|
 |
Cihlomorka’s Log (double Romance) | ||
Share with:
| ||
 Language Learning Forum : Language Learning Log |  | |
| cihlomorka Triglot Newbie Czech RepublicRegistered users can see my Skype Name Joined 4417 days ago 15 posts - 18 votes Speaks: Czech*, Slovak, EnglishC1 Studies: Polish, Latin, FrenchB2, Persian, Italian | Message 1 of 9 09 April 2012 at 12:03am | IP Logged | ||
 I am a Czech student in History, Latin and Medieval French Philology at the Charles University in Prague who is recently studying at the Sorbonne University in Paris. Although my first foreign language was English, followed by some flirting with German and slight insights into other Slavic languages, I've always been naturally attracted to Romance languages, mostly because of their rich vocabulary and melodic sound. Therefore there is no wonder I've decided to devote my year of 2012 to the studies and improvement of two of them, namely Italian and French. Strange as it may seem, until quite recently the most advanced of my Romance languages has actually been - Latin. :) As I am currently majoring in Medieval Latin, I studied all its aspects, from the classical Latin to the three main pronunciation varieties, and I even partly managed to get it fluent and treat it as a living language (which is commonly required in our department, I am not a geek all alone!). My French was hanging somewhere around the A2 level, due to both lack of time and inconsistent studying approach (for a long time I have been actually better in reading 15th century texts in moyen français, which I know quite well, than in contemporary French. That's why I decided to get the ball rolling and move for one year to Paris! ... I may be the only student at the Sorbonne University who ever entered without knowing how to fill in the forms. :) But finally, I made my way through and right now, I am quite a satisfied Parisienne pushing up fluency, approximately at B2 level. I am living with a French family, trying to lead everyday discussions in my field with French colleagues. What I would like to do before the end of my French anabasis (i.e. beginning of September) is to reach a solid C1 level (and, of course, make as many acquaintances as possible to hold it on...) Edited by cihlomorka on 09 April 2012 at 7:08am 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| cihlomorka Triglot Newbie Czech RepublicRegistered users can see my Skype Name Joined 4417 days ago 15 posts - 18 votes Speaks: Czech*, Slovak, EnglishC1 Studies: Polish, Latin, FrenchB2, Persian, Italian | Message 2 of 9 09 April 2012 at 12:07am | IP Logged | ||
|
In the beginning of March I also took off in Italian. Something I would generally not recommend to others, as my fluency in French merely started being settled by then, and dealing with two (in fact, three :) Romance languages at a time might resolve in a tricky outcome. But in this case, I had no choice (because of the formal demands of my future PhD.), and so far I manage quite well, applying carefully all tips and tricks for a simultaneous language learning I found on the internet (I will focus on this subject in one of my later posts).
My aim in Italian is quite humble - to build up a language core and get it approximately to B1 level by the end of this year. I want to take it slowly also because I would really like to sound correct, and get the things like stress and pronunciation right from the beginning. It feels thrilling to follow the Romance language thread from the ancient genesis to its nowadays outcomes. Something like a peaceful afternoon next to the radio, whose broadcasting starts with a medieval choral only to later develop into a classic symphony and end up with a breathtaking jazz solo. :) Hopefully, I won't break my sax before the end of the year. In bocca al lupo! P.S. I am pleased and excited to become a part of the team TAC 2012 - The Romantics, aiming at studying Romance languages. With no doubt reading other members' logs will help me overcome difficulties, as well as enjoy little triumphs. :) Edited by cihlomorka on 12 April 2012 at 2:24am 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| cihlomorka Triglot Newbie Czech RepublicRegistered users can see my Skype Name Joined 4417 days ago 15 posts - 18 votes Speaks: Czech*, Slovak, EnglishC1 Studies: Polish, Latin, FrenchB2, Persian, Italian | Message 3 of 9 09 April 2012 at 1:08am | IP Logged | ||
 Having already passed six months in France, I would describe my current level of French as B2. On the other hand, apart from one favorite I don't have yet much experience with the French literature, and I guess reading the 19th century Classics would still be quite a torture. Now I usually get everything I am told in a face-to-face conversation, and some 85 per cent in the radio/TV. I have to acknowledge I manage much worse with the French in the streets, even if I would say the reason partly lies in the extensive noise in Parisian streets, rather than a sudden lack of listening abilities... Edited by cihlomorka on 09 April 2012 at 7:13am 2 persons have voted this message useful | |||
| cihlomorka Triglot Newbie Czech RepublicRegistered users can see my Skype Name Joined 4417 days ago 15 posts - 18 votes Speaks: Czech*, Slovak, EnglishC1 Studies: Polish, Latin, FrenchB2, Persian, Italian | Message 4 of 9 09 April 2012 at 2:51am | IP Logged | ||
|
My targets in French (now - end of 2012) ...and how to do it?
My main target in spoken French is predictable: to develop further my fluency and spread it onto more complicated or specialized topics. How to get there is quite apparent. Unfortunately, the courses and seminars at the Sorbonne University are rather passive and students are often not supposed to "intrude", yet I practice speaking in Parisian shops (rule: Never leave the shop without asking a question! :) and parks (Is that lovely (*loutish*) boy your grandson?), and try to organize each second day some meeting with my friends or language exchange partners. Fortunately, I found two native Frenchmen studying Czech at an intermediate/advanced level so we make quite a balanced team. Tandem is the greatest thing to understand different structures of expression in both your native and target languages. These meetings are currently the only contact with my mother tongue. (perhaps for good.) I stay here with a French family so I set myself another rule: Not to pass a day without a short conversation with one of my housemates. (They are four. And this is actually even more enhancing, since different counterparts bring different conversation patterns). Every time I can hear the sound of the front door opening, I run out from my studio and pretend to be doing something in the kitchen. ;) Another method that helps me a great deal is a self-talk. I am often alone in the house or in the garden, and then I do it all the time. Once I read somewhere a good thing to do is to comment continuously all your activities in the target language (e. g. saying Je me brosse les dents, when brushing your teeth. Or well, maybe just... when doing something else :), however what works best for me is rather a more compact self-talk on a given topic. For example I try to paraphrase the plot of a movie I saw yesterday (if it wasn't a French one, I get some points extra), or what I think about the presidential elections, how would I furnish this room it is was mine etc... I also often speak to the two pets (dog & cat) my family has (maybe in expectation of some genuine native speakers' reaction ;). This might all seem quite crazy, but if you lack native speakers, give it a try! Generally I aim at a daily repetition with Anki flashcards, including recorded samples. I add 20 new words a day. I don't know whether that is considered much or little, but as I am currently living in France, my situation is much different from that of a student in foreign country. I am surrounded by new words and often forced to absorb them unwittingly all day long. Therefore there is a growing number of words I am able to understand and identify, but not prepared to use myself. That's why I've decided to make my daily ration on contrary quite small, and really aim to set the words to their right place and stick them in. They are actually mostly not new, but chosen words. As there are two young girls in the family and they are quite fond of me, I am also using their assistance in finding the right words game. We do it as follows... 1) I prepare in advance a list of vocabulary related to some subject (e. g. food in the fridge, all that grows in the garden). I try to find the best words consulting different dictionaries, sometimes even multiple. 2) Once I have it written down, we go together to the room/place related to the vocabulary and start going through all the words. 3) The point is to find out, whether the words I found were appropriate, or native speakers would spontaneously choose something else. etc. There certainly are many other ideas how to search for a new vocabulary. But since there is, as I mentioned, enough new words surrounding me, I prefer to limit myself to those listed. As listening still is the crucial point of my French skills, one could think I shall devote most of my efforts to repeated listenings of some studying materials. However, what I plan to do here is rather a passive, intuitive activity than any intensive drill. I listen (daily) to French radio podcasts. I have chosen the France culture station, since it perfectly suits my studies and interests. http://www.franceculture.fr/ In the weekend, I usually watch some of my favourite broadcasts on the French TV 1. (Here I am on contrary watching sitcoms and telenovelas that are completely opposite to my interests, but easier to get and full of contemporary, living language) http://videos.tf1.fr/ I do not try to make many notes, rather let it sink in naturally, only occasionally I note some words. I often listen to podcasts or watch movies when I am tired. This passive cognition is usually the last stage of my daily practice, but it also feels most comfortable. I do not intend to do much writing drill before my comeback from France in September, so this item is *to be continued*. Being here, I want to gain as much as possible from the living language opportunities... What I however aim to do and practice in the nearest future is language switching. Leaving aside the necessity to keep my French separated from Persian and Italian (which I didn't yet mention), I also have to do it for practical reasons. Some of my courses at the Sorbonne are in Latin, and here comes the real appeal... because if I usually don't meet much difficulties in translating (simple) medieval phrases into Czech, or from Czech into French, making it direct from Latin to French is a completely different story! It is a story of a broken bridge where two groups of citizens look downcast into each others' remote faces and try to cross the river in logboats. But those (exceptional) moments they actually meet are quite unique. :) Again, give it a try! I promise you will get a completely different insight.* Edited by cihlomorka on 12 April 2012 at 2:30am 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| Kerrie Senior Member United States justpaste.it/Kerrie2 Joined 5196 days ago 1232 posts - 1740 votes  Speaks: English* Studies: Spanish | Message 5 of 9 09 April 2012 at 3:52am | IP Logged | ||
|
Welcome to the team, Cihlomorka! Best of luck in your studies this year!
1 person has voted this message useful | |||
 songlines Pro Member Canada flickr.com/photos/cp Joined 5010 days ago 729 posts - 1056 votes Speaks: English* Studies: French Personal Language Map | Message 6 of 9 09 April 2012 at 6:07am | IP Logged | ||
|
Looks like a fantastic start to your log, cihlomorka. - Welcome to the forums!
- Songlines, fellow "Romantic". 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| songlines Pro Member Canada flickr.com/photos/cp Joined 5010 days ago 729 posts - 1056 votes Speaks: English* Studies: French Personal Language Map | Message 7 of 9 09 April 2012 at 5:39pm | IP Logged | ||
|
A few additional notes:
Are your courses at the Sorbonne ones related to your field of study, or are they part of the French language progamme at the Cours de civilisation française? If the latter, and you're finding it too - umm - theoretical, you might like to try some of the following strategies, for language practice, and meeting new people. (Though the enthusiastic techniques you've developed seem quite good!) Meetup.com: Paris Meetups I notice there's a group for Fench language practice. On va sortir. On va sortir. Someone else on these forums recommended this organization, saying that, in France, it's more popular than the Meetups. If you join something like a hiking group, then you would also get the bonus of seeing some of the French countryside while practicing your French. Couchsurfing. www.couchsurfing.org A hospitality exchange website. You can mark your profile "coffee or drinks only", since your situation won't allow you to host. - And you can also - in your description - explain that/why you'd prefer to welcome French/Italian-language speakers. Depending on the city, there may also be a group for members in that city, and CS meetings at pubs, cafes, and such. (e.g. someone here in Toronto once organized an apple-picking outing). This one may be less useful for you, but you never know... Apart from the above, are there student clubs at the Sorbonne (or non-student ones for Paris/France in general) for any hobbies you might have, or be interested in trying: skiing, photography, cinema-going, rock-climbing...? Hope this helps, Songlines. Edited by songlines on 09 April 2012 at 5:42pm 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| cihlomorka Triglot Newbie Czech RepublicRegistered users can see my Skype Name Joined 4417 days ago 15 posts - 18 votes Speaks: Czech*, Slovak, EnglishC1 Studies: Polish, Latin, FrenchB2, Persian, Italian | Message 8 of 9 12 April 2012 at 12:38am | IP Logged | ||
Kerrie, Songlines, thank you both! I hope to hold on. :)
I attend courses at the departments of History and Medieval French Literature. Thus my primary aim is (theoretically) not to learn the language, but make research in these subjects. That I transformed my scholarship into an intensive language stay was my own initiative (and I constantly try to persuade my lecturers I am writing my thesis and the Persian stuff on my desk is just for fun, humm, to be stuck under the table leg so it stops wobbling... ;) Thank you for all the tips for further socialization. I already have much contact with my friends and colleagues, yet it is true meetups aimed at language learning might bring me new perspectives... Edited by cihlomorka on 12 April 2012 at 12:42am 1 person has voted this message useful |
|  | 
Printable version
|
| Copyright 2024 FX Micheloud - All rights reserved No part of this website may be copied by any means without my written authorization. |
