A language learners’ forum

I'm continuing to do too much listening relative to reading. I wish I could take a train to work instead of drive ...

Русский

top film recommendations:

1. Как я провёл этим летом (2010)
2. А зори здесь тихие (1972, not 2015)
3. Брат (1997)


: 1556 / 10000 10000 pages
: 2868 / 10000 10000 minutes
: 466 / 2000 Hours to Advanced
: 4701 / 37000 Words to Advanced
: 853 / 50000 Output challenge -- words written
: 396 / 3000 Output challenge -- minutes recorded


Norsk

The plan, such as it is, remains to finish Duolingo, get up to 3000+ words on Memrise maybe by the end of the summer, then dive into L2/R2 of some young adult novel--tentatively Odinsbarn by Siri Pettersen. Maybe HP would be easier, I don't know, but I really prefer native stuff--the whole point of learning another language for me. Hopefully Odinsbarn isn't awful.


: 26 / 75 Duolingo
: 24 / 10000 10000 pages
: 48 / 10000 10000 minutes
: 17 / 1000 Hours to Advanced
: 388 / 22000 Words to Advanced

It's the first time I've taken one of these. I don't know if it's meaningful or not, but I got a kick out of it.

deleted

Yep, 63% is a pretty decent score. It's a reasonable grammar test, but doesn't test much else. Even the "reading comprehension" part really is about grammar, as you just have to identify the right chunks of text rather than showing understanding.

Arnaud, if you got 87% then maybe you should be upgrading your description of your Russian to at least intermediate. I'm not buying "low" at all. As a certified B2 person I only got 91% which is barely any different to your score.

deleted

You're not kidding anyone Arnaud

Русский

I'm experimenting with beeminder (thanks, emk).

The first six months I've been doing everything on enthusiasm and willpower, but I can't do that forever ... especially with the long march through intermediate ahead of me.

Goal #1 is to read 25,000 words of Russian every week. Right now this takes me about an hour a day due to my low reading speeding (currently about 65 wpm). But the exciting thing about this goal, the better my reading gets the less time it will take.

Goal #2 might be two hours of Italki in Russian every week (not sure yet).
Goal #3 might be two hours of Russian films/tv every week (not sure yet).

I'll be watching this tonight:




: 1665 / 10000 10000 pages
: 2922 / 10000 10000 minutes
: 483 / 2000 Hours to Advanced
: 4954 / 37000 Words to Advanced
: 853 / 50000 Output challenge -- words written
: 396 / 3000 Output challenge -- minutes recorded


Norsk

I ordered Odinsbarn and audio CD last week. I'm nowhere near being able to read it yet, but I understand these shipments from Norway take 30 days (steamship to Cape Town, porters to Vladivostok, then into a glass bottle with my name on it and thrown into the Pacific Ocean I guess).

: 29 / 75 Duolingo
: 24 / 10000 10000 pages
: 48 / 10000 10000 minutes
: 21 / 1000 Hours to Advanced
: 554 / 22000 Words to Advanced

Xmmm wrote:I'm experimenting with beeminder (thanks, emk).

The first six months I've been doing everything on enthusiasm and willpower, but I can't do that forever ... especially with the long march through intermediate ahead of me.

I'd be interested to hear how that goes. You never know, the enthusiasm and willpower might last! I know I went through a long period of frustration and self doubt, being my first foreign language certainly didn't help on that score. Though somehow I manage to keep going, although I'm not sure how It think you certainly have to identify some activities with the language that you enjoy and spur you on to do more. Finding a good teacher or exchange partner with whom you can build a good rapport works well. I don't agree with everything that Steve Kaufmann says, but one of the things I really like about him is that he emphasises the need just to keep going and to believe you'll get there. I'm not sure how, but at some point I managed to turn enthusiasm and willpower into commitment. A lot of people talking about habit creation, that could be the way to go, I don't know.

Русский


Brilliant cinematography, brilliant direction, brilliant adaptation of brilliant book. Might be a little slow and "art house" for some.


An "Eastern", aka "Red Western". No English subtitles, but plenty of action. High production values and good stunt work.



Russian Film List
1. Солярис (1972)
2. Как я провёл этим летом (2010)
3. А зори здесь тихие (1972, not 2015)
4. Брат (1997)
5. свой среди чужих,чужой среди своих (1974)
6. Белое солнце пустыни (1970)
7. Человек-амфибия (1962)
--------------------------------------------
X. Левиафан (2014) [thumbs down]

: 1722 / 10000 10000 pages
: 3160 / 10000 10000 minutes
: 493 / 2000 Hours to Advanced
: 5088 / 37000 Words to Advanced
: 853 / 50000 Output challenge -- words written
: 576 / 3000 Output challenge -- minutes recorded


Norsk


: 30 / 75 Duolingo
: 24 / 10000 10000 pages
: 48 / 10000 10000 minutes
: 23 / 1000 Hours to Advanced
: 631 / 22000 Words to Advanced

Русский



A very grim movie with the same theme as Левиафон, but Дурак has a much tighter plot.



All I can say is «Ку!».



Russian Film List
1. Солярис (1972)
2. Как я провёл этим летом (2010)
3. А зори здесь тихие (1972, not 2015)
4. Брат (1997)
5. Дурак (2014)
6. Кин-дза-дза! (1986)
7. свой среди чужих,чужой среди своих (1974)
8. Белое солнце пустыни (1970)
9. Человек-амфибия (1962)
--------------------------------------------
X. Левиафан (2014) [thumbs down]

: 1761 / 10000 10000 pages
: 3400 / 10000 10000 minutes
: 505 / 2000 Hours to Advanced
: 5171 / 37000 Words to Advanced
: 929 / 50000 Output challenge -- words written
: 576 / 3000 Output challenge -- minutes recorded


Norsk


: 31 / 75 Duolingo
: 24 / 10000 10000 pages
: 48 / 10000 10000 minutes
: 26 / 1000 Hours to Advanced
: 685 / 22000 Words to Advanced