Study Languages
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Transcript of Study Languages
Hello and welcome.
Hej og velkommen
Привет и добро пожаловать(Privet i dobro pozhalovat')
Bonjour et bienvenue
Warning:
The following are non-factual observations and theories I have constructed in a purely experimental fashion.
Background● My family lives all over.● Lots of languages in my life.
○ French, English, German○ Danish, Spanish, Russian○ Indonesian, Mandarin
● Perils of Language Learning○ Blog post in 2009
● Presented at LXJS in 2012○ Immersion
Languages● 31 years of English (america)● 6 years of German (all things)● 4 years of French (school)● 2 years of Danish (duolingo)● 1 month of Russian (duolingo)● Discovery projects:
○ Arabic (interesting youtubing)○ Spanish (all of Duolingo)
"Bilingual is one way to keep your brain active—it's part of the cognitive-reserve approach to brain fitness"
- http://goo.gl/tEHDo (National Geographic)
What’s in it for YOU?● Brain health: alzheimer’s, dementia - http://goo.gl/tEHDo● Makes you smarter: http://goo.gl/KzVQo - NY Times● Better understanding of your mother tongue● Travel enhancer● Fascinating study of social dynamics● Expanded world view, cultural etc.
Sex Appeal“From a survey conducted in Britain involving 270 dating agencies, the result shows that people who speak or learn a foreign language are more attractive, intelligent and sexier to the opposite sex.”
What to Consider● Language complexity and difficulty - stay tuned● Global number of native speakers● Practicality & real world motivators● Will you ever visit, or move there?● What comes most naturally to you?● Do you want to read, write or speak - more?
○ It can drastically change your learning strategy○ Are you outgoing? Speaking requires extroversion
● Alphabet and or character set○ The extra step with cyrillic is gnarly, on screen keyboard etc
● Do you like grammar?
Grammar● Used to explain a language● Ineffective learning strategy● Children absorb● Not my priority● Russian has few Articles?
Focus● Filler words are very important● Ignore formality, learners are judged on tact● Idioms and metaphors are full of richness (make lists)● Focus on the flow of the language● Concentrate on speaking, even terribly● Circle back around to say things _right_● Language subtleties
○ “Drengen” - “The boy”, coupling of articles (definite singular)○ “Ich bin langweilig” - “I am boring”, why are you laughing?
● Prepositions are insane. (on, behind, near, over)○ And don’t always work how your brain has been trained to think.
Tools● Duolingo (free)● Rosetta Stone (excels with speaking, $$)● Mobile app dictionaries and knowledge base (leo.dict.cc)● Youtube, news sites● Free streaming live news● Cover your house with sticky notes● Unlimited web sites
○ Ex: http://masterrussian.com/russian_alphabet.shtml○ All the cyrillic sounds and something close to an english equiv.
Immersion● Language institutes (Goethe)● Craigslist Tutoring ($50/hr’ish)● Local meetups, meetup.com● Vacation time @ bars in said country● Visit and do an immersive program● Date and or marry into it?
Culture● Language is culture● Conversational nuances
○ “How are you?”● Learn their traditions● Experience their food● Study their history● Relationships with neighbors● Political situation● Social system● Sports interests
Advice● A little time daily, compounds nicely● Don’t get discouraged, build confidence● It’s okay to learn and then forget● Make it fun, use content you are generally into● Accept imperfection● Gamify your language interactions
○ Where am I from? Any guesses?○ How long can you keep them from switching?
● Native speakers will:○ Correct you - welcome it.○ Switch to English, don’t respond in English.○ Tell you that getting fluent is “impossibly hard”
■ Use it as motivation○ Lose interest, don’t be offended
Get Started● Pick a target language● Change your default language on your phone● Complete all Duolingo● Take a trip to a place you can apply your learning● Decide if you want to continue
○ If no, go back to Step 1○ If yes, create something like the following:
Learning scheduleDaily● Pre-breakfast: 20 mins daily news● Foreign music, all day● After dinner:
○ 1 hour Duolingo○ 1 hour streaming video
Weekly● Write 1 page journal entry● 1:1 tutoring, tuesday nights
Monthly● Language speakers meetup● Read a chapter in a book