I may officially be a 'news' junky now. This week I've added Le Monde to my daily 'news' consumption. (See * below.) It's not because I love the news for its own merits. (Who could, really
( Read more... )
I believe that if I tried to live without Radio 4 I would eventually succumb to some kind of wasting illness. Irrational maybe, but why tempt fate, that's what I say.
I would like to learn some Italian this year, and so far I'm not doing particularly well. I really really want to, though! I have some 'teach yourself' CDs and books and a dictionary/grammar/vocab book, and the BBC language steps series on their website. I just need to get to the stage where French words stop popping into my head. Because I did French at school, so it's The Foreign Language as far as my brain's concerned.
I'm trying out Livemocha, which is an online interactive language site that a friend recommended on the DW version of this post, and it seems sort of useful. Enough that I have put up the dosh for a one-month trial membership.
Now I must use it every day.
I hope.
(I've just looked up what a whiskey mac is... what is ginger wine? No, really. I've no idea. Commence cultural deficit panicking! I feel as though I must be missing something v. important, so you must tell me. Also how does a whiskey mac taste?)
I'm not allowed to spend any more money before I've had a really good go with the stuff I've already bought - this is the law. But yes, I think doing *some* language stuff every day would be the best thing. NEED MOAR WILLPOWER.
Ginger wine - I don't really know - it's winey and gingery? I've never had it before. I bought it purely because, (slightly embarrassingly) Stephen Fry mentioned on Twitter that he was having one, and I thought it sounded like a nice thing to have in the winter. And then I found ginger wine in the co-op, so I bought some. A whiskey mac tastes powerful, fiery, warming and has a sting in the tale. And in the rest of it. A small amount makes one extremely jolly, I find.
Possibly we could each bolster the other's willpower through Encouragement!
Although, a whiskey mac sounds strongly encouraging on its own. I particularly like the notion that it has a 'sting in the tale'. The best tales do! (Also dragons, I've heard. And Shakespearean shrews.)
My mum (a French teacher) watches news videos on the TF1 website but I have a feeling that they may not be available unless you're either in France or have got there via a link on the BBC languages website. You could try going from there but I don't know whether it's different outside the UK. Presumably there are French internet radio stations but I'm afraid I don't know what they are.
Personally, I find that reading a foreign language, while helpful, isn't enough to prepare me for actual conversations - even just remembering the rhythms of the language is useful. On a recent trip to France it took me all week to be able to understand the radio again, although thankfully everyone I actually spoke to took pity on the poor foreigner and spoke more slowly :).
Stone's does seem to be the canonical ginger wine. It's a bit of an 'old lady' drink but it is warming on its own or with whisky (don't use the best whisky!) in winter. I find it a bit too sweet, though - I'd rather stick to the whisky.
Thanks for the TF1 suggestion. I'll have a look into that. I've been poking around the BBC languages site, too. You're right, though, that a number of things are available inside the UK only or require download of low-quality video/sound clips that are a poor substitute.
That's very, very true. And it's the actual conversations that are both crucial and frightening. The fact that I'm starting now for a summer 2013 trip shows how high my performance anxiety is about French conversation. It's been ten years and I know that it's going to be challenging.
Re. ginger wine and the whiskey mac: I'm amused to think that Stephen Fry might be sparking renewed interest in an 'old lady' drink (in a particular, fannish segment of the population). Seems right.
I'm in a similar position - my French was OK fifteen years ago but most of my vocabulary and grammar has deserted me since then. The main problem, I find, is that I still unconsciously expect to be able to hold a conversation, so instead of planning ahead and using the simplest words I can (as I would for places where I only have a tourist vocabulary) I open my mouth and am immediately paralyzed by realising that I no longer know how to conjugate a particular verb
( ... )
My must-succeed communication moment involved talking our way onto the last, late night train from Paris to Milan after our channel crossing was grossly delayed by weather and thus our arrival in Paris--transfer across Paris from station to Metro to station, etc--so that we'd long since missed the overnight train to *Florence* on which we'd booked sleeper accommodation. The conversation(s) involved the ticket window and then a succession of porters along the train, hoping one would have couchette births open for two travellers. Finally, one said (in English, iirc), 'GET ON!' And, lo, there were bunks for two of us in his car
( ... )
Comments 12
I would like to learn some Italian this year, and so far I'm not doing particularly well. I really really want to, though! I have some 'teach yourself' CDs and books and a dictionary/grammar/vocab book, and the BBC language steps series on their website. I just need to get to the stage where French words stop popping into my head. Because I did French at school, so it's The Foreign Language as far as my brain's concerned.
(This comment brought to you by a whiskey mac).
Reply
I'm trying out Livemocha, which is an online interactive language site that a friend recommended on the DW version of this post, and it seems sort of useful. Enough that I have put up the dosh for a one-month trial membership.
Now I must use it every day.
I hope.
(I've just looked up what a whiskey mac is... what is ginger wine? No, really. I've no idea. Commence cultural deficit panicking! I feel as though I must be missing something v. important, so you must tell me. Also how does a whiskey mac taste?)
Reply
Ginger wine - I don't really know - it's winey and gingery? I've never had it before. I bought it purely because, (slightly embarrassingly) Stephen Fry mentioned on Twitter that he was having one, and I thought it sounded like a nice thing to have in the winter. And then I found ginger wine in the co-op, so I bought some. A whiskey mac tastes powerful, fiery, warming and has a sting in the tale. And in the rest of it. A small amount makes one extremely jolly, I find.
Reply
Although, a whiskey mac sounds strongly encouraging on its own. I particularly like the notion that it has a 'sting in the tale'. The best tales do! (Also dragons, I've heard. And Shakespearean shrews.)
Never feel embarrassed of Stephen Fry.
A motto to live by, that.
Reply
Personally, I find that reading a foreign language, while helpful, isn't enough to prepare me for actual conversations - even just remembering the rhythms of the language is useful. On a recent trip to France it took me all week to be able to understand the radio again, although thankfully everyone I actually spoke to took pity on the poor foreigner and spoke more slowly :).
Stone's does seem to be the canonical ginger wine. It's a bit of an 'old lady' drink but it is warming on its own or with whisky (don't use the best whisky!) in winter. I find it a bit too sweet, though - I'd rather stick to the whisky.
Reply
That's very, very true. And it's the actual conversations that are both crucial and frightening. The fact that I'm starting now for a summer 2013 trip shows how high my performance anxiety is about French conversation. It's been ten years and I know that it's going to be challenging.
Re. ginger wine and the whiskey mac: I'm amused to think that Stephen Fry might be sparking renewed interest in an 'old lady' drink (in a particular, fannish segment of the population). Seems right.
Reply
Reply
Reply
Leave a comment