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20 in 20 - learning log of the deranged

  Tags: Japanese | German | French
 Language Learning Forum : Language Learning Log Post Reply
138 messages over 18 pages: 1 2 3 46 7 ... 5 ... 17 18 Next >>
DaraghM
Diglot
Senior Member
Ireland
Joined 5911 days ago

1947 posts - 2923 votes 
Speaks: English*, Spanish
Studies: French, Russian, Hungarian

 
 Message 33 of 138
16 January 2009 at 9:11am | IP Logged 
Very sorry to hear about your loss. My sympathies are with you and your family at this difficult time.
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Sunja
Diglot
Senior Member
Germany
Joined 5845 days ago

2020 posts - 2295 votes 
1 sounds
Speaks: English*, German
Studies: French, Mandarin

 
 Message 34 of 138
16 January 2009 at 10:19am | IP Logged 
I started reading your log and I really enjoy your writing. I'm terribly sorry to hear what happened over the holidays. My husband's uncle passed away in the fall and while I couldn't travel with him, I understand what a huge family matter it is. It's very difficult to take care of family business (which always hits immediately) and to process thoughts past, future and present all at once. It's overwhelming. I'd like to chime in with the others in their well-wishes and look forward to if/when you continue your log. -- Sunja     
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Ninja Bunny
Diglot
Groupie
United States
Joined 5552 days ago

42 posts - 46 votes
Speaks: English*, German
Studies: Russian, Arabic (Written), Dutch, Danish, Mandarin, Afrikaans, Greek, Latin, Italian, Spanish, French

 
 Message 35 of 138
17 January 2009 at 11:37pm | IP Logged 
Spanky I'm so sorry to hear about your loss. Best wishes to you, your friends and family.
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Spanky
Senior Member
Canada
Joined 5716 days ago

1021 posts - 1714 votes 
Studies: French

 
 Message 36 of 138
29 January 2009 at 12:45am | IP Logged 
I am back to language studying after a short break, and have decided to try to be a little more focussed.   I do not believe that simultaneous study of different languages was working effectively for me, so I will focus on just one language at a time, though possibly for a shorter time period than a full year. Perhaps three or four months at a stretch before moving on to a new language, with a view to cycling back to previously studied languages after satisfying my impatient curiosity somewhat. I'll sort this out later, but for now I am committing to pushing through with French to the end of May in hopefully a fairly dedicated fashion.     

However, having said all that, I am stubbornly insisting on spending a few minutes a day on learning Japanese characters - am giving Heisig's Remembering the Kanji a try.    I had previously disregarded Heisig's approach (learn only the written representation without concurrently learning either the Han or On pronunciations), but it will be less of a mental exercise for me this way and presumably better than nothing, even if possibly not the most efficient learning approach.




Edited by Spanky on 29 January 2009 at 11:40am

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Spanky
Senior Member
Canada
Joined 5716 days ago

1021 posts - 1714 votes 
Studies: French

 
 Message 37 of 138
02 February 2009 at 1:32am | IP Logged 
French

This week mostly just reviewing material previously covered: Michel Thomas for Beginners, Disc #1, and Frenchpod101.com Newbie lessons #1 - 10.   

Also working through Radio France Internationale (RFI) Le Journal en Français Facile podcasts (audio and text), (RFI Journal en français facile), which I think will be a powerful learning tool for me.

My approach currently with each ten minute daily audio news segment is to listen at first to see how much I can pick up aurally (not a whole bunch yet), and then to work through the text very carefully with Wordreference at hand trying as far as possible to understand all the French used. Then I listen to the audio portion a second time while reading along with the text. It took me well over an hour the two times I tried doing this this week, but it resulted in lots of additional words and phrases for Anki dumping afterwards. This coming week, will try adding a third listening session after the other two perhaps later in the day, to see how much more I can then pick up just aurally.

Also spent at least 30 minutes per day passive random listening to French language broadcasting (radio and television).

Japanese

Learned kanji #1-45 of Remembering the Kanji (RTK).



Edited by Spanky on 02 February 2009 at 1:37am

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Spanky
Senior Member
Canada
Joined 5716 days ago

1021 posts - 1714 votes 
Studies: French

 
 Message 38 of 138
08 February 2009 at 11:45pm | IP Logged 
Wot Spanky dun this week.

French

Pimsleur I - units 15 and 16
Michel Thomas, French for Beginners - reviewing Discs 2 through 7
Frenchpod101.com - Newbie Lessons #11 - 17 (I am pretty sure Céline has a crush on me - il y a quelque chose dans sa voix qui me dit ça),
French.about.com - the following
     - les Mots du jour
     - articles on "leaving" verbs (partir v. s'en aller v. sortir v. quitter v. laisser), on les adjectifs and articles on the articles (indéfinis, définis et partitifs)
     - multiple choice tests associated with these articles - earning a variety of test results, from "Très bien" to a rather cheeky and utterly unwarranted "Oh là là - vous devez étudier."

RFI Journal en français facile - still taking an absurd amount of time to figure out the ten minute transcript references and being able to follow along orally.

General French language media - beaucoup de listening attentively to miscellaneous TV/radio - comprehension rate is, malheureusement, still discouragingly low.


Japanese

RTK, kanji #46 - 75

Realized that practically all of the katakana have gone off somewhere, without leaving a note. Am hoping some occasional review on my part entices them back.   


Edited by Spanky on 09 February 2009 at 12:22am

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Spanky
Senior Member
Canada
Joined 5716 days ago

1021 posts - 1714 votes 
Studies: French

 
 Message 39 of 138
16 February 2009 at 6:26pm | IP Logged 
This week:

French

Pimsleur I, units 17 and 18
Frenchpod101.com, newbie lessons 18-23
Michel Thomas, disc 8 a few times (enough to think I am actually present in the room, though sadly in the role of the slow-witted student).

Generally, lots and lots of listening to French TV (which I believe is helping quite a bit) and lots of eating of French fries (which is not helping much, or alternatively, is helping exactly as much as anticipated).

Japanese

Heisig's RTK, kanji #76-104.

Also, back to Anki reviewing of kana characters and vocabulary.



Edited by Spanky on 16 February 2009 at 6:32pm

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Spanky
Senior Member
Canada
Joined 5716 days ago

1021 posts - 1714 votes 
Studies: French

 
 Message 40 of 138
09 March 2009 at 7:04am | IP Logged 
Yikes, now I really will have to learn French.

My wife’s sister and her family will be moving next month to somewhere in France in or near Paris on a two year contract, and I have already secured a promise of floor space for a visit in whatever accommodation they rent. We will likely go for a couple of weeks during the summer of 2010.


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