arrowwhiskers (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
arrowwhiskers) wrote2012-10-19 04:04 pm
arrowwhiskers) wrote2012-10-19 04:04 pm
Language Goals
I feel like recently I've regressed to my high school brain--I am just bursting with explosive motivation for LANGUAGES day and night all the time, I want to be good, really good, at all of them NAO and it's so frustrating I can't just work on them ALL AT ONCE and get to the point where I want to be IMMEDIATELY. It's so annoying that I'm not really skilled at all of them already. It kills me! I feel like part of my problem though, is organization, so I've tried to slow my racing mind down a bit to try to dissect what my goals really ARE and what I should be doing about each of them.
1. Spanish
Goals: As close to perfection as I can get it, in every sense.
Methods: 1.Reading as much as possible, saving words, actually being assed to make Anki decks out of the words and STUDY THEM!! 2.Speaking more, talking to Andres in Spanish all the time, even if he answers in English. 3.Integrating Spanish into things like studying; looking up stuff I want to know in Spanish, not English, and reading that instead 4. Playing games (I have Wakfu and Diablo 3 in Spanish, might as well try to play more) 5.Seeking out clips of COLLOQUIAL speech (more comedic skits, homemade videos...etc) 6.Listening to news and such in Spanish when possible
2. Portuguese
Goals: Ideally, also perfection, but in the short term: getting better at producing, written and spoken
Methods: 1.Continue Pimsleur lessons, focus heavily on pronunciation 2.Listening to podcasts and news, focusing on phrasing/word choices, and how vocab differs from Spanish especially 3.Review textbook, vocab and grammar 4. When confident, start writing more things, even if they're just blurbs 5. Seek out conversational partners online?
3. German
Goals: To get better at all aspects: understanding and producing, written and spoken. Goal is improvement, not perfection
Methods: 1. Get back into the flow of Anki, adding words wherever I find them (this includes going back through old chat logs and adding those words) 2. Reading, even if it's painstakingly going through news articles or the little crappy books I bought, add words to Anki and study 3. Go back and review all grammar from old textbook lessons; finish final chapter to complete the book 4.Continually chat with Ray and Tommy in as much German as possible, potentially eventually seek out native speakers to chat? 5. Continue Pimsleur lessons, making special note of pronunciation
4. French
Goals: To get better at comprehension: primarily spoken, but also written as well. Ideally I'd like to be able to understand spoken French at least as well as I understand spoken Portuguese
Methods: 1. Read articles occasionally, making note of unfamiliar vocabulary and hopefully refreshing rusty vocab 2. Listen to All The Things. Trying to pay attention and catch whatever I can. Watch online documentaries, listen to podcasts, etc. 3. Pimsleur lessons, focusing on misconceptions about pronunciation and trying to improve them
5. Japanese
Goals: Just general interest, no ambitious goals at this time
Methods: 1. Continue pimsleur lessons.
6. Chinese and ASL
Goals: General enthusiastic interest, Idek know where to start or if I even should.
Methods: ??
Idk. I think I have everything pretty much covered in terms of my options. For my other language-learny friends, is there anything else I didn't mention that you like to do? (Also, should I start working on Chinese/ASL/both? Where should I start?)
1. Spanish
Goals: As close to perfection as I can get it, in every sense.
Methods: 1.Reading as much as possible, saving words, actually being assed to make Anki decks out of the words and STUDY THEM!! 2.Speaking more, talking to Andres in Spanish all the time, even if he answers in English. 3.Integrating Spanish into things like studying; looking up stuff I want to know in Spanish, not English, and reading that instead 4. Playing games (I have Wakfu and Diablo 3 in Spanish, might as well try to play more) 5.Seeking out clips of COLLOQUIAL speech (more comedic skits, homemade videos...etc) 6.Listening to news and such in Spanish when possible
2. Portuguese
Goals: Ideally, also perfection, but in the short term: getting better at producing, written and spoken
Methods: 1.Continue Pimsleur lessons, focus heavily on pronunciation 2.Listening to podcasts and news, focusing on phrasing/word choices, and how vocab differs from Spanish especially 3.Review textbook, vocab and grammar 4. When confident, start writing more things, even if they're just blurbs 5. Seek out conversational partners online?
3. German
Goals: To get better at all aspects: understanding and producing, written and spoken. Goal is improvement, not perfection
Methods: 1. Get back into the flow of Anki, adding words wherever I find them (this includes going back through old chat logs and adding those words) 2. Reading, even if it's painstakingly going through news articles or the little crappy books I bought, add words to Anki and study 3. Go back and review all grammar from old textbook lessons; finish final chapter to complete the book 4.Continually chat with Ray and Tommy in as much German as possible, potentially eventually seek out native speakers to chat? 5. Continue Pimsleur lessons, making special note of pronunciation
4. French
Goals: To get better at comprehension: primarily spoken, but also written as well. Ideally I'd like to be able to understand spoken French at least as well as I understand spoken Portuguese
Methods: 1. Read articles occasionally, making note of unfamiliar vocabulary and hopefully refreshing rusty vocab 2. Listen to All The Things. Trying to pay attention and catch whatever I can. Watch online documentaries, listen to podcasts, etc. 3. Pimsleur lessons, focusing on misconceptions about pronunciation and trying to improve them
5. Japanese
Goals: Just general interest, no ambitious goals at this time
Methods: 1. Continue pimsleur lessons.
6. Chinese and ASL
Goals: General enthusiastic interest, Idek know where to start or if I even should.
Methods: ??
Idk. I think I have everything pretty much covered in terms of my options. For my other language-learny friends, is there anything else I didn't mention that you like to do? (Also, should I start working on Chinese/ASL/both? Where should I start?)