Acabo de terminar la ultimo leccion de Pimsleur Spanish III.
Mañana voy a manejar a Viking Cooking School en Greenwood para estudiar como cocinar tamales y otras comidas de la Mississippi Delta.
Mientras manejando, voy a estudiar unas lecciones de Learning Spanish Like Crazy en mi iPod.
Es muy importante que no termino mis estudios. Hay tanto mas que aprender, y debo continuar mientras puedo.
Creo que aprendiendo español está haciendo mi vida mejor. En todo caso, hay tantas personas muy agradables para quien español is el idioma primera. Espero que conocer unas estas buenas personas.
Friday, October 12, 2007
Thursday, October 11, 2007
fluency re-visited
While idly skimming a language learning forum shortly ago, I saw someone asking the question that never dies for long about what constitutes fluency.
One can blow a lot of time chasing that one. And some times I do for kicks.
Some of the suggestions I've seen involve the knowledge of enough vocabulary, rules, and colloquial speech to be able to do XYZ without having to look things up or mull it over.
Despite my unusually large and esoteric knowledge of English, I do still frequently pause while speaking to figure out how to express myself, and I look up terms for meaning, spelling, etc. So I will be surprised if I ever attain a level of Spanish mastery such that I don't have to do the same.
Some point out that terms such as "competency" and "proficiency" are far more useful than "fluency" in meaningful discussion, and I'm inclined to agree.
In my last entry I balked at the Minutemen patrolling the southern U. S. border and engaging Spanish speakers without any knowledge of Spanish. For some of these guys, a desirable level of competency might involve a core set of terms and expressions useful for conveying to migrant workers that one has no intention of shooting them but to smugglers that one is indeed willing to pull the trigger.
I'm more interested in being able to talk about food, computer programming, weather, current events, etc. I would like to be able to get through business meetings, enjoy a little recreational reading, and make friends.
So it makes sense for me to learn some specialized Spanish in addition to generalities. The Minutemen really just need to pick up a very small subset of Spanish in order to get by.
For day-to-day matters, it's less a question of "Am I fluent" and more one of "Can I do this thing I need to do?"
One can blow a lot of time chasing that one. And some times I do for kicks.
Some of the suggestions I've seen involve the knowledge of enough vocabulary, rules, and colloquial speech to be able to do XYZ without having to look things up or mull it over.
Despite my unusually large and esoteric knowledge of English, I do still frequently pause while speaking to figure out how to express myself, and I look up terms for meaning, spelling, etc. So I will be surprised if I ever attain a level of Spanish mastery such that I don't have to do the same.
Some point out that terms such as "competency" and "proficiency" are far more useful than "fluency" in meaningful discussion, and I'm inclined to agree.
In my last entry I balked at the Minutemen patrolling the southern U. S. border and engaging Spanish speakers without any knowledge of Spanish. For some of these guys, a desirable level of competency might involve a core set of terms and expressions useful for conveying to migrant workers that one has no intention of shooting them but to smugglers that one is indeed willing to pull the trigger.
I'm more interested in being able to talk about food, computer programming, weather, current events, etc. I would like to be able to get through business meetings, enjoy a little recreational reading, and make friends.
So it makes sense for me to learn some specialized Spanish in addition to generalities. The Minutemen really just need to pick up a very small subset of Spanish in order to get by.
For day-to-day matters, it's less a question of "Am I fluent" and more one of "Can I do this thing I need to do?"
reflections as I prepare to finish off Pimsleur Spanish III
Tomorrow I will work on the final lesson of Pimsleur Spanish III. I've enjoyed the program quite a bit and have learned a good bit of useful Spanish.
Although I can't really claim that Pimsleur has given me an advanced level of fluency, it goes deeper than some had led me to expect.
For instance, I heard a commercial for an internet service provider in Spanish shortly ago and was able to make out the gist of it from Pimsleur-provided knowledge and context.
Interestingly enough, this was during a show about the southern U. S. border featuring a bunch of Minutemen who patrol the border. The fact that not one of these guys can read or speak any Spanish at all comes into play in scene after scene. Not one? Seriously?
By the end of Spanish 3, the lessons have dealt with scenarios such as an ATM eating one's card, dealing with various business-related matters in more depth than in Spanish 2, scrambling to find express dry cleaning service, renting an apartment, and quite a bit more. The scenarios are common enough needs for travelers and provide context for conversation practice.
To further boost my vocabulary as well as improve my level of literacy with the vocabulary I've learned verbally, I've obtained a set of 1000 Visual Education (Vis-Ed) Modern Spanish Bilingual Vocabulary Cards. I'm a long-time fan of flash cards, because they seem to work well with my learning style and can be used in literal spare moments instead of half-hour increments.
Stuck at a red light? Waiting in line? On hold? Draw a random card & see if you can guess its meaning.
Although I plan to use my Pimsleur lessons for review after the last one is done, I'll be moving on to Learning Spanish Like Crazy, Destinos, and other programs in a more determined way starting this weekend. Review is always important, but at this stage I think the best thing I can do is keep the levels of challenge and novelty pretty high for a while.
LSLC may present some additional challenges for the commute than did Pimsleur, because at a glance it seems that their lessons aren't always a neatly packaged 30 minutes, but I expect that will prove to be a small matter. However it works out, I'll share what insights I can here in hopes it will help someone else.
In honor of my soon-to-be achievement....
Although I can't really claim that Pimsleur has given me an advanced level of fluency, it goes deeper than some had led me to expect.
For instance, I heard a commercial for an internet service provider in Spanish shortly ago and was able to make out the gist of it from Pimsleur-provided knowledge and context.
Interestingly enough, this was during a show about the southern U. S. border featuring a bunch of Minutemen who patrol the border. The fact that not one of these guys can read or speak any Spanish at all comes into play in scene after scene. Not one? Seriously?
By the end of Spanish 3, the lessons have dealt with scenarios such as an ATM eating one's card, dealing with various business-related matters in more depth than in Spanish 2, scrambling to find express dry cleaning service, renting an apartment, and quite a bit more. The scenarios are common enough needs for travelers and provide context for conversation practice.
To further boost my vocabulary as well as improve my level of literacy with the vocabulary I've learned verbally, I've obtained a set of 1000 Visual Education (Vis-Ed) Modern Spanish Bilingual Vocabulary Cards. I'm a long-time fan of flash cards, because they seem to work well with my learning style and can be used in literal spare moments instead of half-hour increments.
Stuck at a red light? Waiting in line? On hold? Draw a random card & see if you can guess its meaning.
Although I plan to use my Pimsleur lessons for review after the last one is done, I'll be moving on to Learning Spanish Like Crazy, Destinos, and other programs in a more determined way starting this weekend. Review is always important, but at this stage I think the best thing I can do is keep the levels of challenge and novelty pretty high for a while.
LSLC may present some additional challenges for the commute than did Pimsleur, because at a glance it seems that their lessons aren't always a neatly packaged 30 minutes, but I expect that will prove to be a small matter. However it works out, I'll share what insights I can here in hopes it will help someone else.
In honor of my soon-to-be achievement....
Friday, October 5, 2007
pressing ever forward, and a few reflections
Nothing dramatic to report today, but I've been continuing daily study & practice.
Lesson 25 of Pimsleur Spanish 3 today, and last night I zipped through lessons 3 and 4 of Learning Spanish Like Crazy (LSLC). The early LSLC lessons are mostly review so far, but there's still value in going through each of them at least once in my opinion.
They introduce new general-use vocabulary, speak at a different tempo from the Pimsleur speakers, emphasize a less formal manner of speaking than does Pimsleur, and adopt a somewhat different approach in general. And more advanced lessons will assume a foundation of the earlier material.
Mostly, though, my experience with Pimsleur has proven to me that repeated exposure to and practice using fundamental Spanish will increase my confidence and facility with the language.
LSLC came with lessons in .mp3 format and transcripts in .pdf (plus a number of .mp4 video lessons). I refer to the .pdf transcripts when/if doing so suits me, but Pimsleur's trained me to focus on listening & speaking first before letting my mental impressions of the text get in the way.
We'll see how my approach develops as I engage the material further.
The LSLC Wednesday evening Teleclass really has me kinda excited, though. I've now participated in two of them, and I have a feeling this may turn out to be a really valuable resource for accelerated improvement.
I've also been reading a book entitled Easy Spanish Reader by William T. Tardy. I've read the first 15 pages in idle moments over the last few days, and it is indeed pretty easy reading.
I hit up international news in Spanish in my Treo's web browser when I'm out & about some. Reading the news is more challenging, but I find it interesting. And anything that keeps up my interest in Spanish surely helps keep the whole process going.
The other day I scooted through a crowded gas station in Madison on my way to work, because I wasn't feeling well & figured I'd better start the day with a full stomach.
While ducking & weaving through the crowd, I noticed how rapidly strangers & I spoke to one another in passing, rattling off things like, "Skewzm'therebd." (Excuse me, there, buddy.)
We had no trouble understanding one another as native speakers of English, but I saw a fair number of people in the room for whom English did not appear to be a primary language. I wondered if they found my utterances totally incomprehensible.
I'm acquainted with some local expats from Spanish-speaking countries to the south, and have noticed some of them gradually cultivating reasonably advanced English skills over the last several years. How much time and effort have they had to invest?
Lesson 25 of Pimsleur Spanish 3 today, and last night I zipped through lessons 3 and 4 of Learning Spanish Like Crazy (LSLC). The early LSLC lessons are mostly review so far, but there's still value in going through each of them at least once in my opinion.
They introduce new general-use vocabulary, speak at a different tempo from the Pimsleur speakers, emphasize a less formal manner of speaking than does Pimsleur, and adopt a somewhat different approach in general. And more advanced lessons will assume a foundation of the earlier material.
Mostly, though, my experience with Pimsleur has proven to me that repeated exposure to and practice using fundamental Spanish will increase my confidence and facility with the language.
LSLC came with lessons in .mp3 format and transcripts in .pdf (plus a number of .mp4 video lessons). I refer to the .pdf transcripts when/if doing so suits me, but Pimsleur's trained me to focus on listening & speaking first before letting my mental impressions of the text get in the way.
We'll see how my approach develops as I engage the material further.
The LSLC Wednesday evening Teleclass really has me kinda excited, though. I've now participated in two of them, and I have a feeling this may turn out to be a really valuable resource for accelerated improvement.
I've also been reading a book entitled Easy Spanish Reader by William T. Tardy. I've read the first 15 pages in idle moments over the last few days, and it is indeed pretty easy reading.
I hit up international news in Spanish in my Treo's web browser when I'm out & about some. Reading the news is more challenging, but I find it interesting. And anything that keeps up my interest in Spanish surely helps keep the whole process going.
The other day I scooted through a crowded gas station in Madison on my way to work, because I wasn't feeling well & figured I'd better start the day with a full stomach.
While ducking & weaving through the crowd, I noticed how rapidly strangers & I spoke to one another in passing, rattling off things like, "Skewzm'therebd." (Excuse me, there, buddy.)
We had no trouble understanding one another as native speakers of English, but I saw a fair number of people in the room for whom English did not appear to be a primary language. I wondered if they found my utterances totally incomprehensible.
I'm acquainted with some local expats from Spanish-speaking countries to the south, and have noticed some of them gradually cultivating reasonably advanced English skills over the last several years. How much time and effort have they had to invest?
Tuesday, October 2, 2007
spiffy new Ko̱nyin keyboard
I've been beyond sick of trying to insert non-ASCII characters into documents, email messages, google searches, etc. for some time now.
And to address it, I've hunted for a Spanish keyboard, but never found anything that quite did it for me.
But now I have a new toy!
It's a Ko̱nyin K-2060UM-US, to be specific, one in a series of keyboards designed to take the pain out of using international characters in documents. The main feature that wooed me was a 2nd shift key designed for easy access to international characters and character modifiers.
For example, I can press the [e] key on the keyboard, then hold down the 2nd-shift key while pressing the key with the backtick to create the character "è".
Previously, this meant recalling and entering a special code, or sluggishly looking for the desired character in the Character Map utility in Windows. I never really came to appreciate either method.
My only meaningful concern was whether the keyboard would work with Vista, because an impressive lot of stuff doesn't. But it installed quickly & painlessly.
And to address it, I've hunted for a Spanish keyboard, but never found anything that quite did it for me.
But now I have a new toy!
It's a Ko̱nyin K-2060UM-US, to be specific, one in a series of keyboards designed to take the pain out of using international characters in documents. The main feature that wooed me was a 2nd shift key designed for easy access to international characters and character modifiers.
For example, I can press the [e] key on the keyboard, then hold down the 2nd-shift key while pressing the key with the backtick to create the character "è".
Previously, this meant recalling and entering a special code, or sluggishly looking for the desired character in the Character Map utility in Windows. I never really came to appreciate either method.
My only meaningful concern was whether the keyboard would work with Vista, because an impressive lot of stuff doesn't. But it installed quickly & painlessly.
Monday, October 1, 2007
an unexpected source of Spanish-language entertainment
I'm a fan of the show Heroes. Not a rabid fan, but I'm into it.
I not only watch the show, but in the stray idle moment I poke around in some of the odd websites & such they've created that supposedly take place in the Heroes universe.
What's this got to do with Spanish? Well, a very small bit, as it turns out.
This season, they've introduced some Spanish-speaking characters, and I received an email alert of sorts notifying me of updated content on a blog supposedly maintained by one of the characters. In it, she's taken to collecting newspaper articles in Spanish about mysterious deaths & Mayan prophecy, complete with translations.
http://www.samantha48616e61.com/ has it for now.
I not only watch the show, but in the stray idle moment I poke around in some of the odd websites & such they've created that supposedly take place in the Heroes universe.
What's this got to do with Spanish? Well, a very small bit, as it turns out.
This season, they've introduced some Spanish-speaking characters, and I received an email alert of sorts notifying me of updated content on a blog supposedly maintained by one of the characters. In it, she's taken to collecting newspaper articles in Spanish about mysterious deaths & Mayan prophecy, complete with translations.
http://www.samantha48616e61.com/ has it for now.
noting a bit of progress
Either early this year or some time last year, I watched several episodes of Destinos to see if I could make out much of what was said. At the time, I couldn't make out any meaningful amount of what was spoken, although I did recognize a few words & phrases, and could follow along with some of what was happening based on context.
Today I received a package from someone with whom I've been swapping some Spanish study materials. Inside was a... "well-loved" old Destinos book and set of audio CDs intended to be used along with it in a classroom environment (by the looks of it).
This got me wondering if I might notice any progress in understanding Destinos now that I've worked most of the way through Pimsleur Spanish III.
To my mild surprise, I was able to follow all but literally a couple of words/phrases in the first episode!
Hey, it's progress... right?
Today I received a package from someone with whom I've been swapping some Spanish study materials. Inside was a... "well-loved" old Destinos book and set of audio CDs intended to be used along with it in a classroom environment (by the looks of it).
This got me wondering if I might notice any progress in understanding Destinos now that I've worked most of the way through Pimsleur Spanish III.
To my mild surprise, I was able to follow all but literally a couple of words/phrases in the first episode!
Hey, it's progress... right?
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