2018 blog - księżyc

[księżycowy]

明けましておめでとう!

https://youtu.be/bEuZNRKoPNs

[vijayjohn]

That sounds just like us.

"明けましておめでとう" actually reminds me of another manga where the main character is struggling to open (あける, i.e. 開ける) a can. Then when he finally opens it, someone at the door says あけましておめでとう, and he says, "Well, it wasn't really that big of a deal, you know..."

[dEhiN]

What language test?

Sorry, I forgot to answer this question earlier! I've mentioned this set of tests earlier, but I don't remember where exactly. It's these. They're not very good.

Well, I think they're relatively good for free online tests. It's hard to test for speaking ability in a free online test, and it's also usually difficult to test for listening comprehension as well. So you're really left with reading, possibly writing, and grammar.

[vijayjohn]

I should take some real tests sometime.

[dEhiN]

I should take some real tests sometime.

I feel like they are harder to come by in North America, at least in a general sense. I know up here, you generally have to take a test if you're going to take a course (at any school, even specific language schools). The other time I can think of where you have to do a language test would be to get permanent residency, and then of course you only have either English or French. I don't know of any place/organization that allows you to pay money and just do a level test.

[vijayjohn]

I do. I met someone on Reddit who was taking classes and a test (or maybe multiple tests) via the Goethe-Institut or something.

[dEhiN]

I do. I met someone on Reddit who was taking classes and a test (or maybe multiple tests) via the Goethe-Institut or something.

Yeah we have a Goethe-Institut here in Toronto (as well as a Camões institute, an Alliance Française, an Instituo Italiano di Cultura Toronto, and a Spanish Learning Centre (which I don't believe is a worldwide organization recognized for teaching Spanish, like Alliance Française for French, but only a local one)), but I consider those places no different from going to a local university or college and taking language courses there. We even have a specific language college called Hansa that just offers language courses.

What I meant before what that I don't know if, for example, I as a self-learner could just say to any of these places "I'd like to do one of your level tests to see my level". I'm pretty sure the level tests are offered in conjunction with taking classes, as a precursor to help you find which class is right for you.

[księżycowy]

There are also those tests that give you level certificates (like the HSK or JLPT for examples). I might take see about them once I'm further in my studies. I don't think you have to be affiliated with a school or class to take those.

[vijayjohn]

I think it's possible to go to the Goethe-Institut just to take the test without taking the course, although maybe it depends on the location, idk. Also, while these may not be proficiency tests per se, I have tested out of certain language courses before (specifically, German 1A and French 2, even though I actually wasn't required to do the latter). I'm also fairly certain it's possible (and not uncommon) to take an Advanced Placement (AP) test here without ever taking the course (these are tests that give you college credit for certain courses if you pass them; you can (and may be encouraged to) take them in high school), and that includes a few language-specific tests. All you have to do to take those tests AFAIK is pay the fee for each one (this is true regardless of whether you took the course or not).

[księżycowy]

I've found an interested new (to me) Korean textbook! Sogang Korean, which looks like it's set up kinda like MnN! I couldn't resist buying the first textbook to check it out.

And, speaking of Tibetan, I finally got the audio for my Amdo Tibetan textbook (which I've had for ever).

Time to learn some Tibetan! I did say I'd steal it from Vijay-kun after all!

[vijayjohn]

Okay, I kinda lied. I do know a little bit of Tibetan. Well, Lhasa Tibetan, anyway. I started studying it when I was like ten or something? Or maybe nine. I got frustrated with it really easily, though, because I just couldn't figure out the tones of Lhasa Tibetan for the life of me.

I don't know the first thing about Amdo Tibetan, though. Except that I believe it's spoken in Qinghai? Also, all I know I can say pretty well is 'hi', 'how are you', 'I'm fine', and 'please sit down'. There are some more words I recognize ('tea', momo, yak kata, Chenrezi...and I know 'go' is something like di and there are verb forms like digireypeh in Lhasa...).

[księżycowy]

Do you know any Burmese?

[vijayjohn]

A tiny bit. I used to use SEAsite for Burmese. (Also, I should clarify that what I was saying I know was all in Lhasa Tibetan, definitely not Amdo or Khams).

EDIT: I really should pare down my list to give you the ones that I really haven't studied (apart from maybe looking at a website like once and forgetting everything), shouldn't I?

Koasati, Chol, Southern Tiwa, Mednyj Aleut, Enga (and most other Papuan languages, of course), Hmong, most Sino-Tibetan languages (except for a bunch of Chinese/Sinitic varieties, a bit of Burmese, a little Tibetan, and maybe like one phrase in Karen), most Austronesian languages (except Indonesian, Tagalog, Fijian, Hawaiian, and Malagasy), any language included under Afroasiatic other than Arabic, Amharic, Hebrew, or Hausa, the Omotic languages (probably Bench or something), and any other non-Bantu African language except Yoruba, Khoekhoe, and maybe Wolof.

[księżycowy]

I was just curious because I've studied a bit of Burmese before. I primarily used Burmese By Ear.

[Karavinka]

I think it's possible to go to the Goethe-Institut just to take the test without taking the course, although maybe it depends on the location, idk. Also, while these may not be proficiency tests per se, I have tested out of certain language courses before (specifically, German 1A and French 2, even though I actually wasn't required to do the latter). I'm also fairly certain it's possible (and not uncommon) to take an Advanced Placement (AP) test here without ever taking the course (these are tests that give you college credit for certain courses if you pass them; you can (and may be encouraged to) take them in high school), and that includes a few language-specific tests. All you have to do to take those tests AFAIK is pay the fee for each one (this is true regardless of whether you took the course or not).

It should be possible. I passed my Goethe B2 in Seoul without taking a class from them.

Though it got a bit ugly for them to allow me to take the test, as they didn't think it was possible to learn German without taking any class record. I took an interview to get allowed to take the damn test, and then took the test. Insist if they try to turn you away.

[vijayjohn]

Thanks, Karavinka!

I was just curious because I've studied a bit of Burmese before. I primarily used Burmese By Ear.

All I have for Burmese is LP, unless maybe you count three phrases that were badly transcribed into Malayalam script.

[księżycowy]

LP? Lonely Planet?

I have all the textbooks that Okell has written. I highly recommend them. And now you should have Burmese by Ear as well.

I used to work with a Burmese speaker and would learn some stuff off the audio (since it's primarily an audio course), and I'd try it out on him. I kinda miss that. Most people I know now (probably all, really) are Anglophones. Lame.

[księżycowy]

I fixed up my first post a bit, and Ie also more clearly defined how I intend to move forward and give myself the time I need for language study, and also to finishing my degree. I'm thinking for the time being, I'll give 30 mins each to Irish and Hebrew daily (through the work week). I'm honestly not as sure what to do about Japanese and Seneca. I think I might try doing those for about 15 mins every other day (through the work week).

Weekends I'll try to give everything a solid 30 mins on Saturdays and Sundays will be a planning day.

I'll also (considering my weekend plans) give myself a day off during the week. Recharge the batteries, work on things for my degree, etc.

So, a typical week's schedule will look something like this:
Mon - Focus language(s) (30 mins)
Tues - Focus Language(s) (30 mins) Others (10~15 mins)
Wed - Free Space
Thurs - Focus Language(s) (30 mins) Others (10~15 mins)
Fri - Focus Language(s) (30 mins)
Sat - Everything 30 mins
Sun - Planning

This does not include Anki, by the way.

[Car]

I think it's possible to go to the Goethe-Institut just to take the test without taking the course, although maybe it depends on the location, idk. Also, while these may not be proficiency tests per se, I have tested out of certain language courses before (specifically, German 1A and French 2, even though I actually wasn't required to do the latter). I'm also fairly certain it's possible (and not uncommon) to take an Advanced Placement (AP) test here without ever taking the course (these are tests that give you college credit for certain courses if you pass them; you can (and may be encouraged to) take them in high school), and that includes a few language-specific tests. All you have to do to take those tests AFAIK is pay the fee for each one (this is true regardless of whether you took the course or not).

It should be possible. I passed my Goethe B2 in Seoul without taking a class from them.

Though it got a bit ugly for them to allow me to take the test, as they didn't think it was possible to learn German without taking any class record. I took an interview to get allowed to take the damn test, and then took the test. Insist if they try to turn you away.

It definitely is. I did the old DELF 1er degré ages ago. While I was taking a French course at my university of applied sciences, it wasn't a requirement, but it certainly helped. I looked into DELE (again under the old structure) many years ago and it only was the high price and the uncertainty if my level was good enough (I didn't want to waste all that money at it only to fail to pass it or barely pass it) and that would have been possible without taking a course.

[vijayjohn]

LP? Lonely Planet?

Yep. (I learned that abbv. here on UL ).

I have all the textbooks that Okell has written. I highly recommend them. And now you should have Burmese by Ear as well.

Okay. I'll see whether I can find it at Half-Price Books sometime soon.

I used to work with a Burmese speaker and would learn some stuff off the audio (since it's primarily an audio course), and I'd try it out on him. I kinda miss that. Most people I know now (probably all, really) are Anglophones. Lame.

Are they monolingual?