I'm celebrating 5 years of daily Spanish lessons at Duolingo.com
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You who have followed me through these five years know that along the way, I have also dipped into several other languages - some for repetition (German, French), some because they were already somewhat familiar (Norwegian, Danish, Dutch); and some just as a challenge to see how the brain would cope with something totally different (Welsh, Turkish, Russian). My latest addition to the last group is Finnish, which was introduced on Duolingo last summer. (Although Finland is a neighbouring country, Finnish is of totally different structure/origin than Swedish.) While I'm unlikely to ever learn enough of any of those last four languages to be of much use in direct communication, I still feel it's taught me a fair bit about languages in general. And I do feel rather proud of myself for having kept up my "streak" of daily Spanish lessons (+ more) through five whole years now . I would not have dared guess that when I started!
Laguages are so hard as we get older. So you must have an amazing mind for words!
ReplyDeleteGinny, one of the reasons why I got into it was that I wanted to see how my 60+ year old brain could cope with learning new stuff. I've always been more interested in languages than for example math or science, though.
DeleteI applaud your success in Duolingo Spanish. If I tried Duolingo I would choose Turkish, as I learned that language when in college in Turkey. I haven't used it since then, would be fun to relearn it.
ReplyDeleteIt's free to try, Terra. I'd recommend the web-version over the app. For a long time I used mostly the app on the phone, but when that started to involve too many annoying "game"-like features, I discovered that the website version works just as well (in fact, better) even on my phone and tablet. Besides no commercials it also has the advantage of providing explanations and tips about grammar and stuff.
DeleteI have kept on with Turkish but find it a very difficult language - each sentence a puzzle in itself, with both the word-order and all the rest of the grammar so different to 'European' thinking. I've also followed three long Turkish TV-series (each one over 100 episodes) on Swedish television and I still never manage to pick up more than a few words and phrases. I still feel kind of proud every time I manage to even recognize that something I come across, written or overheard, IS Turkish, though - even if I can't decipher it!! (LOL)
Congratulations, Monica! You are rightly proud of yourself - daily lessons for 5 years in a row is something I would probably never manage.
ReplyDeleteThanks Meike. From what I know of you, I think you would probably manage it, too - if you felt motivated to do so! (With me, a big part of having been able to keep it up is of course being retired, and choosing to make this particular "thing" a part of my daily brain exercise.)
DeleteMany congratulations. Not just on your language achievements but also on your dedication, concentration and sheer staying power. I have tried Duolingo when I was trying to improve my French and it has some definite advantages over some other systems I have tried and used. It is more involving for a start. However I think my days of trying to speak another language are now over.
ReplyDeleteThanks Graham. As I'm not much of a traveller, it's really getting more unlikely every year that I'll ever really "need" more languages than Swedish and English for practical purposes. I still find myself interested in the learning process itself, though - and also in languages as an approach to learning about other cultures. For me, it has also so far been a way to relax and yet feel that I'm not just "wasting time" (as completing a lesson gives the feedback that one has actually accomplished something).
DeleteI can't believe it has been five years but then again i can't believe you have continued and continued for five years. congratulations are in order for sure....
ReplyDeleteSandra, I have the same feeling! (LOL)
DeleteExcellent work. I think you deserve a special student medal for persisting so long and across such a wide range. There can not be many people who can equal that. Every day!! From just the simple idea of exercising your brain, this has grown to something wonderful. I have tried studying something new this year and it has not been a success. It really is much harder to learn when you are older, even if you have a more relaxed lifestyle. I have such a lot of admiration for you.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the encouragement, Louise. :)
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