Diving and Dabbling (Wayfarer’s 2023 Log)

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Diving and Dabbling (Wayfarer’s 2023 Log)

Postby Wayfarer » Fri Jan 20, 2023 7:04 am

Hi all! I’m a long-time lurker here, but this year I want to get involved, and to keep a log. I intended to start it at the beginning of the year, but I had an accident, and my right hand has been out of order (I’m typing this left-handed and slowly…)

In the first few posts, I’ll introduce myself, talk about aims, methods, etc. Thereafter, I’ll try to update on a regular basis. The main purpose of keeping a log is accountability. I have always been interested in languages, but I’ve haven’t had much success in learning them (as I’ll talk about that as the log progresses). I hope keeping a record like this will help.

Diving and Dabbling

Why have I called this log ‘Diving and Dabbling’? Well, there are a few languages I want to dive into and study in depth, and many others I want to dabble in. I have long been stricken with linguistic wanderlust, which has caused me to flit from language to language, and from resource to resource. I can now say I know a lot about many languages, but I don’t know many languages. I have collected a lot of resources in a lot of languages (Assimil, Linguaphone, Hugo, and many, many more.) Having too much choice has, I’ve found, hindered progress. Rather than focusing on one resource and getting the most out of it, I’ve moved about without success. So instead of fighting the wanderlust, I'm embracing it, but imposing some order and method on it.

How am I going to study? Each language will be a bit different, depending on resources and the language itself. Perhaps the best way for me to explain my overall approach would be to describe how I’m going to study my first ‘dabbling’ language: Dutch.

Dutch

My plan for each language is to use one main resource to build a foundation. By foundation I mean I want to understand how the language works, and learn a basic vocabulary of about 2,000 words. Putting away other resources and focusing on one course is how I intend to do this. For Dutch I’m using Living Language Spoken World Dutch https://www.amazon.com/Spoken-World-Dutch-Living-Language/dp/1400019877/ref=sr_1_4?keywords=Living+Language+Spoken+World+Dutch&qid=1674197720&sr=8-4. I borrowed a Spoken World course from the library ages ago, and thought it so good that I ended up buying all the courses in the series.

The course has a book and CDs. The recordings are divided into Set A and Set B. Set A recordings give the conversations, vocabulary, key phrases, and the sentences from the grammar sections for all fifteen lessons. Unlike Teach Yourself, Colloquial, etc., these recordings have very little English, so I don’t have to spend time in Audacity editing them. One of the big mistakes in my language learning journey heretofore has been to spend a lot of time preparing to study: making flashcards, editing audio, etc. But, preparing to study a language is not the same as studying a language. So this year, I’m starting with the low hanging fruit, that is, languages that not only interest me, but also for which I have the most suitable resources. Spoken World Dutch seemed like a perfect way to begin the year.

The Set B recordings are to be used without the book. The dialogue for each lesson is given with pauses for repetition, then several tracks get you using the grammar and vocabulary from the lesson, usually by prompts in English. In the past, I’ve tried collecting and collecting knowledge. Instead, this year I want to focus on actually using the words and structures I study by creating my own sentences and talking to myself a lot.

Well, that’s enough for a first post, I think. In my next posts, I’ll talk about the other languages I’ll be studying, and how.
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Re: Diving and Dabbling (Wayfarer’s 2023 Log)

Postby Wayfarer » Sat Jan 21, 2023 8:28 am

Laying a Foundation

Aside from the languages I’m diving into (next post), my aim in dabbling is to lay a sound foundation. Rather than flitting about like I did in the past, I’m choosing one good resource to learn the grammar and structure of each language. Fluency is not the never-ending accumulation of vocabulary. Words are good, and the more one can learn the better. However, at least in the beginning, variation is better than accumulation. I want to becoming comfortable with how the language works, and use the structures and elementary vocabulary (about 2,000 words) over and over and over again, combining and mixing and reusing the words and structures in 'infinite variety'. Also, having one main resource allows for regular revision.

Self-Talk

I like talking to people. I’ve tried using iTalki before, but I always dreaded iTalki sessions. However, I know I must use a language to learn it. So late last year when I was preparing to come back and try language learning again, I thought a lot about how I could practise languages. Self-talk seemed the best fit.

I’m talking to myself as an integral part of my study. As I study, I constantly make up sentences with vocabulary and grammar points in that lesson. I ask myself questions, and answer them; I take a sentence and change the tense, or number, or whatever; I talk as long as I can and as much as I can. I use the words and grammar I’m learning. At first, I was afraid this would be a chore, but in fact it makes my study sessions exhilarating. Also, it’s something I can do anywhere anytime: sitting in a waiting room, in the garden, lying awake in bed…

Self-talk is not a substitute for conversing with real-life speakers, but it’s an excellent supplement. I’ve just started learning Dutch, and I’m quite happy making up my own sentences, chattering away to myself as best I can. I don’t want to look for an online Dutch tutor. However, if I were to find myself in the company of a Dutch speaker, I’d be happy to try speaking Dutch. Indeed, as I talk to myself, I imagine this exact scenario, and prepare what I will say when it happens.

Esperanto

I’ve long been interested in Esperanto, and so I thought it would be a good language to start the year with. I’m using The Esperanto Teacher by Helen Fryer (https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/8177/pg8177-images.html). It has some interesting example sentences: ‘Aleksandro ne volas lerni, kaj tial mi batas Aleksandron’ (Alexander does not want to learn, and so I beat Alexander); ‘Lakto estas pli nutra, ol vino’ (milk is more nutritious than wine). Well, good to know!

On the whole, it seems a good, straightforward introduction, that, judging from the reading passages at the end, gives the student a solid foundation. When I study, I read everything aloud, and do as much self-talking as I can. I’m up to lesson 14, and so far I’m loving it!
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Re: Diving and Dabbling (Wayfarer’s 2023 Log)

Postby Wayfarer » Wed Jan 25, 2023 8:38 am

Chinese

I studied Chinese and Japanese as an undergraduate. I was able to pass exams, and yet I’m severely lacking in actual ability. I can converse in Chinese on simple topics. I use the same basic structures, and cannot express myself beyond broad, bland utterances; I cannot express myself with nuance and specificity. I cannot converse in Japanese at all. I want to improve in these languages. As I have studied them formally, I’d like my ability to match my credentials. Also, I feel like they are tasks unfinished.

When I speak Chinese, I really feel my paucity of vocabulary, and the lack of sophistication and variety in my expression. Therefore, I’m using two resources. The first is 慢速中文 (Slow Chinese) (https://archive.org/details/slowchinese_201909), a blog created by a native Chinese speaker to help learners. The articles, spoken slightly more slowly than normal speed, cover a broad range of topics.

I listen to a recording many times, trying to understand as much as I can. Then, I read the article, and add unknown words and structures to Anki. I don’t intend to use Anki for all the languages I’ll study, as I don’t like being tied to a screen. But as I want to attain a high level in Chinese, and as it is so different from English, I’m using Anki. I also put the texts on my Kindle. Each article is fairly short, so I read them allowed a number of times. I use back-chaining, and create new sentences based in the words and structures in the text, but only so long as it holds my interest. When my interest starts to wane, I take a break, and come back to it later. I’m only a few articles in, but 慢速中文 has already helped me expand my vocabulary.

The second Chinese resource I’m using is Tuttle’s Essential Chinese Grammar (https://www.amazon.com/Essential-Mandarin-Chinese-Grammar-Ultimate/dp/0804851409/ref=sr_1_1?crid=36LNLBX6UQNE4&keywords=Tuttle%E2%80%99s+Essential+Chinese+Grammar&qid=1674635830&sprefix=%2Caps%2C628&sr=8-1). I have various Chinese grammars, but this one is very practical as a learning tool, rather than just a reference. Eventually I might work through the whole book, but for now I’m focusing on the second half. These chapters contain structure words (结构词) that are so important in Chinese, which I’m putting into Anki. Also, the book has audio, so I can listen to and practise the example sentences.

In my next post I’ll talk about what I’m using for Japanese. If anyone has any comments or criticisms on what I’ve already posted, please feel free to chime in. Till next time…
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Re: Diving and Dabbling (Wayfarer’s 2023 Log)

Postby Wayfarer » Sat Jan 28, 2023 6:20 am

Japanese

As mentioned already, I studied Japanese as an undergraduate, but I can’t use the language. I have a decent idea of how the language works, but need to solidify the grammar, and improve my skill.

To solidify grammar, I’m using the ‘Instantaneous Composition Method’ from Wasabi Japanese (https://www.wasabi-jpn.com/japanese-lessons/japanese-grammar-with-instantaneous-composition-method/). The main points of Japanese grammar are covered using a minimal vocabulary. These ‘lessons’ are for revision, not learning, and assume you have studied the grammar already (references to relevant sections of the Genki textbooks and Tae Kim grammar site are given).

The recordings are good for practising specific points. First I use to the audio, anticipating the correct answers. I note any unknown words or grammar points, and practise them a few times. Once I've understood everything, I try to produce the correct responses without pausing the audio. The recordings are quite short, so I start each study session by revising the last few tracks before beginning a new one. I'll keep doing this till I finish. Then I'll go through all the tracks in random order as ongoing revision.

After that, I think I’ll use the lessons on the same site based on short stories (https://www.wasabi-jpn.com/japanese-lessons/fairy-tales-and-short-stories-with-easy-japanese/) and radio broadcasts (https://www.wasabi-jpn.com/japanese-lessons/materials-for-japanese-lessons-read-aloud-method/). I’ve been thinking a lot about the place of reading in language learning, but I’ll hold off talking about it here. I’ll do an update on Esperanto soon and talk about reading there.
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Re: Diving and Dabbling (Wayfarer’s 2023 Log)

Postby Wayfarer » Tue Feb 07, 2023 6:57 am

Esperanto: Progress and Musings

I finished The Esperanto Teacher by Helen Fryer. Despite my initial enthusiasm, I found it hard to get through, not because Esperanto is hard, but because it is easy. Let me explain.

The first few lessons were fine, giving the main points of Esperanto grammar, which are simple, regular, and few in number. After that, the lessons became dull and tedious. The exercises were just masses of unconnected sentences. There was nothing compelling about them, nothing that made me want to continue reading. The simplicity of Esperanto's grammar makes such a grammatically-focused approach unjustifiable. I studied Esperanto because I wanted to learn it. But also, I had heard of the propaedeutic benefits of studying Esperanto. I hoped that studying Esperanto would give me an idea of what works, and what doesn’t, when earning a language. It has.

This experience taught me that random sentences are boring, and boredom is the enemy of learning. I think the best way to reinforce grammatical structures and learn vocabulary would be in meaningful contexts. So now I’m using Liza kaj Paŭlo, a short story written for learners. I listened to the audio several times (it’s about 20 minutes long). In the story, the two eponymous friends make an eventful excursion to the beach. The audio is clear, and uses sound effects to suggest what’s going on (the alarm clock rings, the train passes, etc.). I could understand quite a bit. I then put the text on my Kindle and read the story. Instead of using a dictionary at all, if I came across an unknown word, I highlighted it and annotated it with my best guess based on context. Then I reread it all. Now I’ll read it again a few times, and finally I’ll look up anything that still isn’t clear.

Next I’ll read Gerda Malaperis, another story written for learners. At 25 chapters, it’s longer than Liza kaj Paŭlo, but the chapters aren’t terribly long. I have audio for this story too. I’ll read it in the same way, not using a dictionary, and just trying to work everything out by context. Then after reading it again several times, finally I’ll look up anything that still isn’t clear. There’s also a film version of Gerda Malaperis on YouTube. I’ll wait till I’ve studied the text before watching it, but the film should offer a little light entertainment.

When I’m finished studying Liza kaj Paŭlo and Gerda Malaperis, I’ll put Esperanto on the backburner for a while. I’m going to have a go at Latin soon, and I can definitely say that my experience with Esperanto has influenced my approach to Latin. But I’ll post about that when I get there…
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Re: Diving and Dabbling (Wayfarer’s 2023 Log)

Postby Wayfarer » Thu Feb 23, 2023 4:03 am

It's been a little while since I posted here, so it's good to be back. One of my biggest problems trying to study languages in the the past has been starting something, then giving up that resource to move on to something else, then repeating. That is why I have boxes filled with language-learning resources, but little actual knowledge and skill to show for it.

Chinese

I’ve been using 慢速中文. However, I’ve found I don’t like using Anki, and I don’t like not having a paper book. I’m going to continue using 慢速中文 and Anki (instead of giving up and moving on to something else, as mentioned above), but I'm supplementing them with printed readers. I like having a paper book with vocabulary lists I can cover and test myself on. I’ve collected quite a few Chinese readers. Some are adapted literary texts, some are collections of readings on various topics (language, politics, science, history, culture, etc.). I study each reading the same way. First I just read the text aloud (a few times if necessary), and try my best to understand it. Then I go through the vocabulary list, covering the pinyin and English, trying to give the English for each word, and making a point to remember unknown words. Lastly, I study the notes. Having done this, I move on to something else before coming back and testing myself on the vocabulary again, but this time covering the Chinese and translating from English. Then I finish by reading the text again a few times. After five texts I revise, first by translating the vocabularies from English to Chinese, then reading all the texts again. I think revision is key. So far, this has been going well.

Japanese

The situation with Japanese is the same as with Chinese: the Wasabi grammar materials are a bit dull, and also I don’t like not having a paper book. I’ll keep using the Wasabi materials (again, instead of giving up and moving on to something else, as mentioned above), but I’m supplementing them with printed books.

The two books I’m using are Hugo’s Japanese Simplified, and Miller’s Japanese Graded Reader. The Hugo course is for conversation. It gives quite a good overview of the spoken language, illustrating grammatical structures with lots of example sentences and lively dialogues. I converted the cassette tapes to MP3, and then divided the audio into sections. The reader is in five sections: introductory; elementary; intermediate; advanced (fiction); advanced (non-fiction). It’s a bit drier than the Hugo course (at least, so far), but it’s dense. It takes the student from basic kana to reading Japanese novels and essays on advanced topics.

I’m alternating between the two books: five lessons of Hugo, then a section of the reader, then another five lessons of Hugo, and then the next section of the reader, etc. Each time I come back to one of the books, I spend some time revising what I’ve done, before moving on. I find I can study multiple languages at once, so long as I don’t use lots of resources for a language at the same time. Again, frequent revision is key.

FIGS (French, Italian, German, Spanish)

I have long wanted to learn these languages. I’ve tried in the past, but the same thing always happened. I started an elementary course with great enthusiasm, got bored, and moved on. So, I want to take a steady course this year. I have lots of resources, so first I had to decide what to use. I have Assimil courses for these language, and it seems a waste not to use them. But I like explicit grammar study, whereas Assimil tends to introduce grammar incidentally. I decided to choose a grammar text, conversational text, and reading text that I can use for each language. I'm focusing on grammar first.

So, I’m using Teach Yourself (not the new versions which are like phrasebooks sprinkled with some grammar, but the older hardcover versions). I’ll do five lessons of one book, revise, then do five lessons of the next book, and go on like that. I did the first five lessons of the French book like this: I read through a lesson, making sure I understood it, and treated the exercises like readings for comprehension. After five lessons, I went over the lessons again, but working English to French. I translated the sentences orally. If I made a mistake (like giving ‘de le’ instead of ‘du’), I just made sure I understood why my answer was wrong, gave the correct answer, and moved on.

I’ve gone through the first five lessons of the French book, and am now working on German. I still can’t use my writing hand well, so pencil-and-paper written exercises are out of the question for now. This is why I’m doing the exercises orally. By the time I finish going through the books likes this, writing shouldn’t be a problem. I’ll then go through the books again by doing all the exercises as written work from English into the foreign language (really working my recall), and revise any sentences with errors.

Doing the exercises as written work will be a bit dull (but very useful if done conscientiously). So I plan to do one at a time as a supplementary work to the conversational courses. But I'll cross that bridge when I come to it.
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Re: Diving and Dabbling (Wayfarer’s 2023 Log)

Postby Wayfarer » Sat Jul 01, 2023 7:52 am

It’s the middle of the year, and I’m using this time to restart my language learning and this log. I started this log at the beginning of the year, but unfortunately I didn’t keep it up. To keep myself on track, I’ll try to post a progress update at least once a week.

Chinese
The random articles I was trying to plough through weren't helping, and were pretty boring. Now I’m using Colloquial Chinese (the one by Tung and Pollard, not the newer one). It’s a little dated, but it’s great book nonetheless. I have the audio and the character texts (red and blue). I’ve played around with pacing, but I'm finding two lessons a week is good. Chinese is my priority, and I try to spend at least two hours day on it.

Also, I’ve started an online language exchange with a friend of a friend who’s Chinese and wants to practise English. We meet online once a week, speaking only Chinese for the first hour, and only English for the second hour.

Japanese
At the beginning of the year, I started using two books: Hugo’s Japanese Simplified (Breen) and Tuttle’s Japanese Reader (Miller). They both have some good points, but overall they were unsatisfactory. Hugo’s Japanese Simplified is completely Romanised, and Tuttle’s Japanese Reader is old, dense, and has no audio.

Instead, I'm going back my university textbooks: Genki (Vols. 1&II) and An Integrated Approach to Intermediate Japanese (both by the Japan Times). When I went through these at school, we were always just studying bits to pass quizzes and tests, and none of it really sank in. I passed, but I didn’t really learn. They're good books, and I'm looking forward to going through them to learn, instead of just passing the next test. I also have NPO Tadoku Supporters’ Graded Japanese Readers (levels 0-4). I intend to alternate between the textbooks and the readers. For example, I’ll do the first six lessons of Genki, and then switch to Level 0 of the Graded Readers, then back to Genki, and so on.

Here's to a happy and productive second half of the year! 加油!頑張って!
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Re: Diving and Dabbling (Wayfarer’s 2023 Log)

Postby Wayfarer » Sun Jul 02, 2023 10:33 am

This week I (re)started Genki. For Chinese, I’m studying two lessons of Colloquial Chinese a week, which I then use as a basis for conversation in my language exchange. Chinese and Japanese are my ‘diving’ language. I want to make good progress in these. But I’m also ‘dabbling’ in some languages, as the fancy takes me. I like the Living Language Basics courses, which I have for a few languages. This week I have been doing Arabic and German. I think I'll rotate these regularly, so that I'm getting some change, but still coming back to the same materials. This way I can mix revision with novelty.

Weekly Activity:
- Colloquial Chinese: Lessons 7 and 8
- Chinese language exchange (Online)
- Genki: Lessons 1 to 4
- Living Language: German and Arabic
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Re: Diving and Dabbling (Wayfarer’s 2023 Log)

Postby Wayfarer » Sun Jul 09, 2023 10:22 am

Japanese
I studied lessons 5 and 6 of Genki. Instead of moving onto lesson 7, I read through level 0 of NPO Tadoku Supporters’ Graded Japanese Readers (レベル別日本語多読ライブラリー). They're great! I went through level 0, so they were very short and simple. But it made a nice break from just textbook study. I didn't "study" the stories, I just enjoyed them. For each book, I listened to the audio a few times, then read through it, then revised the lot. There were only a few words I didn't know, but their meanings were quite clear from the context. This coming week I go back to Genki. When I get to the end of Genki volume I, I'll do level 1 of the readers before moving onto Genki volume II.

Chinese
I studied lessons 9 and 10 of Colloquial Chinese. It all makes sense, but I'm going too fast for it to sink in. I want to "memorize" the texts as I'm doing with the Genki dialogues (as I describe in this post: https://forum.language-learners.org/viewtopic.php?p=230163#p230163). My language exchange partner had to cancel last minute (we meet online every weekend), so next week I'll redo lesson 9, and see if one lesson a week is a better pace. Festina lente.

My experience this week of punctuating my Japanese textbook study with graded readers was very positive, and makes me think I might try the same with Chinese. I have graded readers in Chinese, so perhaps when I finish lesson 10 of the textbook, I'll go through some graded readers before moving on.

Arabic
I'm using Arabic: The Basics by Living Language. It's a great course. I know nothing of Arabic, and just want to dabble a bit. The first lesson is just pronunciation. The rest of the lessons have the same structure: a dialogue; some notes; vocabulary list; grammar section; exercises; script section (the course in Romanized, but the script is taught as well); pronunciation section (focuses on a few sounds each lessons). There is audio for the conversations, vocabulary, example words and sentences in the grammar sections, and the pronunciation section. I listen to each section repeatedly, then read along, until I can repeat the words and sentences comfortably.

There are some really new and unusual sounds (for me), so I keep practising and revising. My aim for each lesson (this pass through) is to be able to say everything comfortably and with a decent accent, and to understand everything. Later on, I'll focus on translating English to Arabic, but for now I'm just getting use to the sounds and structures.

German
I started using German: The Basics by Living Language. Each lesson of the Arabic course has a dialogue, vocabulary lists, grammar, etc. The German course is more of a mishmash. I'm convinced that "memorizing" sentences (in conversations, texts, example structures, etc.) is the best way to learn a language. The other books I'm using all have texts I can memorize. So for German I decided to change materials. I have Assimil German which I bought a few years ago, but didn't use. I decided to give it a try.

I worked through the first 14 lessons of Assimil German this week. Instead of using the "two waves" approach, I'm doing the following. I listen to a lesson several times, and then listen and read, until I can repeat it fairly well. I then read through the lesson sentence by sentence, reading the German aloud several times, then repeating it without looking. Next I work out the meaning, and check the English translation. When I've finished going through the lesson like this, I then go back and translate (verbally) the text and exercise from English into German, sentence by sentence. Every seven lessons forms a sort of unit. After seven lessons, I go back and translate all seven lessons from English into German. I also listen repeatedly while cooking, walking, etc.

I intend to work through the book like this, doing at least two lessons a day. When I get to the end, I'll revise the whole book, translating English to German. I'll note any sentences I don't get right and revise. Dealing with each unit of seven lessons seems to me neater and more organized than two waves, though it probably wouldn't work if I did only one lesson a day. If this does work, I have several other Assimil courses I can work through.

Weekly Activity:
- Colloquial Chinese: Lessons 9 and 10
- Genki: Lessons 5 and 6
- Graded Japanese Readers: Level 0
- Living Language Arabic: Lessons 1-4
- Assimil German 1-14
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Re: Diving and Dabbling (Wayfarer’s 2023 Log)

Postby Wayfarer » Sun Jul 16, 2023 8:55 am

Time for another weekly update. I’m trying to do these every Sunday, and so far I’m managing to get it done. I hope this continues.

Chinese
I studied lessons 9 of Colloquial Chinese and had a good conversation with my language exchange partner. I feel like the topics are getting deeper and more true-to-life. In the beginning, our Chinese conversations were about were about the weather, family, and other simple topics. This week we discussed the changing ways Chinese people meet girlfriends/boyfriends (old matchmakers vs. new apps, etc) and the challenges of maintaining a good work-life balance. Although I still have a long way to go to reach the level I want, I feel I'm making progress.

I really like the Colloquial Chinese book. Some of the vocabulary is a bit dated (this week's lesson, for example, included 人民公社、生产队 etc.) but the texts are lively, humorous, and pedagogically excellent. It uses only Pinyin, however. I have the large character text, but it was getting a bit cumbersome switching. So this week I started a vocabulary notebook. I’m using a small hardcover notebook. I’m copying the vocabulary from Colloquial Chinese into the notebook at the moment, but it’s not just for that. When I move on to other materials, it will be good to have a central place for vocabulary. I number each page and each entry for ease of revision, so when I’m testing myself and I get a word wrong, I can just note the page and entry (i.e. 2.8; 4.15; 6.5 etc.) and come back later and revise.

Japanese
I’m back to Genki after an interlude with the graded readers. This week I studied lessons 7-9. It’s going well. When I finish lesson 12 (the last lesson of volume I) I’ll do the next level of graded readers, and then move onto volume II.

German
Going back to previously studied lessons to focus on translation has become mechanical, and feels unproductive at this stage. So now I study each lesson like this: I listen to the audio a few times, then listen and read the German. Next, I go sentence by sentence, reading the German aloud until I can repeat it easily without reading (back chaining often), and working out the sentence’s meaning. Then I check the English translation and notes (covered till now), translate from English back into German, and again repeat the German a few times. Finally, I revise the lesson. When I’ve done this for a whole unit (lot of seven lessons) I revise them, and move on.

Arabic
Arabic has been a dabbling language. I haven’t studied it before, and I just wanted to get my feet wet. I did the first five lessons, and can repeat the words and sentences, and understand the content. I’ll take a break from Arabic for a bit now, and when I feel like taking it up again, I’ll revise the first five lessons, and then do the next five.

Greek
Greek will be my new dabbling language. Again, I just want to get my feet wet. I’m using Complete Greek by Language Transfer (https://www.languagetransfer.org/free-courses-1#greek). It’s an audio course that seems like it will give a good foundation. I’ll give it a try, anyway. I’ve listened to the first track, which explains the method. I love his advice that ‘we should think slowly to learn quickly’. I’m looking forward to the course. It’s long (120 tracks) and I may not get through all of it first time. But I’ll enjoy the journey into Greek.

Weekly Activity
- Colloquial Chinese: Lesson 9
- Chinese language exchange (Online)
- Genki: Lessons 7-9
- Living Language Arabic: Lesson 5; revised 1-5
- Assimil German 15-28
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