I’ve actually reached the time of the year where I tend to have language-learning exhaustion but I’m keeping to my schedule although I don’t always learn all the languages on the schedule on those days. Some days (or weeks) I may want to focus on some other languages more and so they are added to the daily routine while others are subtracted. But for now, here are the main languages I am learning, assigned to days of the week.
- Monday: French, Greek, Welsh, Arabic
- Tuesday: French, Greek, Welsh, Arabic
- Wednesday: French, Greek, Welsh, Arabic
- Thursday: French, Portuguese, German, Latin
- Friday: French, Portuguese, German, Latin
- Saturday: French, Italian, Scottish Gaelic, Latin
- Sunday: French, Italian, Irish Gaelic, Latin
For the past few months, I’ve been alternating between adding either Scottish or or Irish or Italian to my daily routine because weekend learning is not enough. So what happens is that there have been weeks when I’m too engrossed in either Scottish or Irish or Italian that I neglect the other languages. Hey, it happens. Also, my watching all 6 (now 7) seasons of Outlander this year means that Scottish Gaelic is lodged that much deeper into my brain.
I’ve also been watching in 20 minute increments, the opera with my weekday lunchbreaks. Mostly either in French or with French subtitles and that’s really been helping me with another aspect of language acquisition.
The other languages that are on Duolingo but which I am learning extremely casually: Japanese, Spanish, Mandarin. I don’t plan on adding anymore languages, this is enough for now. The main languages (apart from Arabic which I only picked up last year but I have had Quranic lessons so that helps with picking up Arabic), I’ve been learning for over three years so I have a degree of ease.
Pretty obvious that my main language is French — it’s the one I’ve worked the most on, over the years and the one I’m the most comfortable when it comes to reading and writing. I can’t really speak well in French, I think. That’s where it’s at. Maybe when I retire I’ll join physical classes so I can work on those aspects. Travel? I don’t see that happening, or rather — it’s hard to factor travel into the next few years while I’m still recovering from my physical disability/injury. And there are the concerns of budget and the pandemic.
There isn’t much time for reading language books or learning languages outside of Duolingo but when I do it’s for French, Italian and Irish. Because of all the Gaelic-related languages, I find Irish the toughest (ironically, people say Welsh is tough but I find it easier to pick up than Irish or Scottish).
Language Goals: What are my language learning goals? None, really. For me, the pleasure of learning and advancing in each language learning tree is enough.
Chess Notes
Not much progress, honestly. I did manage to beat one 1200 ranked chessbot minus the assists, but that was months ago. I maintain that I need to learn chess notation before I can fully understand more advanced chess strategy and that’s the thing that’s keeping me from moving forward, but I really don’t have the time for more than a couple of chess games every night. Oh well. Maybe when I retire I’ll get a chess tutor or have the braincells to pick up chess notation. A girl can dream. Listen, chess and strategy games are catnip for my brain.
Updates: Made inroads into the Bobby Fisher chess book (Bobby Fisher Teaches Chess) on Sunday. Maybe it’ll help.
Herein ends my language learning and chess notes for this half of the year. I’ll likely post an update sometime in December.