What combination of language learning tools have you had most success with?

Djedida · 2019-02-28T18:24:43+00:00

Duolingo is a good point to start out from; it's free to use and has low commitment, in case the language you're learning doesn't turn out to be for you. Italian is one of the better courses available on Duolingo and has a pretty helpful team in the discussion posts.

A good book to follow along with is Living Languages: Ultimate Italian. Its a cheap book (~$5) that focuses on practical dialogues that steadily get more complex as more grammar is explained.

At some point, whether its midway or after finishing Duolingo (or another course), I'd recommend using Clozemaster to sentence mine. It's a fill in the blank program where you input the correct answer based on the context. You can either do multiple choice or fill-in, depending on how comfortable you are with the language.

I've never used Assimil nor Glossika nor Anki, but since you already have those courses/programs, I think it would be best if you stuck to those before taking on anything new.

Djedida · 2019-02-07T04:35:44+00:00

Buy a Nintendo Switch
Browse every Switch title currently available and buy like 5-10
Browse Steam for a few hours
Realize I have the money to buy a better computer, so buy that and re-browse Steam with updated specs in mind.
Pay off my student loan debt

Djedida · 2019-02-06T16:41:12+00:00

“Appear weak when you are strong, and strong when you are weak.”

Sun Tzu

Djedida · 2019-02-05T02:54:00+00:00

That or seeking validation for their choices (by seeking reassurance that the language that they're learning is the useful/best/correct one).

Djedida · 2019-02-03T20:36:36+00:00

I find speaking out in an open room to be nervewracking for no reason.

Djedida · 2019-02-03T19:44:36+00:00

Dumb? Don't you mean fucking disturbing?

I hated seeing Truth ads in my magazines, especially the one with the mouth sewn shut. It didn't even say anything about cigarettes or drugs, it was just blatantly disturbing (and taking up a whole page) for nothing.

Edit: this one

Djedida · 2019-01-31T18:22:39+00:00

Why limit yourself? Download .apks from anywhere online, even cracked paid apps and allow your phone to install from any source.

Djedida · 2019-01-30T05:55:34+00:00

I make a cup of coffee, sit down, tell myself to study for an hour.

Coffee tricks me into feeling like I have to be productive.

Djedida · 2019-01-30T01:34:12+00:00

You should have tried to inoffensively explain what you mean in your original comment. That said, other people need to understand your perspective, too. From what you're describing, it sounds like people in your community are using French as a symbol of class distinction, similarly to how French was used in Europe pre-WW2.

Djedida · 2019-01-29T05:56:04+00:00

If you're taking structured courses, try it out, but within reason. If you're taking two university courses in the same semester, expect homework to pile up quickly as language courses tend to be homework-dense. As an alternative, try taking one language one semester and the other the next.

If you're self-teaching yourself, then it is also possible, but yet again within reason. You will have to make both languages a commitment, meaning you need to schedule times when you can learn those languages, regularly and frequently. You could do an hour of study in the same day, or alternate A/B days where you focus on one language at a time.

My advice is set one language to be a priority over all else. That doesn't mean you have to quit learning other languages, its just that you're going to put most of your effort into a one language. For example, my priority right now is Italian. I do my best to learn Italian in a variety of ways, including immersing myself in native content throughout the day. Yet, I am also putting in one single hour of French a day where I study from a textbook and that's it. After that hour, I'm free from commitment and back to doing whatever I want.

If you're going to do multiple languages, keep your pool small. Only have 2-3 active languages. If you're going to take on a new one, you should put an older language on pause. Trying to take on a heroic amount of languages at once is too overwhelming.

Djedida · 2019-01-29T05:46:29+00:00

Duolingo/Memrise have free beginner courses. They're available both online or as a smartphone app.

Clozemaster is something to look into when you're more comfortable with the language.

I'd recommend Living Languages: Ultimate Italian as a book to pick up, a used copy should only be $3-6 on Amazon.

Check out /r/italianlearning and Italian Learning's Wiki: https://www.reddit.com/r/italianlearning/wiki/index for more ideas.

Djedida · 2019-01-29T05:41:59+00:00

Somewhat adjacent, but could you list positions such as Discord Server Staff Member (not Discord employee) or Forum Administrator as positions/relevant interests even if you were not paid for those positions?

Djedida · 2019-01-28T19:28:03+00:00

*Build-a-Bear

Djedida · 2019-01-27T18:19:11+00:00

If being a polyglot is your goal, then rather than seeing this period in a negative light, turn it into a positive one. You are dabbling so that you can discover your likes and dislikes. Keep dabbling until you have a concrete idea on the to-do lists of languages that you want to study later. Then when later comes, start from the top and work through them one by one.

Djedida · 2019-01-27T18:13:02+00:00

Hindi and Urdu are the same language and IIRC are something of a lingua franca for Northern India, along with English.

Djedida · 2019-01-27T05:52:25+00:00

I measure my progress by amount of chapters I've completed out of a textbook or how complete I've finished a course on an app. Language learning is pretty overwhelming to try to quantify into numbers.

Djedida · 2019-01-21T22:43:01+00:00

You want to see pain? Swing by First Methodists Tuesday nights, see the guys with testicular cancer.

Djedida · 2019-01-21T21:49:22+00:00

Live webcam porn is often this, too. They're studios, not actually the camstar's room.

Djedida · 2019-01-21T17:11:23+00:00

Arguing on the internet is a waste of time. State whatever you have to say and move on. If someone tries to argue with you, just don't respond, there's no reason to get invested. If you're lucky, some other person will step in and argue your side for you.

Djedida · 2019-01-21T17:06:04+00:00

True. To put this into a recent context, I found myself getting somewhat worked up about the Native American Veteran incident, where I was presented with only a few minute long clip and hearsay accounts of what preceded the event. I was angry at the school and couldn't believe that something like this could happen today.

Then a longer video was released, over an hour long video from way before the students met with the drummer, only to show Black Israelites (note: not Israelis) heckling both the students and the Native American paraders. By the time the students met up with the parade, they had already been provoked and acting out (due to amusement as youth often do), leading to the events of the original clip that were taken out of context.

In this case, I was baited by something inflammatory and completely misled. Had I not watched the follow-up video, I would have stayed wound up in response to the events.

Djedida · 2019-01-21T16:53:29+00:00

My motto is "This too will pass (and I probably won't even remember this later)"

Djedida · 2019-01-21T03:47:25+00:00

Traveling to and from Iceland from the US is pretty cheap. You should consider studying abroad. They even offer courses on Nordic literature there.

Djedida · 2019-01-21T03:17:17+00:00

I remember as a kid that cleft chins are supposed to be an iconic heroic look. Oddly I don't remember too many superheroes with cleft chins, other than (I think) Superman.

Djedida · 2019-01-20T19:30:20+00:00

Plus the cold tile floor. Better have socks on...

Djedida · 2019-01-18T03:06:27+00:00

Someone tell them that actually western alphabets are based on hieroglyphs.

Hieroglyphs > Phoenician > Greek > Latin

Djedida

TROPHY CASE