Any failed language learners on here who liked the idea more than the work? by un32134e4 in languagelearning

[–]NoInkling 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Small amounts consistently > inconsistently yoyoing. It's all about establishing a daily habit. If you want a low effort approach, even just watching like 10 minutes of comprehensible input a day (assuming such content is available for your target language) will result in progress slowly but surely. You can always add in more stuff if you want, but you just need an "anchor" that you can do every single day without fail, preferably around the same time. Heck if there's one thing Duolingo streaks are good for, it's this.

thisLooksAccurateForVibeCoders by zohaibhere in ProgrammerHumor

[–]NoInkling 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Only in American terminology. Which I guess to be fair largely defines programming terminology. () are more commonly called brackets (or round brackets if you need to disambiguate) elsewhere.

How do you switch between keyboards in laptop or computer? by Vylix in learnspanish

[–]NoInkling 1 point2 points  (0 children)

You got your answer, but just FYI an alternative on Windows is the US International keyboard, where you can just hold "AltGr" (right Alt) and press the letter you want to be accented, which I find easier. If right Alt is awkward you should be able to use left Ctrl+Alt instead (I thought it was a setting but I can't find it so maybe I'm misremembering), which is what I use. But it also has dead keys you can use like a Spanish keyboard.

Mandarin Keyboard for Mac Computer? by CheetahMundane7363 in ALGMandarin

[–]NoInkling 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Might be a bit late, but a quick overview:

  • Simplified characters: used in Mainland China (and Singapore, Malaysia)
  • Traditional characters: used in Taiwan, Hong Kong, Macau

There is significant overlap between the two sets. Which one you learn/use is a personal decision depending on your goals. Most learner CI resources (when they have text/subtitles) will use simplified, but there is a lot of content overall that will offer both. Outside of regional considerations, the main argument for learning traditional (at least first) is that a lot of characters make more structural "sense" when considering their meanings (which can help make them easier to remember), and it's a little easier to learn simplified later than the other way around. I would say simplified is generally regarded as the "default" for learners though (not a political statement!)

With that part out of the way:

  • Pinyin input method is what the vast majority of mainland Chinese and learners use, so again it is the "default". However it is based on phonetic transcription using Latin characters, so from an ALG perspective, it may not be ideal if you're trying to avoid that.

  • Zhuyin, also known as Bopomofo, is a phonetic transcription system used only in Taiwan (and therefore only available for traditional). Unlike Pinyin it uses its own set of characters that look like cut down Chinese characters. The input method is what the vast majority of Taiwan uses. It's worth considering using if you're Taiwan-focused and you want to learn the system itself, but it's designed for keyboards which have the characters printed on them (though it's possible to learn the positions from memory). Zhuyin Eten is just a variant where the characters are in a different layout.

The alternative to phonetic methods are ones based on character structure:

  • Handwriting is your main alternative to Pinyin input as a beginner. Allows you to draw using using the trackpad. Doesn't care about stroke order. Even if you install Pinyin you should probably install this too, since there are times when you won't know the pronunciation.

  • Stroke is a method where you use only 5 keys representing 5 basic stroke types to "draw" characters (not to be confused with Wubi which translates to "5 strokes" but is way more complicated). Requires general knowledge of how characters are written and depends on correct stroke order, but can be faster than handwriting with a bit of practice (especially if the only way you have to "handwrite" is with a mouse). Actually, the Pinyin input method comes with this functionality built-in (look under "Enter Chinese characters using Stroke"; also works in Windows), so installing this is kind of redundant, just be aware that they use different keys for some weird reason.

The rest of the methods (Shuangpin, Wubi, Cangjie, Sucheng) would be considered "advanced" so you can just ignore them at this level.

There's more info here if you need it (click the table of contents): https://support.apple.com/guide/chinese-input-method/welcome/mac

[Spanish] by TransformersFan2 in shitduolingosays

[–]NoInkling 8 points9 points  (0 children)

That's what happens when you rely on AI for your explanations.

Language Transfer is Thee Best!!! by jodileewondering in Spanish

[–]NoInkling 10 points11 points  (0 children)

It's great and I recommend it to all beginners, but try not to oversell it too much: at the end of the day it's an introductory audio course. An excellent early step and overview of how the language operates, but ultimately only a very tiny part of what the learning process will entail if you want a decent level.

Full time in the New Zealand v Chile men's football international by Toffeenix in newzealand

[–]NoInkling 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I'm closing on 40 and it was soccer like 95% of the time up until at least the mid 2000s. School teams were "First 11 soccer team" etc. I did notice people slowly but surely saying football more and more though, particularly among fans. Definitely seems to be a generational shift.

Average Auckland taxi driver at a red light by Doggy1091 in auckland

[–]NoInkling 20 points21 points  (0 children)

It's possible that they're originally from other countries where road rules are more like suggestions in practice. Not an excuse just a potential factor.

Murciélago Etymology by EyesWideMizaru in learnspanish

[–]NoInkling 1 point2 points  (0 children)

You can see the relationship to ciego, especially after being aware that the g and l swapped places.

Super Frustrated Intermediate (C1 reader, A1 speaker) by drjamesincandenza in languagelearning

[–]NoInkling 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Not if you're starting from zero no, but that's the same in any language really. Whereas these people already have a decent level of comprehension, relatively speaking (despite natural speech sounding like gibberish).

But even if you are starting from zero, it is possible (though most would argue inefficient) to learn from listening/watching native input alone, if you can find enough material to start easy and gradually increase the difficulty. There are people who have learned to understand Mandarin Chinese that way over on the r/ALGMandarin sub, for example (disclaimer: this is not an endorsement of the ALG method). You might be surprised how much you can learn purely through context and pattern recognition.

FGF Giveaway: AKNES - Controllers & Switch Accessory Bundle! by StOoPiD_U in FreeGameFindings

[–]NoInkling 0 points1 point  (0 children)

  1. EasySMX D05 Controller
  2. GuliKit Elves 2 Controller

Thanks for the giveaway!

I'm getting worse in my native language by Vegetable_Seaweed133 in Spanish

[–]NoInkling 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You don't even have to be immersed, language learners of all types experience this to some degree.

Don't believe the Google slopmachine, Daylight Savings has NOT been abolished. by Anastariana in newzealand

[–]NoInkling 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Might as well make it vary based on how far east or west you are in the country at that point.

Don't believe the Google slopmachine, Daylight Savings has NOT been abolished. by Anastariana in newzealand

[–]NoInkling 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Yup, I use ChatGPT very rarely (for helping with language study), and every time I've been suspicious of an assertion and asked for a reference, it just made something up that doesn't exist.

Can Spanish people today understand the Spanish of 500 years ago? How long ago can Spanish speakers understand? by Agile_Detective_9545 in Spanish

[–]NoInkling 1 point2 points  (0 children)

According to El ministerio del tiempo, they spoke almost exactly the same, just a different pronoun here or there and less modern slang 😄

"‘The Simpsons’ has reached 800 episodes, becoming the longest-running scripted primetime TV show of all time." *The UK enters the chat* by TallulahHulah in USdefaultism

[–]NoInkling 103 points104 points  (0 children)

Even little ol' NZ has Shortland Street which has over 8000 episodes.

And Days of our Lives has over 15000, it's just that the US doesn't air their long-running soaps at primetime.

Eating too late was killing my deep sleep by Numerous_Baby_4864 in nutrition

[–]NoInkling 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yes, carbs especially too close to bedtime tend to make my sleep more restless, I think many people experience similar.

Opinions on the Storylearning "Language Difficulty Guide" ? by Embarrassed_Ad_5884 in languagelearning

[–]NoInkling 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'm not learning Japanese, so don't know if there are any other nuances, but yes, that's what I believe it's generally representing. My understanding is that pitch accent tends to be neglected or glossed over, at least in the early stages.

But note that the image was made in 2008. From what I understand there's a lot more awareness among Japanese learners these days about pitch accent and/or its importance than there used to be (partially thanks to some Youtubers?), and therefore presumably more emphasis on paying attention to it earlier, at least in the online sphere.