Is anybody else having good effects from the challenge yet? At only 154 pages into the challenge, my Tagalog reading is starting to speed up and get more clear already. Since I already have fairly decent skills in some of the other modalities with Tagalog, it may be happening quickly.
When I started extensive reading with Spanish, I was shocked at how fast my reading improved over the first 1000 pages or so. Some of it was new vocabulary I was using; some of it was getting used to reading without knowing every word, and some of it was just getting used to hearing Spanish in my head when I see it in print (or whatever language processing there is in fluent reading). I suppose skill at reading for understanding without decoding every word transfers from language to language
Super Challenge 2016-17 DISCUSSION THREAD
- sfuqua
- Black Belt - 1st Dan
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- Location: san jose, california
- Languages: Bad English: native
Samoan: speak, but rusty
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Spanish: read
French: read some
Japanese: beginner, obsessively studying - Language Log: https://forum.language-learners.org/vie ... =15&t=9248
- x 6314
Re: Super Challenge 2016-17 DISCUSSION THREAD
Last edited by sfuqua on Fri May 13, 2016 11:30 pm, edited 1 time in total.
1 x
荒海や佐渡によこたふ天の川
the rough sea / stretching out towards Sado / the Milky Way
Basho[1689]
Sometimes Japanese is just too much...
the rough sea / stretching out towards Sado / the Milky Way
Basho[1689]
Sometimes Japanese is just too much...
- alexkelbo
- Orange Belt
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Re: Super Challenge 2016-17 DISCUSSION THREAD
Not with the challenge directly but I seem to be able to memorize more Chinese characters in a shorter period time. So I'm making more progress than planned.
0 x
- JohannaNYC
- Yellow Belt
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Italian (Adv.), Croatian (Int.), French (Adv. Beg.),
Egyptian Arabic (Beg.), Greek (New Beg.), Russian (New Beg.) - Language Log: https://forum.language-learners.org/vie ... 15&t=15795
- x 169
Re: Super Challenge 2016-17 DISCUSSION THREAD
jeffers wrote:
I asked about using the text part of Assimil in the first Super Challenge, and it was approved (basically since it is a large chunk of extended text). Some learners felt that you shouldn't be using study material, but what I did was not count when I was doing my daily lesson, but sat and read the whole thing through over a few days and counted it then. If you want to count it, as Rdearman says the 250 word rule of thumb should probably be your guide.
Thanks Jeffers, that's exactly what I had in mind, glad there's a precedent for it.
1 x
Corrections welcomed!
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- White Belt
- Posts: 41
- Joined: Wed Jan 13, 2016 11:31 pm
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- Languages: Spanish (maintenance/improving), German (intermediate), Russian (upper beginner), Portuguese (N). Dabbling in French, Danish, Irish. Italian (dormant)
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Re: Super Challenge 2016-17 DISCUSSION THREAD
sfuqua wrote:Is anybody else having good effects from the challenge yet?
Yes, especially with German. In the month leading up to the challenge, I had just started reading German "in the wild". I don't think that I had ever started reading "real" German even in school, but even if I had... it had been
Russian is another animal. Progress is still very slow, but there is progress. I have been able to pick out more words in videos, even if I don't remember the meaning of all of the words that I'm able to pick out. Along with the reading, I'm also populating my Anki deck (although I haven't seen over 60% of my Russian words because at the moment, I really can't handle adding more than 10 words in a day). I'm getting more of the words in the Anki deck as well.
I had stopped listening to Spanish podcasts at the end of December, although I had been reading the Bible in Spanish this year. Having resumed my podcast listening, it seems easier than it had been. I know for a fact that it wasn't this easy at the beginning of the last challenge. I don't expect to see a lot of progress with Spanish over the next 20 months, but I do expect things to slowly get easier and my comprehension to increase.
0 x
SC Russian Reading: Movies: 100 of each
SC Spanish Reading: Movies: 50 of each
SC German Reading: Movies: 50 of each
10000 SRS Cards Challenge:
SC Spanish Reading: Movies: 50 of each
SC German Reading: Movies: 50 of each
10000 SRS Cards Challenge:
- IronMike
- Black Belt - 2nd Dan
- Posts: 2554
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Italian, 1L/2R (DLPT IV, 2019)
Esperanto, C1 (KER skriba ekzameno, 2017)
Slovene, 2+L/3R (DLPT II in, yes, 1999) - Language Log: viewtopic.php?f=15&t=5189
- x 7265
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Re: Super Challenge 2016-17 DISCUSSION THREAD
Sorry if I missed this through all the pages here and at the registration page, but I have a question.
What about radio? Where would radio fall in? For instance, I listen to Pola Ret-radio's broadcasts (about 3 per week) in Esperanto. They are 20-25 min long and really good. Can I count those minutes under video?
What about radio? Where would radio fall in? For instance, I listen to Pola Ret-radio's broadcasts (about 3 per week) in Esperanto. They are 20-25 min long and really good. Can I count those minutes under video?
0 x
You're not a C1 (or B1 or whatever) if you haven't tested.
CEFR --> ILR/DLPT equivalencies
My swimming life.
My reading life.
CEFR --> ILR/DLPT equivalencies
My swimming life.
My reading life.
- alexkelbo
- Orange Belt
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Re: Super Challenge 2016-17 DISCUSSION THREAD
Good question, IronMike, I have the same question. Also does reading newspapers and journals count if you equate 250 words with one book page?
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- Serpent
- Black Belt - 3rd Dan
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fluent or close: Finnish (certified C1), English; Portuguese, Spanish, German, Italian
learning: Croatian+, Ukrainian; Romanian, Galician; Danish, Swedish; Estonian
exploring: Latin, Karelian, Catalan, Dutch, Czech, Latvian - x 5181
- Contact:
Re: Super Challenge 2016-17 DISCUSSION THREAD
Radio counts if you listen to a specific programme, rather than randomly look for something. Cristina thinks radio often turns into background noise (which can certainly be true).
Newspapers definitely count, though it's always best to do books too.
As for doing the challenge in a beginner language, it can certainly be very useful. I completed it in Polish from scratch, but of course it's related to my native Russian. There's a lot of content you can use, like parallel texts, poetry, L2-only textbooks (or any exerpts in a regular textbook), readers, annotated texts, children's books, of course. IMO for a language like Mandarin the biggest issue can be a lack of predictability, as you need a knowledge of the culture to make the most out of "easy" resources. Obviously this applies if you're a westerner and new to the culture, not if you read tons of Chinese books in translation.
I also highly recommend the logs of Expugnator and Bakunin - at the very least, for inspiration.
Newspapers definitely count, though it's always best to do books too.
As for doing the challenge in a beginner language, it can certainly be very useful. I completed it in Polish from scratch, but of course it's related to my native Russian. There's a lot of content you can use, like parallel texts, poetry, L2-only textbooks (or any exerpts in a regular textbook), readers, annotated texts, children's books, of course. IMO for a language like Mandarin the biggest issue can be a lack of predictability, as you need a knowledge of the culture to make the most out of "easy" resources. Obviously this applies if you're a westerner and new to the culture, not if you read tons of Chinese books in translation.
I also highly recommend the logs of Expugnator and Bakunin - at the very least, for inspiration.
3 x
- rdearman
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Re: Super Challenge 2016-17 DISCUSSION THREAD
Serpent wrote:Radio counts if you listen to a specific programme, rather than randomly look for something. Cristina thinks radio often turns into background noise (which can certainly be true).
Newspapers definitely count, though it's always best to do books too.
As for doing the challenge in a beginner language, it can certainly be very useful. I completed it in Polish from scratch, but of course it's related to my native Russian. There's a lot of content you can use, like parallel texts, poetry, L2-only textbooks (or any exerpts in a regular textbook), readers, annotated texts, children's books, of course. IMO for a language like Mandarin the biggest issue can be a lack of predictability, as you need a knowledge of the culture to make the most out of "easy" resources. Obviously this applies if you're a westerner and new to the culture, not if you read tons of Chinese books in translation.
Wouldn't radio fall into the red zone of audio news? It would depend on the radio program I think. For example some BBC broadcasts of "The Archers" which is a radio play would probably fall into the gold band, but just listening to the VOA broadcast of the news is in the red.
1 x
: Read 150 books in 2024
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I post on this forum with mobile devices, so excuse short msgs and typos.
- rdearman
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Re: Super Challenge 2016-17 DISCUSSION THREAD
IronMike wrote:Sorry if I missed this through all the pages here and at the registration page, but I have a question.
What about radio? Where would radio fall in? For instance, I listen to Pola Ret-radio's broadcasts (about 3 per week) in Esperanto. They are 20-25 min long and really good. Can I count those minutes under video?
I think this would be OK for experanto because there was a little bit of a waver given to minority languages without much video representation. Esperanto only has 3 films, so we take what we can get.
Brun Ugle posted a list of Esperanto lectures: http://list.youku.com/albumlist/show?id ... g=1&page=1
You might want to check those out, and they definitely count. (We checked already with Cristina)
3 x
: Read 150 books in 2024
My YouTube Channel
The Autodidactic Podcast
My Author's Newsletter
I post on this forum with mobile devices, so excuse short msgs and typos.
My YouTube Channel
The Autodidactic Podcast
My Author's Newsletter
I post on this forum with mobile devices, so excuse short msgs and typos.
- IronMike
- Black Belt - 2nd Dan
- Posts: 2554
- Joined: Thu May 12, 2016 6:13 am
- Location: Northern Virginia
- Languages: Studying: Esperanto
Maintaining: nada
Tested:
BCS, 1+L/1+R (DLPT5, 2022)
Russian, 3/3 (DLPT5, 2022) 2+ (OPI, 2022)
German, 2L/1+R (DLPT5, 2021)
Italian, 1L/2R (DLPT IV, 2019)
Esperanto, C1 (KER skriba ekzameno, 2017)
Slovene, 2+L/3R (DLPT II in, yes, 1999) - Language Log: viewtopic.php?f=15&t=5189
- x 7265
- Contact:
Re: Super Challenge 2016-17 DISCUSSION THREAD
rdearman wrote:I think this would be OK for experanto because there was a little bit of a waver given to minority languages without much video representation. Esperanto only has 3 films, so we take what we can get.
Brun Ugle posted a list of Esperanto lectures: http://list.youku.com/albumlist/show?id ... g=1&page=1
You might want to check those out, and they definitely count. (We checked already with Cristina)
Thanks @rdearman.
For posterity's sake, let me add that there are more Esperanto films, if you are liberal with the definition of film:
The Universal Language. A 30-min documentary about Esperanto, with English subtitles here: http://esperantodocumentary.com/en/about-the-film
A bunch of short films in Esperanto here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCe37Ny ... DXsXG1qFoA
Kuru, a short (10 min) film here: https://youtu.be/Qqm-4-R43HY
Esperanto at the University of Amsterdam: https://youtu.be/1-m8dLFavaY
A debate about the language and the movement: https://youtu.be/kniln-sGf-Y
These are tracks from one of the most prolific writers and activists in Esperantujo, Ivo Lapenna: https://youtu.be/AUJIwHmRBGw
This is just to start.
Cheers!
3 x
You're not a C1 (or B1 or whatever) if you haven't tested.
CEFR --> ILR/DLPT equivalencies
My swimming life.
My reading life.
CEFR --> ILR/DLPT equivalencies
My swimming life.
My reading life.
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