Here we are again at the end of another year and what a year it's been. It's now three months since my island was devastated by Category 5 Hurricane Maria. I have electricity but still no internet or cable TV at home. Events like this put things into perspective. Doing without electricity for two months was a hardship. I'm glad to have it back now. Living on a Caribbean island teaches patience in normal times, but these times require a lot more. My language-learning, or rather- my language use, has continued despite my circumstances. Though I can't really download much in terms of series and podcasts, both my dvd and book collection are getting a work out.
PortugueseMy Brazilian friend is back in the US now, but I speak with her in Portuguese on a regular basis. I have plenty of DVD's and books to work through. I recently finished watching Capadocia season 2 in Portuguese dub. I'm over halfway done with Jane Austin's "Orgulho e preconceito", which I've never read in English. I am able to download RFI Brasil's morning podcast and DW Português para África podcast that gives me 50 minutes a day of regular listening, in addition to whatever else I do.
SpanishSpanish continues almost without being noticed. All I have to do to use Spanish is open my mouth and speak around here. There's hardly a day goes by that I
don't use Spanish. No effort is required. I've thought about signing up for a course from the
Escuela de Escritores in Spain, but it will have to wait until things settle down here in a few months time. Writing here on the forum is the extent of my "creative" writing since I left university. I'd like to do that again and it would undoubtedly help my Spanish.
Haitian Creole/Kreyòl and
Lesser Antilles French Creole/KwéyòlI am back into reading the languages and following the news on
VOA Kreyòl/Lavwadlamerik. I speak from time to time. The other day, I was listening to, and reading along with, one of the audio stories at Citybooks in French. I was surprised at how much I understood thanks to both Kreyòl and Kwéyòl, plus my other languages. Since I've read so much of the Old Testament Bible in HC, when I get to the New Testament, I have the NT in Kwéyòl/LAFC.
HC NT (Kreyól) Luke 7:8 wrote:Mwen menm, mwen sou zòd chèf, mwen gen sòlda sou zòd mwen tou. Lè m' di yonn: Ale! li ale. Lè m' di yon lòt: Vini! li vini. Lè m' di domestik mwen an: Fè sa! li fè li.
LAFC NT (Kwéyòl Sint Lisi) Luke 7:8 wrote:Mwen sav sa paski mwen menm sé yon nonm ki anba kondwit ofisyé ki anho mwen, èk mwen ni sòlda ki anba kondwit mwen, èk mwen annèk ni pou di yo, ‘Alé,’ èk yo ka alé la menm, èk si mwen di nonm sala, ‘Vini,’ i ka vini la menm, èk si mwen konmandé sèvant mwen, ‘Fè sa,’ i ka fèʼy la menm.”
New International Version Luke 7:8 wrote:For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and that one, ‘Come,’ and he comes. I say to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.”
So, as you can see, very similar, yet, subtly different. Especially the verb for "to have" which is "gen/genyen" in HC (Kreyòl) and "ni" in LAFC (Kwéyòl). The two languages are, to a large extent, mutually intelligible between native speakers.
Djudeo-espanyol/Ladino I enjoy this language so much. I've learned to read in Solitreo which makes my third Hebrew script in addition to Rashi and Meruba. I'm especially happy about having learned to read Solitreo (cursive writing based on Rashi script). Being able to read something handwritten over a hundred years ago and have it speak to me today is amazing. I like learning about and following the history of the Sephardim, like this story about the recently discovered lost letter from a Greek Jew in Auschwitz
The Paradox of Hanukkah in Greece—and in Auschwitz.
Professor Devin Naar wrote:The Nazis compelled a disproportionate number of Salonican Jewish men to participate in the Sonderkommando in part due to a perception of their exceptional physically fitness, but also because they were isolated. Without knowledge of German, Polish, or Yiddish, Jews from Greece could not easily communicate with other prisoners let alone the immediate outside world.
Someone, a native-speaker or Ladino scholar, should really translate Art Spiegelman's Pultizer Prize-winning graphic novel
Maus: A Survivor's Tale into Ladino.
CatalanI have read my first book in Catalan,
Els Viatgens de Gulliver . There's a lot that's familiar and a lot that isn't. Of course, I have a huge head start with this language thanks to Spanish, Portuguese, Kreyòl and even Djudeo-espanyol. "Menester" is used for the verb "to need" in both Catalan and Ladino. Being able to read a book in a language I don't speak is a benefit of my experience. Sure, I had to look up more than my usual share of words and my dictionary only had about half of them. So, the English edition came in handy. I didn't bother to make a parallel text though. Context and my languages base gave me enough to be able to read the story. I probably had 15-20% unknown words- not bad for a language I haven't studied yet.
I downloaded
Catalán para Dummies, the audio is free online. It's not as annoyingly slow as Assimil. The course is intended for native Spanish-speakers and focuses on grammar and dialogs in a non-condescending fashion. Despite the title, it looks to give a quite thorough grounding in the basics. If I decide to continue with the language, I'll definitely try the course. The political situation in Catalonia at present seems to guarantee that the language will stay relevant. What better way to understand what's going on than directly via the language itself?
basica wrote:I came across this video on Haitian Creole and thought I might share it here with followers of your log. It's covered a lot of the ground you have in telling us a bit about HC, but perhaps some will enjoy a video about it as well. I have to admit, I do find it very interesting. Maybe not enough to actually learn it properly, but maybe enough to dabble one day, we'll see
Anyways, do you think he's covered everything accurately?
Yes, it's a good basic, general overview about the language as far as these types of things usually go. Kreyòl is a rewarding language with more opportunity to speak it locally than most North Americans may think. Large communities exist in South Florida, New York, Boston, New Orleans and Montreal.
Expugnator wrote:Catalan looks really cool indeed, mas...how nice it would be to follow iguanamon's log about an opaque language!
Valeu, Expug! I really enjoy reading your log. I should take a page from you and start learning an "opaque" language in 15 minutes a day. You've got a system going that really makes a lot of sense for anyone who wants to be a polyglot or "hyper-polyglot". Perhaps, if you ever get the time, you should consider writing a guest post on how to do that. What you have accomplished in the time I've been here is incredible. You've got your system to a point now where it is almost impossible for you
not to learn any language you choose.
Ogrim wrote:... There is the attraction of something new, and in the case of Romance languages the seduction of something familiar yet different. And why always be practical? Learning Arabic is not practical for me. I am already of a certain age, and by the time I get a "useful" level in Arabic I will probably be retired
. Sometimes the learning process itself can be just as rewarding as the end goal. Besides, I believe learning new languages, whether they are "easy" or "difficult", is good for your brain.
Yes, this is it- familiar but... different. I would add, that language-learning, in addition to being good for our brains, is also good for our souls. Talking with people in Barcelona back during the independence referendum, even in Spanish, was more rewarding for me because I felt people took their time to speak with me in a more intimate way than if we'd used English. I spoke with people on both sides of the question and both have valid points, which is what makes the situation so difficult. I hope and pray that both sides can find a way to live together again in peace and mutual respect.
To all,
thank you for your support in this very difficult year. Peace and blessings be upon you all! Good tidings of Comfort and Joy! Happy New Year! Bòn chans e Bòn Ane, mezanmi!