A language learners’ forum

Today I massively procrastinated writing my Letter of Intent for the university application by instead studying Finnish! A very helpful Golden Retriever dropped not a tennis ball but the text of 'From Start to Finnish' at my feet, so I went through all the text that accompanies the first recording. I'm really enjoying Finnish. I don't know what I would answer to the thread about my favourite part of language learning, but I'm really loving this!

(Which is strange, as I really do not love German courses.)

EDIT: I also listened to a bit of the first episode of Alex och Sigge's podd, as recommended by Jeff. I also bought their book, Tid, last week and am looking forward to cracking it open. I'm unfortunately in the middle of a read that was slower than I was expecting, however, so it will have to wait before being made my commute book.*

(My commute book would be Steinernes Fleisch but it's quite large and a hardback. I'm trying to make as much use of my commute as is possible and so have been carrying Finnisch ohne Mühe and a notebook for writing with me as well. Two hardback books do not a happy back make.)

Elenia wrote:I don't know what I would answer to the thread about my favourite part of language learning,

Tempting others to start new and new languages.

[Insert me swearing profusely in as many languages as you can about that stupid Letter of Intent thing]

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In other news, I've done my daily Finnish listening and read two chapters of Steinernes Fleisch in both German and English. I also spoke a bit in French today! One of our volunteers is French and is going back to France for three weeks. Normally, I avoid talking in French with our francophone volunteers for a few eeasons, but today I chattered a bit.

Unrelated, but I also threw my discipline in the bin and bought two books. I think I was due them according to my rules anyway, and I also realised how incredibly difficult it would be for me to get them home if I didn't buy them a few at a time.
(That being said, I'm planning on buying like £50-£100 worth as soon as payday hits. Bye-bye, restraint and self control It wasn't all that great knowing you guys anyway!)

It's alright to let loose once in a while. Enjoy your books!

Ooh what did/will you buy? (Good luck with the letter)

Thank you both! I will enjoy the books, once I get round to them!

@MamaPata - I wrote a list when I was at work (because... I don't know, because I'm useless) but I don't know if I'll remember it. Well, here goes: a Tamora Pierce boxset, Grief is the thing with Feathers by Max Porter, Rebel of the Sands by Alwyn Hamilton, Wool by Hugh Howey, Geek Love by Katherine Dunn, The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman, Lirael by Garth Nix, Murder Most Unladylike, The Gone-Away World by Nick Harkaway, Gossip from the Forest by Sara Maitland ... and others? Maybe another by Oliver Sacks, if I finish the one I'm currently reading. I've decided to buy only the books I wanted before they passed through the shop on this particular binge. Okay, and the books which we wouldn't normally be able to sell in the shop and maybe one or two others...

(How am I going to get these all home?!)

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Finnish is rolling along. I've not really done anything meaningful for Swedish this year and I really ought to change that. I should think about getting back to writing in Swedish or something of the like...

EDIT:The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness, Ultraviolet by RJ Anderson...

Okay, so I realised the other day as I was wondering about my room that I had actually already bought one of the books on the above list and had entirely forgotten about it. This is like when alcoholics wake up and see just how much they drank the night before. I have a problem!

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I did my requisite Finnish today, although I haven't done an Assimil lesson in a while. I also got my dad to give me a pair of headphones, so I downloaded a few podcasts to listen to after I change trains on my commute - a time when it is difficult to get out a book and do reading as I'm usually standing from that point on. So, I got some Swedish listening in, too.

Most exciting, my ex-roommate sent me the book she bought me in French! I expect it will arrive sometime this week...

Elenia wrote:Okay, so I realised the other day as I was wondering about my room that I had actually already bought one of the books on the above list and had entirely forgotten about it. This is like when alcoholics wake up and see just how much they drank the night before. I have a problem!

Too many books are never a problem. The only possible problem is not enough shelving!

Ani wrote:

Elenia wrote:Okay, so I realised the other day as I was wondering about my room that I had actually already bought one of the books on the above list and had entirely forgotten about it. This is like when alcoholics wake up and see just how much they drank the night before. I have a problem!

Too many books are never a problem. The only possible problem is not enough shelving!

Agreed! I actually had to build my own bookshelves from cardboard because my ceiling slopes and my walls are too short for any of the bookshelves I could find for sale. I still don't have enough bookshelves though, and I'm almost out of wall space to put them. My next apartment is going to have walls.

Brun Ugle wrote:

Ani wrote:Too many books are never a problem. The only possible problem is not enough shelving!

Agreed! I actually had to build my own bookshelves from cardboard because my ceiling slopes and my walls are too short for any of the bookshelves I could find for sale. I still don't have enough bookshelves though, and I'm almost out of wall space to put them. My next apartment is going to have walls.

Well, I have that problem, too. I have growing piles of books all over my room

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Today's Finnish lesson has been done. I still need to properly read through the sixth Assimil lesson and do the exercises, but I've listened to it a few times now. I will also try to move on with From Start to Finnish this week. The audio is much faster than Assimil, which is good. I can't understand much, but it's nice to have the two parallel to each other.

In other news, today is the day I will discuss the next two chapters of Steinernes Fleisch with my friend. I'm thinking we should definitely up the amount we read each week - I'm getting through two chapters easily. In non-language reading news, I'm finally halfway through The Man who Mistook His Wife For a Hat. It is definitely a very slow read, but I'm enjoying it. Fingers crossed I finish it before Tuesday!