Ani's 2017 Log

[Ani]

It's a holiday weekend here so I am not sure exactly how much time I will get to study. My husband wants to like.. actually spend time with me and stuff. pshhh! No actually he works so much during the summer that I am ridiculously happy to have him home for a few days with the job site shut down so he won't be stressing about it or getting urgent phone calls.

And also... I think we are overdue for a baby picture

evensmallerWilliam.jpg

So I am plugging along at A Comprehensive French Grammar by Price. Quite a nice book. I am reading ahead and when I have time, I started a notebook of all of the interesting translated expressions just by folding each page in half. I write the French on the left and the English on the right so that I can cover the French and translate back to the French from English. I have no issues going from French to English, but I don't have a great grasp of nuance going from English to French. That actually seems weird to me now that I say it, but I don't seem to have French and English well linked.

I have been thinking, I probably have too many goals. I seem to be achieving them decently, but I also stack up the pile faster than I can clear it off. Sometimes my brain thinks so much it feels like it might literally catch on fire. I hope you can't really think so hard that your brain catches on fire. That'd be a real bummer.

[tastyonions]

Cute pic. Looks like he has a pretty intense gaze.

I once bought a French grammar book. Can't say I've ever used it, though.

[Ani]

Cute pic. Looks like has a pretty intense gaze.

I once bought a French grammar book. Can't say I've ever used it, though.

Thank you.
So what did you use then?

For example, from GPdF avancé

« Les » généralise mais en lassant possibles des exceptions :
Les Français voyagent peu à l'étranger [= en général, ils ne voyagent pas beaucoup mais certains voyagent plus]
« Le »,« la » généralisent mais sans exception.
Le Français est fier de sa culture [=tous les Français sont fiers.]

I never would have picked up that nuance from extensive reading, so would highly likely have misused it, or it would have been a matter of luck had I gotten it right. Maybe I am just really bad at learning languages, but I don't want my ability and accuracy to be based on the luck of having assimilated the right phrases in the right context which clarified them.
I think it is a little bit like musicians who play by ear. Playing by ear is a great skill, but no musician was ever hurt by the formal study of music even if he or she seems to have started off with the natural talent.

[tastyonions]

I wouldn't say that I play it all by ear. I have consulted various grammar sites over the years many times whenever I come across something puzzling or have a doubt about how to put something correctly. I would probably benefit from more systematic grammar study, but I am simply too lazy for it.

[neofight78]

I hope you can't really think so hard that your brain catches on fire. That'd be a real bummer.

Oh, I don't know. You could really save on those heating bills.

William is growing up fast! He's got a good head of hair already too

[zenmonkey]

Apparently you don't present the typical characteristics for spontaneous human combustion.
Lovely picture!!

[Elenia]

What a cutie!

I have been dithering back and forth on the Grammaire Progressive series. I have a bad track record with grammars, so I don't want it to be a waste of money. However I also know that fear of making mistakes is one of the things that holds me back from speaking French.

[Systematiker]

Handsome little guy!

I like your translating back-and-forth thing. That's a pretty old school method, but it seems to have had good results back in the day.

[Ani]

Oh, I don't know. You could really save on those heating bills.

William is growing up fast! He's got a good head of hair already too

Well that'd be a plus! It can get pretty chilly here. Are you in a place that gets warm for summer? I always think Russia should have a climate similar to Alaska but I suppose you are actually a fair bit souther-er (real word, promise) than me.

Handsome little guy!

I like your translating back-and-forth thing. That's a pretty old school method, but it seems to have had good results back in the day.

Is that what they call the "grammar translation method"? I was kind of wondering what exactly that would mean, but if I had to name what I am doing that sounds about right

What a cutie!

I have been dithering back and forth on the Grammaire Progressive series. I have a bad track record with grammars, so I don't want it to be a waste of money. However I also know that fear of making mistakes is one of the things that holds me back from speaking French.

One thing I really like about A Comprehensive French Grammar by Price is that they frequently clarify things with always, never, and "some exceptions" or "a lot of exceptions and you need to memorize each case". It is very good for my perfectionist nature to know that I am not going to travel down the line and find a bunch of exceptions that I was making mistakes with all along in my ignorance! GPdF doesn't have that benefit. It also gives me a good sense of where I need to seek out more input, which I think is better for memorizing lots of weird exceptions phrase by phrase, or where I need to drill, which I think is better for patterns.


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I survived the holiday weekend. Usually we go camping for the 4th of July with some good friends but this year we did a bbq. I like being around people in general (sometimes, usually) but the careful navigation of this get together completely wore me out. Coupled with the fact that I had no safe food for the whole 5ish hours (accidentally contaminated my own dish that should have been me-safe), it was a pretty big challenge.

Anyway, one of my favorite summer phenomena is happening this week. It is snowing cottonwood fluff. It is a lot like what you blow off dandelions, but so much more that it looks like it is snowing for almost a week straight and it starts to drift into piles along the walkways and edges of the parking lots. I took a picture today. I'll have to see if I can post it. This year it has rained a few times during the cottonwood drop, but last year it got so crazy I was sweeping it out of the house for a month after! I guess most people don't like it, but I think it is quite fun.

So, back to studying. Keeping on with the Glossika and the French grammar. Reading another Musso also Bussi and a Levy at the same time. I should probably update the beginning of this log with all the books I read in French this year and some reviews. I'll think about doing that. Right now I am going back to studying

[neofight78]

Well that'd be a plus! It can get pretty chilly here. Are you in a place that gets warm for summer? I always think Russia should have a climate similar to Alaska but I suppose you are actually a fair bit souther-er (real word, promise) than me.

Indeed, it's an entirely grammatilogically correct word. So far this summer we've had several weeks at around 30oC, so yes it get's reasonably warm at summertime. I guess -35 wintertime and +35 summertime is a normal temperature range here.