A Words Enthusiast

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Axon
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Re: A Words Enthusiast

Postby Axon » Sat Feb 24, 2018 4:42 am

Not a whole lot new since the last update. Still putting in a lot of time with languages and that's come with a definite sense of progress.

Recently there have been topics about "free and legal" and "no notes" challenges. I've only taken notes for languages that I've enrolled in formal classes for - so German, Mandarin, Russian, and Indonesian. I took Spanish classes but that was years ago in high school and I wouldn't say I took any meaningful notes. French is probably the language I've reached the highest level in without notes or classes. My French is not very good.

I am a very miserly person and so the vast majority of my language learning has been "free," much of it also "legal" too. It frankly shocks me sometimes how some people on this forum will talk about booking $100-200 worth of online lessons on a regular basis. But I suppose putting your money down is a powerful psychological factor for actually doing the work. I'm lucky that here I'm surrounded by highly multilingual people that are willing to practice with me - if not for an hour, for at least a short five-to-ten minute conversation at native speed. It's great that the Mandarin speakers here don't dumb down their speech for me, but gosh it can be tough sometimes. At least I'm used to switching to Indonesian if I don't understand, not English.

Indonesian classes continue. Lots of writing and at least 1000 words a day of reading, which I tend not to count in my progress bars. I'm pushing 10000 reps on Glossika, and I think I'll back off once I get to around 12000 since I want to use that time to work on other languages. I went out recently with my microphone and recorded a couple of short interviews with people on the street. Listening to them was eye-opening because I noticed so many different styles of speech - some people would use very short and clipped sentences, others would put the -an suffix on everything, and still others spoke just like my professors.

Still reading Spanish. It feels like cheating to read Wikipedia since it's so much less challenging than even news articles. I noticed my accent has some Indonesian influence - devoicing initial <v> to /f/, trilling /r/ instead of tapping, and even sometimes not releasing final stops. If I concentrate I can get back to a Mexican accent though.

Nearly two-thirds of the way done with the French stories on Duolingo. I still find them absolutely perfect for my level. I also remembered Lingvist, though in my year of absence it became a tiered subscription model. I've definitely seen improvement in reading and listening with these stories. I know several people here who speak French and maybe one day I'll try a conversation.

Kept up Russian Duolingo (mostly) and actually had a short conversation yesterday where I remembered some words! There are still huge holes in my grammar, mostly about verbs (shocker). Lingvist has Russian and it's more challenging than DL because it's all Russian typing. Still listening to radio in the gym and I did listen to some Russian-Podcast lessons.

I need to watch more Easy Languages videos. My laptop has some problems with YouTube nowadays, which is a total bummer because it's such a fantastic free and legal resource. I figure they would be a perfect low-stress addon to the minimal work I'm doing to keep Spanish, French, and Russian afloat. Once I get these three to a more solid level - better knowledge of grammar, wider vocabulary, better listening - I'll work on Cantonese, Vietnamese, and Polish.
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Adrianslont
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Re: A Words Enthusiast

Postby Adrianslont » Sat Feb 24, 2018 4:57 am

Are you thinking of uploading those Indonesian street interviews at all? I’d enjoy seeing them!
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Adrianslont
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Re: A Words Enthusiast

Postby Adrianslont » Sat Feb 24, 2018 5:02 am

I’ve been doing very little Indonesian lately but one thing I have been doing is reading the comment threads in stories on my Facebook feed and I am reading Bahasa Gaul faster/better!
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DaveBee
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Re: A Words Enthusiast

Postby DaveBee » Sat Feb 24, 2018 8:53 pm

Axon wrote:Nearly two-thirds of the way done with the French stories on Duolingo. I still find them absolutely perfect for my level. I also remembered Lingvist, though in my year of absence it became a tiered subscription model. I've definitely seen improvement in reading and listening with these stories.
I looked up the three books you mentioned on the homeschooling thread earlier.

The Swiss Family Robinson has some legally available french audio, I think from the 1960s Disney film adaption: Les robinsons des mers du sud.

Cheaper by the dozen > Treize à la douzaine
Belles on their Toes > Six filles à marier
The Swiss Family Robinson > Le Robinson Suisse
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Axon
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Re: A Words Enthusiast

Postby Axon » Sun Feb 25, 2018 4:21 am

DaveBee wrote:I looked up the three books you mentioned on the homeschooling thread earlier.


Wow, thanks a lot! My go-to books for translated editions are Ender's Game, Artemis Fowl, and Calvin & Hobbes. It never crossed my mind that Cheaper by the Dozen would have been translated, and thank you very much for the French audio!

Adrianslont wrote:Are you thinking of uploading those Indonesian street interviews at all? I’d enjoy seeing them!


They're just audio, but sure! I'll find a way to put them in the study thread with some transcripts. Gotta have something in there. :D
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Adrianslont
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Re: A Words Enthusiast

Postby Adrianslont » Sun Feb 25, 2018 5:38 am

Axon wrote:
Adrianslont wrote:Are you thinking of uploading those Indonesian street interviews at all? I’d enjoy seeing them!


They're just audio, but sure! I'll find a way to put them in the study thread with some transcripts. Gotta have something in there. :D

Awesome! And with transcripts - even better!

I’ve been meaning to go back to the Five Colleges Culture Talk interview videos and spend some more time with them but I have just been too distracted by French for about six months now. YOUR interviews, I promise myself, I will check out as soon as they appear.

I am unsure which thread you mean you will post them to - and worry that it is not one I am subscribed to - can you mention it in this thread, your log, when you post them so I don’t miss them?

Cheers.
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Axon
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Re: A Words Enthusiast

Postby Axon » Sat Mar 03, 2018 3:29 pm

Sekarang masih foto. Ini cuma sampingan, Go-Jek. Sambil cari teman.

Jadi, biasanya bekerja jam berapa?

Dari jam empat ngojek sampai jam sepuluh, jam sepuluh sampai jam enam kerja, nanti jam enam lanjut lagi ngojek.


A hint of the transcripts I'm making. Non-speakers of Indonesian, any idea what's being said? I think this is almost all Austronesian vocab without many loanwords if at all (save "foto" as opposed to the more-native-but-still-loan pemotret). Not a lot of words of course, but still.

I find Javanese vocabulary slips away soon after I learn it, but I'm learning to read more and more of the alphabet and it's a joy to sound out street signs.

Bit of a slowdown with Spanish, though not with French and Russian. I've listened to twenty minutes of the French Swiss Family Robinson audio, and read the first chapter of Cheaper by the Dozen in French. I should probably try reading Belles on their Toes instead since I've practically memorized Cheaper by the Dozen and I can't tell how much I'm understanding versus remembering.
Continued with French Duolingo Stories and Russian Duolingo. Some Lingvist in French and Russian.

I started writing some of the example sentences out of the HSK 5 study book but didn't get particularly far. I need to push myself more with Chinese or at the very least just speak more about things that I'm not used to. I guess that's pushing myself.

Still doing German translating, trying to reach a minimum quota per day. I am extremely used to the guy's voice and manner of speaking, so when I had to translate a female speaker from some completely different part of Germany it was harder than I expected. I got a book of short stories by Italo Calvino (Abenteuer eines Reisenden)and I can't tell if they were translated from the Italian or actually originally written in German, because they are wonderful and the writing style reminds me of other German literature (which I admit I don't have much experience with). Here's a stunning sentence:

Um den Landungssteg drängten sich die grauen Fischerhäuser, und rote Netze waren zwischen kurzen Pfählen gespannt, und aus den vertauten Booten hoben einige Burschen bleifarbene Fische und übergaben sie stämmigen Mädchen, die viereckige Körbe mit flachen Rändern auf ihre Hüften stützten, und Männer mit winzigen goldenen Ohrringen saßen mit ausgestreckten Beinen auf der Erde und knüpften endlose Netze, und Tannin wurde zum Färben in Büttin gekocht, und Steinmäuerchen trennten die Gärten am Meer, wo die Boote neben dem Schilf lagen, das die Beete umgab, und Frauen mit dem Mund voller Nägel halfen den Männern, die ausgestreckt unter den Bootskielen die Rissen repariertenm und auf den rötlichen Häusern trockneten auf einem Rost die eingesalzenen Tomatenhälften, die ein Schutzdach überdeckte, und unter den Spargelstauden suchten die Kinter Regenwürmer, und einige alte Männer bestäubten ihre Mispelbäume mit Insektenpulver, und gelbe Melonen wuchsen unter kriechenden Blättern, und alte Frauen brieten in ihren Pfannen kleine Tintenfische und Polypen und in Mehl gewälzte Kürbisblüten, und Schiffsrümpfe, die noch nach frischgehobeltem Holz dufteten, erhoben sich auf der kleinen Werft, und die an den Booten arbeitenden Jungen, zwischen denen ein Streit augebrochen war, bedrohten sich mit schwarzen Teerpinseln, und dann begann der Strand mit den kleinen Sandschlössern und Burgen, die die Kinder verlassen hatten.


If only I could write like that.
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Adrianslont
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Re: A Words Enthusiast

Postby Adrianslont » Sun Mar 04, 2018 12:29 am

Axon wrote:
Sekarang masih foto. Ini cuma sampingan, Go-Jek. Sambil cari teman.

Jadi, biasanya bekerja jam berapa?

Dari jam empat ngojek sampai jam sepuluh, jam sepuluh sampai jam enam kerja, nanti jam enam lanjut lagi ngojek.


A hint of the transcripts I'm making. Non-speakers of Indonesian, any idea what's being said? I think this is almost all Austronesian vocab without many loanwords if at all (save "foto" as opposed to the more-native-but-still-loan pemotret). Not a lot of words of course, but still.

And the only sentence I don’t understand is the one with the loan word! I understand the individual words okay - simple enough - but not the sense. Is the Gojek driver a photographer in his main job? I guess I’m missing the context.

Anyway, looks good to me.

Sudah nonton video “Gojek Girl” di YouTube? https://youtu.be/SmZ9BOTn-ww
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Axon
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Languages: Native English, in order of comfort: Mandarin, German, Indonesian,
Spanish, French, Russian,
Cantonese, Vietnamese, Polish.
Language Log: viewtopic.php?f=15&t=5086
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Re: A Words Enthusiast

Postby Axon » Sun Mar 04, 2018 5:39 am

Adrianslont wrote: Is the Gojek driver a photographer in his main job? I guess I’m missing the context.


Not bad for missing the context! That's exactly what's going on :D

Pertama kali gratis??? Kok begitu... promosi itu di mana ya???
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Adrianslont
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Re: A Words Enthusiast

Postby Adrianslont » Sun Mar 04, 2018 6:00 am

Axon wrote:
Adrianslont wrote: Is the Gojek driver a photographer in his main job? I guess I’m missing the context.


Not bad for missing the context! That's exactly what's going on :D

Pertama kali gratis??? Kok begitu... promosi itu di mana ya???

Promosi itu hanya di Australia ‘aja!
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