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 Language Learning Forum : Language Learning Log |  | |
| Prosechild Newbie United States Joined 6729 days ago 10 posts - 10 votes Speaks: English* Studies: French | Message 9 of 17 20 April 2007 at 3:14pm | IP Logged | ||||||||
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after taking a long hiatus from study, I'm back at it. I got the French in Action textbook in the mail today, so I decided to start over from lesson 2.
The introduction stresses learning the meaning of words and phrases in context, and discourages associating an English word for a French one. Just knowing that going into today's viewing really helped, b/c I was associating the images with the words, not the words with English words. I was also pleasantly surprised to find that I understood alot more of the lesson than the last two viewings. I'm crossing my fingers that I can keep my enthusiasm going once I get past the third lesson or so (that's as far as I got last time, when I was using more than one method). And if you're reading this, thanks again Farley for recommending the textbook. I feel like it's been a big help already. 1 person has voted this message useful | |||||||||
| Prosechild Newbie United States Joined 6729 days ago 10 posts - 10 votes Speaks: English* Studies: French | Message 10 of 17 20 August 2007 at 3:51pm | IP Logged | ||||||||
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Well I'm back again... pretty much in the same place as in April. I finished Lesson 6 the other day. I was pretty pleased that I could read over the lesson without having to look up the words (had to look up 2 words from lesson 5)... I had a feeling of having learned/retained alot! I can pretty much understand everything from the lesson at this point as well.
My only concern is that I'm not learning to write French. Maybe I should learn to read/speak first, then write? My method right now is to read the chapter in the text from the last lesson (lesson 5), then watch the current lesson (lesson 6). Then the next day read over lesson 6, watch lesson 7 etc. The hardest part of it all is being consistent. On most days, the last thing I want to do is follow Mirielle and Robert... and then maybe 1 or 2 where I actually want to do a lesson but don't have time. 1 person has voted this message useful | |||||||||
| Quinn Senior Member United States Joined 6315 days ago 134 posts - 186 votes  Speaks: English* Studies: French, Italian, Spanish | Message 11 of 17 22 August 2007 at 11:55am | IP Logged | ||||||||
Congratulations, you're clearly making progress!
My understanding is that learning to speak and write fluently take the longest of all the skills. As your comprehension improves and you are able to understand more of what you are hearing/reading, you will begin memorizing common phrases that you frequently encounter. Eventually, you will be able to respond with them by reflex.
Yeah, that's the hardest part for me, too. In the words of John Lennon, "Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans." It's hard not to get sidetracked, but consistency is probably the single most important aspect of any kind of study. Some days I'm too busy or too drained to get my 30-60 minutes of FSI in, but I try to have some type of contact with French every single day. Some days, it's just listening to the news for ten minutes on Radio France International, other days it's going through my flashcards a few times or spending a few minutes reading at the dinner table. Stick with it and you will get better and better. Edited by Quinn on 22 August 2007 at 11:56am 1 person has voted this message useful | |||||||||
| Prosechild Newbie United States Joined 6729 days ago 10 posts - 10 votes Speaks: English* Studies: French | Message 12 of 17 25 October 2007 at 6:46pm | IP Logged | ||||||||
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I pretty much suck at studying. I spent more time thinking about the course, than actually using it. I just finished up lesson 14 today. It's taken me months to do something that should've taken two weeks.
The biggest question, though, is why do I want to learn French? Maybe if I really thought about it, learning it wouldn't be so hard. I also feel like I'm just going through the motions. Out of laziness, I stopped reading the text. Now I don't understand most of the dialogue. I'm gonna start reading from where I am and go through the old lessons as time permits. I'm trying not to beat myself up too badly, as I have two more times to go through this course before I move on to FSI. 1 person has voted this message useful | |||||||||
| apparition Octoglot Senior Member United States Joined 6642 days ago 600 posts - 667 votes Speaks: English*, Arabic (Written), French, Arabic (Iraqi), Portuguese, German, Italian, Spanish Studies: Pashto | Message 13 of 17 26 October 2007 at 10:33am | IP Logged | ||||||||
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I'd still focus more on reading/listening than on writing/speaking at this point, if I were you.
I've found I enjoy languages much more when there is no pressure on me to reproduce what I've just heard or read. I still repeat and shadow, but I don't try to produce 'from scratch' (unless I really want to). It means I don't get frustrated with my progress and so I am able to keep at it for a long time every day, which is, on the whole, more productive than a few pressure-filled bursts of 'gotta-get-this-in-my-brain' that leaves me burnt out. Have you considered the shadowing method described on these pages? 1 person has voted this message useful | |||||||||
| Prosechild Newbie United States Joined 6729 days ago 10 posts - 10 votes Speaks: English* Studies: French | Message 14 of 17 26 October 2007 at 12:07pm | IP Logged | ||||||||
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Apparition, thanks for your advice... that really helps, b/c I keep forgetting that I'm supposed to feel lost and confused. I'll just make sure to read each lesson before moving on to the next one.
I'd like to look at the shadowing method. If you have any particular threads that you know to be helpful, please post. I'm gonna do a search and see what's there. Thanks again! 1 person has voted this message useful | |||||||||
| apparition Octoglot Senior Member United States Joined 6642 days ago 600 posts - 667 votes Speaks: English*, Arabic (Written), French, Arabic (Iraqi), Portuguese, German, Italian, Spanish Studies: Pashto | Message 15 of 17 26 October 2007 at 4:08pm | IP Logged | ||||||||
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I'd suggest browsing Professor Arguelles' subforum. I can't recall an exact thread, sorry!
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| Prosechild Newbie United States Joined 6729 days ago 10 posts - 10 votes Speaks: English* Studies: French | Message 16 of 17 27 October 2007 at 10:41am | IP Logged | ||||||||
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that's a great start though! Thanks for pointing me that way :-)
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