Systematiker Does Everything Different: An Intermittent 2019 Log

[Systematiker]

This also gives me the time to experiment with a couple for-the-hell-of-it tests where I think I can do decent without actually studying the language (Italian, Norwegian, and at least the listening of Yiddish, for a start).

Wow! They have a Yiddish one still? What is it, a DLPT I? II?

It’s a II (I think, I looked a couple days ago and am sketchy now )



In other news, I like the DLPT V, took it for Spanish. Got a 4, quite pleased.

[IronMike]

In other news, I like the DLPT V, took it for Spanish. Got a 4, quite pleased.

You heard DLI has a new Spanish DLPT5 coming out, yes? The questions you get change as you answer them correctly. And one test 0-4. Is this the one you took? Or did you take the Spanish upper level DLPT? Maybe you've just taken the new one?

[Systematiker]

In other news, I like the DLPT V, took it for Spanish. Got a 4, quite pleased.

You heard DLI has a new Spanish DLPT5 coming out, yes? The questions you get change as you answer them correctly. And one test 0-4. Is this the one you took? Or did you take the Spanish upper level DLPT? Maybe you've just taken the new one?

Yes this new one is the one I took. One test eg of “up to 33 questions” for reading, I could tell the difference in the last few sets as it was trying to zero me in.

I may have misnamed it above, thinking V=5. There was no option to take the higher/lower levels.

I also found it less tedious than the old process, it ramped up and became challenging very quickly.

[IronMike]

Way back when, as they were introducing the DLPT5, I sent a suggestion to DLI for them to create a bank of questions at each of the levels. Then to have the computer start you out easy (0+) and ramp up levels till you start missing questions, then down a half-step, back up as you get them right, etc. Create some algorithm that'll determine if you answer X-number at this level (a) but miss X-number at the next level up (b), then your score is (a).

My point was to avoid the repetition year after year that the DLPT IV was. Every year there'd be one question on the Russian one that I was never sure of. I'd prepare for it every year. It was one that had possible answers like "The Hungarian ambassador in Vienna blah blah" and "The Austrian ambassador in Budapest blah blah" and every year I'd wonder if I got it right. But the test shouldn't be like that. And with a bank of, say, 100 passages for each level, this annual repetition could be avoided.

I was almost alone in my support of the new DLPT5; everyone was complaining about it due to everyone's scores going down by a half-step. But I thought and still think the test is much better than its predecessor. Now this new one that you took for Spanish: love, love, love it. They are working on getting a Russian one and while I'll never get the 4, it will be nice to be able to test beyond 3 in one test and not spend as much time doing it!

So did you get the 4 in both L and R? That's incredible. What is your background in Spanish? I don't remember if you've mentioned it here before.

[Systematiker]

I’ve only got one point of comparison, taking the old lower-level Spanish almost two years ago (and not having time to schedule the upper-level within the window), but I really prefer this one. Subjectively, it did what you were describing (though I think it started at 2 or so) and adjusted with each set of answers.

I scheduled the listening separate, I’ve yet to take it, but I got a 3 on the lower level two years ago and I was in a hurry then, and I’m better now, so...

I had a little of the once a week Spanish in middle school but otherwise it’s entirely self study, and I’ve never been fully immersed.


(And while we are at it, because I can’t resist...I finished that test in 45 minutes because I got a text right before and needed to either hurry it up or cancel it. So I’m feeling really confident)

[Systematiker]

Well I’ve already had to cancel one scheduled test and will have to cancel another next Friday...but it’s not precisely necessary that I get all of this done in the next month either, I’ve got a good deal of time to work on my goal. I’m only two months into the year, after all.

I have to be preparing for Farsi and Turkish at the end of the year - I’ve decided I’ll take both, so that I can work on both, because I like both. None of the other languages will need much, if any, prep, so I have a good 6-8 months to really push these two.

The physical side of things, I’ve adjusted my goals in part. I need to meet the hiking goal in about six weeks, but I’m pretty close, so I’m good there. I ran two miles last night in 15:12, so if I’m right and I was aiming at 22:00 for the 5k I’m pretty much there (I stopped because I had 15 minutes to run, not because I was physically done).

I’ve got another test slot Wednesday afternoon, so I’ll either do the Spanish listening or go ahead and knock out German. Then I can do the other next Wednesday, and one of either Dutch or Portuguese next Friday (trying to space out and alternate Romance and Germanic).

All that, but not actually any studying or progress anywhere - I doing want to completely abandon certain other languages in the future, but I think I need to have a maintenance group and only 1-2 actively learning languages moving forward. I just don’t have the time otherwise. I wonder how big the maintenance group can get before it takes too much time to have a “new” language in work...

[Systematiker]

The dlpt5 for Spanish listening scaled up fast. I swear I spent the majority of the test bouncing between the 3 and 4 question banks - got caught near the end by an unfamiliar accent and ended up with a 3 (I think I should have gotten a 3+ but whatever).

Did German reading as well. A nearly eidetic memory means yeah there’s only so many questions they draw from...

Looking forward to some that will be a stretch, coming up.

Enjoying Danish in new contexts lately, and more Swedish as well.

Need to get back to the Farsi and Turkish rotation, it’s March already...

[Systematiker]

I’m in a context that has been very impacted by the current pandemic. Still currently going to work, but transitioning to a minimum presence in a few days.

With small children around this may not translate into more time for study, but there’s a pretty good chance.

My language tests have all been cancelled for the foreseeable future, so I’ll schedule anew when it’s possible.

[cjareck]

With small children around this may not translate into more time for study, but there’s a pretty good chance.

My kids are at home and sometimes they are so loud that I can't hear my thoughts. So do not expect much, so you will not be dissapointed

[Systematiker]

In other news, apparently my Danish and Swedish are good enough that I can not only enjoy TV in both languages,but can enjoy Norwegian TV as well. I’ve watched three seasons in Danish, one and a half in Swedish, and one in Norwegian in the last week...