Das Faultier der Deutschen Sprache

[WalkingAlone13]

I have always somewhat struggled with this aspect of language acquisition, which, I am not entirely sure as to whether the particular elements I shall express are struggles that all those that endeavour to acquire a new language fight with.

As a native English speaker, I am often subject to the usual sweeping statements, negative as well as positive. Though, actually, the "positive" are often more detrimental than that of the negatives, for the "positives" will be coming from those who you hold regard for, or at least have let into your circle. It is very common to be nationalised, people from x country always sound cute when when they say this, or have no troubles with this, etc. It gets to the point where you, as a human, have been filed down and moulded to that of purely a tool and the personality and any semblance of you, is slowly being eroded. You are no longer you, just a person from a country that someone holds a deep regard for.

My next example is one that troubles me most, as I do not see a means of overcoming it without investing a significant amount of time, which would mean purely enduring the feelings that are currently enveloping. This is, again, much the same as above, but this time not through any fault of another person. I, for example, have a vast array of hobbies and interests which I am very grateful to have. When learning a language in the beginning stages one does not think twice about not being about to hold long in depth discussions and conversations about such hobbies and interests as one is preoccupied with merely getting the basics across.

I would be far more likely to state that I am interested in science, rather than expressing a particular field and what is associated with said field. I would be happy for that as it would be progress. However, when I break a certain point in a language where conversing about anything is relatively simple, I find that my personality and being is, or has been, lost. The ways in which I would be described in my home country to that of another, is vastly different.

Earlier today I was skyping with a friend of mine, and we often talk about haematology and physiology, in general. In English I can talk about such topics without much thought, and it is fun. In German that is not the case, but it is. The knowledge is there, the understanding of the topic being discussed is all there, the vocabulary and general fluidity and depth of speech is sadly lacking. I could barely express lymphoblast.

The obvious answer is to learn the specific vocabulary I need to express and converse about these topics. The problem being, I have so many interests and hobbies, that if I were to do the same for each one, it would take forever. The same could be said for how I express myself, my humour and anything else for that matter. How do you all deal with the feeling of losing yourself while attempting to fill in all of these gaps to restore that very self? Am I just not patient enough?

@Elena; thank you once more for your support. Unfortunately my troubles are much the same as they were, actually now with another devastating blow. I am equally as surprised by the animosity I received, but I do not think any of us expected there to be such a gap in ability. I am very sorry to hear about your troubles with loneliness but it seems as if you are well on the way to concurring that. Actually, with how long it has been since my last update, it would not surprise me if you have completely forgotten about ever having been lonely there. At least I hope so.

Edit
So my first post of the year is not all bad news, I should also mention that I have just started making use of my Kindle again. Well, the Kindle app on my phone as I left my Kindle at home. I changed my account over fully to German, without really being overly sure how profitable it would be. I know in English one can obtain the classics for next to nothing due to how old they are.
Anyway, I have since spent about 25 quid on Ebooks. The complete works of Schiller, Kant, Goethe, etc. Plus some of my favourites such as E. A. poe and Wilde. I was also able to get some easier stuff in Spanish such as Frankenstein and Dracula. Nearly everything I purchased was a complete works and the most expensive was 99 cent. I am really pleased. Obviously it will take some time to read all of these, and honestly I probably never will, but for that price those are some pretty nice resources.
I am already most of the way through Dorian Gray in German and hope I can get back to enjoying reading once more with the added benefit of expanding my knowledge of the classics. And I am very slowly making my way through Frankenstein in Spanish. My Spanish is terrible, I have not really done much with it other than complete the Duolingo tree. It is surprisingly not as difficult as I had expected. I mean, I know the story very well anyway, so there is that.

[WalkingAlone13]

I struggle to say I may have actually just had a break, in that since my last post I have been entirely bed bound with possibly the worst bout of flu, since Heidelberg. That's coming from someone who was born practically without an immune system But hey, any good news is good news, even if I have to take a hit or two in order to get some. Sooo, from April I will have new accommodation and I cannot wait. The people I will be living with, having previously met, are very friendly and warm. Ich könnte endlich wohl zuhause fühlen. And I cannot wait.
They actually did not realise I was foreign at first. I have heard a few times, that Brits usually have something in their voice that gives it away, much as Americans have something else, and so on, and so on. On this occasion I must have done particularly well in suppressing it, or maybe it was just my congested self that covered that part. Either way, now it is either putting up with my current accommodation until then or trying to find something for two months or so.

I have also set a somewhat impromptu goal of achieving a decent comprehensible level of Spanish before April, after I somehow ended up falling in love with Spanish all over again. Especially over these past three or four days of being stuck in my room, I have just been listening to some of my favourite Spanish songs on repeat and they are just so beautiful. I have a few very close friends from various regions of Spain and Catalonia, and I have always said I would visit them some day. April seems like a good time.

Of course, at the moment my study is not anything to write home about. That is partly why I am writing here, I want to really dive in from next week and start making some concrete progression. Instead of just doing 10 to 20 Duo reviews a day, I want to structure something with Duo, Memrise, Michel Thomas, Pimsleur and textbooks, plus my Assimil. I took it with me for that very purpose, after all. I am hoping it will feel like German did when I first started the same routine. The only difference, I already have about 6 times the amount of music that I actually really like for Spanish than I did for German. I also have a nice array of Spanish books already. I have everything I need for this to be a success except my mindset, which I hope will start to improve with the aforementioned "break". In my usual style of setting totally unachievable goals in too short a time span, I am going to say I want to achieve a high A2 across the board, minimum, with a B1 comprehension.

Regarding German, well, I do not really know what to say. I do everything in German, often receive compliments and disbelief at my level, but it is probably just kindness. I do not really know how else to improve my German. I watch stuff every day in German, read every day in German, more often than not, speak every day in German. Actually, I lie. I know exactly what I need to do in order to make my next progression with German and that is study more grammar. Unfortunately, that sounds about as appealing to me currently as my living accommodation. Who knows, perhaps when I am in a happier place.

[coldrainwater]

The obvious answer is to learn the specific vocabulary I need to express and converse about these topics. The problem being, I have so many interests and hobbies, that if I were to do the same for each one, it would take forever. The same could be said for how I express myself, my humour and anything else for that matter. How do you all deal with the feeling of losing yourself while attempting to fill in all of these gaps to restore that very self? Am I just not patient enough?

Very thought provoking post. Outside of the peace wrought from mindful acceptance and humility, I am not sure I have a great answer. I definitely don't intend to give the impression that I have it, or anything in particular, figured out. That said, I had to ask myself, how much and to what extent do I really want to imitate what I already know and who I was before? If had to answer honestly, not much. But I do want the capacity for full intellectual discussion and depth over topics of interest (to keep it as a simple example). With that end in mind, I made the conscious choice that I don't plan to rehash/replicate in excess of need. Instead, I prefer to compliment rather than duplicate my existing skillset and I approach language learning with that in mind. Before I launch off into a deep dive in my L2, I would need to see[k] something that complements or advances my existing L1 knowledge of the self-same topic. I justify being picky and holistic in that regard and that is the basic metric I use. Walking the plank to the edge of what you know also has certain advantages since it encourages growth while allowing you to back into notions such as unknown vocabulary and domain specific speech patterns on a need-to-know or want-to-know basis.

An equally exciting idea to me is to pick up new L2 pursuits/hobbies, many of which are learning-based and intellectual, to the point that I have advanced knowledge in the new domain in L2 but not in L1. It makes me chuckle to think of not being able to really express myself in my L1 in that case. I get an almost lighthearted feeling about it and I don't feel this urge or burden to recreate that knowledge. That is type of perpective that helps me approach the issue in a constructive way.

[Elenia]

The obvious answer is to learn the specific vocabulary I need to express and converse about these topics. The problem being, I have so many interests and hobbies, that if I were to do the same for each one, it would take forever. The same could be said for how I express myself, my humour and anything else for that matter. How do you all deal with the feeling of losing yourself while attempting to fill in all of these gaps to restore that very self? Am I just not patient enough?

@Elena; thank you once more for your support. Unfortunately my troubles are much the same as they were, actually now with another devastating blow. I am equally as surprised by the animosity I received, but I do not think any of us expected there to be such a gap in ability. I am very sorry to hear about your troubles with loneliness but it seems as if you are well on the way to concurring that. Actually, with how long it has been since my last update, it would not surprise me if you have completely forgotten about ever having been lonely there. At least I hope so.

About vocabulary - I do feel a little frustrated sometimes when I think about the fact that I can't be as much myself in other languages as I can in English. And yes - it is just the waiting game. I think some subjects will be quicker to learn than others. For example, I think learning to talk about my interest in books and love for languages will be easier in any language than talking about my layman's interest in neurology. But the lucky thing is - these are our interests. Learning to talk about them can be as simple a matter as consuming media about them in the TL. Specifically learning vocabulary will make the transition a little easier, but all you have to do is maintain your hobby in German (and any other language). It might be hard at first, but you will get there, and probably sooner than you expect.

I'm now too busy to be lonely - both a blessing and a curse. I also visit my friend in a nearby town often, and she has a puppy, so that's a good cure for loneliness.

[WalkingAlone13]

The obvious answer is to learn the specific vocabulary I need to express and converse about these topics. The problem being, I have so many interests and hobbies, that if I were to do the same for each one, it would take forever. The same could be said for how I express myself, my humour and anything else for that matter. How do you all deal with the feeling of losing yourself while attempting to fill in all of these gaps to restore that very self? Am I just not patient enough?

Very thought provoking post. Outside of the peace wrought from mindful acceptance and humility, I am not sure I have a great answer. I definitely don't intend to give the impression that I have it, or anything in particular, figured out. That said, I had to ask myself, how much and to what extent do I really want to imitate what I already know and who I was before? If had to answer honestly, not much. But I do want the capacity for full intellectual discussion and depth over topics of interest (to keep it as a simple example). With that end in mind, I made the conscious choice that I don't plan to rehash/replicate in excess of need. Instead, I prefer to compliment rather than duplicate my existing skillset and I approach language learning with that in mind. Before I launch off into a deep dive in my L2, I would need to see[k] something that complements or advances my existing L1 knowledge of the self-same topic. I justify being picky and holistic in that regard and that is the basic metric I use. Walking the plank to the edge of what you know also has certain advantages since it encourages growth while allowing you to back into notions such as unknown vocabulary and domain specific speech patterns on a need-to-know or want-to-know basis.

An equally exciting idea to me is to pick up new L2 pursuits/hobbies, many of which are learning-based and intellectual, to the point that I have advanced knowledge in the new domain in L2 but not in L1. It makes me chuckle to think of not being able to really express myself in my L1 in that case. I get an almost lighthearted feeling about it and I don't feel this urge or burden to recreate that knowledge. That is type of perpective that helps me approach the issue in a constructive way.

Thank you for dropping by and for your insights, coldrainwater. In some ways, knowing that I am not alone with this helps immensely. I like that you choose not to actively replicate the existing knowledge that you have accrued in your L1, and I guess I have not paid enough attention to the fact that by adding additional knowledge on different yet connected topics, I could indeed further the knowledge I already possess in my initial topics of interest. I think I am going to take the notion of becoming more knowledgeable on a particular interest in my L2 rather than L1 and run with it. It sounds exciting. I have since acquired several workbooks in my L2 on topics such as Phsysiology, Physics, Biology and Chemistry. This is in the hopes of both converting my existing knowledge over as well as picking up a new field or two along the way. Thanks again for the food for thought.

Thanks, Elenia. I guess the time factor was what was throwing me. It dawned on me that everything I know has taken my lifetime to learn, and in starting out fresh, it would be wholly unlikely to acquire the vocabulary to express all of these, especially those that require a lot of specialist vocabulary. Also, I did not know that you have an interest in neurology. It is actually another of my favourites, and still remember when I put all of the fissures and different parts of the brain to memory. It is exactly that which scares me in other languages

I am really happy for you, by the way. I have been reading your log with anticipation with every new post, and it is great to see how things are developing for you, both on the language and "life" aspects. I think busy, especially if some of that busy involves traces of excitement, is always a blessing. A puppy or any animal for that matter, just tops it all off. So I am sure that will definitely help in reducing any stress. I am not sure if you are a fan, but I also find this wonderful for relieving stress. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Ef47rutokk

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I always feel that I should comment on how I am still learning German first and foremost, as I sometimes get the feeling I am starting to omit that here. So on that note, here is a very useful website I recently came across. http://www.knowspanish.com/conjugating-verb.html

Not only does it very comprehensively describe all of the major and minor cognates, but it also is very good at giving grammar overviews in non lengthy yet very easily understandable passages. It has actually helped me further internalise some of what I had picked up from Duo, without necessarily knowing the ins and outs of. The strange thing is, I already knew of the words ending in -tion changing to -ción
but I did not know of these other cognates.

ous - oso
curious - curioso
delicious - deliciouso
glorious - glorioso
mysterious - misterioso
numerous - numeroso

al -al (usually)

Hospital - hospital
animal - animal
casual - casual
digital - digital

ct - cto
act - acto
exact - exacto
correct - correcto
insect - insecto
dialect - dialecto

ance - ancia
ambulance - ambulancia
france - francia
distance - distancia
tolerance - tolerancia

ic - ico
alcoholic - alcoh(o)lico
basic - b(a)sico
fantastic - fant)a)stico
generic - gen(e)rico
medic - m(e)dico

ar - ar
familiar
lunar
regular
solar
muscular (?)

ary - ario
Canary - canario
diary - diario
glossary - glosario
estuary - estuario
primary - primario

ory - orio
castigatory - castigatorio
ambulatory - ambulatorio
compensatory - compensatorio
crematory - crematorio

ant - ante
abundant -abundante
distant - distante
elegant - elegante
important - importante
mutant - mutante

ble - ble
audible
cable
terrible
destructible
horrible

ence - encia
coincidence - coincidencia
competence - competencia
difference - diferencia
excellence - excelencia

id - ido
acid - (a)cido
fluid - fluido
rapid - r(a)pido
solid - s(o)lido
valid - v(a)lido

ment - mento
argument -argumento
cement - cemento
department -departmento
element - elemento

tion - ción
condition - condición
lotion - loción
selection - selección
action -acción

ate - ar
articulate - articular
capitulate - capitular
delegate - delegar
fabricate - fabricar

ize - izar
equilize - equilizar
habitualize - habitualizar
legalize - legalizar
materialize - materializar
tantalize - tantalizar

ity - idad
amiability - amiabilidad
banality - banalidad
capacity - compacidad
luminosity - luminosidad

ism - ismo
legalism - legalismo
individualism - individualismo
materialism - materialismo
organism - organismo

sion - sión
confusion - confusión
decision - decisión
defusion - defusión
illusion - illusión.

Of course there are spelling differences and quirks, exceptions and so on, but it reduces the amount of effort one has to put in to build a useful vocabulary. It has actually really encouraged me to get back on the ball with my Memrise game, not to learn all of the above, as that is rather not utilising the head start I feel these cognates give, but to add to them.

I will also pay more attention to the three verb types and conjugating them correctly. I usually "forget" about grammar until I have a sufficient vocab at the start of a language, but in this case I feel like that would be wasting time as passive or not, the vocab is already there.

Random achievements:
German Duo tree has been kept gold for around two weeks now.
Six short of turning the Spanish tree fully gold again - then we will see if I can keep both gold.
Managed to workout a decent reading routine. Already nearly finished Dorian Gray in German.
Watched a ridiculous amount of TV/films. I might actually try and count these on a weekly basis from now on.

[iguanamon]

I've been following your log for a long time, WalkingAlone13. You've made good progress, despite what you may think. We are often our own worst critics. You are not alone. We tend not to learn vocabulary until we need to talk about something we don't often talk about. The other day, I was trying to talk about a tire (tyre-UK) rim in Portuguese and I didn't have the word, which led to a long circumlocution. It's "roda/rodagem/ara". And, so what! There are thousands of low frequency words that we don't need until we need them. We learn them and maybe they stick if we've managed to use them a few more times or learning it was memorable... which was how I learned the Portuguese word for "shoelaces", but that's another story.

Just keep doing the best you can and maybe, dedicate some time now to that grammar study. Remember, sometimes we have to do what we don't want to do (but what we may really need to do) in order to get better at what we may want to do. Hang in there, and cut yourself some slack.