Tea With Tarvos - Tarvos' Log 2019

[tarvos]

I am very tired, but that didn't stop me from starting to practice writing the kana. WHY IS SHE WRITING THE KANA???

Well, because right now I feel like studying some Japanese. At this point in time, I don't have any set in stone projects for my languages (I'm just too exhausted to think about going for something in particular) so I'd rather just fool around and see where that takes me. It's not like I don't have an abundance of languages to pick from anyway (and I know a few words in Japanese, but can't read it). I don't really feel like having anything I "should be doing" (and that language is Spanish anyway but Spanish is just a different ball game - here the goal is perfecting what I already have, not taking baby steps in order to read an unfamiliar script).

And drawing lines doesn't force me to think, feel bad about myself or fuck anything up. I can just mindlessly draw lines and memorize the sounds that go with it (I know enough Japanese to do just that.)

Also, my workbook for the kana is the Assimil cahier d'écriture, so I get to read French as well. Which isn't a problem, because French is one of my better languages anyway and I often use it as a base.

[tarvos]

РУ: Ну, во-первых я дальше читала в моей книге, но к сожалению прогресс еще медленный, поэтому наверное нужна еще неделька. Ну, может через несколько дней закончу с этой, посмотрим.

То, что интереснее, это то, что я сейчас смотрю корейскую драму. Конечно же, я обязательно должна об этом писать на корейском, но так как способности пока не хватают, переносим на русский - потому что там в диалоге тоже немножечко по-русски говорили. А я русский, конечно, знаю. Драма называется "Потомки солнца" (태양의 후예), а я пока что посмотрела два эпизода. Сюжет интересный, но романс - это уже самый скучный элемент рассказа. Просто мне нравятся персонажи, а еще возможность тренировать свой корейский тоже большой плюс.

Кроме того, я немножечко работала с хираганой, завтра поработаем дальше и сделаем маленький тест. На японском действительно не умею писать (на корейском хоть что-то получилось бы, но я не могу говорить о грамматической качестве своих сочинений, а еще меньше о стиле).

Завтра буду еще играть в шахматы, так что время для изучения ограничено. Но мне нравится такое легкое состояние, где можно просто брать сериалы и книжки без морок, а потом ими заниматься. Тем более, потому что я часто забываю все, что училась на корейском. Нужно более дисциплинированно трудиться, прямо как солдат. Там рабочая этика тоже такая, они просто работают до смерти и все.

[tarvos]

However, I did buy a ticket to a conference in Brno (Czech Republic) in March. It's a one day conference organized by my Czech teacher and neurolinguistics coach, and so I'll spend a long weekend in March practicing my Czech (as part of the lectures will be in Czech and some in Slovak). Lecturing will be several Czech people and for those in the know, some people from the polyglot world too: Luca Lampariello, Lýdia Machová, and Vladimir Skultety.

And as I was already planning to go to Bratislava, this means that next year I will at least have to maintain my Czech. I also bought the VIP ticket, which gives access to a special networking event. Oh boy! Now I feel like I am going on a business trip

[Maiwenn]

So many exciting things coming up for you, tarvos. :) I hope you have a happy end to 2017 and a wonderful start to 2018!

Also, since I last chatted with you on the old HTLAL forum (when we were studying Breton), you've progressed and learned and done so much! I am in awe. I've been meaning to pop by and say "Salud dit!" So, salud dit!

[tarvos]

Trugarez dit ! Truth is, I've improved in just about every language, except for Breton. Oh, the shame...

I've continued to read in Russian and watch dramas in Korean. One of my goals for 2018 is to write more regularly on my blog, and Korean should feature at some point.

[tarvos]

KO: 진짜요? 효고씨는 한국밀 써요? 어떡해요? 전 지금 태양의 후예 보고 있었는데, 못 알아요.

That's my attempt at Korean for now, I'm better at understanding it than producing it in writing (and actually I am better at speaking it than writing it in general). I've watched plenty of episodes of the K-drama mentioned above, and it's pretty good. Viki has also given us Learn Mode for select Korean and Chinese shows, which means you can click on words to see their translation and you can get a simultaneous Korean (or Chinese) and English sub, which is preeeetty useful. Viki does a good job of wanting to make me learn more Korean and Mandarin. I'm focusing on Korean for now, but if I see something interesting in Chinese I can always go for that. (I speak better Chinese than Korean anyway).

Since we're almost at the end of 2017, let me also give a wrap-up of this year, linguistically, and expound on my plans for 2018 (quite modest by my standards, probably, but hey...)

2017 appraisal

I'm not going by languages as there's too many to name. Rather, my general approach this year was to do loads of reading in foreign languages, and that approach worked very well. I still haven't managed to start reading Mandarin, but I did start reading Portuguese, Czech and Greek. I've also improved my Czech a whole lot and used it effectively in Slovakia (as a substitute for Slovak). In general, I've also substantially improved my Spanish (not that that was bad) and I'm on track for a DELE C2.

In fact, I think I've improved nearly all of my languages to a quite substantial level, and I can now finally say that we're getting close to hyperpolyglotdom, whatever the hell that means. However, the insane amount of languages I am juggling means that there's always some that get the short end of the stick, and usually they are old friends (bookends theme starts playing!).

Because I am back in the Netherlands, most of the direct urgency for me to improve certain languages has dropped substantially. I am no longer under pressure to learn Mandarin or Spanish, and I can take it easy, which is all very good as my life will be hectic for medical reasons next year so I don't feel like putting stress on any achievements will do much good.

Many of my old languages have stayed alive. I am probably not going to focus on the weaker ones that much (such as Hebrew, Icelandic or Hungarian) because, like I said, there is no urgency. What will come will come.

My current infatuation with Korean, though, will probably keep going for a bit, then peter out, and then we can move on to other pastures again. I want to keep at it and keep going because this is a language that really needs a lot of time devoted to it and that's why I have to work with it in the long term.

I don't really have level goals for 2018, but my plan is to try and read a similar amount to this year, and also to focus more on non-fiction reading and history in English. History is a subject I've never studied in much detail, especially not Asian history, but it would be nice to improve on that count as well. (I'll read history in other languages too, but English is definitely the most accessible for me.)

And of course, if I am going to spend time with television series, they will NOT be in English.

I'll keep posting here and keep you updated. Just keep following this log and remember: you can always post here in foreign languages. I don't mind, I welcome the challenge.

Even if you write in Korean

[basica]

In fact, I think I've improved nearly all of my languages to a quite substantial level, and I can now finally say that we're getting close to hyperpolyglotdom

I think you've long since passed the entrance gates for "hyperpolyglotdom"

Congratulations with your successes. I'm not sure whether I recall correctly, but it seems like your list of languages has grown quite nicely since the last time I was active here and that's quite an achievement in of itself. Whenever I think "Will it be possible for me to learn all the languages I'm interested in?" I look to you and other polyglots in the community for affirmation that it's achievable. I just need to find a way to tap into all of your motivation and discipline too

[tarvos]

Still watching my K-drama (almost finished though, three more episodes) and I also finished a Carl Sagan book (but that's in English, wa-hey). I got a €20-euro voucher for ebooks on bol.com (this is where Dutch people buy things) and I managed to get five books for that voucher, including two Spanish books, one German book, and two English books. Restocking the bookcase ahoy!

But first, I have planned to read the fourth book of Les Rois Maudits. Only time will tell whether I manage to finish that before the new year has set in.

Work-work-work...

[tarvos]

Stayed home sick with the flu today. Caught it yesterday and spent most of last night being feverish. Today is slightly better. Oh well.

[DaveBee]

Stayed home sick with the flu today. Caught it yesterday and spent most of last night being feverish. Today is slightly better. Oh well.

Eye of the storm. You'll be worse tomorrow, and likely dead by the end of week. Farewell Tarvos!