Mostly Arabic with Maiwenn

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Maiwenn
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Location: Grand Est, France
Languages: English (N) & French
focusing on: MSA & Moroccan Arabic
backburner: German
Language Log: https://forum.language-learners.org/vie ... =15&t=7321
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Re: Mostly Arabic with Maiwenn

Postby Maiwenn » Thu Jul 09, 2020 11:31 am

The Liverpool Arab Arts Festival is all digital this year: https://www.arabartsfestival.com/2020festival/
If you RSVP, they will send you a link to watch the films. (Ideally you donate something whilst doing so, but it's not required.) The festival runs through the 18th.
It will kick off with N3rdistan, a Moroccan-led band which I really enjoy, tonight 7pm UK time (on the fb page of the event, available to watch without an account/registering).

In other exciting-to-me news, Kitab Sawti was recently acquired by Storytel and soon I'll have access to allll the Arabic audiobooks. (Okay, not all, but there are a few I wanted to listen to from storytel's catalogue and now I don't need to get a second subscription! Just have to wait a bit.)
https://twitter.com/KitabSawti/status/1 ... 5552268293

In even more exciting-to-me news, I now have some Arabic-writing penpals through Slowly. It's been going well so far! Highly encouraging on the language front, very fun on the friendship front. It turns out writing goes much more quickly when I'm properly motivated.
6 x
SC reading: 3819 / 10000 AR
SC reading: 3334 / 5000 FR
SC reading: 65 / 2500 DE :?

Corrections are always welcome. :)

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Maiwenn
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Re: Mostly Arabic with Maiwenn

Postby Maiwenn » Mon Aug 03, 2020 7:35 am

July Super Challenge Recap

French
Slipped behind here. Still easily within range to make it up in August.
Mostly read Les yeux jaunes des crocodiles (Pancol), also bits and bobs of non-fiction reading.

German
Barely on track and I'm pretty sure I didn't do any German listening in July.
Read (but did not finish) Der Papiermagier (Holmberg) and Neun Leben für den Zauberer (Diana Wynne Jones).

Arabic
Still well ahead. Rewatched Jinn (Jordanian series produced by Netflix), various shows in MSA and Moroccan Darija. Lots of audiobooks and BBC radio.
*Finished لغز عين الصقر, a young adult novel by تغريد عارف النجار. A fun read.
*Began غدي وروان by فاطمة شرف الدين which I'm really loving. It has a lot of emotional depth.
*Various children's books.

*4 italki lessons, including a 90 minute audio-only class. I definitely didn't think my Arabic was strong enough to make myself understood without use of some gesturing, but it turns out it is. Comparing my comprehension now with my comprehension last summer, I'm sure my level is well beyond last year's A2 on the CIMA. It's always exciting to feel concentrated efforts paying off. I assume my production has progressed as well, but that's harder to auto-evaluate. I did have a class with an italki teacher I hadn't seen in a few months and she commented that my level had improved considerably, so that seems like a good sign. ;)
*Almost finished Harrap's Arabe Méthode express.

Goals for August (How is it August already?)
*Get back on track for French reading.
*Finish Harrap's Arabe Méthode express.
*Read through Manuel d'arabe littéral (Khalfallah & Denooz) for some more explicit grammar revision/learning.
*Recap MSA reads in Darija.
7 x
SC reading: 3819 / 10000 AR
SC reading: 3334 / 5000 FR
SC reading: 65 / 2500 DE :?

Corrections are always welcome. :)

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Maiwenn
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Re: Mostly Arabic with Maiwenn

Postby Maiwenn » Tue Sep 01, 2020 4:57 pm

Once again I am amazed by the passage of time. Later this month I'll be beginning my online licence in Arabic. I'm so excited and spending far too much time refreshing the university's site to see when syllabi, etc, will be posted. I've also been exploring the online resources I now have access to (including Vocable in German!). I can't wait to have more information so I can better plan out my time management.

August Super Challenge Recap

Not a lot to see here (forgot to factor in a 2-week absence). Read a lot of smaller works/parts of books. I did read Les Arpenteurs du monde by Daniel Kehlmann (translated by Juliette Aubert), a novel which I had tried reading in the original German many years ago when its movie came out. It was exceptionally good. I have a copy of the German audiobook courtesy of the library and will probably try listening to that.

Goals for SEPTEMBER
*Actually get back on track in French (and now German).
*Finish up غدي وروان. For various reasons, I didn't read much on my kindle last month.
*More non-fiction Arabic reading.
*Make use of my newfound access to Vocable!
*20 minutes daily Arabic writing.

August also included visiting the Museo Egizio in Turin which is the only European museum I've seen so far include displays in Arabic. (None of the major European museums have audioguides in Arabic. The Rijksmuseum is the only one I recall having seen books published in Arabic for sale in their bookshop.) I enjoyed reading through these texts.
IMG_7492.jpg
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6 x
SC reading: 3819 / 10000 AR
SC reading: 3334 / 5000 FR
SC reading: 65 / 2500 DE :?

Corrections are always welcome. :)

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Maiwenn
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Location: Grand Est, France
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Re: Mostly Arabic with Maiwenn

Postby Maiwenn » Thu Oct 01, 2020 12:56 pm

Happy October!!

All my courses are now online, so I've started working on them. The first lessons cover fairly basic material which has been nice for easing myself back into the process.

September Recap
*Wrote (at least) 20 minutes EVERY day of September!
*Read ناقص عقل by ليلى بريك.
*Started on an abridged-for-Arabic-students version of ساق البامبو by سعود السنعوسي. It's thoroughly enjoyable, but I've slowed down my reading so as to respond to the include questions/writing prompts. It's been great for getting me to think analytically about writing again.
*Started ست الكل by تغريد النجار for casual reading.
*Various italki lessons, chatting with my partner.
*Still behind on French/German reading.

October Goals
*Stay on track with university courses.
*Finish ست الكل, continue working through ساق البامبو.
*Continue daily writing in Arabic.
*Read minimum amounts in French and German.

I have a new favorite Moroccan movie. For once, it wasn't depressing.
6 x
SC reading: 3819 / 10000 AR
SC reading: 3334 / 5000 FR
SC reading: 65 / 2500 DE :?

Corrections are always welcome. :)

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Maiwenn
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Location: Grand Est, France
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backburner: German
Language Log: https://forum.language-learners.org/vie ... =15&t=7321
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Re: Mostly Arabic with Maiwenn

Postby Maiwenn » Sun Nov 01, 2020 2:08 pm

October Recap
-- Nearly back on track with French reading for the super challenge. Read Moi, Tituba Sorcière by Maryse Condé, which I thoroughly enjoyed.
-- Finished ست الكل, continued reading through ساق البامبو (abridged AND original version), read some (رعب رأس السنة(صرخة الرعب aka Goosebumps.
-- Did not continue daily Arabic writing... or read any German.
-- Bought a bunch of Arabic books (that counts doesn't it...?).
-- Various italki lessons.
-- 10 days in Morocco with my partner's family. Really grateful we were able to go (and come back). Apparently my level has improved immensely this past year.

November Goals
-- Get back on track with French reading! I picked up a few books from the library before the confinement, so I'll try to get through those this month.
-- Write about Arabic reading.
-- Focus on coursework.
8 x
SC reading: 3819 / 10000 AR
SC reading: 3334 / 5000 FR
SC reading: 65 / 2500 DE :?

Corrections are always welcome. :)

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Deinonysus
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Re: Mostly Arabic with Maiwenn

Postby Deinonysus » Sun Nov 01, 2020 4:22 pm

That's embarrassing, I'd never heard of Moi, Tituba Sorcière and I live in Salem! I'll need to read it once my French is a bit better.
0 x
/daɪ.nə.ˈnaɪ.səs/

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AroAro
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Re: Mostly Arabic with Maiwenn

Postby AroAro » Mon Nov 02, 2020 8:03 am

Maiwenn wrote:October Recap
-- Nearly back on track with French reading for the super challenge. Read Moi, Tituba Sorcière by Maryse Condé, which I thoroughly enjoyed.


It's one of the best books I have ever read in French, nice to see other people like it too. The author's output may be quite uneven, but she's still better than most of the hyped French writers these days.
0 x
corrections are welcome

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Maiwenn
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Re: Mostly Arabic with Maiwenn

Postby Maiwenn » Tue Dec 01, 2020 2:21 pm

November Recap:
* Read La vérité sort de la bouche du cheval by Meryem Alaoui. Hilarious, if painful at times.
* Began L'insomnie by Tahar ben Jelloun.
* Began موسم الهجرة إلى الشمال by Tayeb Salih. Very good.
* Began لا أنام by Ihsan Abdel Quddous. A tale of the Electra complex. Gripping (so far anyway).
* Binge-watched ما وراء الطبيعة (Paranormal) on Netflix. I'd been looking forward to this for a long time and was not disappointed. Well, I was a bit disappointed that it was only 6 episodes. The were just two "hics" for me: the CGI in episode 3 (if you've watched, you'll know what I mean) and Maggie, the Scottish woman who falls into the usual trope of "ohhh I don't speak the language, but wait, let me follow these complex conversations in varying dialects" (see also: Aziz Ansari's character in season 2 of Master of None).
* I can also recommend Netflix's Mosul. Set in Iraq, it's actually centered on locals (rather than foreigner X comes in to save the day).

The past couple months, my Arabic reading has passed some threshold. I can now read most contemporary texts (with varying levels of comfort). I started reading موسم الهجرة إلى الشمال on a lark, not expecting to be able to follow along. Now here I am over a third of the way through still understanding. I am resisting the urge to test out these new skills on other books until I finish at least 2 of the 4 books I'm currently reading (also still reading ساق البامبو but taking it slow to do the accompanying exercises and ستشرق الشمس ولو بعد حين).

I also tried out a new Arabic teacher recently who estimated my speaking level at C1. I don't think that's accurate (based on the CEFR guidelines), but I do think I'm comfortably in the B2 range now. Given that I tested B1 in speaking June 2019 with very little actual speaking practice and given the amount I've done since January this year (+allll the reading for vocabulary enrichment), B2 seems reasonable. C1 not so much.

December Goals
* Finish one of the aforementioned Arabic books.
* Study for the upcoming exams.
* At least one Arabic journal entry per week.
10 x
SC reading: 3819 / 10000 AR
SC reading: 3334 / 5000 FR
SC reading: 65 / 2500 DE :?

Corrections are always welcome. :)

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Ogrim
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Language Log: https://forum.language-learners.org/viewtopic.php?t=873
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Re: Mostly Arabic with Maiwenn

Postby Ogrim » Wed Dec 02, 2020 1:32 pm

Maiwenn wrote:The past couple months, my Arabic reading has passed some threshold. I can now read most contemporary texts (with varying levels of comfort). I started reading موسم الهجرة إلى الشمال on a lark, not expecting to be able to follow along. Now here I am over a third of the way through still understanding. I am resisting the urge to test out these new skills on other books until I finish at least 2 of the 4 books I'm currently reading (also still reading ساق البامبو but taking it slow to do the accompanying exercises and ستشرق الشمس ولو بعد حين).

I also tried out a new Arabic teacher recently who estimated my speaking level at C1. I don't think that's accurate (based on the CEFR guidelines), but I do think I'm comfortably in the B2 range now. Given that I tested B1 in speaking June 2019 with very little actual speaking practice and given the amount I've done since January this year (+allll the reading for vocabulary enrichment), B2 seems reasonable. C1 not so much.


Congratulations Maiwenn, that is really an achievement! You also inspire me to work hard and persistently on my Arabic, because you show that it can be done, and I really want to get past the beginner stage and start diving into Arabic literature myself.

تهانينا
5 x
Ich grolle nicht

User avatar
Maiwenn
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Posts: 243
Joined: Mon Jan 25, 2016 11:26 am
Location: Grand Est, France
Languages: English (N) & French
focusing on: MSA & Moroccan Arabic
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Language Log: https://forum.language-learners.org/vie ... =15&t=7321
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Re: Mostly Arabic with Maiwenn

Postby Maiwenn » Tue Jan 05, 2021 8:06 pm

Yes! You can do it, Ogrim! :)

Happy New Year, everyone!

Last month I had the pleasure of participating in a book club in Arabic. It was an exciting, humbling experience. There's a big difference between speaking with teachers and friends familiar with your level (and who cater to it) and paying close attention to speakers of varying accents/dialects who just want to express themselves. Also, it's been a loooong time since I've done any literary analysis. I don't think very critically when reading (mostly just "do I like this? I wonder what will happen next!" and occasionally "hmmm I wonder if this is foreshadowing something"). It was an enjoyable experience and one I hope to repeat. Now that I have an idea of what to expect, I'll be able to better participate. Sadly, the next meeting is the same day I have three exams and I just don't see myself being in the right headspace for that.

December recap:
*Finished out the last few days of 2020 by binge reading the French translations of the first 3 (and a half) Bridgerton series books. I thereby went from being 400 pages behind on the Super Challenge to 600 ahead. Yes, I was inspired to this after binge-watching the Netflix series. No regrets. I only wish there were an Arabic dub so I'd have an excuse to watch it again.
*Finished موسم الهجرة إلى الشمال (this was the book club read).
*Started إجاصة ميلا by فاطمة شرف الدين
*Watched various shows on Netflix.
Read 301 pages in Arabic and 1758 pages in French (thanks Bridgertons hahaha)

January goals
*Finish a book in Arabic.
*See 2021 goals.

2021 goals
*Output challenge in Arabic!
*Diary entry every day in Arabic.
*Complete the Super Challenge for Arabic (full) and French (double).
*Memorize something (poem, song, etc) in Arabic every month.

That last goal is directly inspired by spending the holidays with friends who had a baby this summer. They had learned a great number of baby songs in French and Italian. We're not expecting to follow them down that path this year, but it inspired me to start learning similar songs in Arabic. I started with this Arabic letters song, which has had the added bonus of getting me to finally learn their order:
9 x
SC reading: 3819 / 10000 AR
SC reading: 3334 / 5000 FR
SC reading: 65 / 2500 DE :?

Corrections are always welcome. :)


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