Introduction
nzs:
source: http://nzsl.vuw.ac.nz/
haw: Aloha mai kākou a e komo mai i kaʻu puke moʻomanaʻo paʻeʻe e pili ana i kaʻu aʻo mai i nā ʻōlelo i kēia makahiki!
ru: Всем привет и добро пожаловать в мой блог изучения языков в этом году!
en: Hi everyone and welcome to my language learning blog this year!
I'm late to the starting line this year but very excited about the course ahead. As I'm writing this in a stolen moment between changing diapers and beatboxing to amuse my little daughter, I'll be brief. This year I'm cutting back on the number of languages I'll be studying, and would ideally like to reach B1 in New Zealand Sign Language (NZSL), B2 in Hawaiian, and C1 in Russian (on the CEFR scale).
NZSL
I'll be learning New Zealand Sign Language from scratch this year. As countless videos demonstrate how infants can learn to communicate with basic signs much earlier than using speech, my wife and I are looking forward to trying this out with our daughter over the coming months. Learning to sign to a low intermediate level would also open the door to a bright new paradigm in language learning for me, and this is an exciting prospect.
Hawaiian
I've let my Hawaiian slide a considerable amount and need to reverse this sinking trend. I think it would be fun to read storybooks in Hawaiian with my daughter at some point (they publish some great books in Hawaiian here!), but am still weighing the pros and cons of adding a third language too early on. In the meantime, I owe it to my previous Hawaiian teachers at the University of Hawaiʻi and my adopted spiritual kūpuna to carry on the torch and seek out new waves in this beautiful language. An upper intermediate level would be perfect for my current needs.
Russian
I trust 2017 will mark the year when I finally reach an advanced level in Russian!! Who knows, if I say that confidently enough several times and follow it up with some real consistent study, it might even happen. I must confess that English remains the overwhelmingly dominant language at home, and in order to raise little Teangushka in a more balanced bilingual environment, daddy here will need to get serious with his Russian studies in order to break through into the advanced level. This is the language I will focus on most this year.
As always, I extend a warm welcome to anyone who would like to drop by and share some aloha here in this thread, and I wish you all every success and joy in your language studies in 2017...удачи всем!
Goals
- nzs: A0 to B1 (achieved in March 2017, self-assessment)
- haw: B1 to B2 (in progress)
- ru: B1 to C1 (in progress)
Resources
- nzs:
- Sign NZSL with your Baby - online course (completed)
- Sign Ninja - online game (completed)
- New Zealand Sign Language: A Reference Grammar - e-book (completed)
- NZSL101 Online - online exercises (completed)
- NZSL101 Supplementary Exercises Vols. 1-2 - online exercises (completed)
- NZSL102 Supplementary Exercises Vols. 3-4 - online exercises (completed)
- NZSL201 Supplementary Exercises Vol. 5 - online exercises (completed)
- NZSL Signs in and around the Home (van Asch Deaf Education Centre) - interactive maps (completed)
- NZSL Signs in and around the School (van Asch Deaf Education Centre) - interactive maps (completed)
- Thumbs Up! - online course (completed)
- Learn NZSL - online course released April 2017 (in progress)
- NZSL202 Online - online exercises (not started)
- The Online Dictionary of New Zealand Sign Language - online dictionary (reference material)
- haw:
- Ka Lei Haʻaheo - paperback textbook (review completed)
- Nā Kai ʻEwalu 1 - paperback textbook (in progress)
- Nā Kai ʻEwalu 2 - paperback textbook (not started)
- ru:
- Assimil Russian With Ease - paperback course (completed)
- Рассказ-сенсация - short funny detective stories (A1-A2) (in progress)
- Рассказ-провокация - short funny detective stories (A2-B1) (not started)
- Рассказ-канонизатия - short funny detective stories (B1-B2) (not started)