Melkor wrote:Peter, it is beyond contestation that your log has the best title. I am very impressed by your creativity!
I only read the last three pages of it, but I would say that IF you had already paid for the exam, then you should at least try and get your money's worth of exams. IF you had not paid for the C1 exam, then do not lose sleep over it, cut your losses and focus on Arabic (whilst slowly working on the C1 French format.) You have been working on French for 6 years, and are more than able to live/work in a French country without resorting to self-immolation as a solution to not being able to communicate with the locals.
Arabic is a HUGE investment and I am impressed that you have dedicated your time to a Category 5 language. This speaks volumes about you and your work ethic. I will keenly follow your progress!
I appreciate the positive words Melkor. In some ways though, it's not
that impressive, as according to many sources, I ought to have learned French a few times over. Still, those of us who take such 'measurements' (think time to B2/C1/C2 estimations found abound online) with a grain of salt, may see my journey as completely realistic in terms of time and effort. It illustrates that it's definitely a big task getting to an advanced level in any language, despite the category.
The main positive thing that I think can be taken from my log is commitment or endurance, or determination or consistency. One or some of those words. That's what's led to my success. That I can be proud of. It wouldn't have happened though without several failures over the years. Those failures led to absolute determination and my choice to focus on one language only. Whether my methods are good, bad, slow or fast, the take home lesson is start learning a language and don't stop. Stop and you will fail, as inaction will not get you to your goal(s).
I'm not too fussed about the C1, oddly enough. I didn't pay for the exam. Had I, I believe I would be still preparing for it now. Perhaps that would've been a good thing, perhaps a bad thing. I don't see it as an any thing. It just is, that's the way my journey has gone. I didn't succeed in that respect though, because I was determined (again) to sit it and pass. Still, as long as I continue improving my French, that day will likely arise down the track, and were I truly strongly concerned with missing out this time, I'd be resorting to C1/C2 materials predominantly in my French time, but instead, I'm content with putting all that aside.
A thing I'd like to point out, if we assume I am C1 in French (one tutor's word isn't necessarily a guarantee, but I think it's safe to assume her judgement as pretty decent given her experience). I tend to agree with her, and generally I underestimate my level, so we'll say I'm C1. Okay, after that waffle, despite being around C1, since I don't interact with natives regularly, it still feels like I need to 'push' the language daily, if not to improve ever so slightly here and there, then even just to remain at this level. I'm sure everyone's experience is different, but that's mine, and perhaps as it is, as I feel I've accomplished it through mainly 'simulated' or artificial circumstances. I'm craving native interaction to still lock a lot of French in. Had I taken on this journey alongside native interaction (i.e. living in a francophone country) I do believe the journey would've been shorter and I'd feel more at ease with the language. By how much I wouldn've cut the journey down, I have no idea, but speaking would help retain a lot of vocab that I forget and have had to relearn several times. Okay, relearning/forgetting is normal, whatever the conditions, but i'm sure it would've been more efficient had I interacted with francophones more often (speaking). It would also help ensure passive vocabulary becomes active
much faster than not living in a francophone country.
I spent only 5 months in the Netherlands in 2011 and it felt that, despite my Dutch skills being somewhere between B1 and B2, and despite being a bit of a home body while there and not necessarily using the language at length on a regular basis, the language infused itself into me. Even years later a lot of it is sitting there at the ready (although dissipating gradually). That is because I was there on location, using the language with natives.
As for Arabic, don't give me too much credit. It is a Cat V language, and I've spent six years (truth be told a good chunk more of time when I count previous attempts in my younger years) on a Cat I language! I've not started Arabic yet either. I could fail miserably. The way I see it, the best way to succeed would be to put as much time into it as I can afford. Unfortunately this means less time for other languages. I've been fighting a constant inner war in recent days over how I'm to proceed now. I'm literally reworking my language study plan ten times a day. I wake up the following day and have another epiphany. So many epiphanies has got to mean, none of them are actually epiphanies, it's all just mental noise, but how to proceed... grrr... I'm like a kid in a candy store... i WANT THEM ALL!
POSSIBLE PLAN (with conflicts elaborated):
French
must remain. My absolute minimum daily French is one hour dedicated study spreading myself thinly over several intensive and extensive resources. Not ideal, but given other languages need attention, it's also not a catastrophe. Another hour of reading to the kids in French during the day as well. French will remain my default language, trumping English wherever possible. Two hours total is not the end of the world, but given I have focused solely on French up to this point, cutting back doesn't come easy.
Arabic. Well, I'm only going to be in Riyadh for as little as one year, perhaps more than two years. Think six years of French only, and now I'm considering Arabic! Should I not take advantage of living in an Arabic country? Well, yes, time is limited, get solidly into the language, devour it, study it to pieces, as much as possible! But... English will be widely spoken in the circles I'll be in, I mean so much so the need for Arabic could be very to extremely low, unless I go out of my way. Oh, and then there's the dialect situation. Saudi Arabic (Najdi, Hijazi, Gulf Arabic) are
not the same as Modern Standard Arabic. I've even heard it's like two different languages. So I'll be learning one Cat V Arabic and another kind of Arabic that's maybe somewhere between Cat III and V. I read it's best to start with the dialect. I read it's best to start with MSA. I read everyone will speak English, I read speaking even a little Arabic will open up a world of hospitable connections. I'll be in a western compound most days of the week..... Okay, ultimately this is around 2 years, I SHOULD make the most of it, but, many buts...
Other languages
I feel with my daughter turning 5 next year, if I want her to assimilate even a little of some other European languages, so that she has some understanding of more languages, I probably should start reading to her in, well, other languages, as well as French. So, I've targeted Dutch and Spanish building to a routine of 30 min of each a day. Yes, I know how to pronounce words near native, but my grammar and vocab are limited (Spanish more so). Thus, I feel like it would go much better if I could get into some study of these languages as well, even 30 min every 2nd day of each as it can't really be much more. Okay, maybe I could just read 30min a day of each and forgo the study, as Arabic needs (more) attention than these languages. Post Saudi, I could cut back on Arabic and ramp up the study time on European languages.
Then there's Norwegian. It's pulling at me, continuously. My daughter has indicated interest in it. I've no idea about the pronunciation, the grammar, the whatever. I'm at zero. I can't just read in this one and forgo study. So, if I want to introduce this one as well, I must study it.
And I doubt I'll have beyond 3 hours a day free for dedicated language time. 4 max. This is where reading to the children and involving them in languages aids me, but also helps them. It will be in my interest and theirs to read to them, as such an approach to learning could be a mainstay in future as time could potentially less available for dedicated study time. Okay, so the 3-4 hrs/ day could be less, but somehow I hope it's more. Still, I want to actually have a life as well, and not just be at a desk all f*** day. Keep studying as much as I do
without regular exercise, and i'm asking for health problems. Funny, I used to be obsessed with sport. Even sitting still for shorter periods of time daily is very unhealthy. We were made to move. Perhaps I'll ride my bike among the Saudi traffic while studying, kids on the back and do some sand kayaking with my books taped to the deck of the kayak speaking to camels in local dialect. Yep, done!
POSSIBLE PLAN :
1 hr French a day (and another hour reading to the kids, bonus as not counted in my focused study time).
Spanish and Dutch - 30min reading of each to the children/day (also bonus time).
Arabic 2 to 3 hours/day.
Norwegian 30min a day, with an aim to introduce reading to children after one year once comfortable with the language pronunciation, structure and some vocab.
This is the best I can come up with that sees me studying all languages except German that are on my shortlist wish list. It allows for French to have it's rightly deserved place, and Arabic to be granted max time all the while Norwegian gets a tiny feature on a daily basis.
Peace out, the waffle king, ya dig?