Language related New Year's resolutions for 2019

[Cavesa]

I failed all my resolutions in 2018. So, is it worth taking new ones?

If I look at some I can really stick to:
-take one language exam. To prove myself I am still not that stupid and can do it. The options: Siele, Dele B2 or C1, Cils B1 or B2, Goethe B1. One of them.
-get a job abroad. leave this country I despise with a degree and start a life elsewhere. in a country deserving my sacrifices.
-convince my boyfriend to really start working on the language of the country we are moving to.

[Skynet]

Sending not-so-subliminal messages to you:

-take one language exam. ... I ... can do it. ... Goethe B1.

German...take the Goethe B1.

-get a job abroad... start a life elsewhere. in a country deserving my sacrifices.

Germany...go to Germany!

[Christi]

I'm still working on my goals for Korean. I've got few already, but think I should probably also look up specific grammar rules I need to have mastered by this time next year.

- learn 1000 new words. Since there are 52 weeks in a year, this means learning 20 new words per week. Seems doable and if I keep to goal nr 2 then I will probably exceed this number as long as I read something every week.

- finish the reading resources I have (the ones in my signature..). Have already started by reading a comic that's not in my signature, but contains about 135 pages and seems fairly easy to read so far.

- improve listening skills and manage to understand one Iyagi. Setting the bar low here since my listening skills are weak.

[WildGinger10]

For 2019, I plan to start watching TV shows I love on Netflix in German as well as do more reading. i plan to start a language log to document progress. I will also be moving to Germany for at least a few months for immersion, though I don't know exactly when or where yet.

[Djedida]

I have a handful of goals related to language learning.

On the learning applications Duolingo and Lingodeer, I want to complete 10 trees in 2019:

Spanish: for English speakers, for Italian speakers
Italian: for English speakers, for Spanish speakers
Japanese: for English speakers, for English speakers (Lingodeer course), for Spanish speakers (Lingodeer course)
English: for Spanish speakers, for Italian speakers, for Japanese speakers.

I've already finished Spanish for English and Italian for Spanish.
I also want to reach level 25 in both Italian for English and Japanese for English.

Non-Duolingo goals:

Italian:

-Finish the first Harry Potter book in Italian

-Beat the Elite 4 on Pokemon Versione Nera

-Beat the Elite 4 on Pokemon Versione Luna

-Finish reading Ultimate Italian Beginner-Intermediate

Japanese:

-Memorize 1000-2000 Kanji

[IronMike]

This is fun! I love making lists of things I won't do in the new year!

Seriously, though, unsure if I made any 2018 resolutions and don't care to go look now. I'm a fickle language learner, with wanderlusty tendencies, easily drawn astray by whims or passing references in books or articles or FB or ...

A passing reference in my current non-fiction read Trip of the Tongue on native American languages led me down a rabbit hole in the Interwebs trying to find a local class in Wampanoag, the original language of this area. Unfortunately, the closest class is way down south of Boston in Quincy, which is way too far from not only my work but my home, so that's out. That led me to searching for other language classes in this area (tons, if you're willing to spend big money for tuition, which I am not).

I work now in what could easily be called the Little Italy of Boston. If I manage to walk around during the work day, I can easily greet older folks in Italian (the limit of my knowledge, besides some swear words my grandfather inadvertently taught me decades ago). Got me thinking: I'd always wanted to learn Italian. (Actually I always wanted to learn the languages of my ethnicity and Italian is my mom's side. Sadly, all the Italian speakers on that side of the family are dead.) So I searched around for Italian classes near my work and home, and found one literally a ten minute walk from work. And that's Google's estimate, which is slow. Even better, it meets on Monday nights, so that won't interfere with work. Only issue so far is that it looks like the Spring classes are continuations of the Fall, so perhaps I might not be able to start till September 2019.

There's also a possible opportunity through work to take some serious language training during the summer. It would take some selling to my boss, but if approved, it would be 3 hours of class a day, every day, for 10 weeks. They offer both initial and continuation, but I'd look at something initial, like French or Mandarin. For work reasons (which I'd need to specify in my justification for this training) I'm leaning toward French.

As always, I'll maintain my Russian. Primarily through reading, but there are Russians around Boston, so if I "run into" any here I'll find an excuse to talk to them.

And of course my true love, Esperanto. I'll continue reading, which is really helping my proficiency. At some point this year I'd like to meet up with the BRUEGO folks in downtown Cambridge, Mass. I've spoken before about meeting with Esperantists and my aversion to it, but I at least want to try this group at one of their monthly meetings. I want to get my speaking back up to snuff (it got pretty good in Moscow) because the Universala Kongreso will be in Montreal in 2020 and I am planning on going. I'd like to take the speaking and listening KER exam at that UK, hopefully at the C1 level, to match my C1 pass at the reading and writing KER exam last year.

It wasn't asked, but I'd add to these goals my other non-language related goals for 2019:

Read 45 books
Swim two marathons
Get my deadlift to 405# and overhead press to 135#

So that is it. Except to wish all in these forums a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

[Lawyer&Mom]

I have no idea what I posted on last years thread, so you have an idea how seriously I take my goals.

And this year I’m setting the bar pretty darn low. I’ve dropped all my daily app routines. I’ve taken big chunks of time off. But I’m still reading in French and German. So that’s my goal. Keep reading in both languages. Watch TV when the mood strikes. And that’s it!

[Hank]

Buena Suerte and Pob Lwc to everyone.

My "resolution" that I remember from last year's post was to be able to comfortably read Welsh. I failed big time! Not through lack of effort, though. I misjudged how much Welsh vocabulary hates me.

So this year I'm going with the same resolution: to be able to comfortably read Welsh by the end of 2019.

[philomath]

A passing reference in my current non-fiction read Trip of the Tongue on native American languages led me down a rabbit hole in the Interwebs trying to find a local class in Wampanoag, the original language of this area. Unfortunately, the closest class is way down south of Boston in Quincy, which is way too far from not only my work but my home, so that's out. That led me to searching for other language classes in this area (tons, if you're willing to spend big money for tuition, which I am not).

Learning Wampanoag would be so cool! I attend a university in Boston and my linguistics class watched a really good documentary called We Still Live Here, which was about the Wampanoag Reclamation Project.

Okay, onto my New Year's resolutions now . This year I want to improve my confidence speaking Spanish, read and write a lot, and maybe start studying for the DELE. I also plan to start studying Mandarin again in the second half of the year. Not sure about more quantifiable goals yet.

[David27]

I'll put a more detailed post on my language log later this week, but briefly:

For 2018 goals, I did make some slow progress in Mandarin and Japanese (a bit better in Japanese than Mandarin but marginally so)... overall did not meet my goals for either language though of >100 hours in a year (Japanese will end up maybe low 80's and Mandarin 70s). The only goal I will meet is >60 hours of Russian study. Reading wise was atrocious, just finishing 2 books (both finished in the last 2 months, one in Spanish, and a nonfiction book in English).

Goals: Similar to last year:
East Asian: Still my focus. I'm not allowing myself to move on until I feel like I have really sunk my teeth into these languages and through that learned a good deal about these countries and their cultures... I don't know if I'll ever get there, but I'm still determined!
>100 hours Japanese and Mandarin. I would like to get through Genki book 1 in Japanese and get started on book 2, and finish going through Assimil for the 3rd time through (I'm currently on), and get through a good portion of John DeFrancis' Chinese book. I also want to improve my reading and writing, and by the end of the year I would like to formally study the characters (I have been for years, but no formal study, just transcribing all my Assimil lessons, reading on LingQ, etc, but I think I'm going to need a more formal way of study eventually to be able to read/write efficiently). I would also like to finish "Growing up Chinese" series by CCTV (Currently lesson 58/100).

Language maintenance: Russian and Italian focus (>60 hours, focus on actually doing some reading). French and Spanish tend to come more naturally since I have a higher level in them. Portuguese I'm ok with just doing a bit of maintenance, listening to podcasts/music/youtube from time to time.

Language Distractions:
Likely to continue: Dutch and Polish: they don't take too much time out of my routine, I'm not incredibly motivated for either one, but when I am bored and want to mix it up I can pick away at these languages. Knowing German/Russian helps me retain some things with this disorganized and intermittent study.

Maybe: Armenian. I have no time, but there is a beautiful Armenian church around the corner, and they offer classes (I think that start in August). I plan to go to a service this Sunday, and check out their book store while there. I really don't have time for this, but it feels like a waste to let this opportunity slip by.

Would really like to avoid (but could honestly see myself getting suckered in for a period of time): Swedish, Czech, Bengali, Arabic.
Swedish I would have to trade out Dutch, Czech for Polish (Only would do if visiting my friend who lives in Prague, but I don't have time or money to visit in the foreseeable future).Bengali really interests me because again there is a huge community in NYC and I interact with Bengali people somewhat regularly. It's just hard to find materials (and again, time is a commodity while I prioritize Mandarin, Japanese, and maintaining other languages). Arabic: I'm interested, and let myself sink some real time into Arabic this year for a couple of months (April-June I believe)... but I've successfully put that on hold for now.