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Small Expectations | ||
Tags: Georgian | ||
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 Language Learning Forum : Language Learning Log |  | |
| orandajin Tetraglot Newbie Japan Joined 4738 days ago 3 posts - 3 votes Speaks: Dutch*, English, German, Russian Studies: Japanese | Message 273 of 431 07 December 2011 at 5:27pm | IP Logged | ||
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TixhiiDon, how I would love to be in your shoes right now. You're in Tbilisi! You get to drink as much Saperavi and
eat as much badrijani nigvzit as you want! I would trade a view on Tokyo Tower for a view on Tbilisi's TV tower anytime. I guess we are a rare breed indeed. I wonder if Georgian beats Armenian in this case... I just sent you a PM about the teacher. Good luck! 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| TixhiiDon Tetraglot Senior Member Japan Joined 5463 days ago 772 posts - 1474 votes  Speaks: English*, Japanese, German, Russian Studies: Georgian | Message 274 of 431 09 December 2011 at 12:54pm | IP Logged | ||
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After much running around and a few mangled phone calls in Georgian, I finally managed to meet my
teacher and start studying. We had a very pleasant two hours today ploughing through the present perfect, which I thought I knew but, as it turns out, I hadn't even begun to master. If anyone can name me a Georgian verb without any irregularities in any tenses, I'll buy them a natakhtari next time we're in Tbilisi. Speaking of which, Tbilisi is bloody cold! However my hotel has over-compensated by cranking up the central heating to such saharan proportions that I actually feel quite sick when I stay in my room too long. Still, it forces me to go out and mingle with the masses. I'm off to the theater tonight. I'm sure the concert will be great. Oh, by the way, orandajin, I didn't receive your PM. Maybe you could try to send it again? Edited by TixhiiDon on 09 December 2011 at 12:55pm 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| TixhiiDon Tetraglot Senior Member Japan Joined 5463 days ago 772 posts - 1474 votes Speaks: English*, Japanese, German, Russian Studies: Georgian | Message 275 of 431 10 December 2011 at 1:45pm | IP Logged | ||
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You know how it is when you've reached an intermediate level in your target language so you can say
straightforward things like where you're from, what you do, and why you decided to learn the language with ease, in good grammatically correct sentences, and how when you have that introductory conversation with a native speaker she showers you with compliments about your skills, and then you continue speaking and your grammar falls apart, your vocabulary fails you, and pauses, uhms, errs, and words from your other languages start to become more frequent than words in your target language, and you can see the face of your native conversation partner gradually become slightly more serious and slightly less confident as she realizes you are nowhere near as good as she initially thought you were? Well, that has happened to me on three separate occasions during this trip, and it doesn't get any more enjoyable with each time... I always say to people who want to learn languages that you have to be prepared to look stupid, and I have been painfully reminded of my own advice here in Tbilisi this week. Everyone still insists on speaking to me in Russian. Today I had to ask the metro attendant if I was going the right way. She understood me perfectly well, but she wasn't sure where the place I wanted to go was so she pulled over a passenger and got him to explain it to me. When he started speaking to me in Georgian, she shouted at him to switch to Russian. It's so interesting here how Russian is the default language for all tourists and visitors, as if the whole world was competent in Russian. There is also some crossover with Japan, where people will often reply to perfectly good Japanese in dreadful English, simply because they see a foreigner standing in front of them. Anyway, the Rustavi concert was fantastic, and today after my lessons I went to the amazing bazaar at Vagzlis Moedani (which appears to have had its name changed to Sadguris Moedani to remove the Russian influence) for a bagful of churchkhela, and now I am off to the old town for ojakhuri and beer, so life, dear reader, is good. 2 persons have voted this message useful | |||
| iguanamon Pentaglot Senior Member Virgin Islands Speaks: Ladino Joined 5261 days ago 2241 posts - 6731 votes Speaks: English*, Spanish, Portuguese, Haitian Creole, Creole (French) | Message 276 of 431 10 December 2011 at 3:22pm | IP Logged | ||
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@TixhiiDon, looks like you're having a helluva good time! I just wanted to tell you how much I enjoy following your log. On the surface, one would think that there wouldn't be too much to glean from a minority language representing a relatively small population of speakers. You have found that there is indeed much beneath that stereotypical surface by seeking and finding the gems beneath. It just goes to show that you get out of life what you put into it. Hope all continues to go well for you.
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| TixhiiDon Tetraglot Senior Member Japan Joined 5463 days ago 772 posts - 1474 votes Speaks: English*, Japanese, German, Russian Studies: Georgian | Message 277 of 431 10 December 2011 at 7:04pm | IP Logged | ||
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Iguanamon, thanks very much for your kind words. It's nice to think that even a few people may enjoy my
log. I think you make a great point about minority languages - there's so much to be discovered in small countries such as Georgia, which has a long history and a unique and fascinating culture. In the theatre last night I was surrounded by hundreds of Georgians going crazy, whooping and whistling and shouting, while watching a group of national folk singers and dancers. And there were loads of teenagers and cool kids among the audience too, not just middle-class culture vultures. This is completely unimaginable in all the supposedly sophisticated western European countries, including my own. And yet most people would be hard-pushed to find Georgia on a map. I imagine it must be quite frustrating for the Georgians to feel so ignored. Or perhaps I'm romanticizing a bit after three large bottles of natakhtari :) Anyway, I certainly am having a great time! Edited by TixhiiDon on 10 December 2011 at 7:05pm 2 persons have voted this message useful | |||
| zecchino1991 Senior Member United States facebook.com/amyybur Joined 5257 days ago 778 posts - 885 votes Speaks: English* Studies: Italian, Modern Hebrew, Russian, Arabic (Written), Romanian, Icelandic, Georgian | Message 278 of 431 10 December 2011 at 11:44pm | IP Logged | ||
This is exactly why I am learning Georgian AND Russian before I go to Georgia. Well, actually I am going to Russia, too, but I would do it anyway. ;) Edited by zecchino1991 on 10 December 2011 at 11:47pm 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| orandajin Tetraglot Newbie Japan Joined 4738 days ago 3 posts - 3 votes Speaks: Dutch*, English, German, Russian Studies: Japanese | Message 279 of 431 12 December 2011 at 7:45am | IP Logged | ||
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TixhiiDon, I just sent you another message. They both appear in my outbox. If you don't receive them, I don't know
what the problem could be... 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| TixhiiDon Tetraglot Senior Member Japan Joined 5463 days ago 772 posts - 1474 votes Speaks: English*, Japanese, German, Russian Studies: Georgian | Message 280 of 431 14 December 2011 at 11:18am | IP Logged | ||
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Well, I'm back in Japan, pretty exhausted but happy to be home. It's many years since
I've been out of my adopted country for such a long period. My last day in Tbilisi was just as lovely as all the others: lessons, followed by shopping, followed by eating and drinking. I had plenty of opportunities to use my Georgian, not only in lessons but also on the streets with the ever-gregarious Georgian people, and I really fell in love with the city of Tbilisi. Next time I should really stay a little longer and see a bit more of the country. I bought a few more books to add to my large collection of unread Georgian literature: a new short novel by my favourite დავით ქართველიშვილი called მოცემულობა, which apparently means "task/duty/function"; a relatively well known novel called Adibas, by ზაზა ბურჭულაძე, and a collection of short stories by perhaps Georgia's most famous contemporary writer, აკა მორჩილაძე. I've already started on მოცემულობა, and it is thankfully as easy to read as all Kartvelishvili's other works, so I should get through it quite quickly. It is so far about a detective who is always imagining he's the president of Georgia, or that he can fly, or that he's a famous model. In Amsterdam airport on my way back I just so happened to sit near some Georgians who were returning to Tbilisi, presumably on the same plane that had just brought me to Holland. At first they thought I was Georgian, just from my looks (I have a big nose and I hadn't shaved for about a week, which makes me similar to about 80% of Georgian men). When I explained, in Georgian, that I wasn't Georgian but could speak Georgian, they looked completely baffled. Anyway, it was a funny coincidence. Perhaps I was Georgian in my past life. Orandajin, I think maybe my Inbox was full and that was why I couldn't receive your message. If it's not too much trouble, could you send it one more time? დიდი მადლობა! Edited by TixhiiDon on 14 December 2011 at 11:21am 1 person has voted this message useful |
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