2020 366-day challenge! Rules, sign-up, discussion

[Sedge]

Darn! Manchu (actually Xibe, but it seemed like Manchu might have a few more resources than Xibe, so...) is one of the languages I really wanted to try. But I do NOT have any knowledge of Mandarin. Well, you'll have to let me know how it goes for you!

I have access to Mango through my local library, and tried using it for Icelandic, and to be honest, I hated it. Others may find it better, but even though it was at first glance a better resource than some of the others I found for learning Icelandic, in practice I was so bored and frustrated with Mango that I abandoned it quickly.

[LunaMoonsilver]

Darn! Manchu (actually Xibe, but it seemed like Manchu might have a few more resources than Xibe, so...) is one of the languages I really wanted to try. But I do NOT have any knowledge of Mandarin. Well, you'll have to let me know how it goes for you!

I have access to Mango through my local library, and tried using it for Icelandic, and to be honest, I hated it. Others may find it better, but even though it was at first glance a better resource than some of the others I found for learning Icelandic, in practice I was so bored and frustrated with Mango that I abandoned it quickly.

Yeah, I'll see how that one goes I've pushed it towards the end of next year so I have time to get my Mandarin level a bit higher, but hopefully there'll be enough resources in English too that it won't be much of a worry.

Ah, interesting to hear about Mango; I don't feel so bad about not being able to use it now!

[cjareck]

I have a question - does preparing Anki cards counts to the learning time? Since I learn with clauses I need to look for the corresponding pictures. I also cut the course audio for phrases or exercises and then put everything into Anki. Answer yes or now will have a great impact on my study time.

[Caromarlyse]

French - specific
German - specific

Start date 1 Jan 2020

[Sedge]

I have a question - does preparing Anki cards counts to the learning time? Since I learn with clauses I need to look for the corresponding pictures. I also cut the course audio for phrases or exercises and then put everything into Anki. Answer yes or now will have a great impact on my study time.

Others are welcome to chime in on this, but here is my thought. I've never made Anki cards, so I'm not sure what goes into it. I would say that if the process of preparing the cards itself helps you learn the language, then yes, the process would count. If the process of preparing the cards is mostly busywork, then I don't think it should count.

An example: I actually use physical flashcards to study with, and because the process of writing things out is really helpful for me in learning (compared to just hearing/speaking/reading or even typing) and especially where I am learning a new orthography (so I'm writing simple words in English, Roman letter phonetics, and then the new orthography), I consider flashcard prep to usually count as studying.
However, if you are not engaging with the material as you make the cards, or if you're preparing cards that are well above or below your current knowledge level in a language such that either you can't yet comprehend them or they are so easy you aren't learning anything, then it would not count.

[katsu]

Count me in.
French, specific, starting Jan 1, 2020.

[cjareck]

Others are welcome to chime in on this, but here is my thought. I've never made Anki cards, so I'm not sure what goes into it. I would say that if the process of preparing the cards itself helps you learn the language, then yes, the process would count. If the process of preparing the cards is mostly busywork, then I don't think it should count.

I agree with you. So I will decide each time if it is more learning (like writing L1 and L2 on the card) or busy or mechanical work (pasting audio or looking for pictures) and decide in each case individually. Is it OK?

Nevertheless, I would like to join in with:
Hebrew - specific
Generic (most probably Arabic and Mandarin)

Start date 1 Jan 2020

[Sedge]

Others are welcome to chime in on this, but here is my thought. I've never made Anki cards, so I'm not sure what goes into it. I would say that if the process of preparing the cards itself helps you learn the language, then yes, the process would count. If the process of preparing the cards is mostly busywork, then I don't think it should count.

I agree with you. So I will decide each time if it is more learning (like writing L1 and L2 on the card) or busy or mechanical work (pasting audio or looking for pictures) and decide in each case individually. Is it OK?

That sounds good to me.

[Elsa Maria]

Sign me up for Dutch, please. My start date will be January 1, 2020.

Thanks for coordinating!

[Mista]

I was very sceptical of this last year, but have decided to try it this year. However, I'm not sure I think it's a good idea to have 366 days as my ultimate goal, and will therefore state straight away that I aim for 360, allowing myself a little room for rest.

I want to join with the following:
- French/generic (starting out with French, but keeping the possibility open of changing my focus language halfway)
- Generic: Russian/Northern Sami/Icelandic/Arabic, with the option of adding 1 language towards the summer (because I'm planning to attend a summer course, but the course list hasn't been published yet)