Language mix-ing it up

So yesterday I cycle down to the local Mac after tea with my 6-year old. We've lights for getting back in the dark. I order a small latte and she's satisfied with milk.

Anyway, at one stage I've got Harry Potter going in German--both audio and text. Following along nicely understanding most of it. For fun I open the Norwegian audiobook. Listen to it while using the German e-book to read. It's a blast!

The languages that I choose to do are to a large extent going to be determined by what resources are available. There's a lot of Polish and Swedish out there (torrents) not to mention Dutch and and a few others.

Next time I'll work out my initial starting points for the languages I've looked at so far. For example:

• Dutch: can understand 75%, can guess the other 25%
• German: understand 50%, guess another 25%
• Swedish: understand 15% guess 25%
• Norwegian: understand 10% guess 20%

Japanese, Dutch and German

My first language is English. It's a handy one to know. I actually had to learn it twice during my early childhood. But for now I want to concentrate on the next three languages that I aim to acquire: Japanese, Dutch and German.

Japanese print shows a Dutch man and a German man drawing up a contract in a mercantile house in Yokohama, Japan. Done by Sadahide Utagawa (1807-1873) in 1861.

My 3 ‘Easy’ Languages

I want to acquire languages from varying start points, both to test whether my methods are universally applicable, but also because it would be a waste to ignore languages on which I’ve made a start.

Japanese
First started 20+ years ago but made very little progress. Have a history of resistance. In the past 2 years began to make some headway as a result of experimenting and refining my ideas. At the start of this 2-year period, I begin at an intermediate level as regards written Japanese, but at a beginner’s level with regard to speaking and listening.

Initial plan:

• Children’s book e.g. Enid Blyton, Magic Tree House to read and mine sentences
• Shadow HNT 1-10 in Japanese (Mami’s)
• Harry Potter for kanji
• Harry Potter for listening

Dutch

Technically my first language. I picked it up at home. I’ve spent the first year of elementary school in the Netherlands, but have never studied either grammar or tried to memorize any vocabulary. I start from a fairly advanced level.

Initial plan:

• Read Ghost Boy in Dutch done

German

Natural affinity to this language since I can guess at a good deal of it because of my Dutch and English. I completed a half-year beginner’s course in German at University 40 years ago. I’ve spent 2 weeks in Germany soon after that.

Initial plan:

• View My Name is Nobody in German and English done
  
• Thereafter, Harry book 3 text+audio

Other possible languages

French

I just love the work of Serge Gainsbourgh. But at high school, where I was obliged to do French for 2 years, I hated the language and thought it effeminate. Consequently I did poorly.

Hindi

I spent 18 months working at a school in the Punjab 35 years ago. I picked up the odd word, and tried to learn the alphabet. But since Punjabi and Urdu were spoken (at the English-medium school) I failed to make any further progress.

Update: see this blog.

Language Acquisition Device (LAD)

Here's what's important for you (me) to know. In fact, it's crucial. 

You don't need to study a language. You don't do it like other school subjects. You leave it up to your brain to sort out automatically.

Stay out of the brain's way! Just feed it with nice (enjoyable, understandable) input and sit back.

All those declension tables in Latin, and the grammar-translation method plus vocabulary lists in French put you completely onto the wrong track!

Remember how much better it went later with German and those 20-minute episodes?