The iguana's tale- Portuguese, Spanish, Haitian Creole and Ladino

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Ani
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Re: The iguana's tale- Portuguese, Spanish, Haitian Creole and Ladino

Postby Ani » Thu Sep 20, 2018 9:16 pm

rdearman wrote:I think it is more to do with where the International Date Line was drawn than the geography of the planet.


We're the first and the last to see the sun for one teeny weeny bit of the year.. don't take that away from us for an imaginary line. ;)
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Re: The iguana's tale- Portuguese, Spanish, Haitian Creole and Ladino

Postby zenmonkey » Thu Sep 20, 2018 10:41 pm

rdearman wrote:I think it is more to do with where the International Date Line was drawn than the geography of the planet.


The start of day is the International date line but in terms of the seeing the rising sun, that changes due to the tilt of the earth - equinox, etc...
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Re: The iguana's tale- Portuguese, Spanish, Haitian Creole and Ladino

Postby James29 » Tue Sep 25, 2018 4:42 pm

Yes, yes, it is technically Alaska, but I felt it would make our friend Iguanamon feel better. Plus, maybe there are no people on those remote islands in Alaska who would actually be watching the sunrise... so he could still be the first.
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Re: The iguana's tale- Portuguese, Spanish, Haitian Creole and Ladino

Postby iguanamon » Thu Oct 04, 2018 11:16 pm

Thanks everyone for stopping by. St Croix's claim to fame as having the easternmost point in the US is dubious at best. There is a monument in the form of a sundial with a plaque proclaiming it's easternmost-ness called Point Udall. I've gone there for New Year's dawn before.
Wikipedia wrote:Point Udall is at the east end of St. Croix in the U.S. Virgin Islands is the easternmost point (by travel, not longitude) of the United States including territories and insular areas. It was named for Stewart Udall, United States Secretary of the Interior under Presidents John F. Kennedy and Lyndon Johnson.
A sundial known as the Millennium Monument was built above Point Udall for the New Year's celebration in 2000 — it marks the azimuth of the first U.S. sunrise of that year. From the monument an informal trail of moderate difficulty leads down to the point, composed of uplifted and rotated volcanic rock.

I have no idea what the phrase "by travel" means, but who cares anyway :)

Spanish
Recently, while searching for Catalan resources, I came across a site with dictation exercises. The site has dictation for Spanish too. The exercises are labelled with CEFR levels and are short with a two speed option- "Assimil snail-slow" and normal "fast" speech. For those who prefer Castillian Spanish, yes they're from Spain. At this moment there are 206 exercises for dictation at dictando.com.

Also, while helping someone on the forum, I discovered Cursopedia. Cursopedia has many free video courses on a variety of subjects. There are also some languages covered, including Russian, French, Portuguese, "Chino" and Italian. They could be useful for dabblers and wanderlusters.

The new session for La Escuela de Escritores starts soon. The school has several writing courses taught by professional writing instructors, some of whom are published authors. The courses are expensive and require a time commitment. I hope to sign up for one this November.

Portuguese
The presidential elections in Brasil are this Sunday. So, I will be reading and listening a lot to what happens. It seems politics is crazy everywhere these days. We live in interesting times. I located a copy of the most recent translation of Tolstoy's "War and Peace"- "Guerra e Paz" by Rubens Figuereido. This is important because his translation is direct from the Russian original instead of by way of a third language. This happens often in some languages. Of course, the French dialog in the novel (French was a "thing" back in the day in high class Russian society) is untranslated. Despite the fact that I love Tolstoy's writing, I've had difficulty in the past reading this work and couldn't make it past the first couple of chapters in English. So, maybe with a more focused approach and using Expug's technique of a few pages a day (I'll try for 10), I might finish it in under a year.

Djudeo-espanyol/Ladino
Continuing with the Old Testament, now on Shemuel Alef 12. Hebrew place names and people's names are written in Hebrew "Meruba" (Square) script. Sometimes, vowels have different values and there are some letters unique to Hebrew I've managed to learn, oh yeah, sometimes there are no vowels. Anyway, I am much better at reading them now and that makes me happy.

Haitian Creole
Continuing with reading the same chapters (1 Samyèl 12) in Haitian Creole and the Atravè Labib podcast of the same. I am slowly making my way through "Papa Dòk" the book about the former dictator Franswa Divalye (François Duvalier). One of my favorite Haitian bands, Lakou Mizik, is coming out with a new album next year called HaitaNola (Haiti and New Orleans) which is a collaboration between Haitian, New Orleans, Louisiana Creole and Cajun musicians. The cross fertilization between Haiti and New Orleans is historic and ongoing, culturally, with Haitian immigration to New Orleans and musically. I'll support this project and can't wait for the new album and to see them in NOLA at Jazzfest.



Lesser Antilles French Creole
Speaking of Creole Oktòb/October is Mwa Kreyòl/Kréyòl/Kwéyòl or Creole Month. So a couple of twitter accounts I follow from Dominica and St Lucia are doing a "Word/Phrase of the Day" tweet and promoting the use and learning of LAFC.
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Catalan
I've watched eleven episodes of Els Germans Kratt in Catalan dub and it's becoming much clearer. The episodes are short, 22 minutes. The "Wild Kratts" is an animated Canadian-US production shown on PBS in the US about two biologist brothers exploring the animal kingdom around the world with their team. The language is just about right for me with listening. It's not overly complicated but also, for a kids' show, not too simple. It's easy to fit into spare time and it's a bit of fun too.

I found some Catalan dictation exercises graded by CEFR level. Read four chapters of Genesis and I'm making slow progress with the Stefan Klein book.

Onè, respè pou nou tout. Mèsi anpil pou li tou sa, mezanmi. Orevwa pou kounyea.
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Re: The iguana's tale- Portuguese, Spanish, Haitian Creole and Ladino

Postby Purangi » Fri Oct 12, 2018 6:13 am

Thank you for such an amazing log! It really reads like some-kind of novel at times.

I was wondering if you ever posted a list or review of the best resources you use for HC? If so, could you direct me to it?
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Re: The iguana's tale- Portuguese, Spanish, Haitian Creole and Ladino

Postby Brun Ugle » Fri Oct 12, 2018 9:11 am

Purangi wrote:Thank you for such an amazing log! It really reads like some-kind of novel at times.

I was wondering if you ever posted a list or review of the best resources you use for HC? If so, could you direct me to it?

You might be interested in the Haitian Creole Study Group. It has a resources page and advice for learners.
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iguanamon
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Re: The iguana's tale- Portuguese, Spanish, Haitian Creole and Ladino

Postby iguanamon » Thu Oct 18, 2018 9:27 pm

Work has been very busy lately leaving me with less time for languages. Nonetheless, I still have some new stuff to report.

Spanish
I have been using an app called leemur. This is an app that lets you read "chat stories". These are short stories told in the format of an internet chat/text/sms exchange and appear on your phone or tablet as such. The stories are in different genres- comedy, drama, romance, horror, etc. The chats may take up to about half an hour or so to play out. The video below will give an overview. I've read several of these. It's an interesting format to tell stories and almost "voyeuristic". It's quite fun.

Also, my favorite Cuban radio show, La Tremenda Corte, one that I often recommend to people looking for exposure to Cuban Spanish or comedy, is now available as a free app.
Wikipedia wrote:La Tremenda Corte fue un programa de radio del género cómico, el cual se produjo en La Habana, Cuba, y cuyos guiones realizaba Cástor Vispo, un español que después adoptaría la nacionalidad cubana. Se transmitió por radio entre 1942 y 1961 de forma ininterrumpida. Se dice que se grabaron alrededor de 360 episodios, la gran mayoría de ellos escuchados a nivel internacional. ...

Basically, this was an old radio show that was broadcast in pre-revolutionary Cuba. It uses the format of a trial where the character Tres Patines is almost always the accused. Tres Patines and Señor Juez are the main characters. Each episode lasts about 15 minutes. They all carry the suffix "cidio", like "alcaldecidio", "galleguicidio", "automovilicido", etc. The comedy is timeless, and believe it or not, these old radio shows are still broadcast in Spanish-speaking América today. Tres Patines is a beloved character and the show is evocative of a bygone era and quite nostalgic.

The app I use is free and called Tres Patines. There are over 200 of these "podcasts" to listen to with data or downloadable for offline listening. Of course, comedy is difficult for non-natives because of cultural allusions and references and, in this case, being radio, there are no visual clues upon which to rely. Oh yeah, there's also the accent and a lot of "cubanismos". I'm pretty sure the LTC site I linked to has a vocabulary glossary. If anyone needs it and can't find it, I have a copy, so, pm me and I'll try to get it to you. Tres Patines loves playing with Spanish and is always making comedy out of his mangling of the language. The app saves me from having to load up my phone with mp3's and keeps count of the ones I've listened to already for me... and... it's free. So, no excuses now!
Tres Patines wrote:"Eso es una calumnia, chico. No lo hice, no. ¡Yo soy rinoceronte!
Señor Juez: ¿Rinoceronte, Tres Patines?
TP: Sí, rinoceronte.
SJ: Quieres decir "inocente", Tres Patines.
It's October and Baseball is having its playoffs and championship series. It's amazing how easily it is to follow in Spanish. So, I know that those outside the Americas know and care little about baseball, but if anyone does be sure to check out MLB en Español for original and translated articles, and player interviews in Spanish.

Djudeo-espanyol/Ladino
Still on Shemuel Alef (1 Samuel) but now on chapter 15. There was an interesting background article by Susanna Zaraysky on the BBC today The Bosnians who speak medieval Spanish. This will be nothing new to longtime readers of my log. Susanna made an effort to learn Ladino and also made a film with Bryan Kirschen called "Saved by Language". The film is now up on youtube (authorized) if anyone is interested. Susanna is a quite accomplished polyglot who wrote a book on her language-learning philosophy: Language is Music.

Portuguese
Still listening, reading, speaking and writing every day. I enjoyed this article from BBC Brasil about one of my favorite Netflix shows- "Merlí"- Os professores 'Merlís' da vida real, que 'quebram as regras' para inspirar alunos como na série da Netflix. It is broadcast with English, Spanish and Portuguese subtitles and Catalan and Spanish dubbed audio.

Haitian Creole
Continuing with Atravè Labib and 1 Samyèl Chapit 15. I spoke for 5 minutes today. Slowly making my way through the book "Papa Dòk".

Lesser Antilles French Creole/Kwéyòl
It is still Mwa Kwéyòl. I really should get over to St Lucia, Dominica, Martinique or Guadeloupe sometime.
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Catalan
The language keeps becoming more and more transparent. I am reading more easily, listening still lags behind. I'm on S01 E20 of "Els Germans Kratt". There are no subtitles on the videos. Still reading "La Fórmula de la Felicitat" by Stefan Klein, off and on. I've added a translation of Dashiel Hammet from 1931- "La clau de vidre/The Glass Key". I made a parallel text of the first 5 chapters and only occasionally do I have to consult the English.
casa de libro wrote:Entre gàngsters de bandes rivals i senadors en campanya electoral, Ned Beaumont és qui troba el cadàver de Taylor Henry, el fill d’un dels dos candidats al senat. Tot apunta que el seu amic i protegit, Paul Madvig, n’és l’assassí, però Beaumont no s’ho acaba de creure… comença a investigar. La clau de vidre és una novel·la magistral en què Dashiel Hammett duu la tècnica objectiva als darrers extrems. Perquè les situacions hi són explorades sense concessions i l’acció hi és ràpida i violenta com un tret: una novel·la que fa època.

My translation- warts and all- imperfect and maybe incorrect. Among rival bands of gangsters and senators in an election campaign, Ned Beaumont is the one who finds the body of Taylor Henry, the son of one of the two senate candidates. Everything points to his friend and patron (protector), Paul Madvig, being the murderer, but Beaumont doesn't believe it... he starts to investigate. "The Glass Key" is a masterful novel in which Dashiel Hammet leads the objective technique to its ultimate extreme. Because the situations are explored without mercy and the action is quick and violent as a feature: a novel (evocative of its time?). still learning

I love the "noir" genre and I enjoyed the film version of Hammet's novel, "The Maltese Falcon". This is a good book and there's loads of dialog, even if it is full of 1930 slang in English, the Catalan translation is more modern.

Arabic
I've been following Team Middle East and find myself being drawn towards Arabic. I'm not ready to start learning it yet, though. I don't even know if I really want to learn it. I'll let this urge marinate for a while and see how it comes out in a month or so. The challenge of learning just a spoken language is enticing, but then, of course I'd want to be able to read too.
Last edited by iguanamon on Thu Nov 01, 2018 10:32 pm, edited 2 times in total.
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Re: The iguana's tale- Portuguese, Spanish, Haitian Creole and Ladino

Postby NoManches » Thu Oct 18, 2018 10:30 pm

iguanamon wrote:Work has been very busy lately leaving me with less time for languages. Nonetheless, I still have some new stuff to report.

Spanish
I have been using an app called leemur. This is an app that lets you read "chat stories". These are short stories told in the format of an internet chat/text/sms exchange and appear on your phone or tablet as such. The stories are in different genres- comedy, drama, romance, horror, etc. The chats may take up to about half an hour or so to play out. The video below will give an overview. I've read several of these. It's an interesting format to tell stories and almost "voyeuristic". It's quite fun.





Great recommendation, thanks!
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Chmury
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Re: The iguana's tale- Portuguese, Spanish, Haitian Creole and Ladino

Postby Chmury » Fri Oct 19, 2018 2:33 am

Qué interesante plataforma ese Leemur para contar y leer historias y así poder practicar el castellano. Bastante ingenioso de verdad. Gracias por compartirlo.
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iguanamon
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Re: The iguana's tale- Portuguese, Spanish, Haitian Creole and Ladino

Postby iguanamon » Thu Nov 01, 2018 6:23 pm

Another week has come and gone. It's hard to believe it's November already

Spanish
It really seems redundant to post Spanish updates here since it's just a part of my life now. Still, I thought I would share a bit about a book I am reading, off and on: Exceso de equipaje by Pedro Bravo.
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El País wrote:¿Este señor qué quiere, echar más leña al fuego de la turismofobia? Nada más lejos. El autor parte de la premisa de que turistas somos todos y analiza el fenómeno de un modo global, deteniéndose en algunos modelos (Barcelona, Madrid, San Francisco…) en los que la cosa de las chanclas y los calcetines se está yendo de las manos. Pues en la tele dicen que todo el turismo es bueno. No se fíe, Bravo habla por ejemplo de un informe sobre Ámsterdam que concluye que el dinero que los viajeros dejan en la ciudad es menor que el gasto que suponen. ¿Y qué solución da, que nos quedemos en casa? Él no hace propuestas, pero yo sí le voy a hacer dos: lea usted el libro y empiece a plantearse las mismas dudas que él.

The book describes what is happening in the world with mass tourism today, how we affect, as tourists, the places we visit and how the new online lodging solutions affect the neighborhoods where we stay and the whole economy of an over-touristed city like Barcelona and Amsterdam, for example. Like most phenomena, there are good consequences, bad consequences and unintended consequences. Reading this book is definitely making me think about my own impact and what effect my travel has. Last year, I was in Lisbon, Madrid and Barcelona. All of which are heavily visited places. Still, it is indeed possible to have a more "authentic" experience and speaking the language definitely helps to make that possible.

This book, as far as I know, is not available in any other language but Spanish at present. Right now I'm about a quarter of my way through the book. So far, I can definitely recommend reading it. If as a learner you have trouble reading novels, non-fiction is usually much easier to read.

Catalan
Whenever someone decides they are ready at B1 or B2 to start learning another language, I often warn them about how the new language being studied can overwhelm the language they had been studying. This past week, I spent most of my morning language time on reading in Catalan. I'm now finished with Chapter 3 of "La clau de vidre" (translation of "The Glass Key") by Dashiell Hammett. The story is sucking me in and I am enjoying reading the book. I probably have to look up 7-8 words per pdf page which means slow progress, but words are repeating and around half of my guesses are confirmed.
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It is much easier reading "La Fórmula de la Felicitat" by Stefan Klein. Of course, this is non-fiction and as I said earlier, it is easier to read non-fiction than fiction, generally speaking. It's an interesting book but I have a long way to go to finish reading it being only 40% into it now. At some point soon, I'm going to have to sit down and actually study this language.

Portuguese
This has been a huge week in Brazil with the election of a new president. I won't comment on the politics of this but I have been following the drama on Globo Play, Folha de São Paulo and twitter, of course. We do indeed live in "interesting times". Though apparently this is not nor has it ever been a Chinese curse- according to my research.
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