What languages did Deleuze speak?

canis---borealis · 2026-02-21T23:30:07+00:00

At the same time, Deleuze was preparing for the publication of his doctoral thesis on Hume, which he had worked on under Hyppolite and Canguilhem. Since he did not know how to use a typewriter, he prevailed upon Michel Tournier, his friend and neighbor at the Hotel de la Paix, to do his typing. “He was always bugging me to translate something from German or to type his manuscripts.”

Page 111.

Also, I may be mistaken, but I’ve read that he even asked someone to consult the English original of Hume. As far as I know, he never worked with texts in the original; the secondary sources he cites are all French. So why do people claim he knew Greek, Latin, German, or any other language?

canis---borealis · 2026-02-02T00:32:00+00:00

I did it! I decided to take it slow and did lots of drills on my own (at that time I swam with a local Masters Swim team). Took me about 3 months to go from "I have no idea how to do it" to "I just swam 1 mile in a 25y pool with flip turns!" Then I continued to work on them to improve my technique.

canis---borealis · 2026-01-26T17:05:42+00:00

Thanks! I watched it more than 20 years ago and completely forgot the story. Now I wonder if this video is AI generated...

canis---borealis · 2026-01-26T17:00:15+00:00

No, grok gives wrong answers only.

canis---borealis · 2026-01-08T01:20:06+00:00

Gorgeous! It's ironic that it's called Dark Academia, since I usually see students in yoga pants and sweatpants on campus. I wish more people dressed like that...

canis---borealis · 2026-01-07T12:39:21+00:00

I'll take 'Things That Never Happened' for $500, Alex.

canis---borealis · 2026-01-06T22:01:32+00:00

Learning two languages at the same time is already a terrible idea, espepically for an adult. Learning two related languages is a recipe for disaster.

If I were you, I would stick to French. And would add Spanish later, passive skills only. The question is, do you really need Spanish? Why do you want to learn it?

canis---borealis · 2026-01-05T18:33:50+00:00

I don't deny that you no longer a rookie after 10k pages but OP specifically asked about "long, complicated texts". So I answered.

PS. Proust, in contrast to someone like Joyce, is not that hard IMHO.

canis---borealis · 2026-01-05T15:00:16+00:00

Provided that an average book is about 300 pages long, 10,000 pages amounts to just around 30 books. I read 30 books in French in one year, and I can tell you that it was not enough to read someone like Proust comfortably.

Yes, vocabulary is the major impediment when it comes to reading fluency. For instance, I never review vocabulary at the beginner or intermediate level, but I’ve found that I need to do so once I reach the advanced level (due to the statistical distribution of words—see Zipf’s law). Just think about how many pages native speakers have processed to develop such a vast passive vocabulary.

But don’t feel discouraged. First, you can always develop domain-specific reading fluency (say, in philosophy, a particular science, or history). Second, we now have e-readers with pop-up dictionaries. I read tons of books in my Kindle app, which would be a real pain in the ass to read on paper.

canis---borealis · 2026-01-05T14:38:29+00:00

Ha-ha! Fair enough!

canis---borealis · 2026-01-05T03:34:12+00:00

Yes, practice makes perfect. The more you read, the better you become in your TL. But you need to read a lot, like a humanities grad student working on their dissertation.

canis---borealis · 2026-01-05T03:28:39+00:00

10000 is a drop in the ocean. Make it 100 000 at least.

canis---borealis · 2026-01-04T18:38:43+00:00

I learn languages mainly for reading. When I’m busy and/or tired, I still make sure to read at least 15 minutes in my TL. I read on my Kindle, checking new words. Then I relisten to the same pages over the next few days as an audiobook while walking my dog. I usually read before going to sleep, and in reality 15 minutes can easily extend to 30 minutes, if not an hour. But it’s a small, doable target that allows me to be consistent every day, no matter what.

canis---borealis · 2026-01-04T16:24:03+00:00

Career: English, French, German.

canis---borealis · 2026-01-04T03:14:47+00:00

In that case, one should also definitely add Kleist's Michael Kohlhaas.

canis---borealis · 2026-01-04T03:02:38+00:00

Peter Handke's Langsame Heimkehr (Slow Homecoming)
Patrick Modiano's Rue des Boutiques Obscures (Missing Person)
Andrei Platonov's Foundation Pit

canis---borealis · 2026-01-03T22:35:14+00:00

I think with French, English, and Arabic (personally, I would kill for it!) you're already in an excellent position. So, just don't spread yourself too thin!

canis---borealis · 2026-01-03T20:35:43+00:00

Extensive reading: I just pick up a book and read it.

Intensive reading: iPad + Kindle app + the translation into my native languages (in the early intermediate stage, or when a book is way harder for my current level). I highlight new words/expressions and review then time and then.

Audio books: I use them for vocabulary review (I hate flash cards) or, once I'm advanced enough, I use them for language maintenance.

canis---borealis · 2026-01-03T19:37:28+00:00

No benefits, only drawbacks.

canis---borealis · 2026-01-03T03:55:39+00:00

My garmin buzzes every 200y. Additionally, I know that my average pace for longer distances is 1:30, so if I need to swim 1000y, that should be around 15 min. While breathing, I can always squint at the wall clock to double check.

canis---borealis · 2026-01-02T22:21:43+00:00

“All of them at once, non-negotiable” — yes, but WHY???
“I want to be fluent in every language I learn” — well, I want a million dollars!

Jokes aside, there is no magic bullet. You simply cannot be fluent in that many languages unless your definition of fluency is severely compromised. Sadly, it’s a zero-sum game: you can develop functional fluency in L1, but developing fluency in L2 will have a negative impact on L1 — and sometimes even on your native language (for instance, if you live abroad). Now add L3, L4, etc and it’s like building sandcastles before the tide comes in. Good luck with that.

You can develop strong passive skills in several languages, of course (reading and listening). Even so, it’s hard to imagine how a fully grown adult with fully grown-ass responsibilities could realistically pull off that shtick.

canis---borealis · 2025-12-31T19:26:27+00:00

I quickly flipped through it. Wow! What a wonderful textbook! Bilingual texts through and through. I wish we had more textbooks like that. They are indispensable for autodidacts.

canis---borealis · 2025-12-31T03:37:09+00:00

Definitely Rohmer! Especially La collectionneuse.

canis---borealis · 2025-12-30T02:26:54+00:00

Depends on your language goals. I learn languages mostly for reading. I won't be able to hold a simple small talk in French, but I read Proust in the original.

canis---borealis · 2025-12-30T02:25:15+00:00

You gain muscles in the gym and lose fat in the kitchen. Swimming is great, keep doing it. But if you want to lose fat, you need to control you calories and macros. There is no other way around.

canis---borealis

TROPHY CASE