zenmonkey's multilingual adventures of a traveller

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zenmonkey
Black Belt - 2nd Dan
Posts: 2528
Joined: Sun Jul 26, 2015 7:21 pm
Location: California, Germany and France
Languages: Spanish, English, French trilingual - German (B2/C1) on/off study: Persian, Hebrew, Tibetan, Setswana.
Some knowledge of Italian, Portuguese, Ladino, Yiddish ...
Want to tackle Tzotzil, Nahuatl
Language Log: viewtopic.php?f=15&t=859
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Re: zenmonkey's multilingual adventures of a traveller

Postby zenmonkey » Thu Jun 14, 2018 1:14 am

Studying on the plane was a bust, too tired, my material remained in the compartment above my head while I binged on stupid movies, ate and slept. Now in California, my time is split between taking care of my father, my work, calls of all sorts (my gott, the robocalls!!) and trying to get back on some sort of learning schedule.

I did get to speak French & Spanish on the shuttle ride over but that's not really what I need.

I've scheduled lessons for Hebrew and Tibetan for later this week and am trying to figure out how to start on Setswana. All I can say for now is that the grammar seems to be quite a kick in the face. :lol: with 14 noun classes...
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Ani
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Re: zenmonkey's multilingual adventures of a traveller

Postby Ani » Thu Jun 14, 2018 3:49 am

zenmonkey wrote: am trying to figure out how to start on Setswana. All I can say for now is that the grammar seems to be quite a kick in the face. :lol: with 14 noun classes...



I was wondering how Setswana would be. I couldn't find much with a cursory search. I hope to come to the Gathering sometime in the next few years, but I don't think I'm sufficiently motivated to learn 14 noun classes to join a secret club :)
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smallwhite
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Re: zenmonkey's multilingual adventures of a traveller

Postby smallwhite » Thu Jun 14, 2018 3:55 am

zenmonkey wrote:Now to continue to buckle down on Hebrew and Tibetan... (and stuff...)

I've been looking forward to updates to Experiments: Gold List vs Anki vs ....
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Brun Ugle
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Location: Steinkjer, Norway
Languages: English (N), Norwegian (~C1/C2), Spanish (B1/B2), German (A2/B1?), Japanese (very rusty)
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Re: zenmonkey's multilingual adventures of a traveller

Postby Brun Ugle » Thu Jun 14, 2018 6:00 am

zenmonkey wrote:I've scheduled lessons for Hebrew and Tibetan for later this week and am trying to figure out how to start on Setswana. All I can say for now is that the grammar seems to be quite a kick in the face. :lol: with 14 noun classes...

Since you can tell the class by the prefix, that shouldn’t be too bad.... Or maybe it will.

I’ve been struggling to get into a study routine too. I’ve had things to do almost every day since I got back, but it should gradually reduce from next week.
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zenmonkey
Black Belt - 2nd Dan
Posts: 2528
Joined: Sun Jul 26, 2015 7:21 pm
Location: California, Germany and France
Languages: Spanish, English, French trilingual - German (B2/C1) on/off study: Persian, Hebrew, Tibetan, Setswana.
Some knowledge of Italian, Portuguese, Ladino, Yiddish ...
Want to tackle Tzotzil, Nahuatl
Language Log: viewtopic.php?f=15&t=859
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Re: zenmonkey's multilingual adventures of a traveller

Postby zenmonkey » Mon Jun 18, 2018 3:59 pm

smallwhite wrote:
zenmonkey wrote:Now to continue to buckle down on Hebrew and Tibetan... (and stuff...)

I've been looking forward to updates to Experiments: Gold List vs Anki vs ....


I owe you a longer reply, but just posted a summary.
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I am a leaf on the wind, watch how I soar

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smallwhite
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Re: zenmonkey's multilingual adventures of a traveller

Postby smallwhite » Tue Jun 19, 2018 3:06 am

zenmonkey wrote:
smallwhite wrote:I've been looking forward to updates to Experiments: Gold List vs Anki vs ....


I owe you a longer reply, but just posted a summary.

Thanks :) I didn't feel you would abandon your Gold List vs Anki experiment without telling us a bit about your thoughts on it, so I was starting to feel worried about you, until someone mentioned you going to the Gathering. Great to see you back :)
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zenmonkey
Black Belt - 2nd Dan
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Joined: Sun Jul 26, 2015 7:21 pm
Location: California, Germany and France
Languages: Spanish, English, French trilingual - German (B2/C1) on/off study: Persian, Hebrew, Tibetan, Setswana.
Some knowledge of Italian, Portuguese, Ladino, Yiddish ...
Want to tackle Tzotzil, Nahuatl
Language Log: viewtopic.php?f=15&t=859
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Contact:

Re: zenmonkey's multilingual adventures of a traveller

Postby zenmonkey » Tue Jun 26, 2018 9:33 am

smallwhite wrote:Great to see you back :)

Thank you, that's sweet and appreciated.

Here it is 2 am, I'm not sleeping so perhaps a short entry into the log.

Yesterday we did a Setswana Skype session. A bunch of beginners that don't truly know the language and can't say they have a good grasp of the tonal or click systems. And it was great! Ok, perhaps we are going to actually hit a wall at some point but it was fun, motivating and easy. And very much affirming to see other people that are going through the early stages of learning something and also struggling with different aspects. I think this is a way of learning that I hadn't really explored before - the blind working with the blind. And I'm sure that some of the stuff we did might have been wrong but we have plenty of opportunity to catch up on errors by ourselves later. But pulling motivation out of thin air can be difficult.

Motivation has been hard these last few weeks. I'm in the US - in my childhood home, nursing my father and not really focusing on getting work done or languages learnt. Part of it is the summer heat and the desire to take naps, part of it is the emotional energy and the local distractions (had to call the local electric company twice for a project) but part of it is internal and I need to figure that out. Maybe more on that at a future point.

But I went over to help the wife of a friend of my father to get her email back in place on her iPhone. I'm sort of the IT team for 70 year-olds out here. And as I arrived, I was introduced to the maid, "he speaks Spanish too!" This is sort of the ambiguous and awkward phrase, socially loaded out here, and as my inner 'I' rolled his eyes silently, I greeted the maid, we exchanged names and pleasantries and I was told, "he does speak Spanish, really well too." There we go. :lol: The internal workings of the socially awkward moment when I get to say "I Hope so, I'm Mexican." Diversity and identity. I think that with current events in the US, I can just say "darmok and jalad at tanagra" and leave it at that (and respect the no politics rules).

So aside from Setswana, I've also studied a bit of Assimil Portuguese while waiting for a sushi order to be prepared. And over the weekend, I picked up two Sci-Fi books in German (translations) and a catalog of African Languages. But have I actually studied? Not so much.

Portuguese - I'm still suffering from so much interference that I have a really hard time producing, even if my understanding is pretty good. I think I'm going to finish the Assimil and then use DLI/FSI for drills. But maybe I shouldn't work on this now - given my other language concerns.

Enough logging, I'm going back to bed and I'll read some German if I can't get to sleep.
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Brun Ugle
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Language Log: https://forum.language-learners.org/vie ... 15&t=11484
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Re: zenmonkey's multilingual adventures of a traveller

Postby Brun Ugle » Tue Jun 26, 2018 12:39 pm

That’s how I’ve been getting to sleep lately too — by reading German! :lol:

The Setswana session was fantastic. I’ve never had the experience of learning a language in this way before. In the other study groups, everyone has different levels and is using different materials. This is my first time trying to learn something “alone, but together” and I love it. I really hope we can keep it up and that we can all speak Setswana together at the next Gathering, at least in the “No English Zone”.
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Re: zenmonkey's multilingual adventures of a traveller

Postby jeff_lindqvist » Tue Jun 26, 2018 6:13 pm

If I'll go to the next Gathering and you will all be there, I promise I'll join you in the No English Zone. :)
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Brun Ugle
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Re: zenmonkey's multilingual adventures of a traveller

Postby Brun Ugle » Tue Jun 26, 2018 6:53 pm

jeff_lindqvist wrote:If I'll go to the next Gathering and you will all be there, I promise I'll join you in the No English Zone. :)

You’re welcome to join our conversations too. The next one is in two weeks.
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