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Well I guess I�m learning Russian... | ||
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 Language Learning Forum : Language Learning Log |  | |
 Brian_N Pro Member Canada Joined 5769 days ago 200 posts - 202 votes  Studies: English*, Russian Personal Language Map | Message 169 of 248 11 May 2009 at 8:21am | IP Logged | ||
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Still working on a grand picture that can fit nicely into the previous bit on my assumptions regarding language learning.
For the moment however, I’m going to start organizing this journal of mine around a “Tier” concept, with a tier being essential a small goal that I’m aiming to accomplish on my journey to fluency. I’m going to guess that sizable undertakings, such as learning Russian, are best tackled via a series of “small steps” rather than one giant leap. This language is too big to take down in one shot, I need to bust it up or I’ll end up scattering my efforts from this to this to this to this to this to this and before I know it....years will have gone by and I’ll still be jumping from this to this to this. Tier 1 goals are not quite set yet, I want a little more time to think about what I want to accomplish before it’s set in stone and I become very...inflexible. 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| Brian_N Pro Member Canada Joined 5769 days ago 200 posts - 202 votes Studies: English*, Russian Personal Language Map | Message 170 of 248 11 May 2009 at 9:15pm | IP Logged | ||
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*********************This Entry is Still being Written and will be subject to much change before it is finished.*******************************
Tier 1 Overview (Draft) ------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------ Objective: Main Objective: To develop an active Russian listening vocabulary consisting of 1000 nouns, 600 adjectives, 500 Verbs and 200 adverbs. Secondary Objectives: -To develop an active Russian reading vocabulary consisting of 1000 nouns, 600 adjectives, 500 Verbs and 200 adverbs. -To complete 250 Focused Listening hours. Required Russian Resources -Declan’s Russian Flashcards - (Available? – Yes) -List of online Russian Radio Stations (Available? – Yes) (http://www.listenlive.eu/russia.html) ------------------------------------------------------------ -------------- Tier 1 Basis - Personal Thoughts & Ideas Based on observing my own thought processes reading appears to be based on verbal communication. The individual words seem to be nothing more than symbols that cause the corresponding verbal words to be spoken within the mind. Comprehension comes after the words are spoken mentally, not before. I'm going to operate on the basis that verbal speech and mental speech are part of the same process, and proper encoding of L2 sounds and words from the onset is paramount to preventing accents and other L2 speech afflictions from developing. This means that reading should be avoided until I have a sufficient verbal vocabulary established so that as little as possible will have to be sounded out and potentially encoded improperly and reinforced gods knows how many times before I catch it. So onward, a sizable verbal vocabulary it is. - ------------------------------------------------------------ -------------- Procedure: -Back Ground-Declan’s Flashcards: -Active Listening Vocabulary: -Active Reading Vocabulary: -Active Listening : ------------------------------------------------------------ -------------- Strengths and weaknesses of Tier 1 Edited by Brian_N on 12 May 2009 at 7:13am 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| Brian_N Pro Member Canada Joined 5769 days ago 200 posts - 202 votes Studies: English*, Russian Personal Language Map | Message 171 of 248 12 May 2009 at 6:22am | IP Logged | ||
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*****************Random Thoughts Of Mine You Can Ignore*****************************
Would an improper mental utterance result in an improper verbal utterance? Based on personal experience, I’d say yes. Couple years ago while playing a game I read the word Mosque (Maw SsssK) as (Mo zeek), it was my first encounter with that word and I encoded it incorrectly. And come time to speak it, I also used (Mo zeek). It took a year to catch it and correct it, however after reinforcing it a couple hundred times with mental utterances whenever I see the word Mosque, I still think (Mo zeek).*** It is possible that Verbal Utterances & Mental Utterances are part of the same process? the only difference is where the output emerges. Random thoughts, but thinking about language learning in general, it doesn’t made sense that people have an ‘accent’ or quite regularly make verbal mistakes in L2 spoken because of...yada, yada, yada...the human brain exhibits neuroplasticity...that should compensate for many of the common reasons i’ve heard. I have a suspicion that “spoken accents” and other “verbal screw ups” are a result of improper encoding of the language within the brain. Too many improper sounds encoded by ‘sounding it out’ for reading mixed in with a whole lotta reinforcement through even more reading. Crazy? Probably...but answer me this, why it is rare that adults achieve true native fluency in a foreign language even when immersed in it...while children on the other hand do? Most adults learn through reading...but can you teach your typical 5 year old L2 through reading? Edited by Brian_N on 12 May 2009 at 6:48am 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| Brian_N Pro Member Canada Joined 5769 days ago 200 posts - 202 votes Studies: English*, Russian Personal Language Map | Message 172 of 248 12 May 2009 at 6:38am | IP Logged | ||
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Day 91 - Tier 1
The boss is early, he's not supposed to be here till tomorrow. I just love being called into work on my supposed days off...just gives me this 'happy' feeling inside. Meh, whatever though...paying the bills and learning foreign languages...we all must take care of the basics. 3 hours committed - 3 to review ------------------------------------------------------------ ----------- Declan's Russian Flashcards ------------------------------------------------------------ ----------- 1000 Most Common Russian Nouns -Successful verbal identification: Consolidation in progress - (6 groups of 50 words completed @ 90%+ => 14 to go) -Successful visual identification: Consolidation in progress - (5 groups of 50 words completed @ 90%+ => 15 to go) 600 Most Common Russian Adjectives -Successful spoken identification: Under Review -Successful visual identification: Under Review 500 Most Common Russian Verbs -Successful spoken identification: Pending -Successful visual identification: Pending 200 Most Common Russian Adverbs -Successful spoken identification: Pending -Successful visual identification: Pending ------------------------------------------------------------ ---------- Tier 1 - Focused Listening Hours Completed - (No Change) (1 of 250) Edited by Brian_N on 12 May 2009 at 7:31am 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| Brian_N Pro Member Canada Joined 5769 days ago 200 posts - 202 votes Studies: English*, Russian Personal Language Map | Message 173 of 248 13 May 2009 at 7:50am | IP Logged | ||
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Day 92 – Tier 1 (No progress today – random events)
You know, like people. I’ve always felt it’s the people around us that truly make life worth living. But at the same time, it’s also those that surround me that bring most of my life’s little complications. Today was case in point. Everyone has their talents, as do I. Talents come in many forms and some have more than others. One of mine is an intuitive understanding of power structures. In hierarchies I have the potential to advance myself very quickly. I know intuitively who to befriend, who to ignore, who to hate, what to say, who to say it too, who to sideline, who to destroy. As part of this intuitive understand is ability to write very effective letters designed to achieve specific aims. I’ve used it before to catapult one of my relatives from a lower level education position all the way to Vice Principal inside of a year (she turned down the principal position) or as seen in another way I helped her to add +$30,000 to her annual paycheck. It’s a nice talent to have. I would trade it for no other. Today though I was called upon to use my talents to destroy one of my family members. Did I comply? Yes I did. I agree that it had to be done...but at the same time I’m deeply conflicted. It’s the principle of it, blood is thicker than water. There are so many other people that could be destroyed, why must we take apart eachother? At least tomorrow is a new day, my part in this is over, that letter has been written. If my family wants to destroy itself, then whatever. So long as they keep me out of it. I’m just want to sit back and learn Russian...it’s strange but when I listen to this language, life just seems so much simpler. I guess there is a brightspot in this day...its raining, I’ve always loved the sound of raining hitting the roof..... Edited by Brian_N on 13 May 2009 at 7:51am 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| Brian_N Pro Member Canada Joined 5769 days ago 200 posts - 202 votes Studies: English*, Russian Personal Language Map | Message 174 of 248 13 May 2009 at 10:08am | IP Logged | ||
Well I guess it’s time I got around to writing this entry. I keep putting it off...but I can’t really sleep, things on the mind. So I guess there’s no time like the present. Since I came home I’ve been slowly stockpiling money so I can finish off my University through distance education. And it was going quite well, until my uncle decided to throw away an opportunity that 10,000s of people would have killed for. He recently took a job working for a large construction company and after about a month the owner approached him and made him an offer. His company was looking for engineers and the owner of the company felt that he would make an excellent candidate. So he offered to pay for his university tuition, provide a living stipend and guaranteed work in the summer months while he was taking his Engineering degree. The only thing that the owner asked was for my uncle to work for him once he graduated. Being a previous engineering student, who was planning to go back anyways...it was an amazing opportunity.....and the dumbf**k turned it down. His rational...he didn’t want to be a poor student again, he’d rather wait a year and “save up some money”...not realizing that he’s going to be a hell of alot more poorer having to pay for everything himself. He won’t go back though, I know my uncle. Right now it’s ‘next year’ and then it’ll be the year after that, and then the year after that. He’ll just stay here and waste his life playing computer games...just like he’s done for the past decade. This choice had serious repercussions for me. (Were both co-renting one of my parent’s houses. Lol, he hates the fact I’m learning Russian...told me to my face that ‘when’ we go to war with the Russians he’s going to turn me in for being a traitor. And he wasn’t joking. Can we say... looooser.) Anyways though, this screws me because I was supposed to get this house after he left for University. But now my parents are hounding me blow $8000 (material costs, dad is a carpenter, i.e. free labour) and build myself a little bachelor pad, which of course they will keep and turn into a little guest house “after i’m gone”. I told them that I can’t afford it. That $8K could pay for a quarter of my degree, but do they give a shit? Nope, in their own words “well that’s just too bad”. So in grand scheme of things I’m behind $8000. Still quite pissed off about that, but it’s not the first that I’ve been screwed because of other people’s weakness and I doubt it will be the last. It’s a setback, but the game is not over until it’s over. And oddly enough it looks like the Russian language is going to be my saviour. How? Lol, I’m going to use it to get myself scholarships to make up for that 8K. But for that to work, I’m going to need one of those nice looking TORFL Level 1 certificates. Mix that up with one of those beautiful tales I can spin and I have no doubt that I’ll be able to get money from someone. It'll work...it has to work. I will not stay in this backwards little hamlet for the rest of my life, some may be happy with that...but this is not my fate. I want that certificate and I will pursue it with a single minded purpose until I get it. Learning Russian and learning it well has just become the imperative. Edited by Brian_N on 13 May 2009 at 10:15am 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| Brian_N Pro Member Canada Joined 5769 days ago 200 posts - 202 votes Studies: English*, Russian Personal Language Map | Message 175 of 248 14 May 2009 at 6:45am | IP Logged | ||
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Day 93 - Tier 1
3 ½ hours committed – 2 ½ to review, 1 hr to active listening. (6 hr quota not reached - running on 3 ½ hrs sleep + 12 hr shift at work today) ------------------------------------------------------------ ----------- Declan's Russian Flashcards ------------------------------------------------------------ ----------- 1000 Most Common Russian Nouns -Successful verbal identification: Consolidation in progress - (6 groups of 50 words completed @ 90%+ => 14 to go) -Successful visual identification: Consolidation in progress - (5 groups of 50 words completed @ 90%+ => 15 to go) 600 Most Common Russian Adjectives -Successful spoken identification: Under Review -Successful visual identification: Under Review 500 Most Common Russian Verbs -Successful spoken identification: Pending -Successful visual identification: Pending 200 Most Common Russian Adverbs -Successful spoken identification: Pending -Successful visual identification: Pending ------------------------------------------------------------ ---------- Tier 1 - Focused Listening Hours Completed - (+1) (2 of 250) 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| Brian_N Pro Member Canada Joined 5769 days ago 200 posts - 202 votes Studies: English*, Russian Personal Language Map | Message 176 of 248 15 May 2009 at 4:07am | IP Logged | ||
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YES, the little whore is gone. My uncle has been bring the community doorknob (everyone gets a turn) over here for the past few nights and staying up till 4 in the morning getting smashed when I have to get up at 8 the next morning for work. Going to work half asleep doesn’t bother me, being half asleep while I’m trying to learn Russian...that is quite a different story. She’s gone though thankfully (hizza, hizza lol), another week of her I’d probably would’ve been a dick and called up the barn.
The little psycho is not supposed to be here, and when I say here I don’t mean this house, I mean this place. She’s been barred for 5 years. What did she do? Um, she got into a argument with her sister...and with the help of a very big and a very very sharp knife...she won. So, yeah, would you want to go to sleep when your roommate is getting this kinda person drunk in your house? Lol, yeah neither did I. Sleeping with one eye open just in case she tried to go slice and dice on my ass. I prefer breathing through my mouth and not my throat thank you very much. Meh, even if she did go stupid though I guess it wouldn’t have been that bad. She would’ve been quite trashed, so it would’ve been pretty easy to grab her by the neck and show her out...through the front window. But again, she’s gone (hizza, hizza lol) so I’ll actually be able to get a decent night’s sleep and my mind will be sharp once again. Tiredness is my Achilles heel, I need my beauty sleep, especially when I’m learning. Oh, hey I’ve officially reached my first milestone HU RAH. I don’t know what this milestone marks, but I’m here lol. Best guess... I’ve reached that place in my listening where it no longer feels like I know nothing. And it feels great knowing I know more than nothing : ) and now I guess...onward. I see can ‘something more than that something that is more than nothing’ on the horizon. Edited by Brian_N on 15 May 2009 at 4:08am 1 person has voted this message useful |
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