|
 |
Progressing in Dutch and other goals | ||
Share with:
| ||
 Language Learning Forum : Language Learning Log |  | |
| pookiebear79 Groupie United States Joined 6022 days ago 76 posts - 142 votes  Speaks: English* Studies: Dutch, French, Swedish, Italian | Message 1 of 3 23 May 2008 at 1:44am | IP Logged |
|
Well. I'm brand new here and I figure this is as good a place as any to start. I've recently started keeping a paper log sort of like this, but I think having this online gives me something to keep myself a bit more "accountable" to...as I have a bad habit of losing papers.
Anyway. I have resolved to really make gains in my proficiency in dutch. I need to break past the 'good at advanced beginner level but just scraping by in intermediate' level that I've had for years. My first goal is to regain the vocabulary that has left me over the years of not studying. I started studying dutch when I was 15 or 16, and I'm now 29. So I think it's high time I work towards at least the 'basic fluency' stage. It's not easy on one hand because there isn't really much in the way of intermediate to advanced study materials in dutch available, but with all of the websites out there for language learning I can't use that alone as an excuse really. To be honest, the real reason I haven't made many strides was that after I turned 18, working full time, going to school, etc. really didn't leave me the time I once had to study. But now seems a perfect time to get in gear on my language learning. I am medically disabled and have nothing but time (unfortunately, though, not always the stamina/energy) to study. Well, I don't quite have 'nothing but time,' but the truth is I have an amount of time available that would be just wrong, as a language lover, not to take advantage of to the best of my physical/mental ability. I did try to "pick up again" with my Dutch studies a few years ago, when I first got sick. But at that time, I had too many challenges, the changes to the way I learned and remembered things were too new and I got frustrated and gave up. I have pretty bad short term memory now, or rather I have difficulties in having short term memory become long term memory. I can still remember stuff from my "photographic memory" days, it's just like now the camera's malfunctioning. Whatever. I think I'm in more of a position to try again now, as I am more used to the "new" way I learn and process things. I am much slower, and though I was always a classic "book" learner back then, I am now more of an audio and visual learner. Or rather, I have to bombard myself with multiple sources/forms of the same information multiple times before it starts to sink in. But I am determined to make this time worth something, or rather to have something to show for it and not just let my brain rot away. I make mistakes now, and I just have to get over my old perfectionist, freak out if I get it wrong and embarasss myself, way of thinking. Gosh, this is getting long. But, as it's a "journal" entry of my own language learning processes, for once I don't have to feel guily or stupid for my long-windedness in a forum. -big smile- Ok. So back on track: I have resolved, insomuch as I am capable, to get really good in dutch. When I read something that has one of those 'classic' totally colloquial type of dutch sentences that just defies all logic, or those things I can't find in any dictionary, I will write it down and make a point to ask someone. With all of the resources available online now...no more excuses! I can find an online tutor, ask a native speaker in a language forum, or even ask my native dutch-speaking penpal. That's another thing-I want to stop being so shy and afraid of making mistakes, and start writing part of my letters to my penpals in their language (when applicable.) I can understand alot of what they write, but I really need to work on my own writing and my biggest block there is my fear of embarassing myself. I've spent all of my adult life stalled at the same level in dutch...it's time to move forward. My "next-best" language, French: I plan to also start actively regaining "lost" knowledge and improving it, as well as my Italian. I also studied Spanish in college and high school but I don't have any plans of actively learning that for now, as there are many other languages I want to learn more, and I suppose I have a feeling that Spanish is the one language I can learn "any old time," as I am immersed in it any time I want (many local Spanish TV stations,) and even when I don't (people in the neighborhood blaring mariachi music at all hours.) It's not a difficult language to me, so I suppose it's the bombardment with it in my daily life and the lack of "challenge" that makes me a bit indifferent. Anyway. I will continue "flirting," in the words of this forum, with some of my other languages of interest (Czech, Hebrew, Esperanto, Polish, Welsh, Japanese, Russian)--not all of them at once, obviously, but my "active" language learning goals will take precedence. Those goals as of now, are threefold: (AKA, The "short" version of all this babble:) Main Goals 1. Improving my Dutch. Making REAL progress. Going beyond comprehension to more active use of the language. 2. Learning Swedish. I'm starting almost completely from scratch. (I grew up knowing exactly 3 things in swedish, courtesy of my grandma from when I was a kid, and as I've started to study it I realize only one of those was actually "correct" swedish. LOL.) At this point, I know some basic words and phrases, but I find the pronounciation especially tough for swedish. For whatever reason, this is the thorn that sticks in my side. For a while now, I've just been listening to tapes without trying to study the accompanying book or actively memorising anything--just listening over and over to get the sounds of the language really to sink in and become natural to my ear. I think it's starting to pay off, though it's going to be a LONG time before I can look at a word and know for sure how to pronounce it. (Of course, even after all these years with Dutch, there are some irregularities where I'm still not quite sure now to prounounce when I encounter them. But I'd say I'm at around 90-95% in terms of seeing a word and understanding how to pronounce it.) I don't think this is too bad...Even in my native English, there are times I encounter an unfamiliar word and am not sure how to pronounce it until I look it up online. Anyway. I sense I am rambling again. Sigh. 3. The first two goals are the ones I plan to devote my "active" pursuit/study time to...But as I said ages ago, in the earlier part of this book...erm, post, I also plan to also work on reviving and improving my French and Italian. I just won't be making them my top priority right now. Whew! I think that's more than enough to outline things as they stand right now. 1 person has voted this message useful | |
| pookiebear79 Groupie United States Joined 6022 days ago 76 posts - 142 votes Speaks: English* Studies: Dutch, French, Swedish, Italian | Message 2 of 3 24 May 2008 at 6:25pm | IP Logged |
|
Progress in Dutch: Well, despite the fact that I'm not "counting" this week, I am still making a little progress.
(I am not getting home each night until 1 or 2am, because I have to get all the computer usage I can crammed into this week, and I have been here downloading/finding as many materials as I can, because after tomorrow I go back to sharing this computer- which makes my time to download audio files and such quite limited. At least until we can finally get DSL in our neighborhood, or I just give in and get dial-up on my own computer next door.) Anyway, in the last few nights I still managed to get a bit of review and some new flash cards done. Right now I am just using the various "basic" materials I've collected over the years, plus a couple of new ones. Off the top of my head, that's : "Teach Yourself Dutch" Audiopackage (I previously used an older edition of just the book, but never completed it. The teach yourself books are good, but something about the layout makes me lose interest before I finish.) Anyway, on with the list. -Colloquial Dutch (with tape) -Teach yourself Conversational Dutch (which I don't really have any new words or phrases to learn from, but I listen alot to benefit my listening and speaking/accent anyway.) -Dutch in Three months (The very first book I ever used when I started dutch as a teenager. It's not ideal, but the tapes do have repetition drills if I recall correctly, which is also good to work on my listening/speaking rather than just reading like the book-heavy TY Dutch, which really only contains audio of the Dialogues.) -Taking Dutch Further (follow up to Dutch in 3 months.) I finally tracked down a copy. I picked this 'cause it was cheaper than Colloquial Dutch 2. I only have the book, no tapes, but it consists mostly of reading texts and more grammar stuff, so it should be good. I do read some of the passages, but I am not actively tackling it until I finish Dutch in 3 months again, as well as at least one of the other courses. I need to review and get my active vocabulary and grammar knowledge up to where it used to be before I proceed with phase 2, which is working towards an advanced knowledge/usage of Dutch. -201 dutch verbs. I have only glanced through this so far. But I intend to do some verb flash cards from it, especially to help me truly remember the different tenses of irregular verbs. And after that, I'll work on adding less commonly used/new verbs, beyond the ones I already know/use. I need to get myself a good, solid reference grammar. Also, I would like to find a more comprehensive Dutch-English dictionary (one that I can actually afford!) as the ones I have are lacking. And if I ever find it in my storage, I'd like to pull out my old "Teach Yourself Beginner's Dutch" just to review vocabulary I may have forgotten since I finished that book.) Lastly, I need/want to find a copy of FSI's Dutch Reader. I Checked it out of the university library many years ago and went through it a bit, but I was still quite a beginner then. Even though it's "outdated" in some ways (currency, some phrases/slang not in use any more,)Dutch learning materials aren't so easy to come by and it's one I'd like to have around, as a formal "reader", to supplement any online reading I do. I remember better if I have a physical copy of something that I can read, make notes on, etc, rather than just staring at something on a computer screen. And the printer needs a new ink cartridge. LOL. ............. Ok, too long, as usual. Now that I've gone over what my main materials are, here's the little bit of progress I made this week: -Reviewed the first 4 chapters of Teach Yourself Dutch. I just read through them and did all of the exercises mentally, as they were material I'd already studied and done the written work on previously. This was mostly just a self-test to see how much I've retained. -Went through most of chapter 1 and part of chapter 2 of Colloquial Dutch and did about half of the exercises. I just bought a copy of this. Although I used to have an earlier version of this course many years ago, I must not have actually done anything in the book, because it's not instantly familiar to me like the TY or Dutch in 3 mos. material is. So there is some new vocabulary for me in this book, but since I know most of the grammar stuff it should be quick progress--though not as quick, perhaps, as the material I am simply reviewing. -Did a couple of lessons/sections on Rosetta Stone Dutch. Made vocabulary lists of unfamiliar words, which I probably will make into flashcards (at least, the more "useful" words.) -Reviewed the 3rd disc (comprehension dialogues)of TY Dutch Conversation. I was on the computer so I only was half listening and didn't repeat everything because my attention was elsewhere. -Started, twice, to listen to tapes that accompany "Colloquial Dutch." But I fell asleep both times. (oops!) I think that's about it. As for Swedish, I listened and repeated along with the first lesson of the FSI course, but I didn't know most of what I was saying as I was (again) doing it as a "background" sort of activity while I was on the computer. Next week I will be able to start a more regular routine of study, I hope! 1 person has voted this message useful | |
| rolf Senior Member United Kingdom improvingmydutch.blo Joined 5999 days ago 107 posts - 134 votes Speaks: English* Studies: Dutch | Message 3 of 3 05 October 2008 at 4:58pm | IP Logged |
|
How's the Dutch going mate? I'm trying to learn too.
1 person has voted this message useful |
If you wish to post a reply to this topic you must first login. If you are not already registered you must first register
|  | 
Printable version
|
| Copyright 2024 FX Micheloud - All rights reserved No part of this website may be copied by any means without my written authorization. |
