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Refuse to Choose: learning all languages | ||
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 Language Learning Forum : Language Programs, Books & Tapes |  | |
| translator2 Senior Member United States Joined 6918 days ago 848 posts - 1862 votes  Speaks: English* | Message 1 of 3 12 November 2009 at 7:52pm | IP Logged |
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Although not specifically about learning languages, I enjoyed this book and I feel it speaks to those of us who want to learn (what we feel is) too many languages all at once and feel overwhelmed or feel as though we should be spending more time on just one or two languages:
Refuse to Choose: Use all of Your Interests To Create the Life of Your Dreams Edited by translator2 on 12 November 2009 at 7:53pm 1 person has voted this message useful | |
| pookiebear79 Groupie United States Joined 6029 days ago 76 posts - 142 votes Speaks: English* Studies: Dutch, French, Swedish, Italian | Message 2 of 3 14 November 2009 at 6:36am | IP Logged |
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Thanks for that link. It seems like an interesting concept for a book, although from the comments on Amazon it appears to be mostly career focused?
But reading some of the reviews, I can totally relate. I don't have a short attention span, I just have a weird attention span. I will fully immerse all my free time in one particular pursuit for months at a time, to the exclusion of all others. Then, just like that, my brain screams "no more" or I get called away by the shiny attraction of some other hobby/interest, and then devote myself studiously to that, again to the exclusion of all others. Unfortunately, I have way too many interests (without even mentioning languages!) which means that while I am devoting my time to one, the others sit, untouched, for long periods of times. The only one where this is really a problem with is languages. If I let that slide while I pursue another "obsession" or topic of interest or hobby, then I lose a lot of information and progress every time. But if I focus on language study, I don't have the mental or physical energy to spend time on the other things I love. And eventually that leads to language burnout. The combination of being interested in way too many subjects and hobbies and my tendency to completely throw myself into one pursuit to the exclusion of all others means things hardly ever get done. I have piles of unfinished writing projects as a tribute to that problem...when I get the inspiration, I just have to write it all out at once, but eventually I have to eat/sleep or I just get worn out, and it's just not the same when I try to go back and pick up the project later, as I start editing and revising and never get back to creating. I guess 'wanderlust' is an understatement. Although, I do try to keep language wanderlust to a minimum. I allow myself to flirt with other languages a bit, but the significant blocks of study time go to improving the languages I am the farthest along in. I just feed my wanderlust by collecting materials whenever I can find them cheap on ebay, so that they'll be waiting for me when I'm "ready." I know that may sound bad, but I do have restraint compared to people who say they've got rooms full of materials on obscure languages they never actually plan to study. :D Language Addicts Anonymous?? ;) 1 person has voted this message useful | |
| fanatic Octoglot Senior Member Australia speedmathematics.com Joined 7145 days ago 1152 posts - 1818 votes Speaks: English*, German, French, Afrikaans, Italian, Spanish, Russian, Dutch Studies: Swedish, Norwegian, Polish, Modern Hebrew, Malay, Mandarin, Esperanto | Message 3 of 3 15 November 2009 at 12:59pm | IP Logged |
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I think we should make our own decisions and not worry too much about what others think we should do.
Certainly, we should listen to advice but don't be bound by it. I just found a Linguaphone Portuguese program for $7.99 in a Salvation Army store. I have Living Language and Hugo's Portuguese and I think it might be time to begin a new language. I am still actively working on some other languages (Indonesian, Hebrew and Russian) to improve my skills but I am currently inspired to at least make a start with Portuguese. I am learning languages for my own reasons and I don't feel I have to give account of myself to anyone else. I will feel unfulfilled if I don't give it a try. I don't really care if I never finish. I will have tried. I am not sure if I have understood the theme of the book correctly but that is how I feel. Spend time attempting to reach your own goals, not somebody else's. 2 persons have voted this message useful |
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