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Arekkusu’s TAC 2012 Team ne nur | ||
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 Language Learning Forum : Language Learning Log |  | |
| Arekkusu Hexaglot Senior Member Canada bit.ly/qc_10_lec Joined 5163 days ago 3971 posts - 7747 votes  Speaks: English, French*, GermanC1, Spanish, Japanese, Esperanto Studies: Italian, Norwegian, Mandarin, Romanian, Estonian | Message 217 of 407 10 October 2011 at 6:01pm | IP Logged | ||
Sprachprofi, if you feel I might be of assistance, let me know... 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| Arekkusu Hexaglot Senior Member Canada bit.ly/qc_10_lec Joined 5163 days ago 3971 posts - 7747 votes Speaks: English, French*, GermanC1, Spanish, Japanese, Esperanto Studies: Italian, Norwegian, Mandarin, Romanian, Estonian | Message 218 of 407 10 October 2011 at 7:23pm | IP Logged | ||
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This Thanksgiving weekend was an opportunity to revisit my learning goals and strategies for Japanese. I
analyzed my relative abilities in all 4 skills, and noted what's been working and what hasn't been working so well. I wrote down what's been annoying me and what's been encouraging. The conclusion I came to was no surprise: my biggest problem is vocabulary. It's what makes serious reading laborious, what limits more serious discussions from taking off. It's the one thing that annoys me and that I really want to change: I need to improve the way I learn vocabulary. I know I really dislike SRS, so that's not the answer. I also know I do encounter new words in context when I read, watch TV shows or participate in discussions, so I don't need new ways to expose myself to words. However, there is something inefficient about the way I retain vocabulary. After an analysis of how I study, I realized that there are too many distractions and I don't have enough time to properly ponder new vocabulary. The first thing I did was to find a new place to work. I don't like to be isolated from others, so shutting myself in a room is out of the question, and it's obvious that sitting in the living room while others are watching TV -- even if I'm not interested in the show -- is too distracting. So I moved a little table in front of a window in the dining room; it's bright, I'm not isolated, but yet I'm not able to see the TV. The table is small, which limits potential distractions or clutter. It's a dedicated area where I can study vocabulary. I also got myself a big pad of 11x14in paper. Each page will contain up to 10 new words every day. I figure that if I can keep that rhythm up, I should be able to almost double my vocabulary by the time I reach my 4th year of study. I have no idea if this will work, but it's the first step in establishing a system that will allow me to reach my goal. Have you taken time recently to reconsider your language goals? 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| Arekkusu Hexaglot Senior Member Canada bit.ly/qc_10_lec Joined 5163 days ago 3971 posts - 7747 votes Speaks: English, French*, GermanC1, Spanish, Japanese, Esperanto Studies: Italian, Norwegian, Mandarin, Romanian, Estonian | Message 219 of 407 20 October 2011 at 6:26pm | IP Logged | ||
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The idea that's most been on my mind lately is the relationship between creativity and language learning.
I assume that this isn't much of an issue for people who study only so they can read in the language, but I've been realizing that language learning is actually my main outlet for creativity. That's why I focus on speaking, because I'm continuously creating sentences and ways to express ideas and opinions. This challenge is what drives me. For a good 10 years, I stopped studying foreign languages. To fill this gap, unknowingly, I first painted, then dabbled in photography and later composed and performed as a singer-songwriter. When I lost interest in singing, I went back to studying and started with Japanese. As I stopped to reflect on where I'm headed with regards to Japanese, I realized that some of the technology I used for language learning actually inhibited my creativity. I'm still trying to find new practical ways to put this realization to use. 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| g-bod Diglot Senior Member United KingdomRegistered users can see my Skype Name Joined 5764 days ago 1485 posts - 2002 votes Speaks: English*, Japanese Studies: French, German | Message 220 of 407 20 October 2011 at 10:48pm | IP Logged | ||
I think I started the year wanting to thoroughly master reading in Japanese but it is now looking like listening and speaking will be the winners of 2011 and I am quite happy with that. There's nothing like a busy schedule to focus the mind but the reality is my free time is very limited right now. I just wish I had more time for Japanese study. 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| Arekkusu Hexaglot Senior Member Canada bit.ly/qc_10_lec Joined 5163 days ago 3971 posts - 7747 votes Speaks: English, French*, GermanC1, Spanish, Japanese, Esperanto Studies: Italian, Norwegian, Mandarin, Romanian, Estonian | Message 221 of 407 31 October 2011 at 5:10pm | IP Logged | ||
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I'm considering participating in the local Japanese speech contest again this year.
The problem is always the same -- what shall I talk about? If I chose the easiest or most interesting topic for me, I'd be talking about language, or stepping out of your comfort zone, or the relationship between embracing vulnerability and success in language learning, or else something about how we could all benefit from coaching in language learning... but I keep talking about the same stuff all the time. Not to mention that Japanese judges don't really care about that sort of stuff. Although to be honest, I don't actually want to win this time -- going to the national finals is too much of a bother and too much stress. I'm not getting any younger. So then what could I talk about? This morning, I was thinking that perhaps I could talk about something I never thought I'd talk about. Of course, I don't know what that is. I could pick something I know nothing about, learn about it, then talk about it! I don't know... the influence of sculpture on politics in the 16th century? The world-wide decrease in criminality in the 20th century? The expansion of the universe and dark matter? What would you talk about? Edited by Arekkusu on 31 October 2011 at 5:10pm 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| Lexii Senior Member United States Joined 5004 days ago 162 posts - 194 votes Speaks: English* Studies: Japanese | Message 222 of 407 01 November 2011 at 2:55am | IP Logged | ||
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Interesting question, Arekkusu. How long does the speech need to be? How long do you have to prepare? Can you talk about virtually anything you want? Are there any off-limits topics?
If it were me, I might consider doing a review, perhaps of a current movie, book, TV show or game. Or maybe a how-to: how to bake a fantastic cake, how to change a tire, how to do online banking. Maybe I'd consider doing a mini-travelogue, like highlighting the best delis in my area (and why I think they're the best), or 50 places one should see when visiting my town. Perhaps I could explain the meaning and customs of a particular holiday or share my opinions on a particular aspect of parenting (methods of discipline, options for education) or on the pros and cons of renting versus buying in today's real estate market. My topics aren't as grand as yours but I hope perhaps they'll help you decide. At the very least, maybe you can chalk them up as topics you definitely don't want to talk about :). 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| Arekkusu Hexaglot Senior Member Canada bit.ly/qc_10_lec Joined 5163 days ago 3971 posts - 7747 votes Speaks: English, French*, GermanC1, Spanish, Japanese, Esperanto Studies: Italian, Norwegian, Mandarin, Romanian, Estonian | Message 223 of 407 01 November 2011 at 3:29am | IP Logged | ||
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@Lexii
The speech needs to be 5 minutes long in the advanced category. There is no limit as to the topic per se, but I suppose they do prefer topics that have something to do with Japanese or Japan. You can talk about whatever you want, but you do have to consider who the target audience is. If I could really do whatever I want, I would probably teach something, as you suggest, except that you don't have access to anything (like a blackboard) and explaining how to do something using words alone can be a bit limiting if you are trying to teach something complex. But it might be possible to work around this and find something that can indeed be taught... 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| Solfrid Cristin Heptaglot Winner TAC 2011 & 2012 Senior Member Norway Joined 5116 days ago 4143 posts - 8864 votes Speaks: Norwegian*, Spanish, Swedish, French, English, German, Italian Studies: Russian | Message 224 of 407 01 November 2011 at 8:14am | IP Logged | ||
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I guess we tend to underestimate competition as a motivating factor. You are much better at this in the US and Canada. In Norway you are allowed to compete in sport, but if you had a competition like this in languages, they would probably bring in all the newspapers.
1 person has voted this message useful |
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