411

Affective filter. I don’t think it’s quite what it is said to be.

Basically, I feel, when you go to learn another language you are in effect voluntarily relinquishing your status, or adulthood. You give up the power, or rather you accept a certain childhood status. And that feels very uncomfortable. Who in his right mind, as group-oriented individual, would do that if it weren’t absolutely necessary?

I believe it’s this discomfort that lies at the heart of affective filter, and makes the whole process difficult. So do it in secret. No wonder many people go through a quiet period.

Today: D5 J2 F2   

Total: J110 D104 G33 Sp21 F17 P16

410

I bought 2 secondhand French books last weekend. One if them has the word Harlequin on the cover, but it isn’t chicklit. La vie (pas) tres cool de Carrie Pilby actually has quite good reviews. There’s even a film based on it.

What I like about it is the font size is very large. Almost oversize. I spent half an hour reading through, highlighting i+1 sentences. The first chapter has 25 pages. I found 101 sentences. That’s 4 per page, and since the story is 530 pages long, I’m going to get a couple of thousand goodies out of it.

Today: D5 J4 G1 F2   

Total: J108 D99 G33 Sp21 P16 F15

409

For a month and a half, I’ve stuck to a one-meal-a-day regimen. But in the weekend I ate twice a day. That caused me to sleep badly, and I wonder if there’s not something to be said for a language diet too.

Perhaps you ought only to be actively ‘learning’ one language at a time.

So what would that mean? Personally, I’d read English, Dutch, German and Japanese for pleasure. I’d be doing Heinrich’s manoeuvre with Spanish and French. Neither of those activities I consider ‘learning’. I’m only actually learning Polish.

So there’s no need to go on a diet!

Today: J2 D2 G1 F1   

Total: J104 D94 G32 Sp21 P16 F13

408

It’s all about trust (and so I ‘freed up’ that label yesterday to tag this entry). Trust in yourself, your brain, that it will manage the job—after all, that is what it has evolved to be able to do (tackle language). And also trust in a methodology that outwardly appears to have no substance, no rigor. It also requires patience, since incremental acquisition takes so long (although, because it proceeds across such a wide front, it’s actually the quickest way of all).

I buy foreign language books and trust that one day I’ll be able to read them all.

Today: J2 D2 G1 Sp1 F1   

Total: J102 D92 G31 Sp21 P16 F12

407

I spoke for an hour in Dutch with a cousin, face-to-face, online, discussing family matters. He is to visit in a few days. His friend has written a book about my mother’s father. The family has a remarkable history during the Second World War. There are lessons to be learned. But along with tragedy, there’s also inspiration. Understandably, different members of the family—there were 11 children originally—feel differently about ‘coming out’. Still, it was 70 years ago.

Mum is one of only 2 surviving sisters. She’s be a year and month older than Annelies Frank would have been.

Today: D5 J1    

Total: J100 D90 G30 Sp20 P16 F11

406

I’m walking along, listening to HP1 in Spanish. I’m getting some of it, not all of it. And then I think about French. If I listen to that next, I’ll get some of it, not all of it. Similar to, but not equal to, Spanish.

What will the effect be? Will they affect each other? Will I learn both of them better or worse as a result?

My guess is that learning languages together, it’s like acquiring synonyms. Not exactly, because the syntax may be different. And because of collation, the brain houses them in separate parts of the brain.

Today: D3 Sp1    

Total: J99 D85 G30 Sp20 P16 F11

405

I listen to music. Psychedelic rock from 1967 to 1972 is my favorite. It’s all available on Youtube, even albums that had only as few as 100 copies printed, or pressed. I like to download files of them onto my computer to listen to later.

I use another site, Rate Your Music, to read what other people have to say about those album. It’s like movie or book reviews. Often they are in other languages. And so, in that way, music is useful to help me learn languages!

I also listen to music, sometimes, while collecting sentences. That works too. 

Today: J3 D3 Sp1 G1    

Total: J99 D82 G30 Sp19 P16 F11

404

A couple of interesting observations:

It’s easy to accumulate language time listening—to an mp3 player whilst walking. But I’m going to have to create a ‘current listening folder’. And cold listening is not good enough for this adult (and most adults). Babies have no choice; we do. I want to have prepared visually.

Second, browsing through a Japanese travel book about Australia, I learned that it is easier for me to gain a gist of the script that’s written in kanji than the ‘English’ written as katakana. It’s incredible that I’ve come so far. 

Thanks to what I’m doing.

Today: J2 D1 Sp1 F2 P1    

Total: J96 D79 G29 Sp18 P16 F11

403

The first language practice I had this morning was to read a few newspaper articles in Dutch. A book, De Ottema’s, has just been published. It’s about my grandfather. I look forward to reading—and maybe even translating—it.

With some in the car to kill, waiting, I leaned back the chair, and for the first time in quite a while listened to some Spanish and French on the mp3 player. I was surprised to see, or hear, how much more I’m able to comprehend, despite only having spent very modest amounts of time on them.

I’m doing something right!

Today: D2 J2 Sp1 F1    

Total: J94 D78 G29 Sp17 P15 F9

402

I did this morning’s Japanese and Spanish activity in a cold campground common room. That went okay, but it could have gone better. The thing is, you need a nice environment in which to do productive work—along with a routine and a plan.

The second observation I want to make is that anything you do in a foreign language is going to require more energy and be less enjoyable than being absorbed in a good book in your own tongue. And the book doesn’t particularly have to be a good one. I’m looking at you, Dean Koontz, at Lightning.

Today: D3 J1 Sp1    

Total: J92 D76 G29 Sp16 P15 F8

401

We set off for a short holiday this Labor Weekend to Lake Waihola. That happens to commemorate the start of this next leg of the language-learning journey. Just a ring to dispose of, and I’m ready for a quest!

Nevertheless, I do manage to squeeze off some Japanese and also Dutch. Mornings are easy—so much so, in fact, that I may do something else at that time instead of Japanese. Misschien.

‘Misschien’ is Dutch for ‘perhaps’. I always used to spell it incorrectly, but noticed it today when reading. I’ll never get it wrong again. That’s how to improve.

Today: D2 J1    

Total: J91 D73 G29 Sp15 P15 F8

400

My goodness—400 days! It seems like yesterday when I started. Now I’m into a pattern of doing 1 to 2 hours daily, and I’m active in 6 languages. I complete my first-thing-in-the-morning 100 words religiously. I had a book published. And I’ve almost written up a 30-step program for English speakers to learn another language using right-brain techniques. I’m also more-or-less gainfully employed after having returned to New Zealand. What else can I say?—life is interesting!

Popped into an op shop and purchased a bits and bobs in Russian, but not the book that had 1917 in red.

Today: D4 J1 P1 G1   

Total: J90 D71 G29 Sp15 P15 F8

399

Having misplaced the mini-notepad and pencil that I carry about to record hours, I’m going to have to rely upon my memory today.

In the class that I supervise for self-study students watched the 8 minutes of the start of Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World—as an audiobook, a graded reader, on Youtube. It struck me that you don’t need to understand all of the words to follow the plot (especially if you are at conversant with the story). For me in German, Lost in Space und Harry Potter.

However, if you obsess about every word that isn’t the case.

Today: J1 D1 F1 G1   

Total: J89 D67 G28 Sp15 P14 F8

398

I completed the French reader. It ended with a chapter by chapter detailing of grammar. I tried to gloss over that, but my eyes quickly glazed over.

Then, in self-study class, I completed another goal of collecting 100 Japanese sentences. That also gave me satisfaction. I’m trying to demonstrate to the students the usefulness of setting goals and motivating yourself.

Another bunch of students I introduced to the computer lab. Many used Word Doc for the first time.

Finally, I picked up a German version of Lost In Space to read. And am reading it! I can do it, Shimajiro!

Today: J3 D1 F1 G1   

Total: J88 D66 G27 Sp15 P14 F7

397

To refine my Polish approach further, and to make it faster, here’s what I might do. I’d read a paragraph in English first, just to get it into my head. Then I’d immediately go over the same paragraph in Polish. I’d highlight various words and phrases, but without too much rhyme or reason to it. Simply to focus. And so I wouldn’t waste to much time copying down words.

Let me see. The text that I have is a PDF so I’ll begin by creating a word document to play around on.

This refinement should work well for unfamiliar languages.

Today: D2 F1 G1   

Total: J88 D66 G27 Sp15 P14 F7

396

I haven’t done much French, but with a useful book at work that’ll change. My French reader is most enjoyable. It has a vocabulary at the back that I largely try to ignore, but every now and then I can’t resist looking up a word—road, toad etc. I think that’s the best way to use dictionaries too. Simply look up a word when you can’t resist. Dip into them according to whim.

In Polish news, I listened to the English One Shot while following in Polish. I noted down the words and the phrases that I think I’d remember.

Today: J2 D5 F1 G1 P1  

Total: J88 D64 G26 Sp15 P14 F6

395

An email this morning caused an adrenaline rush. At least I think it was that chemical—there could have been others. But in any case, after that I was brain dead. My mind was useless. I couldn’t concentrate on my usual Japanese. It was the old ‘revert back to the reptilian brain when under stress’.

Therefore, Krashen’s Affective Filter hypothesis doesn’t really need proving. It goes without saying.

For much of my life, I’ve tended to operate in a chronically tense state. Small wonder then that I didn’t do well at languages at school.

But now I’m calm and collected.

Today: J2 D2 F1 Sp 1  

Total: J86 D59 G25 Sp15 P14 F5

394

One thing that I should have included yesterday was time. That is, how long would I do each language?

I tally language activity time in 15-minute periods, a point for each. Whether I spend 5, 10 or 15 minutes I get a point, 2 points up to the half hour, and so on. Anything over an hour counts as 5.

It’s easier to spend longer on languages I know better, but that may not be best. Let’s say 15 minutes each per day on Dutch and German, 30 minutes on Japanese, and an hour’s total on 2 or more others. 

Today: J2 D2  

Total: J84 D57 G25 P14 Sp14 F4

393

So really, if I’m going to busy for the foreseeable future, is that I need to determine which activities—one per—I’m currently doing for each language that I have going. What the activities are. Also, when each one ends (when I decide the next one). Additionally it would be a bonus to know the when-and-where that each tags to.

Japanese: collecting HP1 sentences. Morning.

Dutch: read Famous Five. Kindle, Bedtime.

German: listen while reading HP1-7. Computer.

French: Read that reader. At work.

Polish: Collect words and phrases from One Shot. Computer.

Spanish: Overlay Spanish for HP1 chapter 1. Computer.

Today: J3 D2 G1 

Total: J82 D55 G25 P14 Sp14 F4

392

In self-study class, I did my own. While the students spent an hour intensively reading 4 or 5 text-dense sentences on their own, I collected over 100 of them from my Japanese Harry Potter. I did that on the computer whilst projecting it on the screen. Then I pointed it out. Some seemed interested, some sleepy. I don’t think any of them were convinced.

From next week I’ll have more teaching. I’ll need to become better organized so as to cram in all of my interests as well as doing my job—and life—more efficiently.

But it’s all good.

Today: J4 D2 F1 

Total: J79 D53 G24 P14 Sp14 F4

391

A full day at work always poses a challenge to getting in some language time. On the other hand, it can also provide interest. 

Yesterday I had a Thai colleague ask me for advice on how to brush up her French. Later that day, I met another person from Thailand, a 17-year-old student, who mentioned that she too had studied French. Quite a coincidence.

Additionally, said student went on to explain that she enjoys studying a language “with the same book in both languages”. Heinrich’s Manoeuvre! She avoided crick in the neck by placing the books vertically instead of horizontally.

Today: J2 D2 G1 Sp1 

Total: J75 D51 G24 P14 Sp14 F3

390

One Shot is the book that I’m using for Polish. It took me some time to find in Calibre. Why? Because its author was listed as Child Lee, not Lee Child. 

With Polish I’ll spend some time picking out individual words first. Those that have a ‘recognition factor’. Then I’ll do sentences.

‘One shot’ also refers to manga—and anime—that tell a story succinctly. They are not endless serials. Luke and I had a discussion on that topic today. We share an interest. He’s read and watched dozens. He doesn’t like them dubbed. I don’t like them in English.

Today: J3 D1 P2 

Total: J73 D49 G23 P14 Sp13 F3

389

Thanks to a Spanish film festival at the library, I got in my maximum 5 points in that language. But it wasn’t particularly enjoyable. The film was a Mexican one featuring 90-year-old people. It moved slowly. For two hours. I read the subtitles in English. And I could catch the odd word (mumbled).

More enjoyable was the book I’ve just finished: Havana Bay by Martin Cruz Smith. It’s the fourth novel that features Arkady Renko. This one was set in Cuba, so it resounded with Spanish phrases.

Arkady, a Russian, knows no English, so he had to guess. Me too.

Today: Sp 5 J1 D1 G1 F1  

Total: J70 D48 G23 Sp13 P12 F3

388

Life happens, as they say. In this case a letter from my sister’s lawyer, limiting my access to my own mother. Or, to be more precise, setting conditions under which a visit from family and friends from Holland may take place.

But at least that has generated a lot of language use as regards Dutch!

What to do, though, generally, when the real world gets in the way?

Ride it out, I guess. Use language activity in a therapeutic way. If it’s been set up to be enjoyable, then that is possible. Not only possible, but essential, I would say.

Today: J1 D1  

Total: J69 D47 G22 P12 Sp8 F2

387

At a barbecue yesterday, there were people from Japan, Brazil, Holland and Myanmar, which must a be fairly rare combination of nationalities. Although less rare than it used to be.

Languages as a topic came up, of course. And I was struck by the difference not only in attitude but by the willingness of people to engage in conversation. 

The traditional approach by the Japanese—at least those who don’t ‘get’ it—is to remain silent. That may be okay as a means to demonstrate your politeness, but in terms of helping people get to know you, it’s pretty dysfunctional.

Today: J1 G1 D1  

Total: J68 D46 G22 P12 Sp8 F2

386

Is learning a language a solitary affair, or is it better when you do it with others? That’s the question that occurs to me now, after yesterday’s experience.

It’s the school holidays. I was home together with my eight-year-old daughter. As I got my Polish out, she came on over to see what I was doing. And so I invited her to join in.

Together we looked through One Shot for short Polish sentences. I’d copy it down in my exercise book on the left sheet; and Sachi would copy it in English on the right. We spent 20 minutes.

Today: J4 P2 S1 D1  

Total: J67 D45 G21 P12 Sp8 F2

385

A bicycle lock helps with learning languages. It allowed me to roam on my ebike to the op shops at the other side of town. There, I ran into Richard who alerted me about some Romanian and Chinese material. Thanks to him (and the lock) I was able to accumulate $20 of great resources on a free afternoon.

It seems that with Chinese children begin by learning their characters with some sort of alphabet used like furigana.

But with Romanian, I haven’t made a start.

Actually, I spent over an hour with Polish, copying down sentences pairs as I’d planned.  

Today: J5 P5 G3 D2  

Total: J63 D45 G21 P10 Sp7 F2

384

I’ve figured out several solutions. Henceforth, Dutch is bedtime reading, German is lunchtime reading, and Polish with consist of Lee Child’s book, One Shot. That was the best resource that I could find in over an hour’s worth of searching. Yes, I have The Little Prince too, and even Harry Potter exists in Polish (though not professionally read), but I do prefer Jack Reacher for this job.

I’ll approach Polish visually at first. I am a visual learner, as I confirmed at a staff development day where the presenter did nothing but talk. I’ll jot pairs of sentences in parallel. 

Today: P5 D2  

Total: J58 D43 G18 Sp7 P5 F2

383

I had a dream. I’d been given a Level 1 class to teach. How would I do that so as to incorporate my light, wide and shallow principles? How do you build up the basics without focusing on specifics.

Being read stories from a children’s book, of course. More or less the same way that Sachi’d learned Japanese, and to a lesser extent English—because with that she’d listened to me making stories up in the dark. 

I’ll try it out. I’ll find and create a playlist of Polish fairy tales. Hey, the kids can listen; the parents will read.

Today: D2 J1 G1 

Total: J58 D41 G18 Sp7 F2

382

Parents like to repeat stories, and my mother’s no exception. All her life she’d tell us that German and English were okay for her to learn, but not French. That it was—and would be—always beyond her.

So maybe below a certain threshold of familiarity we tend to baulk at a language. We tense up. We decide that it is simply too different. It’s beyond our imagination to imagine using it. And then, of course, we never do.

That’s the mindset that I often need to counter when I expose myself, no matter how lightly, to such a language.

Today: D5 J2 G1 Sp1 F1

Total: J57 D39 G17 Sp7 F2

381

I notice that I’m spending the most time on languages that I know best. It’s as if it’s more fun to sit down at campfires that are burning well. So what does this mean?

Perhaps I ought to do the newer languages earlier in the day. Perhaps I ought to simplify or lighten activities so that they’re as much fun to engage in. I’ll think about it.

If Heinrich Schliemann learns a language in 6 weeks, going through a book twice, then, if the book is 100,000 words long, with sentences of 15 words, then that’s 333 sentences per day!

Today: D5 J2 G1 Sp1

Total: J55 D34 G16 Sp6 F1