Ka upane! (2017)

[Teango]

...I might just start off with War and Peace instead.

Ну ты даешь...that's the spirit, B...к чёрту with those bijoux Red Kalinkas!

[Teango]

source: negativespace.co

This last week has been incredibly tough in terms of both what looks like insurmountable bureaucratic issues and serious health concerns, but my wife and I are just about hanging in there. With regards to languages, I think I made good progress earlier in NZSL as part of the 6 Week Challenge (6WC), and am well and truly smitten with signing. Russian will probably be next in the spotlight if I'm granted at least a little break in the clouds, but it's hard to keep my grip and focus on non-essential matters right now.

NZSL

I invested well over 100 hours into studying NZSL for the recent 6WC, and came in third place for overall target language hours. By the end of the challenge, I estimated my level had risen from a complete beginner in the weeks just prior to the challenge up to a more confident low intermediate level (approx. B1 on the CEFR scale). I now have a good grasp of NZSL grammar, am able to sign what I want to slowly, and can grasp the gist of most signing videos. I've also added the key resources I've used to the end of my first blog post for 2017 for anyone who might be interested in learning NZSL. This completes my first big language goal for 2017, and more importantly, I learned the word "jandals" (i.e., the New Zealand word for flip-flops) in the process!

Hawaiian

Apart from a few low-hanging phrases here and there, not much to report in my little taro patch.

Russian

I've scored around a dozen hours for Russian to date this year, which is mostly a combination of speaking and some vocabulary study. It's not much so far, I know, but with the 6WC out of the way (where my primary goal was to learn NZSL), my main focus will now be on getting my Russian and Hawaiian up to scratch.

[Teango]

source: negativespace.co

I continue to struggle with serious health issues, so progress has been much slower than hoped this month. Nevertheless, I've tried to keep up with some of my core languages in a hit-and-miss fashion, and have even learned a bunch of new signs which were only recently added to the NZSL dictionary (e.g., Facebook, tablet, Twitter). With regards to dabbling in other languages, I completed a computer game in Spanish, watched some funny German movies and more serious documentaries, and decided to freshen up my knowledge of the constructed language Toki Pona.

NZSL

I'm still plugging away at my online resources and have now completed 80% of the Thumbs Up! online NZSL course. Once I finish all the units in this course, I'll move on to my upper intermediate online resources.

Incidentally, I tried to sign with a deaf shop assistant last month in Safeway, but as she used ASL (which only overlaps with approximately 30% of the core signs in NZSL), I ended up asking her for a "wooden board" in the bakery section rather than "a loaf of bread". Needless-to-say, I received strange looks... @.@

Hawaiian

My big catch this month has been this excellent Hawaiian language resource from the Bishop Museum. Not only does it offer high quality audio in Hawaiian taken from a tour guide menu relating to some of the interesting cultural artifacts on display, but it also includes the accompanying transcripts. Bingo!

As part of the April Vocabulary Challenge on the forum, I also racked up 500 new words in Hawaiian over the last month. And although much of it seemed to revolve around fishing, seafood, and boat rigging, at least I now know the difference between an ʻaʻama (a feisty big black crab that scuttles over shore rocks) and an ʻalaʻeke (a sandy-coloured little pincher crab that hangs out in shallow water). Wahoo - call me Ishmael!

Russian

Russian has yet to take off this year, as I'm initially focusing on taking my Hawaiian and New Zealand Sign Language to the next level before hitting the hard slopes with Russian. Last week, however, I was reminded once again how young children's songs may be cute but not always an easy route to comprehensible input: "Далеко, далеко, на лугу пасутся ко…?" (far away, far away, in the meadow co.. are grazing). :/

[arthaey]

Have you seen this paper?

McKee, Rachel. "Assessing the Vitality of New Zealand Sign Language." Sign Language Studies, vol. 17, no. 3, 2017, pp. 322-362.

Abstract:

New Zealand Sign Language (NZSL) became an official language (NZSL Act 2006) when its vitality was already under pressure. Even though its institutional status has improved recently, the traditional community domains of NZSL use and transmission are apparently shrinking inasmuch as most of the deaf children who have cochlear implants are acquiring a primary spoken language, with or without exposure to NZSL. Census figures show a decline in the number of NZSL users. Whereas the health of Te Reo Maori, the other official language of New Zealand, is regularly surveyed to inform revitalization priorities, no sociolinguistic assessment has informed an accelerating level of language planning around NZSL. In light of this, I undertook a mixed-methods assessment of the vitality of NZSL, which was informed by UNESCO's (2003) Language Vitality and Endangerment (LVE) framework and the Expanded Graded Intergenerational Disruption Scale (EGIDS) (Bickford, Lewis, and Simons 2015), both of which have been adapted for signed languages. Findings of the study reveal objective evidence of a "threatened" status (level 6b of EGIDS), juxtaposed with a mix of optimistic and pessimistic subjective perceptions of vitality within the NZSL community.

[Teango]

@arthaey
Thanks for the link to Rachel McKee's recent paper; it's indeed one I haven't read yet!

It's great that NZSL finally became an official language of New Zealand 11 years ago, and it paves the way for other sign languages to become officially recognized in their respective countries around the world. New Zealand leads the way in recognition and support of another indigenous language, Māori, and these ideas are used as a template and inspiration for many projects and curricula over here in Hawaiʻi for the Hawaiian language and in other parts of the world. However, there's still a good way to go and a lot of work that needs to be invested to help encourage sustainable growth of NZSL and foster further recognition of the important part it plays in local communities. It's of course worrying to hear that there's growing evidence of a decline in numbers for users of NZSL as well as Māori, but in the case of NZSL, it's very encouraging to read that more and more people are helped to hear again through advancements in technology such as cochlear implants, as well as to discover more and more great sign language learning resources available on the internet these days. Only last month, Victoria University of Wellington launched another new website called "Learn NZSL" (which I find works best on a phone much like an app), and there are plenty of other impressive online resources that have appeared in the last few years (for anyone interested in learning NZSL, I've already added several links to the resources section in my first post, which is of course not exhaustive just yet but a work in progress). I'm particularly blown away by the online NZSL dictionary, which is leagues ahead of other online sign language dictionaries that I use for ASL, BSL, and Auslan from time to time, and Iʻm very thankful to Rachel and David McKee, as well as to many other signers, teachers, and researchers in the field, who work so very hard to champion and encourage the sustainable growth of this wonderful indigenous language. Fingerʻs crossed, their efforts will pay off over time, and for my little part to play in all this, I hope to at least increase the number of fluent signers by +1.

[Teango]

source: negativespace.co

I set out this month by investing 30 hours into language learning in the first fortnight (mostly Hawaiian), but those pesky health issues I mentioned last month quickly caught up with me, so I've effectively done little or nothing since in terms of study. I'm keeping my fingers crossed for more positive news in June.

NZSL

I'm halfway through a brand new online course called "Learn NZSL". It's probably a little too basic for my current needs, but any review is still review, and I'm always keen to try out a shiny new toy in the toy box.

Hawaiian

My main approach right now is to read online blogs in Hawaiian semi-intensively. Blogs relating experiences of living abroad and highlighting aspects of different cultures are particularly intriguing to me (especially those that involve food with glossy hi-res mouth-watering photos when I'm hungry!). I often find that hours can fly by in the thrall of captivating posts and the company of fascinating photos.

Russian

I watched a documentary last night about a 70-year-old lady who has lived in the wilderness of the taiga as a veritable hermit most of her life, but apart from that, Russian is still waiting in the wings for its number to be called out.

[Teango]

source: negativespace.co

June has been a total washout for me with regards to learning or maintaining any languages. My hands, and any other parts of the body that offer purchase or utility, have simply been fully occupied or otherwise engaged in the process of looking after my nīele a ʻeleu loa (haw: very active and curious) little daughter around the clock. And to make matters all the more challenging, I experienced a full relapse in health too...nice timing, body!

I was cheered up, however, to discover that they aired a sixth season of Der Tatortreiniger (something I was keeping my fingers crossed for last year). The first episode was delightfully crazy, and I'm looking forward to watching the remaining two episodes in some stolen quiet moments while my little пиратка dreams of sticking her feet in daddy's mouth in the middle of conversations and chewing on forbidden household treasures beyond the toy box. Ho brah...no can monku though...too cute da keiki!

[Teango]

I'm very ill at the moment, so I've asked my wife to type up a quick message for my monthly update. I'd like to let you guys know that I'll be back as soon as I can, once I regain some basic mobility. Long story short, I suffer from a very rare autoimmune disease, and my last biologic stopped working just a couple of months ago. God willing, the new daily biologic I've started today will help relieve the immense pains and let me get back to the joy of learning and discussing languages soon. In the meantime, I wish all my readers and friends here a big aloha (and hey, no slacking while I'm away).

[neofight78]

Sorry to hear that Выздоравливай, Teango!

[blaurebell]

Oh no, I hope you feel better soon! Just to let you know, I actually got a lot better on Paleo Autoimmune Protocol and I know a bunch of people with different autoimmune diseases - Ulcerative Colitis, Crohn's, MS - who also got better on that diet. Some of them could even stop their meds altogether. The MS case was the most astounding one, she already needed a walker and was far from mobile. Well, she now runs marathons! Maybe worth a try to see whether it has an effect on your rare disease too. It's a tough diet at first, but I've been eating like that for several years already and at some point it just becomes second nature.