Crazy language learning experiments

General discussion about learning languages
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luke
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Re: Crazy language learning experiments

Postby luke » Fri Sep 17, 2021 4:45 pm

Le Baron wrote:
s_allard wrote:I brought up the example, reported by Lýdia Machová, of a well-known polyglot who was able to learn enough conversational Slovak in a day to impress even native Slovak-speakers. I don’t know what crazy method this super-polyglot actually used but it worked.


Wasn't his method called: already basically knowing Slovak?

Okay, I jest.

I jest too, but he's a she. I hadn't seen her do that video, but let's say she knew "Czech" and learned "Slovak". Just a note for the youthful, there once was a country called Czechoslovaki. :)

I will add that Lýdia Machová has great videos on youtube and is one of the wheels that make the Polyglot Gathering turn.
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Le Baron
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Re: Crazy language learning experiments

Postby Le Baron » Fri Sep 17, 2021 4:57 pm

Can't think why I wrote 'his'. I've even seen the videos!

Next week I'll be putting the remote control in the fridge. It's all downhill from here.
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einzelne
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Re: Crazy language learning experiments

Postby einzelne » Fri Sep 17, 2021 5:22 pm

luke wrote:I jest too, but he's a she.


Actually, no. The super-polyglot in question is Lucas Rafael Bighetti Pereira. Lýdia was telling an anecdote of how she 'taught' him Slovak in one day.
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Le Baron
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Re: Crazy language learning experiments

Postby Le Baron » Fri Sep 17, 2021 5:33 pm

einzelne wrote:
luke wrote:I jest too, but he's a she.


Actually, no. The super-polyglot in question is Lucas Rafael Bighetti Pereira. Lýdia was telling an anecdote of how she 'taught' him Slovak in one day.


Ah! In that case I'm rehabilitated! And I haven't degraded mentally. Thanks for that. Women like you make life worth living.
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Re: Crazy language learning experiments

Postby Cavesa » Fri Sep 24, 2021 1:32 pm

Yeah, I remember that discussion. The whole point was, that while the achievement of this polyglot was certainly respectable, it was no big surprise given the background. It was not an example of "you'll learn a language in a day, if you memorise a few hundred words", but it was an example of "learning a language similar to several already known ones is rather easy" (the difficult part was learning the first dozen langauges :-) I totally admire him for that!). If I ever decide to learn a fourth romance language, it might go just as smoothly :-D

But I wanted to add my two cents to the original discussion here. Yes, I've been doing a crazy language learning/teaching experiment and it is documented in my log. Getting a teen from near zero (just some disconnected and rather superficial chunks of knowledge and some ok vocab base) to near A2 German within a month. That sounds pretty crazy. It sounds pretty crazy to the teachers examining her. But it's working. And I'm proud of her (and also of myself, ok, I admit it). I think it is a good example showing that intensive learning is indeed possible and it is not what language schools usually mean by these words.
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