Re: Carmody's Log for French
Posted: Sun Dec 09, 2018 2:45 am
2018 Study Summary
The end of 2018 seems a good time for review of how my French studies are progressing. I have been at this for 3 years now.
During this year I passed the Duolingo French test at a B1 level in all categories including grammar.
My normal daily routine is usually 2 hrs. of reading and then followed up by one hour of YouTube sourced oral comprehension work. This usually includes Francais avec Pierre, Francais Authentique and Home Language with Patricia. It can also include movies, etc. There are an awful lot of sources that I work with.
Reading is my favorite pastime in French. This year I read:
Un Coeur Simple G. Flaubert
Le chant de l'océan M. Dupuy
Lambeaux C. Juliet
L'homme qui plantait des arbres Jean Giono
J'irai cracher sur vos tombes B. Vian
Un barrage contre le Pacifique M. Duras
Un Pedigree P. Modiano
Jean le bleu J. Giono
Sans famille H. Malot
Le Château de mon père M. Pagnol
Un Sac de Billes J. Joffo, who died on died on Thursday December 6th 2018.
I love all the books on the list very much but my favorite book for this year was Sans famille by Hector Malot. I have been through the animé on YouTube twice and find it wonderful.
My all time favorite French writer is Amélie Nothomb. We have no author in the USA even close to her and I find her magnificent. People are offended that she pumps out one book a year, but it doesn’t bother me, since I don't feel the need to read each book.
If anyone wants advice on any of the books I have read this year don’t hesitate to ask.
Now for the controversial part-my study methodology when reading:
-each book is read 2-4 times.
-first time through is with no real look up in my dictionary and then the 2nd time thru I look up as much as I can. Note that my books are tools, so that means that I write in them and underline all items of interest.
-I am also doing something which I am sure will shock absolutely everyone and that is when I look up a word in my 260,000 word Larousse paperback dictionary I put a stroke by the word. Successive look ups mean I add strokes. This is so I see where my frequent vocab problems are.
-then if the word is not in the dictionary I go to Reverso online and look up the word there.
(Added afterward the next day)
So my second read through I look up the words and highlight with a yellow marker. That way on my 3rd and 4th run through I can focus on just the "problem words and idioms" and reinforce those. I make a strong effort not to read on the third and fourth time; that wastes time. The great advantage to this part of my method is that I can see the highlighted text and then if need be refer to the context for the word or idiom.
My books are my learning tools so I try to use them as such with lots of notations and underlining.
Also equally shocking is that I am not working on grammar or spoken French right now. I have no one at the moment to speak with although I had a wonderful Skype friend with whom I used to talk often. Grammar is also getting a rest at the moment. But for some strange reason I really like it.
I find French literature a fascinatingly rich resource that is very different from anything else in English.
I have been at this for 3 years now and no longer log in the minutes I spend and how. Rather now it is a way of life for me and it is 2 hours a day of reading and 1 hour on the oral comprehension.
If anyone has questions, feel free to ask.
The end of 2018 seems a good time for review of how my French studies are progressing. I have been at this for 3 years now.
During this year I passed the Duolingo French test at a B1 level in all categories including grammar.
My normal daily routine is usually 2 hrs. of reading and then followed up by one hour of YouTube sourced oral comprehension work. This usually includes Francais avec Pierre, Francais Authentique and Home Language with Patricia. It can also include movies, etc. There are an awful lot of sources that I work with.
Reading is my favorite pastime in French. This year I read:
Un Coeur Simple G. Flaubert
Le chant de l'océan M. Dupuy
Lambeaux C. Juliet
L'homme qui plantait des arbres Jean Giono
J'irai cracher sur vos tombes B. Vian
Un barrage contre le Pacifique M. Duras
Un Pedigree P. Modiano
Jean le bleu J. Giono
Sans famille H. Malot
Le Château de mon père M. Pagnol
Un Sac de Billes J. Joffo, who died on died on Thursday December 6th 2018.
I love all the books on the list very much but my favorite book for this year was Sans famille by Hector Malot. I have been through the animé on YouTube twice and find it wonderful.
My all time favorite French writer is Amélie Nothomb. We have no author in the USA even close to her and I find her magnificent. People are offended that she pumps out one book a year, but it doesn’t bother me, since I don't feel the need to read each book.
If anyone wants advice on any of the books I have read this year don’t hesitate to ask.
Now for the controversial part-my study methodology when reading:
-each book is read 2-4 times.
-first time through is with no real look up in my dictionary and then the 2nd time thru I look up as much as I can. Note that my books are tools, so that means that I write in them and underline all items of interest.
-I am also doing something which I am sure will shock absolutely everyone and that is when I look up a word in my 260,000 word Larousse paperback dictionary I put a stroke by the word. Successive look ups mean I add strokes. This is so I see where my frequent vocab problems are.
-then if the word is not in the dictionary I go to Reverso online and look up the word there.
(Added afterward the next day)
So my second read through I look up the words and highlight with a yellow marker. That way on my 3rd and 4th run through I can focus on just the "problem words and idioms" and reinforce those. I make a strong effort not to read on the third and fourth time; that wastes time. The great advantage to this part of my method is that I can see the highlighted text and then if need be refer to the context for the word or idiom.
My books are my learning tools so I try to use them as such with lots of notations and underlining.
Also equally shocking is that I am not working on grammar or spoken French right now. I have no one at the moment to speak with although I had a wonderful Skype friend with whom I used to talk often. Grammar is also getting a rest at the moment. But for some strange reason I really like it.
I find French literature a fascinatingly rich resource that is very different from anything else in English.
I have been at this for 3 years now and no longer log in the minutes I spend and how. Rather now it is a way of life for me and it is 2 hours a day of reading and 1 hour on the oral comprehension.
If anyone has questions, feel free to ask.