How go the Resolutions?
The Cunning Linguist had a nice post on what to do now that January's end draws near if the resolutions aren't in such good shape. Be sure to have a look for some good ideas and some good resources for taking your learning in a new direction.
Here are my resolutions and how they're going (in italics):
1) French: I devoted considerable years to it, my colleagues speak it and so I will be working to maintain and rebuild it through reading, music and conversation. Due to ear problems, I haven't listened to as much music as I'd like, but certainly spoken with colleagues plenty, as well as using French resources to study Breton.
2) Spanish: A lot of colleagues speak it and so I use it a lot. I'd like to speak it correctly. I've been using the Assimil Español sans peine, and taking a gander at Sci-fi in Spanish translation.
3) Italian: Long term, I would like to better enjoy Calvino and Eco. Short term, I'd like to converse more easily. I've been using Assimil Le Nouvel italien sans peine and listening to Italian music in the car.
4) Mandarin: I'd like to be able to go to the Chinese shops in the area and manage more than the formalities in Mandarin. I've fussed around with a few online sites, but haven't done enough.
5) Breton: This one, I know, is impractical. But I truly loved my time in Bretagne and would like to get in touch with its mythical past. I'm not, by the way, shooting for fluency, just an acquaintance with the language. This has been the focal point of my enthusiasm. I've memorized a bit of Breton verse, reviewed what I'd covered in Assimil Breton sans peine and started working through Colloquial Breton. I've also leafed through a children's dictionary and introductory grammar published by Ouest-France.
6) My language goals are tied to progress and enjoyment in the language, not particular methods or courses. On the one hand, failing to finish a book won't count as failure. On the other hand, completing a program without actually improving my skills won't count as success. For those languages that I have worked on, my focus has been on having fun and finding out new things more than sticking to the methods within particular books. This has my French, Italian and Spanish coming out a little smoother, if not markedly better, and has led to a better understanding of Breton.
All told, I think the resolutions are on a better track this year than last, not because I've made great strides, but because I've made more realistic resolutions. Now we'll see what February brings.
Here are my resolutions and how they're going (in italics):
1) French: I devoted considerable years to it, my colleagues speak it and so I will be working to maintain and rebuild it through reading, music and conversation. Due to ear problems, I haven't listened to as much music as I'd like, but certainly spoken with colleagues plenty, as well as using French resources to study Breton.
2) Spanish: A lot of colleagues speak it and so I use it a lot. I'd like to speak it correctly. I've been using the Assimil Español sans peine, and taking a gander at Sci-fi in Spanish translation.
3) Italian: Long term, I would like to better enjoy Calvino and Eco. Short term, I'd like to converse more easily. I've been using Assimil Le Nouvel italien sans peine and listening to Italian music in the car.
4) Mandarin: I'd like to be able to go to the Chinese shops in the area and manage more than the formalities in Mandarin. I've fussed around with a few online sites, but haven't done enough.
5) Breton: This one, I know, is impractical. But I truly loved my time in Bretagne and would like to get in touch with its mythical past. I'm not, by the way, shooting for fluency, just an acquaintance with the language. This has been the focal point of my enthusiasm. I've memorized a bit of Breton verse, reviewed what I'd covered in Assimil Breton sans peine and started working through Colloquial Breton. I've also leafed through a children's dictionary and introductory grammar published by Ouest-France.
6) My language goals are tied to progress and enjoyment in the language, not particular methods or courses. On the one hand, failing to finish a book won't count as failure. On the other hand, completing a program without actually improving my skills won't count as success. For those languages that I have worked on, my focus has been on having fun and finding out new things more than sticking to the methods within particular books. This has my French, Italian and Spanish coming out a little smoother, if not markedly better, and has led to a better understanding of Breton.
All told, I think the resolutions are on a better track this year than last, not because I've made great strides, but because I've made more realistic resolutions. Now we'll see what February brings.
Labels: resolutions
1 Comments:
My experience is that language learning is about time more than anything else. To get better French, I suggest that you go to www.polyglot-learn-language.com and find a study buddy their to practice with on Skype or MSN Messenger. The more you practice speaking (3-5 times per week), the better you'll get at it. Good luck with your resolutions. I feel your pain with Chinese as I am currently struggling with it myself.
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