Zelda's French Log (+ Modern Greek)

[MamaPata]

If you're enjoying all of those things about Greek, you're going to love Russian! We'll look forward to seeing you in the Russian Group in a few months/years...

[zjones]

:twisted: If you're enjoying all of those things about Greek, you're going to love Russian! We'll look forward to seeing you in the Russian Group in a few months/years...

Oh yes? I live in a city with a large Russian community, and most of them still speak the language even though they have lived here for a long time. It's one of the few languages for which I could easily find local language partners!

[zjones]

When I read your renamed blog title, I thought that Assimil had accidentally sent you Greek instead of German (or something of that order).

Haha! I wish. Instead, I'm going to end up with an Assimil German book that I'll either need to return, donate to our local library, or try to sell to my parents. I'm not sure if I'll end up buying Assimil Grec (the French version, they don't have an English one) at this point, since it seems like I'll be able to find enough beginner learning material for the A0 to A1 journey. I'd rather start the Assimil program as a false beginner.

It's crazy because I thought the Greek script would be difficult, but it's actually fairly easy to read. The words aren't transparent, but if I look at all the syllables then I am able to pronounce the word correctly most of the time. I'm not sure how easy it will be to read prolonged texts in Greek, though. When you are feeling a little wild (when are we not? ) dabble in a language with a different script. You might get addicted!

[zjones]

French

I am doing a lot of reading and a fair amount of listening. I moved on to the fourth Harry Potter book, which is considerably slower, denser, and more detailed than the first three books. Rowling definitely made a shift in the content of her writing, placing much more importance on the details and world-building. It may not have been obvious to me in English, but it's definitely obvious to me in French! Luckily I am well-prepared for the long paragraphs and new vocabulary.

Modern Greek

Study of Greek is moving along incrementally. I found a free and legal PDF of a Greek grammar book, and I'm also considering buying the book Greek as a Foreign Language by Aikaterini Spanakaki-Kapetanopoulos, because I heard some good things about it on Reddit. If anyone has information on this book, I'd love to hear it. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/14717 ... 0DER&psc=1.

I'm still using Language Transfer Complete Greek, but I am only going through one lesson per day. I will pick up my pace in November for the 6 Week Challenge, when I will shift more study time to Greek and use French as an auxiliary/recreational language.



Sabbaticals from Technology

I have been experimenting with taking a sabbatical from technology once or twice a week. The reason I like taking a break from technology is because a lot of the "I should" guilt disappears. The amount of materials I can use for language study drops considerably, leaving me with only reading, writing, grammar and reading aloud. That means I get a large chunk of time devoted to reading, so I can make quick work of a couple of chapters of Harry Potter.

[James.A.]

French
That means I get a large chunk of time devoted to reading, so I can make quick work of a couple of chapters of Harry Potter.

Oh, I love Harry Potter! Have you tried the French audiobooks of Harry Potter? They are hilarious! The person that narrated the first 4 or 5 was brilliant! He has a very French sense of humour, very physical. I was annoyed at first by the voices he made, but then I loved him. Unfortunately he died and someone else had to take over.

[zjones]

French
That means I get a large chunk of time devoted to reading, so I can make quick work of a couple of chapters of Harry Potter.

Oh, I love Harry Potter! Have you tried the French audiobooks of Harry Potter? They are hilarious! The person that narrated the first 4 or 5 was brilliant! He has a very French sense of humour, very physical. I was annoyed at first by the voices he made, but then I loved him. Unfortunately he died and someone else had to take over.

Hi James! Actually, I tried the Harry Potter audiobooks but my listening comprehension wasn't good enough to understand them. I feel bad because the guy who read them seemed to be a great actor, but I was very frustrated with Mr. Dursley's voice to the point where I returned the audiobook to Audible. I'm glad you enjoyed them though!

[Neurotip]

:twisted: If you're enjoying all of those things about Greek, you're going to love Russian! We'll look forward to seeing you in the Russian Group in a few months/years...

Oh yes? I live in a city with a large Russian community, and most of them still speak the language even though they have lived here for a long time. It's one of the few languages for which I could easily find local language partners!

Russian is next on my list after Greek. Don't know if that counts as a data point, just saying.

[zjones]

French

French reading continues to plug along at a good place. I found this FASCINATING French website the other day: http://antikforever.com/index.htm. (Okay, I'll admit that only other history nerds will find it fascinating.) It is chock-full of long and interesting articles about ancient civilizations like Greece, Rome, Persia, and Egypt. I am learning all kinds of things about Ancient Greek culture that are new and exciting. My knowledge of ancient civilizations has lots of gaps and misinformation due to my homeschool education, so I am happy to rectify that. As a plus, the author of this website included the names of cities and people in Modern Greek!

I'm kind of jealous of everyone who is taking part in NaNoWriMo, but I know I would be stressed if I felt like I had to write in French every day. Maybe next year.

Modern Greek

I am now in the 6 Week Challenge for Greek, but I predict that I will struggle to study any longer than one hour per day. I'm very protective of my motivation with Greek, and I do not want to burn out. Right now I'm spending most of my time with two resources: Language Transfer Complete Greek and Modern Greek: Grammar Notes for Complete Beginners. Both resources are very friendly in tone while also being informative and fast-moving. Because they are grammar overviews, I can't spend much time doing them or my brain starts to go numb.

I'm trying to spend more time copying relevant information into my notebook, which allows me to practice writing Greek and to have a self-written resource. Obviously I won't be at the top of the leaderboard for the 6WC but I am okay with that.

[rdearman]

http://antikforever.com/index.htm.

Merci.

[Carmody]

Many thanks for the "FASCINATING French website." I am a real history buff so this could be a great resource.