Rdearman 2016-24 You Can't Have Your Kate and Edith Too.

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Elenia
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Re: Rdearman 2016/17/18 [Remember if we get caught, I'm deaf and you don't speak English]

Postby Elenia » Sat Oct 20, 2018 2:44 pm

rdearman wrote:
Elenia wrote:HBD, as all the cool French kids say. (Or said, back when I knew what cool French kids did).

I have no idea what you're on about. But then I was never A) French B) Cool and C) it is a long time since I was a kid. :)

I've only got C going for me, and time will take care of that! But: Happy Birth Day. Ash bey day.
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Re: Rdearman 2016/17/18 [Remember if we get caught, I'm deaf and you don't speak English]

Postby DaveAgain » Sat Oct 20, 2018 7:15 pm

Yes, Happy Birthday Mr D. :-)

NB, No such thing as 'too much' cake!
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Re: Rdearman 2016/17/18 [Remember if we get caught, I'm deaf and you don't speak English]

Postby Brun Ugle » Sun Oct 21, 2018 6:38 am

O gola gole!
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rdearman
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Re: Rdearman 2016/17/18 [Remember if we get caught, I'm deaf and you don't speak English]

Postby rdearman » Thu Oct 25, 2018 10:21 pm

I will try to make a short update. I haven't really done a lot since last week. A few language exchanges, mostly with Italians. I have been reading a book in Italian each night but only got through about 13% of the book so far. But it is a couple of hundred pages, so not so bad I guess. I haven't been doing reading every night in Italian, since I had a couple of English books I wanted to complete.

While a lot of people on the forum seem to be adding languages to their commitments, I'm going to probably reduce the number I'm studying. Although I have now made commitments to each of them that I would struggle to break. So I'll trudge along for awhile longer I guess.
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rdearman
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Re: Rdearman 2016/17/18 [Remember if we get caught, I'm deaf and you don't speak English]

Postby rdearman » Tue Oct 30, 2018 11:29 pm

I don't have much to report, so unless I start rambling again this should be a short update. I have had a couple of language exchanges (LE) in both French and Italian. Now mostly it is always the same people, and we speak regularly and about different things. I started speaking about French politics recently with a couple of the ladies I speak to. Not because I care about politics in France or anywhere else really, but because it forces me to use words I don't know, and to listen to words I've not heard before.

I was so interested in the topic I mentioned before for the Gathering: 'What I learned after 500 language exchanges' that I wrote half the presentation. But I am not volunteering for anything just yet. One thing I discovered (or remembered really) is that practice makes perfect. The more you do something the better you get at it. I'm much better at French and Italian conversation. But mostly I'm better at me talking, comprehension is still an issue. Bad hearing doesn't help of course.

I have been rewatching the Italian series Carabinieri. I watch this because I have no subtittles for it, so I have to listen and listen hard if I want to understand. I have only gotten 34 pages into my new Italian book, and I really need to do better.

I'm thinking a lot about NaNoWriMo and what I need to write. I have a vague story liine for the French story and nothing for the English one. I did get one of my regular French LE people to agree to proofread it for me. So at least I'll get corrections each week.

Otherwise not a lot of interesting things happening on the language front. I have no real schedule forced on me at the momtent so a lot of things I was doing habitually have slid.

I am not noticably progressing on the language front, other than being a bit more of a fluid Tarzan speaker. But I'm actually OK with that. I can generally hold a conversation, I can mostly understand people when they speak to me. There are a lot of improvements I can make, but I need to get some structure in my life before I can do some of the things I want.
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Re: Rdearman 2016/17/18 [Remember if we get caught, I'm deaf and you don't speak English]

Postby DaveAgain » Wed Oct 31, 2018 12:17 am

rdearman wrote:I'm thinking a lot about NaNoWriMo and what I need to write. I have a vague story liine for the French story and nothing for the English one.
I remember chatting to a lady at a bus stop in rural Hampshire once, she started telling me about a shoot-out USA soldiers had amongst themselves at the local pub, during WW2.

Are there any colourful stories from your Air Force days that you could use?
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Re: Rdearman 2016/17/18 [Remember if we get caught, I'm deaf and you don't speak English]

Postby PeterMollenburg » Wed Oct 31, 2018 12:49 am

very late to respond, but I love your log title, btw. Funny :) Anyway, sounds like you have progressed noticeably with conversational skills :) Being consistent, it seems, was the possible key ingredient, at least that’s my perspective, as from the outside, at least. Good job young chap, job well done.
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Re: Rdearman 2016/17/18 [Remember if we get caught, I'm deaf and you don't speak English]

Postby Brun Ugle » Wed Oct 31, 2018 6:55 am

When you study vocabulary, do you also learn phrases, common collocations and the like? A lot of what goes into good listening comprehension is knowing what is likely to come next. Just like in reading, where you don’t have to see each letter, but just the general shape of the word, in listening, you don’t need to hear each sound, but you need enough knowledge of the language to fill in the blanks.

If you need something to push you, the 6WC begins tomorrow. What language shall we do? Setswana again?
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Re: Rdearman 2016/17/18 [Remember if we get caught, I'm deaf and you don't speak English]

Postby rdearman » Wed Oct 31, 2018 9:21 am

MMmmm... I think I have to much on my plate at the moment to do the 6WC again.
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Re: Rdearman 2016/17/18 [Remember if we get caught, I'm deaf and you don't speak English]

Postby garyb » Wed Oct 31, 2018 9:50 am

rdearman wrote:One thing I discovered (or remembered really) is that practice makes perfect. The more you do something the better you get at it. I'm much better at French and Italian conversation. But mostly I'm better at me talking, comprehension is still an issue.
...
I am not noticably progressing on the language front, other than being a bit more of a fluid Tarzan speaker. But I'm actually OK with that. I can generally hold a conversation, I can mostly understand people when they speak to me. There are a lot of improvements I can make, but I need to get some structure in my life before I can do some of the things I want.


This seems to hit the nail on the head: you mostly improve at what you practise. Conversing lots probably won't make you speak more accurately, but it will make you speak more fluently, and it's up to you which is more important based on your priorities. Personally I'm probably far too perfectionist and I focus on accuracy at the cost of fluency, and would often do well to just get the words out rather than think about saying things correctly (especially as despite all this I still make plenty mistakes!), but I would be concerned about reinforcing bad habits (what people call "fossilising" mistakes, although I dislike the term) by going too far to the other extreme. I'm just thinking of typical English learners who speak very fluently yet, even after years living in the country, make many basic mistakes. It's a double standard of course but in English one can get away with that much more than in something like French. I'm sure there's a happy medium.
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