Le français québécois: Lâche pas la patate!

[jeff_lindqvist]

I haven't remembered most of the old words so far.

There are many factors involved in "optimizing" Anki returns. The number of decks, the number of cards, whether you've seen them before or not, your assessments... even your expectations. Stating the obvious - you can't cram thousands of entries in a short time and expect to know them inside out - that's not how SRS and the assumed "forgetting curve" work.

Elsewhere, I wrote:
(...)focus on words you have seen and used yourself. If you front-load Anki with a deck of thousand cards you have never seen you will likely have problems learning them, and maintaining them.

[CaroleR]

There are many factors involved in "optimizing" Anki returns. The number of decks, the number of cards, whether you've seen them before or not, your assessments... even your expectations. Stating the obvious - you can't cram thousands of entries in a short time and expect to know them inside out - that's not how SRS and the assumed "forgetting curve" work.

Elsewhere, I wrote:
(...)focus on words you have seen and used yourself. If you front-load Anki with a deck of thousand cards you have never seen you will likely have problems learning them, and maintaining them.

Thanks very much for your advice. I'm still learning how best to use Anki. Previously, my system was to add cards for words and phrases that I came across in my reading and listening, so I never added thousands of words at a time. And my options were 5 new cards / 25 reviews, so there were lots of repetitions. But I let a lot of time go by. I'm still playing around with the options, but I've started to make much smaller decks and go more slowly, based on LeBaron's advice. And now yours. Thanks, it's appreciated. And thanks for the reference to that thread. I hadn't seen it before.

[jeff_lindqvist]

Thanks very much for your advice. I'm still learning how best to use Anki. Previously, my system was to add cards for words and phrases that I came across in my reading and listening, so I never added thousands of words at a time. And my options were 5 new cards / 25 reviews, so there were lots of repetitions. But I let a lot of time go by. I'm still playing around with the options, but I've started to make much smaller decks and go more slowly, based on LeBaron's advice. And now yours. Thanks, it's appreciated. And thanks for the reference to that thread. I hadn't seen it before.

Your above idea with 5/25 could work, but there is still a chance that you'd end up with a lot of cards depending on how "well" you knew them. I'm not saying this is how you're doing it - but - it's easy to fall into the trap and spend a lot of time creating the cards, thinking about the card in order to get a "perfect" score, perhaps having too much information on the card (e.g. a super long phrase which you'd never use, but somehow believe will help you cementing the sentence structure and / or the vocabulary)...

As for my own Anki work, I generally give myself the second lowest score. Doing so will make the card show up (relatively) soon, but not too soon. As I wrote in my "Anki" post earlier today, most cards will return in one year or so.

[CaroleR]

Your above idea with 5/25 could work, but there is still a chance that you'd end up with a lot of cards depending on how "well" you knew them. I'm not saying this is how you're doing it - but - it's easy to fall into the trap and spend a lot of time creating the cards, thinking about the card in order to get a "perfect" score, perhaps having too much information on the card (e.g. a super long phrase which you'd never use, but somehow believe will help you cementing the sentence structure and / or the vocabulary)...

As for my own Anki work, I generally give myself the second lowest score. Doing so will make the card show up (relatively) soon, but not too soon. As I wrote in my "Anki" post earlier today, most cards will return in one year or so.

Previously I'd been working on a few decks but the most recent had about 650 cards, mostly of probably too-long phrases with a blank for the one word I didn't know. Perhaps I do – or did – believe that it would somehow cement the sentence structure, etc. I was using the Refold advice about scoring, which is choosing "again" or "good" only, and ignoring "easy" and "hard." It usually went pretty fast, 15-20 minutes max. I am, by no means, a perfectionist.

By the "second lowest score" do you mean "again"? Do you do that for all the cards whether you know them or not?

Today I made 7 decks with 25 cards each. I thought I'd work on one or two at a time and repeat until I know all the cards for the time being, and then put them aside for a while. Does that sound like a good plan? I looked at your "Anki" post and it's a bit cryptic for me. Do you mean that you have 38 cards for Esperanto, for example, and you'll be reviewing them at some point? Maybe in a year? Or have I missed something?

It has become clear that I need to do some more research on how to use Anki, or I'll be pestering you with questions until the cows come home! Thanks for your advice and your time!

[jeff_lindqvist]

Previously I'd been working on a few decks but the most recent had about 650 cards, mostly of probably too-long phrases with a blank for the one word I didn't know. Perhaps I do – or did – believe that it would somehow cement the sentence structure, etc. I was using the Refold advice about scoring, which is choosing "again" or "good" only, and ignoring "easy" and "hard." It usually went pretty fast, 15-20 minutes max. I am, by no means, a perfectionist.

By the "second lowest score" do you mean "again"? Do you do that for all the cards whether you know them or not?

Today I made 7 decks with 25 cards each. I thought I'd work on one or two at a time and repeat until I know all the cards for the time being, and then put them aside for a while. Does that sound like a good plan? I looked at your "Anki" post and it's a bit cryptic for me. Do you mean that you have 38 cards for Esperanto, for example, and you'll be reviewing them at some point? Maybe in a year? Or have I missed something?

It has become clear that I need to do some more research on how to use Anki, or I'll be pestering you with questions until the cows come home! Thanks for your advice and your time!

The second lowest is "Hard". I don't select that one if the card in front of me is very familiar, or even easy. Sometimes cards are pushed 25 years into the future. (Those are usually high-frequency vocabulary or very common phrases that I added many years ago, and no doubt found rather easy even back then.)

My Anki post was just a snapshot of what the software showed that day. So, I did my 38 reviews for Esperanto, most of which will appear again in one year. I haven't run Anki today, but I don't think the numbers will differ a lot. Same for the other languages.

These days I rarely add new cards.

[CaroleR]

The second lowest is "Hard". I don't select that one if the card in front of me is very familiar, or even easy. Sometimes cards are pushed 25 years into the future. (Those are usually high-frequency vocabulary or very common phrases that I added many years ago, and no doubt found rather easy even back then.)

My Anki post was just a snapshot of what the software showed that day. So, I did my 38 reviews for Esperanto, most of which will appear again in one year. I haven't run Anki today, but I don't think the numbers will differ a lot. Same for the other languages.

These days I rarely add new cards.

It seems kind of funny to push cards 25 years into the future. Come back and let me know if you remember the words. Anki has a fairly steep learning curve, for me anyway, so I appreciate your help. Thanks!

[CaroleR]

My week of French ... new year, same old me! (Stole that from my sister ) Belated Happy New Year everyone!

30 Dec, 22 – 5 Jan, 23

News feeds

Texts
• Par ici: méthode de français – Échelle québécoise 5-6 (B1)
**Printemps**
– Épisode 15: Bilan: On célèbre! cont'd. The lessons are getting harder and it's taking longer to do them. Not that I'm resisting doing them or anything.
**Été** Enfin!
– Épisode 16: Bonne vacances! – In this lesson there is a "Faits d'ici" side note about "le chiac," a mélange of French and English spoken in New Brunswick. "Les Hay Babies," a New Brunswick band that sings in chiac, is mentioned. I have a few of their songs on my favourites playlist. Here's a lyric from Me reconnais-tu? « C'est okay, j'me reconnais pu moi-même. Pis I guess qu'on est better off de même. » – from the album, Mon Homesick Heart. Note: I hear "qu'on est better off now," but my anglo ears deceive me, I guess.
+ l'infinitif passé
• PMP Complete French – le passé composé – when you think you already know something ...

TV
• La table de Kim – 46 min
– s2ep3 L'essentiel: À part manger, dormir à l'abri, qu'est-ce qui est essentiel? Invités: acteur, cinéaste Robert Lepage; comédienne/autrice Sophie Faucher (who played Frida Kahlo in a theatre "spectacle," staged by Robert Lepage); Sophie's amoureux Michel Labrecque, chef de la recherche scientifique du Jardin botanique de Montréal; et Tire le Coyote (Benoit Pinette), l'auteur-compositeur, etc. His speaking voice is quite deep so his high-singing voice is a surprise. It's almost ethereal. He played Le ciel est backorder which made Sophie cry. The song is about a friend who had cancer. His friend recovered, thankfully. Not sure what he means by "backorder," again illustrating my inability to understand poetry.
• La vie secrète des animaux – 23 mins
– s2ep3 À la douche! Rhinos, parrots, chinchillas and sloths. I can relate to the sloths.

Youtube videos
• Ma prof de français – 11:12 min
– Expressions québécoise: bouffe et Fêtes; aside from when Geneviève was speaking, I barely understood what anyone said. And this was a TV ad for a grocery store. I need a whole lot more listening practice, obviously.
• Wandering French – 2:01 Min
– Les prononciations Québécoises – older people tend to roll their "Rs," younger people, not so much.
• Maud Sullivan – 9:28 min
– Quand utiliser avoir ou être au passé composé?

Books
– I was happy to hear that the most borrowed book from the Vancouver Public Library last year was: Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teachings of Plants by Robin Kimmerer. It seems as though indigenous "ways" are finally starting to be valued. One of those ways was to base their history and genealogy on the land before written language. Imagine how much they lost when their land was taken away.
– My current book is, of course, La Grande Aventure, which I will be reading until the end of time – three more weeks and I have to return it. Another book that PeterMollenburg recommended, Les Français aussi ont un accent, is out of print, but I found it on the Internet Archive! I will try to read these books during the day instead of at night when I'm tired. I have a Louise Penny book waiting for me at the library for bedtime reading.

Apart from all that, I'm back to using Anki, although I'm still trying to figure out the best system. So far I'm making small decks and being much more selective in the words I'm adding. Maybe I don't need to study all the words ...

[CaroleR]

Le ciel est backorder 4:16
Tire le coyote et Alexandra Stréliski

Quand ton corps est une cage où l'on enferme la maladie
Tu veux reprendre le tirage sous prétexte de tricherie
Le temps prépare un carnage et plaidera sans doute la folie
Toi tu la dévisages pour lui voler des morceaux de vie
Si la mort fait le voyage et qu'elle se pose sur ton lit
Faut pas s'attendre à un sondage pour connaitre tes envies
Mais si on compte le courage à la grandeur du défi
Tu scores un gros pointage, un record toute catégorie
Laisse-moi pas, on retrouvera le feu
Laisse-moi pas, on brulera les adieux
Le ciel est backorder

La malchance connait le passage pour te mener à l'agonie
Et malgré tous les ravages, elle a toujours un alibi
Mais ne fais pas tes bagages le monde deviendrait un fouillis
Où l'on expose que des mirages en cherchant tous les raccourcis
Ton sourire est un hommage à la splendeur de ta patrie
Ton île comme un tatouage sur tes cellules engourdies
Enfonce tes paysages dans les entrailles de l'ennemi
Nous verrons ton coffrage retenir les fuites du paradis
Laisse-moi pas, on retrouvera le feu
Laisse-moi pas, on brulera les adieux
Le ciel est backorder

« De sa voix fragile qui touche directement le cœur » Radio-Canada 2019

[CaroleR]

Me reconnais-tu? 2:41
Les Hay Babies

Me reconnais-tu?
On s'est déjà aimé
D'un bout à l'autre du monde
Jusqu'à ce qu'on pouvait pu s'entendre

J'me reconnais pu
C'est comme si j't'ai emprunté de quoi
Pis j'm'en rappelle pu trop pourquoi
But j'l'avais de besoin
J'te reconnais pu
Tu pourrais perdre tous tes cheveux
Pis paraitre un peu plus vieux
Tu te ressemblerais pareil

Te reconnais tu?
Tu sais pu comment t'y prendre
Pis t'as d'la misère à te comprendre

C'est okay, j'me reconnais pu moi-même
Pis I guess qu'on est better off de même

[CaroleR]

30 Dec, 22 – 5 Jan, 23

Got a couple of new books: The Complete French Grammar Course and The Little French Dictionary of Word Families, both by Dylane Moreau. Haven't had a chance to look at them much yet. What I like about the grammar book: audio and video lessons that accompany the book are online; exercises are included; the answers are in the book; and it can be used for self-study. We'll see how it goes. Not sure yet what to do with the dictionary. Maybe Iverson's kind of word lists or I may try mind maps.

Textbooks + workbook
• Par ici: méthode de français – Échelle québécoise 5-6 (B1)
**Été**
– Épisode 16: Bonne vacances! cont'd – la phrase exclamative! + l'infinitif passé
– Èpisode 17: On lit! Sadly, no mention of books, just a couple of articles; + le plus-que-parfait
• PMP Complete French – le passé composé cont'd + l'infinitif passé

TV
All the shows are back, so lots of TV this week. I'm finally weaning myself off subtitles. It's not going well. I really hate not understanding what everyone is saying but I hate rewatching shows or rereading books.

• STAT – 22 min
– s1ep57
• Eaux turbulentes – séries, policier – 43 min
– s2ep1 Noces de sang
• Fragments – séries, drame – 43 min
– s1ep1 À l'origine – this episode made me want to read The Alexandria Quartet. One of the characters picks up Clea, another starts to read Justine. I read Justine in English a hundred years ago but never read the rest of the books. Then someone mentions that one of the characters studies fine arts at the university where I worked and (briefly) studied fine arts. So weird. It's crazy how everything seems to be connected since I started down the French path. There have been so many "coincidences." Makes me think of how the universe works to help us along when we're going in the right direction. Of course, it could also be that Quebec is really just a small town, but I'm betting on the universe.
– s1ep2 120 battements par minute
– s1ep3 Cambridge
• La vie secrète des animaux – 23 mins
– s2ep4 Chez le docteur – They showed an antelope being castrated. Apparently he was going to another zoo and it was requested. The species isn't endangered but its numbers are decreasing, so that doesn't make sense to me.

Books
Maisons de verre by Louise Penny ~450 pgs – translation of Glass Houses
Still reading La grande aventure but very slowly. The part about the expulsion of the Acadiens was hard to read and I've found myself feeling rage about that, among other things. The letter from Roosevelt to our PM Mackenzie King, for example. FDR wanted Canada to "encourage" the francophones to assimilate, basically stop being French, as he was trying to do in the US. This in the middle of WW2!

Plus I did 20-30 minutes of Anki a day. It's really weird that I can see a word 10 times in 10 minutes and still not remember what it means.