Aidan's log - German, Spanish, Russian and Japanese

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Aidan_Sweeney
Posts: 3
Joined: Sat May 13, 2017 12:56 pm
Languages: English (N), German (B1), Spanish (beginner), Russian (beginner), Japanese (formerly intermediate, now being revived)
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Aidan's log - German, Spanish, Russian and Japanese

Postby Aidan_Sweeney » Sat May 13, 2017 1:27 pm

I've experimented with language learning in various ways over the years. But I know that regular study is more important than what technique, program or method you're using. Someone who uses a basic home study guide for 10 minutes a day, consistently, will do better than someone who uses the most advanced program only intermittently.

Here's the current situation:

German
I've been stuck on a plateau with German for some time, never quite getting past the B1 level. After passing the B1 exam, I lost my momentum with it, but having that exam scheduled really helped my motivation up until then, so now I want to schedule the B2 or Test DaF exam for later this year. I know that if the exam is on my calendar, it'll make me study.

I live in Germany now and would like to become a German citizen, and/or to study here, so I'll need to upgrade my ability in the language.

Spanish
I did beginners Spanish for fun a couple of years ago, taking courses at a local university and the Cervantes Institute. I've always been interested in the country and culture though, so I really want to learn the language up to a conversant level.

Russian
This started out as just wanting to learn the Cyrillic alphabet. When I visited Bulgaria, many of the signs were written using Cyrillic characters, so I thought I should at least learn that alphabet to help with my travels. However, I was also interested in learning at least one Eastern European language. Russia and Russian culture in general is quite interesting to me too, so I chose Russian as my next language to learn.

Japanese
I lived in Japan for a while when I was younger. At the time I became competent in the language, but speaking it more so than reading/writing it. After I left Japan, I didn't have a good reason to maintain the language, and so my ability in it slipped. But I'd like to revive it now, just as a hobby language.

***

Recently I've completed the Language Routine Mastery course on Actual Fluency (formerly Language Motivation Mastery). One of the key things I took from it is that I needed more accountability. Forums and logs can help with that, hence my joining this forum and starting a log.

I'll aim to update this weekly.
3 x
: 6 / 6 English (native)
: 3 / 6 German (C1)

Aidan_Sweeney
Posts: 3
Joined: Sat May 13, 2017 12:56 pm
Languages: English (N), German (B1), Spanish (beginner), Russian (beginner), Japanese (formerly intermediate, now being revived)
x 7

Re: Aidan's log - German, Spanish, Russian and Japanese

Postby Aidan_Sweeney » Fri Jun 02, 2017 8:10 pm

This week I'm attending the Polyglot Gathering in Bratislava, so I'm focusing on that now. It's made me re-think my entire outlook on languages and language-learning.

After the Gathering is over I'll probably have to spend some time testing out some of the recommendations. So perhaps I'll have a completely different approach to languages a couple of weeks from now.
2 x
: 6 / 6 English (native)
: 3 / 6 German (C1)

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Elenia
Black Belt - 1st Dan
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Re: Aidan's log - German, Spanish, Russian and Japanese

Postby Elenia » Wed Jun 07, 2017 3:17 pm

I don't think we met at the gathering, which is a shame! At any rate, a belated welcome to the forum. What methods do you think you'll try out from the talks? For me, the thing I most want to put in place is Pomodoro.
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jeff_lindqvist
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Re: Aidan's log - German, Spanish, Russian and Japanese

Postby jeff_lindqvist » Wed Jun 07, 2017 4:58 pm

Neither do I! Or did we meet, Aidan? Anyway, welcome to the forum - and I hope you enjoyed the Gathering.
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Aidan_Sweeney
Posts: 3
Joined: Sat May 13, 2017 12:56 pm
Languages: English (N), German (B1), Spanish (beginner), Russian (beginner), Japanese (formerly intermediate, now being revived)
x 7

Re: Aidan's log - German, Spanish, Russian and Japanese

Postby Aidan_Sweeney » Wed Jun 07, 2017 6:12 pm

Sorry, I don't think I met you at it. But there was over 400 people, so it was hard to meet everyone.

Here are some of the most important ideas I got from the talks:

    Goldlist method - Lydia Machova recommends it. I've found the full explanation on the internet, so I'll consider adding it.
    Mimic method - focus on pronunciation early, by listening carefully and mimicing, so that you don't end up saying the word the wrong way hundreds of times. It is then a hard habit to break if you've been pronouncing it wrong for ages.
    Track your progress - It doesn't matter what method you use. Seeing your progress motivates you, especially when you feel stuck. You can look back and see how far you've come.
    Hydration - keep water where you study, so that you can keep your brain hydrated. People who drink water while studying are more effective students. A hydrated brain is a smarter brain.

I found out about a lot of apps and online services which I'll need to try out as well.
2 x
: 6 / 6 English (native)
: 3 / 6 German (C1)


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