-t' or '-en,' or what have you. I guess this is just an issue of memorization with time, but it was really frustrating me. I decided to wrap up the chapter without finishing all the exercises, and go back to it later. RUSSIAN I shamefully didn't touch it, except to write a little post on my blog. About a paragraph or so. It reminded me of just how much Russian I've forgotten, and how little I knew in the first place. Essentially, my Russian level is pitiful, and as soon as this bloody upcoming test is over, I'll get back to Russian pronto, lest I embarrass myself this summer. Update: December 28, 2011 GERMAN Hello, Chapter 7! Dative case! Beautifully simple, so far. I'm actually managing to slog through the exercises without cheating too often. I'll try and do a bit more before I retire for the evening, so I'll update tomorrow with what I've done. RUSSIAN Nothing, yet. Maybe if I have energy left in me, I'll do some exercises. We'll find out. 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| Tecktight Diglot Winner TAC 2012 Senior Member United States Joined 4976 days ago 227 posts - 327 votes Speaks: English*, Serbian Studies: German, Russian, Estonian | Message 8 of 96 10 January 2012 at 9:11pm | IP Logged | ||
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Update: January 10, 2011
I have been horrible. This log is decaying from neglect. My new resolution is to actually update this log on a daily or 2-day basis. GERMAN So I've progressed a few chapters (I just completed Chapter 10) in my textbook. I have Chapters 11 and 12 to go (at which point my textbook concludes), but I have covered the main points of grammar (cases, tenses, etc.), so I feel like I have a good general grasp of the language now. I think, from here, it's just a matter of constantly feeding myself material and delving into the intricacies of German. I'm going to try to read more articles in German and also write more on my blog. I learned English by reading books and writing in my little childish diary, and I think I'll learn German the same way. Today: 60 minutes so far. Later: Watched a German called "der Welle." Yes, it /did/ have English subtitles, but I gotta start somewhere. It helped me get a feel for conversational German, though. RUSSIAN As I mentioned before, I'm at stalemate right now, at least until I get back to university next week. Once I take and find out whether I've passed my German placement exam, I can let out a breath and begin Russian again, with vigor. I have been, however, reading some Siberian folktales ( I have a book with side-by-side Russian/English) for fun, which has helped me a tad. Will update this again later today. *Edit: See above Edited by Tecktight on 11 January 2012 at 3:53am 1 person has voted this message useful |
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