Whodathunkitz log French, Tagalog, Dutch, Cebuano, Spanish, Esperanto

[Whodathunkitz]

Spanish

Duolingo still gold, ticking over at 1 or 2 lessons a day.

10,000 sentences (Android app written by a LL member tkrajina?) - up to 1000 / 10000 - feels good. Mostly ok, with a few odd things (probably idioms or someone being a bit 'clever'). Link:- https://play.google.com/store/apps/deta ... 0sentences

Feels fairly natural compared to before. Starting to get a Spanish voice in my head / ability to form simple sentences with better pronunciation. I usually/often predict the next word before seeing the choices!

I've just looked at http://learnanylanguage.wikia.com/wiki/10000_Sentences and I'm not doing what Antimoon / AJATT suggested.

"The idea is to choose 10000 sentences in your target language and learn them sufficiently. According to AJATT, you've "learned" a sentence when you:
Read it in full, aloud, in its native script
Know the meaning of every word in the sentence
Write (copy) out the sentence by hand in its native script
The sentences should be learned without translation and without rote memorization. You will end up "memorizing" the sentences merely through repetition, but your goal should be understanding, not memorization"
...personal [no!]...
...listen to 10,000 hours...
...How much input did I get? It took me about 3 years to get from basic English skills to fluency. During those 3 years, I was exposed to about 1,000,000 English sentences (not necessarily different sentences). About 400,000 of these were written sentences (books, SRS reviews, dictionaries, classroom reading); 600,000 were spoken sentences (TV, recordings, listening to teachers, listening to my American cousin, classroom listening). —Antimoon...

Well, I can't do that! I don't have the luxury of time. I can only really do it in otherwise dead time.

What do I have? 170,000 words on readlang, duolingo goldened twice very quickly, 1000 sentences.

VERY little speaking practice, but grammar becoming more automatic.

I could start reading the sentences out on the rare occasions I'm not going to disturb someone and it's not public.

By the way, I don't think 10,000 sentences will magically make me learn Spanish, but doing a few hundred (thousand?) in Cebuano DID help me (memrise). I think I work well with the pattern recognition side of this. Thinking back, my Cebuano speaking only really came after lots of memrise sentence practicing.

As a note to myself - I want to look at this some time:- https://www.memrise.com/course/37240/ma ... sentences/

[Whodathunkitz]

Spanish / Duolingo podcast -
https://www.duolingo.com/comment/25469851
https://podcast.duolingo.com/
https://podcast.duolingo.com/episode-1- ... c1f8c8b79e

[Whodathunkitz]

Cebuano

Speaking at home quite a lot but not learning much new. Simple speech is natural but massive gaps in every aspect. Accent better though.

Spanish

Duolingo gold again. There was a flurry of levels needing work.

1300 sentences from 10000 sentences app.

I think I can read basic Spanish ok. Can't conversationally speak. Listening poor. Can't write.

But I think my pronounciation and listening comprehension has improved.

[Whodathunkitz]

Loom of languages

Bought myself this 70 year old book for £6.50 delivered. Just intro by the editor so far but I do agree with it even if long winded and incredibly optimistic on the bright postwar world and how language learning can ensure world peace.

I don't know how realistic it is but the prospect of having some kind of basic knowledge of many languages is intriguing.

My aim though has to be to secure my current Cebuano and Spanish before I move on.

Cebuano

My wife is actively teaching me. We often use the language in and out of the house. It's now my wife's first choice when starting a conversation with me. Kiddo can understand some basic questions and answers in English. It's pretty basic, but it reinforces it. Maybe the odd word is learnt or relearnt.

She was watching a video on Facebook with someone singing a (to her) well known song translated into deep Cebuano/Bisaya and she couldn't understand it. The language has changed so much in 100 years, especially in the cities. As it isn't codified and is only a written language on Facebook, there are a range of languages.

Hopefully more cebuano over Xmas. Malipayan pasko sa tanan mga Tao!


Spanish

My son is happy that his toys speak Spanish as well as English. He wants to include me in them.

I went on a Duolingo bender (intense session/binge, usually drinking alcohol) yesterday on Duolingo to attempt to get the weekly prize in my club. More than 30 levels refreshed. I think sometimes binges work better in language study.

I get the odd Spanish thought. But when I construct a sentence deliberately it normally comes out Cebuano.

Feliz Navidad!

[Whodathunkitz]

Interested in IPA. I asked a question on this forum and got some good advice which I started to follow.

Then I realised how far behind I am on the university courses on Spanish and language/culture.

Spanish

Duolingo on gold. Ticking over. 60% comprehension which I think is the max.

10000 sentences I think around 1600 done.

Watched 30 mins of Spanish history on YouTube.

Did a bit on the uni course. Not really learning too much that interests me. A bit on email, address, phone formats.


Cebuano

Bit of speaking at home, at gatherings, visitors. I understand a bit but I haven't tried to learn for 6 months. It's on hold in preference to Spanish.

I did put some YouTube videos on for kids when a kid with a bisaya parent visited and they were a bit interested.

[Whodathunkitz]

Spanish

I installed ankidroid and found some audio decks. I've been looking for something like this to improve my listening. It seems to be working but early days.

Partly caught up on uni course. Duolingo still gold.


Cebuano

Gathering yesterday with several Cebuano speakers. I could talk with them a little when not too noisy / busy.

A few surprised how well my son understands the language (best out of 6 kids, one older, most same age, some with both parents cebuano).

I haven't studied Cebuano for 6 months now. I NEED to concentrate on Spanish but I WANT to get back to cebuano.

[Whodathunkitz]

Ideas for minority language learning (few resources):- http://www.learningsamburu.org/finally- ... g-samburu/

Rough plan for next few weeks/months.

Jan: Wife's course - supporting her (time limited). Technical, minimal university assignments.
Feb: Technical, get ahead of schedule with university courses.
Mar: As Feb but add in Cebuano
...
Jun: University courses finish (if not before). Step up Cebuano.
Jul-Aug: Cebu visit.

[jeff_lindqvist]

Ideas for minority language learning (few resources):- http://www.learningsamburu.org/finally- ... g-samburu/

Thanks for sharing! That's an interesting blog.

[Whodathunkitz]

Ideas for minority language learning (few resources):- http://www.learningsamburu.org/finally- ... g-samburu/

Thanks for sharing! That's an interesting blog.

You're welcome.

Being a beginner at language learning when most interested and motivated to learn a language with few resources is a bit of a struggle.

Memrise initially, Audio Bible helped as did Mormon teaching materials. The advantage for some people like myself is that often you have a speaker nearby once you get to a minimal level. Sometimes a group of people.

[Whodathunkitz]

Two months since last updated log.

General... New job, wife having a course to do (helping and bit more childcare etc for me. Burnout from manic techie learning. Now turning the corner and bit more motivation.

Spanish

The open university course I'm doing hasn't worked. Initially audio was dreadful, later life/work took over. Study behind but done coursework. Now decided to speed through rest of course / assignments and finish. I also have another related course to complete. I found it hard to find native speakers locally in my part of the UK who have time. Better to do on tutor websites.

A year of spanish has got me to a point where I can read and understand a lot without too much effort. Listening bad, speaking worse! Writing bad also.

Must prepare for maintenance mode. Now, how... It isn't high enough really.


Cebuano

Much more interested in this. I speak every day and apparently I have an accent! It's a Mindanao/davao one and not my wife's! I can communicate with others too. Pretty basic still, lots of grammar and words wrong but I can communicate. Picked up phone from in-laws today and they asked who I was and seemed to think I was a native (bad line?!)

I haven't actively learned cebuano for a year, just talking, listening, chipping in to conversations.

Kid seems happier to learn now so prospect of house / family secret language. Holiday in Cebu in july so reasons to learn. New neighbours (where one speaks Cebuano).

The good thing about my learning is that I seem to retain vocabulary even without reminders. I can still remember bits of Czech, German, Nederlands etc From decades ago. Not much but not much less than I ever knew.


Overall

Cebuano strongest speaking language. Spanish best reading one.