Hestia's Log (FR, JP)

Continue or start your personal language log here, including logs for challenge participants
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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
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Re: Xenops Dates French! (and maybe German)

Postby Xenops » Sun Nov 20, 2016 4:16 am

Lost my Assimil streak. :? I've had other things going on. During walks I finished Pimsleur unit 14, and I started the audio exercises for French in Action. Tonight I did Assimil leçon 27. I figured out lately that I need to dedicate a special time and a special location, so I don't have to find room on the table (thrift store shopping found me a table that I put in the back room). Now all of my FiA books and other French stuff are spread out on the table. Also got this in the mail today: https://www.amazon.com/French-English-Parallel-Bilingual-Bible/dp/0982862008/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1479615254&sr=1-1 I'm sorry it's not leather-bound, but it's a nice looking book otherwise. :D It also doesn't have the annoying phonetic spellings of names like other KJV's I've seen.
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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
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Re: Xenops Dates French! (and maybe German)

Postby Xenops » Mon Dec 05, 2016 3:41 am

I've been working on school assignments lately, so not much language study. Two more weeks until break. :D Yay!

At church today we had a celebration of different cultures, and the Hispanic congregation joined ours, and we had worship songs in Spanish and Mandarin. I also found a lady that had moved from France when she was young, and I introduced myself to her in French. She was pleased that someone in church was learning the language. Hopefully this will continue. I am still meeting the girl that took French in high school a couple times of month.

I've started putting vocabulary from Assimil into Anki; I'm still in the passive phase, but I feel like I'm not doing anything. This will allow me to isolate words.

I don't know if it would be against forum policy to put on my log why I am interested in moving to a different country: one of the main reasons is that the FDA (our food regulation department) doesn't really regulate what's in our food. It's allowed for food companies to not put the actual ingredients on the list on the package. They use words like "natural flavors" (whatever that means). I remember a girl that couldn't eat most processed or canned food in the U.S., because she would get sick. Now she went on a mission's trip to Poland, and she could eatanything. It makes me wonder: what poisons are in our food? The GMO labeling is another grey area.

Another concern is the medical system: it's not sustainable, and I feel that the pharmaceutical companies just want to keep us sick.

So I confess that I'm "running away", rather than moving to a country that I love; but I'm researching other countries, and I hope that I can move from the escapist mentality to "I love this place, I want to live here". My current research is leading me to Belgium, and I'm wondering if knowing Dutch would be an asset.
2 x
Check out my comic at: https://atannan.com/

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LadyGrey1986
Orange Belt
Posts: 140
Joined: Fri Jul 22, 2016 1:20 pm
Location: The Netherlands
Languages: Dutch (N),
Has studied: English, French, German (I never took a test, no idea where I belong on the CEFR scale)
Studies: Arabic (Beginner)
Wishes to Study: Farsi/Persian
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Re: Xenops Dates French! (and maybe German)

Postby LadyGrey1986 » Mon Dec 05, 2016 9:58 am

In Flanders? Absolutely! ;)
1 x
Corrections welcome in any language :)

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PeterMollenburg
Black Belt - 3rd Dan
Posts: 3229
Joined: Wed Jul 22, 2015 11:54 am
Location: Australia
Languages: English (N), French (B2-certified), Dutch (High A2?), Spanish (~A1), German (long-forgotten 99%), Norwegian (false starts in 2020 & 2021)
Language Log: https://forum.language-learners.org/vie ... 15&t=18080
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Re: Xenops Dates French! (and maybe German)

Postby PeterMollenburg » Mon Dec 05, 2016 10:53 am

Xenops wrote:I've been working on school assignments lately, so not much language study. Two more weeks until break. :D Yay!

At church today we had a celebration of different cultures, and the Hispanic congregation joined ours, and we had worship songs in Spanish and Mandarin. I also found a lady that had moved from France when she was young, and I introduced myself to her in French. She was pleased that someone in church was learning the language. Hopefully this will continue. I am still meeting the girl that took French in high school a couple times of month.

I've started putting vocabulary from Assimil into Anki; I'm still in the passive phase, but I feel like I'm not doing anything. This will allow me to isolate words.

I don't know if it would be against forum policy to put on my log why I am interested in moving to a different country: one of the main reasons is that the FDA (our food regulation department) doesn't really regulate what's in our food. It's allowed for food companies to not put the actual ingredients on the list on the package. They use words like "natural flavors" (whatever that means). I remember a girl that couldn't eat most processed or canned food in the U.S., because she would get sick. Now she went on a mission's trip to Poland, and she could eatanything. It makes me wonder: what poisons are in our food? The GMO labeling is another grey area.

Another concern is the medical system: it's not sustainable, and I feel that the pharmaceutical companies just want to keep us sick.

So I confess that I'm "running away", rather than moving to a country that I love; but I'm researching other countries, and I hope that I can move from the escapist mentality to "I love this place, I want to live here". My current research is leading me to Belgium, and I'm wondering if knowing Dutch would be an asset.


Wow, we are defintely on the same page here (food, gmo's, big pharma, the medical sytem, not to mention French and a curious interest in Belgium). I think I'll tag along for the ride on your log. Keep up the good studying!
2 x

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PeterMollenburg
Black Belt - 3rd Dan
Posts: 3229
Joined: Wed Jul 22, 2015 11:54 am
Location: Australia
Languages: English (N), French (B2-certified), Dutch (High A2?), Spanish (~A1), German (long-forgotten 99%), Norwegian (false starts in 2020 & 2021)
Language Log: https://forum.language-learners.org/vie ... 15&t=18080
x 8029

Re: Xenops Dates French! (and maybe German)

Postby PeterMollenburg » Tue Dec 06, 2016 11:33 am

Hi again Xenops,

You may have looked into this kind of thing doing your own research but I couldn't resist sharing a bunch of links with you. It's not language learning related, so if you find this particularly bothersome or akin to spamming please indicate as such. I can delete the post or at least be advised to not send any more links (I'm not currently planning to btw). Otherwise I hope you find these interesting. As far as leaving the U.S. for reasons previously stated, in terms of Europe, Denmark appears to really value good food (organic in particular). If you are hesitant to start learning Danish, keep up your French as Luxembourg and Switzerland also fair well.

GM crops now banned in 38 countries
http://sustainablepulse.com/2015/10/22/gm-crops-now-banned-in-36-countries-worldwide-sustainable-pulse-research/#.WEaTw8LGjYU

The best countries in the world to live if you're GMO free
http://nomadcapitalist.com/2013/06/25/the-best-countries-to-live-abroad-and-gmo-free-no-genetically-modified-food/

US court of appeals allows local governments to ban GM crops
http://sustainablepulse.com/2016/11/21/us-court-of-appeals-allows-local-governments-to-ban-gm-crops/#.WEaVXsLGjYU

Bhutan aiming for 100% organic
https://www.google.fr/amp/s/thinkprogress.org/amp/p/59b9213a685e?client=safari
https://www.google.fr/amp/s/amp.theguardian.com/sustainable-business/bhutan-organic-nation-gross-national-happiness-programme?client=safari

Denmark leads Europe in organic food
http://www.ecowatch.com/will-denmark-become-the-worlds-first-100-organic-country-1882162562.html

5 (US) states that grow the most organic food
http://www.ecowatch.com/organic-farming-per-acre-2076239213.html

Some other interesting stats on organic food throughout the world
https://ourworld.unu.edu/en/a-taste-for-organic-food
[url]http://www.aginnovators.org.au/news/world’s-top-organic-farming-nations-–-and-global-giants-fall-short[/url]
3 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
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Contact:

Re: Xenops Dates French! (and maybe German)

Postby Xenops » Thu Dec 08, 2016 3:36 am

LadyGrey1986 wrote:In Flanders? Absolutely! ;)


PeterMollenburg wrote:
Wow, we are defintely on the same page here (food, gmo's, big pharma, the medical sytem, not to mention French and a curious interest in Belgium). I think I'll tag along for the ride on your log. Keep up the good studying!


Thank you LadyGrey and PM for the visits. :D You are welcome to provide links, I'm just not sure when I will have time to read them. ;)

I have finals next week, so then I can spend more time on languages. My other time-consuming hobby is my comics, and I just finished my first comic story last month; I'm still stoked about that. Part of Christmas vacation will be dedicated to that, too.

As I mentioned, my research has lead me to consider Belgium (for reasons I'll mention later), and I've debated about whether to add Dutch to the mix. Recently I've played with German too, my concern being that both of these are similar languages, and I read somewhere "if you're going to study two languages, make sure they are from different families". Currently I'm praying about which one to add to French, as they open different doors, metaphorically. Lately my leaning has been to Dutch.

After reading the B2-->C1 thread, I've concluded that for me to get the most out of native material, I need to know more words. So I'm returning to Anki use, and I want to look up how Gabriel Wyner did his method. Starting with Christmas break, I want to see how far I can go with my languages, and how fast.
1 x
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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
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Re: Xenops Dates French and Dutch! (and maybe German)

Postby Xenops » Sun Dec 18, 2016 4:10 am

My fall classes are done, I passed every one of them (yay!), now it's time to get busy with language for the next three weeks. I also decided to add Dutch to the mix.

So my three-week goals are:

500 French words in Anki
500 Dutch words in Anki
At least one leçon from Assimil each day (maybe more--I want to move on).
Learn Dutch pronunciation from Learn Dutch's Youtube channel: [url]https://www.youtube.com/user/1000DutchWords/url]

I also purchased the Living Language Spoken Word's Dutch course: https://www.amazon.com/Spoken-World-Dutch-Living-Language/dp/1400019877/ref=sr_1_64?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1482033790&sr=1-64&refinements=p_27%3ALiving+Language%2Cp_n_feature_browse-bin%3A2682077011 It sounds like the Routledge Dutch course isn't friendly to straight beginners, so I thought I would try this first. I am also not a hard-core fan of Assimil: I like the funny stories, it does a great job reinforcing vocabulary, it's great for the "assimilation" method...But I need more grammar-based goodies. I want to know the whys and the hows of a language, so I will continue my French course and call my Assimil experience good.

I'm also looking for more French and Dutch music. And, I looked in the Language Challenges and Teams forum, and there doesn't appear to be a Dutch group?

I had a lovely breakthrough with French listening: when I began watching Wakfu, I couldn't differentiate any words at all. With anime, I assumed because Japanese has easier pronunciation, I could differentiate words, even if I didn't know them. Now with Wakfu (I started the second season), I can differentiate words, even ones I haven't heard before. I never thought I would get to this point. :mrgreen:
2 x
Check out my comic at: https://atannan.com/

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
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Contact:

Re: Xenops Dates French! (and maybe German)

Postby Xenops » Mon Dec 19, 2016 3:12 am

I started studying Dutch today, and all I can say is...It doesn't feel right. I don't enjoy it as I do French. I'm also seeing a lack of Dutch language entertainment that could cater to complete beginners (not a lot of shows with English subtitles). So I will put it aside for now, and see if things change.

For now, I will continue with French.
1 x
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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
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Contact:

Re: Xenops Dates French! (and maybe German)

Postby Xenops » Thu Dec 22, 2016 5:59 pm

I was looking up "drôle" (funny) on Google Images, and I understood enough French to appreciate these two memes:
Image
Image

For the past few days, I've cut out all of my English audio entertainment, and have listened to either French music stations or Christian French music on Youtube (or TransSiberian Orchestra..But that's not in English). I'm also continuing Wakfu on Netflix. I found I can do house chores and Pimsleur at the same time, since it's too cold outside for walking. I'm currently working on Anki cards from Assimil, and I'm so behind!
2 x
Check out my comic at: https://atannan.com/

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: Xenops Dates French! (and maybe German)

Postby Xenops » Mon Dec 26, 2016 5:43 am

I listened to French radio recently, and I was amused at the word changes to this song:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vjqXYGs_Vi0 (how does one imbed a video?)

The English lyrics as I know them are "the lion sleeps tonight"...A bit less morbid. :lol:

I'm debating whether to continue with Assimil, or just jump into French in Action. I'm finding the assimilation method is driving me nuts: the aspect of language learning I enjoy is learning "the rules of the game, and learning how to use them". With Assimil, it's more like, "here, play this board game, and we won't explain the rules, but you'll follow the other players' examples". Also a favorite method of output is writing stories in __glish, like I wrote in Spanglish in high school. I really want to move to Frenglish.
0 x
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