s_allard's 9-week Italian sprint falls to earth

Continue or start your personal language log here, including logs for challenge participants
s_allard
Blue Belt
Posts: 969
Joined: Sat Jul 25, 2015 3:01 pm
Location: Canada
Languages: French (N), English (N), Spanish (C2 Cert.), German (B2 Cert)
x 2302

s_allard's 9-week Italian sprint falls to earth

Postby s_allard » Fri Apr 16, 2021 1:11 pm

I am pissed off. Back in late March I had become really excited after reading about polyglot Lucas Rafael Bighetti learning enough Slovak in a day to have a conversation that impressed native speakers. I started a thread https://forum.language-learners.org/viewtopic.php?f=14&t=16663 on the issue of fast language learning. The thread inflamed the forum for a while with the usual cast of characters. Since Lucas's approach seemed to resemble an approach that I have always been interested in and used quite successfully--and encouraged by fellow polyglot iguanamon--I decided to have a go at learning enough Italian to pass a CEFR exam. Sure enough, the local Istituto italiano de cultura was giving tests on June 10 with a deadline for registration on April 15.

I should mention that I had taken two classes in Italian over 20 years ago at uni and still had all the materials. As I started organizing the logistics, the big question I had to confront was which CEFR exam level to take. I had initially settled on B2 but as I revisited my old books and started surveying the fabulous resources on the internet, I began to become more ambitious. And since the point of all this was to use an approach that can lead to good results very quickly, why not go whole hog and shoot for C1 or even C2? That's pushing it of course but we not talking about learning a language in a day; this is more like 9 weeks. I gave myself until April 15 to determine how high to set the goal.

I noticed that my receptive skills were still quite intact despite 20 years of hardly touching the language. Speaking and writing were another matter of course and for that I began to review one of my old books Master the Basics Italian and create an Excel spreadsheet for the components of what I called the productive language core of around 500 items. I also started identifying some subject or interest "islands" that I wanted to be able to talk about at length. I lined up a tutor, borrowed an Elsa Ferrante novel, started transcribing recordings and copying texts by hand.

Things were going swimmingly and I really became excited about the whole project. On the morning of April 15 I was still trying to make up my mind about the test level to register for. I got cold feet and initially decided to go for a safe B2 but I gave myself the option to choose C2 for the ultimate challenge. As I was about to head over to the Istituto italiano di cultura to put down the equivalent of 160 euros, I went to check some details on the web site here is what I saw:

SESSIONE 2021 ANNULLATA CAUSA EMERGENZA COVID

So that's it. My plans went up in smoke. Niente da fare. My Italian language log ends here for the time being.

Edit: Added EMERGENZA to the message in Italian
Last edited by s_allard on Fri Apr 16, 2021 5:12 pm, edited 1 time in total.
13 x

User avatar
Le Baron
Black Belt - 3rd Dan
Posts: 3510
Joined: Mon Jan 18, 2021 5:14 pm
Location: Koude kikkerland
Languages: English (N), fr, nl, de, eo, Sranantongo,
Maintaining: es, swahili.
Language Log: https://forum.language-learners.org/vie ... 15&t=18796
x 9384

Re: s_allard's 9-week Italian sprint falls to earth

Postby Le Baron » Fri Apr 16, 2021 2:02 pm

Saved by the bell.
8 x

User avatar
iguanamon
Black Belt - 2nd Dan
Posts: 2353
Joined: Sat Jul 18, 2015 11:14 am
Location: Virgin Islands
Languages: Speaks: English (Native); Spanish (C2); Portuguese (C2); Haitian Creole (C1); Ladino/Djudeo-espanyol (C1); Lesser Antilles French Creole (B2)
Studies: Catalan
Language Log: viewtopic.php?t=797
x 14191

Re: s_allard's 9-week Italian sprint falls to earth

Postby iguanamon » Fri Apr 16, 2021 2:34 pm

If I were to do this challenge, I would use dialang as a way to self-assess my level. It is not the equivalent of a CEFR test, obviously, but it's pretty good. Ideally, you would've taken the dialang test before to establish your baseline. Then after completing your challenge, you would take the test again to determine your success.

You can still do this challenge by taking the dialang test now, establishing a baseline, setting a new objective deadline and take the test again. The naysayers will always have a go at you, but this type of challenge has been done before and has garnered much interest on the forum.
10 x

User avatar
Le Baron
Black Belt - 3rd Dan
Posts: 3510
Joined: Mon Jan 18, 2021 5:14 pm
Location: Koude kikkerland
Languages: English (N), fr, nl, de, eo, Sranantongo,
Maintaining: es, swahili.
Language Log: https://forum.language-learners.org/vie ... 15&t=18796
x 9384

Re: s_allard's 9-week Italian sprint falls to earth

Postby Le Baron » Fri Apr 16, 2021 2:46 pm

Well I may be painted out a 'naysayer', but I don't even think waving a piece paper about saying 'look at me, C1, woo-hoo!' is the real litmus test. A friend of mine recently passed the C1 test in Dutch (so he can work as English teacher in an environment where he needs both languages). He has the paper, he worked his socks off and took it three times, but he's still rubbish at Dutch after 20 years. Which he admits.

I reckon I could pass an Italian exam after a solid programme over six-months (I'm less optimistic), but then I'll probably sink in Italy after running out of steam among natives.

I prefer reality to fantasy.
Last edited by Le Baron on Fri Apr 16, 2021 2:58 pm, edited 1 time in total.
5 x

s_allard
Blue Belt
Posts: 969
Joined: Sat Jul 25, 2015 3:01 pm
Location: Canada
Languages: French (N), English (N), Spanish (C2 Cert.), German (B2 Cert)
x 2302

Re: s_allard's 9-week Italian sprint falls to earth

Postby s_allard » Fri Apr 16, 2021 2:55 pm

Thanks for the words of encouragement and advice, Iguanamon. I dropped by the Dialang website. It looks interesting, and I'll let you know what my next steps are.
1 x

s_allard
Blue Belt
Posts: 969
Joined: Sat Jul 25, 2015 3:01 pm
Location: Canada
Languages: French (N), English (N), Spanish (C2 Cert.), German (B2 Cert)
x 2302

Re: s_allard's 9-week Italian sprint falls to earth

Postby s_allard » Fri Apr 16, 2021 3:00 pm

Le Baron wrote:Well I may be painted out a 'naysayer', but I don't even think waving a piece paper about saying 'look at me, C1, woo-hoo!' is the real litmus test. A friend of mine recently passed the C1 test in Dutch (so he can work as English teacher in an environment were he needs both languages). He has the paper, he worked his socks off and took it three times, but he's still rubbish at Dutch after 20 years. Which he admits.

I reckon I could pass an Italian exam after a solid programme over six-months (I'm less optimistic), but then I'll probably sink in Italy after running out of steam among natives.

I prefer reality to fantasy.


Please, this is my log and I appreciate words of advice and help from fellow language lovers. If this is your contribution to my project, could you kindly abstain from participating in this thread.
1 x

User avatar
Le Baron
Black Belt - 3rd Dan
Posts: 3510
Joined: Mon Jan 18, 2021 5:14 pm
Location: Koude kikkerland
Languages: English (N), fr, nl, de, eo, Sranantongo,
Maintaining: es, swahili.
Language Log: https://forum.language-learners.org/vie ... 15&t=18796
x 9384

Re: s_allard's 9-week Italian sprint falls to earth

Postby Le Baron » Fri Apr 16, 2021 3:02 pm

It is help. The water's over there.

I'll vacate the thread now.
1 x

User avatar
Xenops
Brown Belt
Posts: 1444
Joined: Mon Nov 30, 2015 10:33 pm
Location: Boston
Languages: English (N), Danish (A2), Japanese (rusty), Nansha (constructing)
On break: Japanese (approx. N4), Norwegian (A2)
Language Log: https://forum.language-learners.org/vie ... 15&t=16797
x 3559
Contact:

Re: s_allard's 9-week Italian sprint falls to earth

Postby Xenops » Fri Apr 16, 2021 3:47 pm

One of many reasons HTLAL is special is because you have all of these people trying these daring experiments--and it's even better when they finish them! So I would be interested to read about your progress. Please continue. :)
7 x
Check out my comic at: https://atannan.com/

User avatar
iguanamon
Black Belt - 2nd Dan
Posts: 2353
Joined: Sat Jul 18, 2015 11:14 am
Location: Virgin Islands
Languages: Speaks: English (Native); Spanish (C2); Portuguese (C2); Haitian Creole (C1); Ladino/Djudeo-espanyol (C1); Lesser Antilles French Creole (B2)
Studies: Catalan
Language Log: viewtopic.php?t=797
x 14191

Re: s_allard's 9-week Italian sprint falls to earth

Postby iguanamon » Fri Apr 16, 2021 4:10 pm

You're welcome/deryen. With French, Spanish, and English already, you are positioned to do quite well with Italian, s_allard. I am curious to see your level now, how you arrived there, and what techniques or approaches helped you most. This is what a log is all about. It becomes a near real-time snapshot of roads taken, roads not taken, and can be a rough outline to follow for others.

I am not so hidebound and stodgy not to be able to see that there is more than one way to learn a language. I am looking forward to following your journey. Bòn chans, zanmi m !
2 x

Online
User avatar
smallwhite
Black Belt - 2nd Dan
Posts: 2386
Joined: Mon Jul 06, 2015 6:55 am
Location: Hong Kong
Languages: Native: Cantonese;
Good: English, French, Spanish, Italian;
Mediocre: Mandarin, German, Swedish, Dutch.
.
x 4876

Re: s_allard's 9-week Italian sprint falls to earth

Postby smallwhite » Fri Apr 16, 2021 4:55 pm

I'm in Cram Camp so I look forward to this realising. But in your case, I'm more curious what your before- results in Dialang would be, after native French and C2 Spanish. I also went (English -) French - Spanish - Italian and it felt easy, pleasant and addictive. Italian is adorable in itself so I'm pleased you're learning it and I think you'll like it.

Cram on :evil:
5 x
Dialang or it didn't happen.


Return to “Language logs”

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 2 guests