|
 |
Frustrated | ||
Share with:
| ||
 Language Learning Forum : Advice Center |  | |
| jaguar8311 Groupie Canada Joined 6455 days ago 84 posts - 96 votes  Speaks: English* Studies: French | Message 9 of 14 27 November 2009 at 4:25am | IP Logged | ||
|
@EL
I did Michel Thomas, great introduction to refresh my memory in French I think Buttons is on to something, I actually found myself not wanting to change channels(I was watching Quebec news) because I actually caught bits and pieces of it. On the other hand, with just audio and no video even if I do catch what the narrator says, I still doze off within 2-3 minutes. Thanks for all the replies, I see all these methods that I am sure work great for most people but as Buttons said, I just have to keep looking for methods. Edited by jaguar8311 on 27 November 2009 at 4:27am 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| William Camden Hexaglot Senior Member United Kingdom Joined 6071 days ago 1936 posts - 2333 votes Speaks: English*, German, Spanish, Russian, Turkish, French | Message 10 of 14 28 November 2009 at 6:45pm | IP Logged | ||
|
I find after a certain level with an L2 or L3, you can plateau. No matter how hard you work, you just don't seem to make any obvious headway. This may be after moving forward by leaps and bounds earlier in the learning process.
1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| doviende Diglot Senior Member Canada languagefixatio Joined 5785 days ago 533 posts - 1245 votes Speaks: English*, German Studies: Spanish, Dutch, Mandarin, Esperanto, Hindi, Swedish, Portuguese | Message 11 of 14 29 November 2009 at 5:12am | IP Logged | ||
|
I recommend getting more materials, having more variety. Maybe find something ridiculous like South Park in french. Have several interesting books available around you. Maybe find some magazines on interesting topics.
With some variety, you won't have to feel like "i MUST read this book". Instead, you can just pick up whatever book is most interesting at the time, and I find that this helps a lot. Another thing for the "translating in your head" part, I suggest that you try this: Try reading but "ignoring" the meanings of the words. Instead of reading like you have been, just try to go through a whole page where you just look at each french word sequentially, and try to say each word out loud or in your head. Don't even try to "understand" anything, just look at those words and hear their sound in your head. focus on that sound. If there are any words you don't know, it doesn't matter. Pretend they're all words that you don't know, and just look at them and think of their sound in your head. just keep moving slowly and steadily through the entire page, looking at every word, but not consciously trying to understand. I think what you'll actually find is that you really will understand a lot of it. What this should help with is removing any anxiety about needing to know the meaning of every single word, which is probably one of the reasons you're trying to translate them in your head. By focusing purely on the sounds, and their "frenchness", you can remove the temptation to do any English, and just absorb yourself in the experience of looking at and sounding out french words in french. As was said above in another comment, you want to BE french, make it your language. 5 persons have voted this message useful | |||
| ChiaBrain Bilingual Diglot Senior Member United States Joined 5607 days ago 402 posts - 512 votes Speaks: English*, Spanish* Studies: Portuguese, Italian, French Studies: German | Message 12 of 14 29 November 2009 at 8:25pm | IP Logged | ||
|
I agree with Doviende
Ive found that once i shut my English speaking mind up, the one that constantly wants to say stuff like: "oh, that word, that means _____ and this other one means ______ ...", ...once I shut it up and just hear/see the words of the target language without trying to process them I find they start making pictures in my mind directly. Often this doesnt happen immediately but like a second or so after. It seems surprisingly passive and somewhat magical. I'd say repetition/immersion is the key. Much like learning a sport, you don't stop and say: "Ok i am this far into the swing so i have to rotate my arm ___ degrees for this length of time". You keep doing it letting your body get a feel for what is right. I also find it works better not to stop at every word but follow the flow and get and idea of what is being talked about then fill in the blanks after. 2 persons have voted this message useful | |||
| jaguar8311 Groupie Canada Joined 6455 days ago 84 posts - 96 votes Speaks: English* Studies: French | Message 13 of 14 01 December 2009 at 3:23am | IP Logged | ||
|
Thanks for all the replies, especially doviende, you always seem to have quality posts.
1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| fsc Senior Member United States Joined 6128 days ago 100 posts - 117 votes Studies: French | Message 14 of 14 01 December 2009 at 2:01pm | IP Logged | ||
I have never heard of this program so after I saw your post I checked at amazon and it getes good reviews, unlike Pimsleur. Thanks for the tip. 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. |
