A language learners’ forum

May 11: 132 min
May 12: 100 min
May 13: 170 min
May 14: 249 min
May 15: 125 min
May 16: 134 min
May 17: 95 min

3 weeks have passed already! How is everyone doing?

My motivation has dropped. I try a slightly different approach with every new language, and I don't like the approach I'm now using for Turkish, which is output-early-vocabulary-later. I've already run out of grammar to learn, my favourite part of learning a language, and each day is now just vocabulary, the most mindless part of learning a language. Apparently I can average over 4.5 hours a day when there's grammar to learn and only 2.15 when there isn't. Progress is still good, I learned 40+ new words yesterday, the process I don't actually mind, but the whole vocabulary acquisition thing is just so totally predictable and unchallenging. The thought of doing this for 200 more hours

I was doing OK until this weekend and then I simply wanted to do other things so I did. The one goal I am meeting is keeping my Latin at least 50% of total studying in spite of all the Italian film I watch.

I'm doing great!

我真係鍾意呢個比賽。我覺得我啲廣東話已經進步咗。

I wake up with Cantonese in my head and can't wait to get all my daily obligations out of the way so I can study.

I'm doing pretty good, but I'm not sure if I'll meet my 100-hour goal. I'm getting up early to study my textbook--which doesn't seem to work during the cold of the February 1st 6WC--and feel like I'm moving along.

Officially dropping out.

May 18: 131 min
May 19: 107 min
May 20: 78 min
May 21: 113 min
May 22: 117 min
May 23: 114 min
May 24: 115 min

Total time since May 11: 1,780 minutes

Decreased time is due to vacation, but I hope to increase my time since I am now at home.

My motivation is back, and stronger than ever!

May 25: 175 min
May 26: 120 min
May 27: 125 min
May 28: 120 min
May 29: 200 min
May 30: 85 min
May 31: 145 min

Total since I started: 2,750 minutes.

I could do better. I just picked up an excellent language exchange partner who is helping me speak in French (YAY) so that should take a little more of my time. I'm not counting watching French shows or French video games, since I feel like I don't understand enough of the French to consider it active studying.

What exactly are you doing for your study time?

Smallwhite, you mentioned that you're just doing vocab or mostly vocab right now. How, specifically, does one study vocabulary in a way that can be sustained over more than three hours a day?

I do 30-40 minutes of Glossika, maybe 10 minutes of vocabulary, and then just watch shows or videos for as much time as I can fit in. Specifically, I'm building a vocab sheet that is also a tone training exercise as it covers all of the two-syllable tone combinations. It took me a long time to find Cantonese content I like on YouTube, but in general I watch Doraemon (no subs), In-Laws and Out-Laws (Standard Written Chinese subs), Bob's Your Uncle (SWC subs), and re-watch my small collection of videos with Written Cantonese subs.