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Finally a want and not a need | ||
Tags: Hebrew (biblical) | Ancient Greek | Dutch | Multilingual | Korean | Arabic | Mandarin | French | Spanish | ||
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 Language Learning Forum : Language Learning Log |  | |
| Belardur Octoglot Senior Member Germany Joined 5612 days ago 148 posts - 195 votes  Speaks: English*, GermanC2, Spanish, Dutch, Latin, Ancient Greek, French, Lowland Scots Studies: Biblical Hebrew, Italian, Arabic (Written), Mandarin, Korean | Message 9 of 20 17 October 2013 at 4:30pm | IP Logged | ||
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So, an update a few days later. I was pretty much worthless over the weekend, so I did have to work extra hard in this week, but I have been able to keep up with everything pretty well.
Spanish: I've started tracking films, borrowing from the idea of the Super Challenge. Currently 7/100. Pues, hay películas bonitas, pero películas raras también. Por ejemplo, "Ratas Ratones y Rateros" ... Bueno... Korean: Still rockin it with Pimsleur, supplemented with SMS chat with a buddy of mine who graciously corrects my spelling and doesn't laugh too much (that I know of) when I send an audio clip. I even understand when I can omit the subject marker and when I have to omit it. Dutch: Still digging uitzendinggemist.nl. I should pick up a novel, too. Maybe I'll go to the library tomorrow. I understand 80-90% of what I hear, and 95+% of what I read...if I get brave, I will try some written production here. No one to talk to, though. Latin: Actually, I have decided to re-read the Lingva Latina series aloud when I'm at home alone and do the excercises orally. I kind of took some shortcuts before because I had to translate nearly immediately, and it hurt my production. Repeating isn't bad, and it can't hurt, plus if I do the excercises I should get some production ability. And the early chapters go quickly. Ancient Greek: I've been slacking, will remedy. I read a little Plato the other day, but it was very brief and I was not very focussed. I still haven't touched the Assimil stuff, and Hebrew has been nothing but a little bit of listening. I also need to resist the desire to dabble, I have enough going on at the moment with what I've got to learn, improve and maintain. I want to take a look at this Arabic stuff I've gotten, and I would like to maybe get started with Mandarin (well, re-started). Nonlisted languages: I've practiced Schwäbisch a bit, both reading and production. I need to find some way to retain my Bairisch after the end of the year, but it has to be resources in the language, not Bairisch-gefärbte Schriftdeutsch. Ideas welcome (as well as arguments, I will argue the language status of these two to death). 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| languagenerd09 Triglot Senior Member United Kingdom youtube.com/user/Lan Joined 5101 days ago 174 posts - 267 votes Speaks: English*, Spanish, Portuguese Studies: Mandarin, Japanese, Thai | Message 10 of 20 19 October 2013 at 1:21am | IP Logged | ||
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Forgive me of course if I sound condescending, but this is a YouTube channel that i've been following (but not taking notes etc) for a few years. It's like
online Chinese tutorial videos and some about culture/food. PeggyTeachesChinese 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| Belardur Octoglot Senior Member Germany Joined 5612 days ago 148 posts - 195 votes Speaks: English*, GermanC2, Spanish, Dutch, Latin, Ancient Greek, French, Lowland Scots Studies: Biblical Hebrew, Italian, Arabic (Written), Mandarin, Korean | Message 11 of 20 21 October 2013 at 6:59pm | IP Logged | ||
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Thanks for the suggestion! I've bookmarked it for later reference.
So after the weekend and having today off, everything is pretty much on track: Spanish: 10/100 films. I've been chatting by SMS and listening when I don't want to do anything else, and I've started to read the New Testament in Spanish. Found a novel I have by Matilde Asensi, whom I have enjoyed in the past, so that's in line to be read as well. Korean: Missed a couple of days, but I signed up for the 6WC with Korean (@DrPhilipStewart), so it's getting a surge in a few days. Latin: Still reading along, may start some scriptorium stuff soon. Ancient Greek: Taking a page from the "scriptorium", I'm copying out the book of Ephesians in the mornings. Arabic: I'll have my first meeting with a tutor tomorrow, so stay tuned. Everything else: Not much! I'll do some Dutch listening or watching tonight, probably. If I can get regular work with Mandarin and Arabic into the rotation, I'm considering doing some French 1-2 times a week so I hit everything...except Hebrew, I'm so avoiding Hebrew. 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| Belardur Octoglot Senior Member Germany Joined 5612 days ago 148 posts - 195 votes Speaks: English*, GermanC2, Spanish, Dutch, Latin, Ancient Greek, French, Lowland Scots Studies: Biblical Hebrew, Italian, Arabic (Written), Mandarin, Korean | Message 12 of 20 22 October 2013 at 10:09pm | IP Logged | ||
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Ok, so I had my first session with Arabic today, and I was pleasantly surprised. I was concerned that it would be much harder than it seems to be. I don't have any illusions that this will go quickly, but it's something that I feel that I can chip away at over time.
In other news Spanish: 11/100, but I had a total breakdown and couldn't communicate at all this afternoon. I got a bit overloaded and for about 30 minutes even my German was total shit. Well, at least I have had a worst-case scenario now... (for the interested, I had been explaining a difference between Standard German and Bavarian in English and got called over to translate a French email into German for a colleague when another (Spanish native) colleague began talking to me in Spanish. Too much for my current stress level) Dutch: Watched a film last night. I would vaguely like to read some literature, but I'm too cheap to buy something and I don't know what I'm looking for in regard to classics anyway. Ancient Greek: I feel that after only two days this "scriptorium" is doing something. I am more confident placing accents, in any case. Korean: the usual daily lesson, and I've loaded up my e-reader with resources for the coming 6WC Latin: took a day off The rest: nix 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| tarvos Super Polyglot Winner TAC 2012 Senior Member China likeapolyglot.wordpr Joined 4708 days ago 5310 posts - 9399 votes Speaks: Dutch*, English, Swedish, French, Russian, German, Italian, Norwegian, Mandarin, Romanian, Afrikaans Studies: Greek, Modern Hebrew, Spanish, Portuguese, Czech, Korean, Esperanto, Finnish | Message 13 of 20 22 October 2013 at 10:41pm | IP Logged | ||
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If you want classic Dutch literature, most people will tell you to read Harry Mulisch.
I've never read Mulisch. There are a fair other number of classics - Hugo Claus (Belgian), W.F. Hermans, Louis Cuperus, but they all have quite an archaic style of writing. Dutch literature isn't very good. But for an interesting read in the original language, you can try the diary of Anne Frank, possibly the most famous Dutch book ever. 2 persons have voted this message useful | |||
| Hekje Diglot Senior Member United States Joined 4704 days ago 842 posts - 1330 votes Speaks: English*, Dutch Studies: French, Indonesian | Message 14 of 20 22 October 2013 at 10:47pm | IP Logged | ||
Hi Belardur, I'm not sure what kind of literature you like, but Harry Mulisch and Arnon Grunberg are both great authors to start with. Mulisch is post-war, writes very beautifully and dreamily - the only thing is that older editions might not be in line with the latest spelling reforms. I would highly recommend De aanslag and his debut novel, archibald strohalm. Grunberg is modern and very young. He writes more sparely and directly. I enjoyed his books Tirza (it's sort of a drama) and Blauwe Maandagen. Other great authors you might find interesting: Herman Brusselmans, Peter Buwalda, Tom Lanoye 2 persons have voted this message useful | |||
| tarvos Super Polyglot Winner TAC 2012 Senior Member China likeapolyglot.wordpr Joined 4708 days ago 5310 posts - 9399 votes Speaks: Dutch*, English, Swedish, French, Russian, German, Italian, Norwegian, Mandarin, Romanian, Afrikaans Studies: Greek, Modern Hebrew, Spanish, Portuguese, Czech, Korean, Esperanto, Finnish | Message 15 of 20 22 October 2013 at 10:57pm | IP Logged | ||
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I read one Arnon Grunberg novel. That guy is bloody weird. He also does columns for the
frontpage of the Volkskrant... an odd and cynical kind of humour. Don't really know what to make of him. Lanoye and Brusselmans are Belgians, so be on the lookout for Belgianisms there. 2 persons have voted this message useful | |||
| Hekje Diglot Senior Member United States Joined 4704 days ago 842 posts - 1330 votes Speaks: English*, Dutch Studies: French, Indonesian | Message 16 of 20 23 October 2013 at 4:20am | IP Logged | ||
Haha, I totally missed this! We must have been writing at the same time. But yes, Mulisch is great. And yeah I have a Hugo Claus sitting on my bookshelf right now (De vijanden) but have avoided starting because I suspect his old-fashioned writing style is going to give me headaches. Strangely, I haven't had that problem with Mulisch even though they're roughly contemporaries. Edit: And I would disagree with Tarvos - there is plenty of good Dutch literature! He is being very modest. :-P Edited by Hekje on 23 October 2013 at 4:21am 1 person has voted this message useful |
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