Il viaggio di Shandra

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Elenia
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Finnish?!
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Re: Il viaggio di Shandra [ENG]

Postby Elenia » Thu Nov 24, 2016 10:58 pm

I'm late to your log, but have you looked at rdearman's log? He is a native English speaker, learning Italian and interested in cooking. It might be worth taking a look at his log :)

EDIT: I can't speak for rdearman, of course, but just thought it would be worth your time for your own benefit :)
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garyb
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Re: Il viaggio di Shandra [ENG]

Postby garyb » Fri Nov 25, 2016 10:59 am

I feel your pain with the syllable/stress timing thing, I had the opposite problem in Italian, I was pronouncing it with an English-like stress-timed rhythm rather than a more even syllable-timed one and it sounded strange. And this was despite having been aware of the distinction from the start, and not having had similar problems with French. I think the fact that Italian has lexical stress (which French doesn't) was what made me want to pronounce it with a rhythm based on that. Even though syllable-timing is simpler in theory, it's a difficult habit to change.

Like many aspects of pronunciation, it's something that should be taught at the start of every language course (especially those for a target language with different timing from the base language, like English for Italian speakers and vice versa), but sadly isn't.
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Re: Il viaggio di Shandra [ENG]

Postby DaveBee » Fri Nov 25, 2016 6:09 pm

shandra wrote:I've just finished A Little Princess. Nice reading, less pathetic than I expected.

I'm picking novels from Project Gutenberg because it is free and I could find also the audio version on LibriVox.

I want to read some classic of children's literature that I know only through Japanese animes (the World Masterpiece Theatre serie). I've never read any of them (except my favourite Anne of Green Gables), but choosing the English version I can pretend I'm studying :lol:

I have in my list also Jane Eyre, but it is around 400 pages so it will took me the time of 3/4 shorter novels to finish it. The satisfaction in saying I read 4 is different than saying I read 1 :oops:
Edith Nesbit's Railway Children is a bit of cultural touchstone in the UK. There's a 1970s film with Jenny Agutter that always seems to crop up on bank holiday TV schedules.
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shandra
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Languages: Italian (N), English (B1), Spanish (SIELE: Reading B2, Listening C1), French (A2), Chinese (HSK1), Japanese (JLPT N5) Frozen: Danish, Forgotten: Romanian
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Re: Il viaggio di Shandra [ENG]

Postby shandra » Mon Nov 28, 2016 11:25 am

(First thanks to all the Language Learners Friends who read my silly updates and support me with their kind suggestions! You're really precious!)

I've just downloaded and App to listen to UK radios in order to test the Bluetooth headphones my boyfriend bought me thanks to Black Friday's discounts.

I wonder if I could do that immersion thing, but I'm skeptical because I fear I can be overwhelmed after a day or two. Let's see.

I'm reading The Secret Garden. It is a slow thing because I simultaneously listen to the audio version and, as you know, the voice reads slower than my mind. But my purpose is to be more aware of pronunciation, so it's good.

I'm also trying to plan my study schedule for next year because "yesterday was Thanksgiving and tomorrow Santa is coming to town". December tends to fly!

I like New Year's Resolutions, but I tend to give up after a short amount of time because I get bored easily, I forget my purposes, or things of life plot against my plans.

And guess what I struggle with now? Yes, you're right: the desire to study another language! Oh oh oh!

I need to be consistent with English but, although time is always not enough, I'd like to spend half an hour a day to something else.

Last August I studied the first 6 lessons of Assimil German, but then I told myself English is more useful, also because I'm already at a intermediate level and not a total beginner.

I have in my wish list also Russian. There is a native that can help me, but the alphabet makes study slower, although Cyrillic is really simple (I studied it and forgotten only because I didn't plan to start seriously with the language).

Probably a smart thing could be to unfreeze one of the languages I studied in University and then forgot after years of inactivity.

I think Spanish can't give me enough fun, probably because of grammar revision and verbs tables. But what about Danish? I have the Assimil course, maybe it can help me reactivate my reading skill and at least I can read the books I bought years ago! :D

Final recap:
- persist with English
- maybe revive reading Danish
- maybe try Chinese HSK2
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shandra
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Languages: Italian (N), English (B1), Spanish (SIELE: Reading B2, Listening C1), French (A2), Chinese (HSK1), Japanese (JLPT N5) Frozen: Danish, Forgotten: Romanian
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Re: Shandra's German Wanderlust

Postby shandra » Tue Nov 29, 2016 5:10 pm

Yesterday I read the log Ingaræð's Fluency vs. Wanderlust Battle and found an interesting link to HTLAL forum where the user AML explain her Intensive Mission with Assimil Hebrew.

I gave it a try because my second name is Wanderlust, and this afternoon I studied the first six unit of Assimil - German.

I felt happy and free. :D

I'll use this post to track my progress if or when I date German again.

I've denied the urge to do something with German so this experience was useful. Although I'd like to finish Assimil before the end of the year, I don't want to set any goals because I want to be free to wanderlust (sic) or nor.

I can call the course: Assimil - German without Guilt.

: 51 / 100 Assimil German :

Day 1: ; New 1-7 (time = 1.5 hours)
Day 2: Review 1-7 ; New 8-14 (time = 2 hours)
Day 3: Review 8-14 ; New 15-21 (time = 2 hours)
Day 4: Review 15-21 ; New 22-28 (time = 1:45 hours)
Day 5: Review 22-28 ; New 29-35 (time = 2 hours)
Day 6: Review 29-35 ; New 36-42 (time = 3 hours)
Day 7: Review 36-42 ; New 43-45 (time = 2 hours)
Day 8: Review 43-45 ; New 46-50 (time = 2 hours)
Day 9: Review 46-50 ; New 51 (time = 0.5 hours)

Total sentences read: ~737
Total active study time: 16:45 hours
Last edited by shandra on Wed Dec 07, 2016 8:42 pm, edited 5 times in total.
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shandra
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Languages: Italian (N), English (B1), Spanish (SIELE: Reading B2, Listening C1), French (A2), Chinese (HSK1), Japanese (JLPT N5) Frozen: Danish, Forgotten: Romanian
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Re: Il viaggio di Shandra [ENG]

Postby shandra » Fri Dec 02, 2016 11:01 am

Yesterday I was in the middle of my window shopping tour and I came (casually, of course) in front of a bookshop, probably the last in city with a good choice of language learning books (casually, I repeat).

I gave a look to Keynote, an English course that uses TEDtalks among its learning activities. I can say it was better in my dreams. I mean, it really seems a good book, but I don't need another fancy course book.

For my English revision I'm using Grammar and Vocabulary for First and Advanced and Swan's Practical English Usage and I'm sure they're enough. I need immersion and practice, not more books :roll:

I also explored the German section, and I found something interesting: Begegnungen A1. It isn't as colourful as the others, but it seems more effective for my study style.

So yesterday evening I read my Assimil lessons, the same lessons I though I could skip because German is only a side activity. I decided I can buy that book, but only if I will finish Assimil. It seems a good compromise that allows me to save money, a strategy against impulse purchases! :?
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lingua
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Re: Il viaggio di Shandra [ENG]

Postby lingua » Fri Dec 02, 2016 6:33 pm

I understand your issue there. When I first started learning Italian I kept buying different books because I thought "this will be the book that will make me fluent" when in reality I needed to practice with what I already had. With Amazon and the Kindle I make far too many impulse purchases. I have more books than I can possibly read over the next five years.
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Super Challenge 2022-23:
DE: books: 0 / 2500 film: 1654 / 4500
IT: books: 3065 / 5000 film: 5031 / 9000
PT: books: 2921 / 5000 film: 5010 / 9000

Output Challenge 2023:
IT: write: 0 / 50000 record: 84 / 3000
PT: write: 0 / 50000 record: 0 / 3000

PT: Read 100 books: 28 / 100

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shandra
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Languages: Italian (N), English (B1), Spanish (SIELE: Reading B2, Listening C1), French (A2), Chinese (HSK1), Japanese (JLPT N5) Frozen: Danish, Forgotten: Romanian
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Re: Shandra likes Challenges

Postby shandra » Sat Dec 10, 2016 1:02 am

I'm considering to sign in to the Super Challenge because I like challenges and I love tracking things.

I add below an info graphic about films I found in the SC 2016 thread.

I think I'll join a Personal Challenge without the bot because I want to use also contents not allowed to count as films.

I'm already tracking the books I'm reading in English.

I want to track audiobooks and podcasts for intensive listening.
Background music can have its space as immersion (you know, the learning activity I say I do when I'm too tired to really listen to something...).

Probably the best thing to do is to update daily an Excel Sheet of Wonders.

Antimoon suggests at least 60 pages and 6 hours of input per week (from Zero to Hero in three years), and it seems something doable.

The essential aspect, for me, is to collect enough materials to make failure impossible because I tend to lose time in multiple ways, especially while thinking what to do next.

I need to have a book or my mp3 reader ready: all I have to do is open the book or press play and let Target Languages happen.

This week I haven't done much because we had a long bank holiday weekend (patron saint + Immaculate Conception feast + three days weekend). I'm spending time with fiancé and my family so I can't do reading or listening activities in L2, it seems they need my attention :?
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shandra
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Re: Il viaggio di Shandra [ENG]

Postby shandra » Wed Feb 22, 2017 10:43 pm

I am back after a three months hiatus :shock:

Long story short, I was tired :(

I begin 2017 with fever and flu.
Then I chose a fitness goal: now I go to the gym two to three times a week.
I've just started a new job.

I'm here again because I miss something. I need to study or to read about studying languages to feel complete (I'm overstating :oops: )

What can I do during my 2017?

English, my nemesis, is still on background waiting for me.
I'll read a lot because one of my task consists in writing content in my native language and the main sources are in English (IT related stuff).

At the moment I have no practical usage for my A1-ish languages (Chinese, Japanese).

Three months ago I considered German, but now I wonder if it would be better to dust off Spanish or French (the first studied for three years at university, the second for three years at middle school, both never used actively).

I know I have a French colleague (in France, not in my office in Italy). My chief write and talk to him in Italian, but it could be nice to say something in his language if I need to interact with him.

I'd like to study everything, old or brand new, but to keep on track I need a strong motivation.
And, as I said, I fear refreshing old languages can make sense (and also have a faster learning curve).

I noticed that after listening to Spanish stuff I start to talk to me in that language with a credible intonation. So Spanish is sleeping in my mind, waiting to be activated :shock: I need to test French contents' effect...
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shandra
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Posts: 133
Joined: Tue Dec 29, 2015 11:35 pm
Location: Italy
Languages: Italian (N), English (B1), Spanish (SIELE: Reading B2, Listening C1), French (A2), Chinese (HSK1), Japanese (JLPT N5) Frozen: Danish, Forgotten: Romanian
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Re: Il viaggio di Shandra [ENG]

Postby shandra » Thu Feb 23, 2017 10:44 pm

I read a discussion about DELE and found a link for a Placement Test.

The result was I can attempt a C1 exam :o

I'm not sure how accurate can be such a test, but maybe Spanish could turn into a study option this year.

I'm also impressed: although I haven't opened a grammar in almost ten years, I still remember subjuntivo :cry:
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