Big, Fun Scary Language Learners http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747 Bill Moonroe Is anyone else wanting to take on a new language over the next year? Me, I'm wanting to learn a Polynesian language. The one with the most immediate practical application is Samoan, since I've got a trip to Samoa planned for August. I've got a few books to help with that. Fri, 02 Dec 2011 08:33:01 -0600 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=1#forum_thread_comment_922238 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=1#forum_thread_comment_922238 missnicolette I might go back to trying to pick up Russian. I started to try to grasp the basics, then kind of slacked off on it after about a month. I still have grad school aspirations, and my thesis involves the Cold War, so it's kind of a prerequisite... Fri, 02 Dec 2011 09:56:41 -0600 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=1#forum_thread_comment_922564 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=1#forum_thread_comment_922564 Felluly Ahhh russian D; We're forced to learn it in school. It's pretty much the only language I *don't* want to know, but I guess it'll be useful =) But yeah, I love learning languages. I've been learning norwegian for a while and I'm planning to of course take it way seriously (big-fun-scarily) next year :D And I've been wanting to learn irish for a while. And icelandic. mmhm. should pick up polish again :D Fri, 02 Dec 2011 10:01:37 -0600 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=1#forum_thread_comment_922582 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=1#forum_thread_comment_922582 alena_royer I want to brush up on my French. I'm terribly rusty, and it's supposed to be my SECOND language (English being the third, respectively). I want to pick up Japanese and Italian, as well. I might have to start learning Russian in Fall'12, though I'm not really fond of it... Fri, 02 Dec 2011 10:01:48 -0600 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=1#forum_thread_comment_922585 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=1#forum_thread_comment_922585 Raicheal It's my goal to be able speak eight languages by the time I die XD Right now though, I'm in high school and just barely starting to learn my second, Spanish...I've got a ways to go%Pr Fri, 02 Dec 2011 11:20:46 -0600 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=1#forum_thread_comment_922935 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=1#forum_thread_comment_922935 AkiKaza I'm working through Japanese :) also picking French back up, and possibly almost Spanish. Kind of flirted with the idea of learning Chinese and Korean, but figured I wasn't interested enough to do so. Also working on my own artificial language. Taking a Linguistics major so hopefully that will help me :p Fri, 02 Dec 2011 11:32:15 -0600 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=1#forum_thread_comment_922979 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=1#forum_thread_comment_922979 Acile Learning Japanese is kind of my main focus now because I started studying it in October. ^^; But now that NaNo is over, I plan to take it more seriously and learn all the words and kanji. It's mostly about the kanji, I think, so I really want to focus on that. Also, since artificial languages were mentioned... I'd love to create one too! But for some reason I never really got into it. Hopefully I'll find time next year! Fri, 02 Dec 2011 13:21:13 -0600 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=1#forum_thread_comment_923444 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=1#forum_thread_comment_923444 Haselnuth I want to learn Spanish, just because I like diving into new languages, and because I have a friend from Guatemala. She speaks some German, so I figured itt would be nice to learn some Spanish in return. The problem: I suck at learning new languages. I learned most of my English through books and movies and TV shows and actually communicating. Back in school I wasn't that good. I had also French in school, and.. let's rather not talk about it. Two years ago I learned some Norwegian, just because, but I soon started to suck at it again. So what I have learned when it comes to languages: the usual learning experience doesn't work for me. So no evening classes for me. I guess I will have to find a way myself. Hopefully I will find a way next year =D Fri, 02 Dec 2011 14:19:11 -0600 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=1#forum_thread_comment_923710 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=1#forum_thread_comment_923710 Nayra9 I think that's the best way to learn a new language: books, movies and actual people using it! That's the way we learnt our own language... For this next year I want to improve my Chinese (I'm just getting started, actually) and keep practicing my English! If anyone wants a Spanish person to practice with, please send me a PM! Fri, 02 Dec 2011 14:45:06 -0600 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=1#forum_thread_comment_923830 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=1#forum_thread_comment_923830 oneirokinetic Hey, this is my kind of thread! I aspire to be fluent in at least two other languages than English, with a grounding in at least several more. Right now, I'm studying Spanish and Mandarin Chinese. I think I'm going to drop taking Spanish classes for the next semester and start teaching myself. In addition to Spanish and Chinese, I would also like to someday learn Russian, ASL, and Italian. Fri, 02 Dec 2011 15:32:02 -0600 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=1#forum_thread_comment_924006 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=1#forum_thread_comment_924006 Outlier- I really, really need to improve my Spanish. Been doing it for 3 years, and yet I can still only really hold a basic conversation. 0__0 Fri, 02 Dec 2011 16:11:52 -0600 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=1#forum_thread_comment_924229 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=1#forum_thread_comment_924229 oneirokinetic Hey, I'm in the same position. xD I try to improve my skills by reading things in Spanish as much as I can - changing the language on webpages and buying translated books and such. I'm still not that great, though. Fri, 02 Dec 2011 16:16:13 -0600 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=1#forum_thread_comment_924249 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=1#forum_thread_comment_924249 aliaswriter I need like an extensive refresher course haha. I officially "know" 5 languages (English, French, Mandarin, Taiwanese, Japanese), but I haven't used most of them in like 10 years that I'm starting to forget so much! It's kind of sad, knowing that all that learning is going down the drain... Fri, 02 Dec 2011 16:30:00 -0600 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=1#forum_thread_comment_924318 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=1#forum_thread_comment_924318 Lily Argetfricai I want to relearn French (as in having a way to hold an actual conversation) and learn German Fri, 02 Dec 2011 16:40:59 -0600 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=1#forum_thread_comment_924357 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=1#forum_thread_comment_924357 myviolettears Wanting to pick up learning Japanese and Italian. I learned both at school for a year but when I moved to high school they did not offer Japanese, only Italian, that is when I learned it. I only learned it for a year because I cound not afford to study it anymore. Fri, 02 Dec 2011 17:34:42 -0600 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=1#forum_thread_comment_924638 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=1#forum_thread_comment_924638 J.E.Blackworth Polish. I have told myself I have to learn some polish, just to please my Polish girlfriend. It'd be fun to be able to communicate at least a bit with her family. Fri, 02 Dec 2011 17:48:59 -0600 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=1#forum_thread_comment_924696 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=1#forum_thread_comment_924696 dutchbando My goal isn't so much language learning as much as language refresher. I speak Dutch (hence part of my username) but its been ten years since I've really used it. I'd like to brush up on my reading skills. I have a number of Dutch books in it that I'd like to read. Most notably I have a copy of 'Het Achter Huis' - considered the official manuscript of Anne Frank's diary. I've owned it for years but never read it. I'm contemplating other language learning goals, but those have to wait until I get a permanent job and money to spend on lessons. I think Gaelic would be my first choice. Fri, 02 Dec 2011 19:13:10 -0600 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=1#forum_thread_comment_925064 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=1#forum_thread_comment_925064 ChoKiba I'm not sure what language I would want to learn this time around. I have a few that I wouldn't mind working through. French, Dutch, German, among other languages. Including Irish and Scottish Gaelic and Latin. What can I say, I love languages period. Fri, 02 Dec 2011 20:14:51 -0600 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=1#forum_thread_comment_925397 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=1#forum_thread_comment_925397 Invisibro Same here with the "basics then slacking" part; I'd like to try again this year at the whole "not slacking" bit. I'm interested in the intelligence aspect of the Cold War (this year's NaNo was a somewhat historically accurate case officer/"spy" novel set in Moscow) and I'd love to be able to read what's written by the Russians about their side of the whole thing. I also would like to learn so I can read newspapers like Novaya Gazeta in the original language, because that would be kind of cool. ...Maybe if I post this here for all the other Wrimos to see I'll be more likely to do it? :D Fri, 02 Dec 2011 23:02:53 -0600 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=1#forum_thread_comment_926346 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=1#forum_thread_comment_926346 ModestTreasure252 I want to become fluent in Spanish and start learning some more Mandarin. I know some Spanish, but it's only enough to get around and get the gist of what's written on Spanish sites and newspapers. I know a few words in Mandarin, but would love to learn more. In fact, it would be really cool if I could become a Spanish voice over artist or work in a bilingual radio station :D. I'm also interested in Gaelic, but that will probably come later. Fri, 02 Dec 2011 23:14:14 -0600 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=1#forum_thread_comment_926412 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=1#forum_thread_comment_926412 reine_margaux If anyone wants a penpal to practice French with, send me a message, I'd love to chat! Sat, 03 Dec 2011 00:38:49 -0600 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=1#forum_thread_comment_926708 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=1#forum_thread_comment_926708 alena_royer Oh~, I'd love that~ Only I'm so rusty I'm not even confident I can string 3 coherent sentences together. It's been 5-... yes, 5 years, since I actively did anything in French. Wow. It feels like forever. Sending you a NaNoMail now. P.S.: I was told(by a fellow nano-er) NanoMail only works during November. I don't think that's logical or reasonable, but I've never read anywhere that it Does work year round. So, um, we shall see now? (= Sat, 03 Dec 2011 05:27:37 -0600 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=1#forum_thread_comment_927094 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=1#forum_thread_comment_927094 Chomsky-rabbit I am a native French-speaker. We easily can chat together, reine_margaux, you and me! Nanomails work all year long! Sat, 03 Dec 2011 07:10:27 -0600 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=1#forum_thread_comment_927237 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=1#forum_thread_comment_927237 reine_margaux J'allais t'avertir que moi mon français était un français québécois, mais je vois que le tiens l'est aussi, lol. The more penpals the better, this could be fun! Sat, 03 Dec 2011 22:21:16 -0600 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=1#forum_thread_comment_930309 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=1#forum_thread_comment_930309 akizakura I need to keep working on my Japanese for my license test. Beyond that, I'd like to learn another language proficiently. I took a little French and Chinese in college, but I'm also interested in Spanish, Korean, and German, so I need to pick one and pursue it instead of getting distracted. Good luck everyone! Sat, 03 Dec 2011 22:47:25 -0600 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=1#forum_thread_comment_930420 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=1#forum_thread_comment_930420 Princeshelby Greek! (hopefully). *If* I can find a book, any book, on Ancient Greek syntax, I'd learn that in a heartbeat instead of Modern, but it seems like that desire shall never be fulfilled. Sun, 04 Dec 2011 00:12:14 -0600 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=1#forum_thread_comment_930735 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=1#forum_thread_comment_930735 hknamida I probably won't take up another language, but I will try to take español and Nederlands more seriously and actually try to learn something. Sun, 04 Dec 2011 06:21:10 -0600 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=2#forum_thread_comment_931297 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=2#forum_thread_comment_931297 writer_me Another language learner here. After a rather disasterous trip to France back in September, where I was extremely grateful for the people I had travelled with when I discovered that I hadn't used my French in such a long time the only things I could remember were "Oui", "Non" and "Mercie", I've decided to get my butt in gear and relearn everything I've forgotten since I left school. I also took Spanish in school and although I don't have any trips booked to a Spanish speaking country yet I really want to go back to it and keep it up. I'm currently investigating the free courses on "LiveMocha" to assist me with my learning. Has anyone used these before? Are they any good? And does anyone have any other recommendations to any online sites like "LiveMocha" that offer the same/similar services? I'll say preferably free as anything anyone recommends here I think would be good for anyone and everyone on here to use but for myself I don't mind paying a small fee if the course is good enough to justify it. I've also looked into the "Rosetta Stone" series and, whilst they look really good, they are far too expensive for me at the moment. I'd also like to try to learn Portuguese, Italian and Polish but I'll attempt those and if I can't manage with learning five languages all at the same time I'll have to see about dropping those. (My thinking is that as Spanish, French and Italian are the core of the Latin based Romance languages they will be similar enough for me to be able to manage all three - especially as the French is basically (hopefully) just a reminder course for me and I'm hoping it will all come flooding back once I start, and the same with my Spanish - and as Spanish and Portuguese are very similar I will be able to manage that one too so the only one I'm really worried about getting the hang of is Polish). Good Luck to all of you with your language learning goals for this year :D. Sun, 04 Dec 2011 07:44:52 -0600 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=2#forum_thread_comment_931403 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=2#forum_thread_comment_931403 Fiona W Y'all are going to think I'm nuts, but I want to learn a "dead" language: <strong>Sanskrit.</strong> Why? I've always wanted to read some of the classic Hindu spiritual writings in their original language, and I adore the look and sound of Sanskrit. It's an interesting language to learn because it has a lot of rules, but once you master all the rules, you're set: there are no irregular verbs or whatever the way there are in French, for example. I must admit, though, that I have another motive as well: learning a language is like taking your brain to the gym on a regular basis. I'm 56, so it's time to work on brain fitness: I want to be just as mentally sharp in 30 years as I am now. =grin= Sun, 04 Dec 2011 13:09:35 -0600 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=2#forum_thread_comment_932253 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=2#forum_thread_comment_932253 PingXgeertje I speak Dutch, since it is my first language, and English is also no problem. Right now I'm also learning French and German (thanks to school) and Ancient Greek and Latin, although of course you don't really learn how to speak those and you only learn them from Ancient Greek/Latin -&gt; Dutch. Maybe I want to learn Italian, or Spanish, or Chinese. Nah, not really Chinese ;) Spanish or Italian, yes. Sun, 04 Dec 2011 13:32:46 -0600 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=2#forum_thread_comment_932359 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=2#forum_thread_comment_932359 oneirokinetic Wow, that's really cool! Sanskrit seems like a beautiful language from what little I know of it. Good luck! Sun, 04 Dec 2011 13:45:46 -0600 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=2#forum_thread_comment_932418 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=2#forum_thread_comment_932418 ChoKiba God I would love to learn Sanskrit! I love the older languages &lt;3 Sun, 04 Dec 2011 17:16:51 -0600 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=2#forum_thread_comment_933542 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=2#forum_thread_comment_933542 DonPasquale I can sort of get by in Arabic. But this is the year I become fluent! Sun, 04 Dec 2011 17:44:35 -0600 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=2#forum_thread_comment_933702 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=2#forum_thread_comment_933702 Comfortable Chair Last year, I made German my goal. Since things didn't work out, it's now my goal for next year. Mon, 05 Dec 2011 05:05:30 -0600 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=2#forum_thread_comment_936040 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=2#forum_thread_comment_936040 ChoKiba God I love German! I'm so rusty with it but I love it! Do you use hard ch or soft? Mon, 05 Dec 2011 07:39:16 -0600 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=2#forum_thread_comment_936264 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=2#forum_thread_comment_936264 They-call-me-crazy-I-call-them-boring I want to finish up with my Finnish and reach some degree of fluency in the next year. Mon, 05 Dec 2011 09:59:10 -0600 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=2#forum_thread_comment_936608 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=2#forum_thread_comment_936608 J-sama I decided to learn Rusian and since they are offering it for free at my vocational school. I also want to take a second try in learning Spanish. At the beginning of 2011, I spent nearly 4 month in Spain and learned nothing except ordering coffee... I also want to relearn Czech, I had four years Czech in university and should be fluent...actually I also dram of learning Arabic or Japanese... maybe next December :) By the way, for some odd reason, learning Sanskrit became a running gag in our NaNo Writing Group this year ;) Mon, 05 Dec 2011 10:33:30 -0600 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=2#forum_thread_comment_936713 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=2#forum_thread_comment_936713 opheliac I took Russian in college, and I'd really like to remember it. I feel like language is something one needs to work on on a daily basis, or it falls away. Mon, 05 Dec 2011 13:28:02 -0600 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=1#forum_thread_comment_937299 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=1#forum_thread_comment_937299 opheliac Took French in high school, Russian in college. I want to try brushing up on both of them. Mon, 05 Dec 2011 13:28:46 -0600 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=1#forum_thread_comment_937305 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=1#forum_thread_comment_937305 opheliac Same here on relearning French (and Russian). Mon, 05 Dec 2011 13:30:29 -0600 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=1#forum_thread_comment_937314 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=1#forum_thread_comment_937314 opheliac I want to relearn French and Russian (learned French in high school and Russian in college). In addition to listening to my French and Russian music, and hopefully watching more foreign movies (a few of my favorite movies ever are French (Amelie, He Loves Me, He Loves Me Not) and Russian (Night Watch, Day Watch)), I'd like to do some slightly more formal learning--like actually studying the syntax, or actively adding new vocabulary, or something like that ... I'd love to have language-learning buddies--penpals, or at least people to check in with about progress. That will, I think help to kick my butt into gear and get me to actually start working on it. If relearning two languages at once proves to be less challenging than I thought, then I'll have to study my list of languages I want to lean (AKA, all the languages in the world), and pick one or two more ... Mon, 05 Dec 2011 13:40:32 -0600 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=2#forum_thread_comment_937352 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=2#forum_thread_comment_937352 WiresInABox I'm going to pick up German again, I studied it in junior high which was 100 years ago (feels like it). I started in october by reading a German "Easy Readers" book and it was very easy for me to understand the context, I thought "Oh, I don't have to study, I already know it!"... well, then I started to identify all the grammar, syntax rules etc and I realized I don't know anything. German looks easy on the surface (my native language is Swedish) but it's not!! I have ordered a German textbook for learning now, I'm very excited! I also want to learn Japanese, becaus Japanese popular culture was one of my biggest interests a few years ago and even thou I'm not so interested in that anymore my love for the language itself remains. However I think I will have more use for German, so German it is! Mon, 05 Dec 2011 13:59:13 -0600 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=2#forum_thread_comment_937420 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=2#forum_thread_comment_937420 Victoria Nonpraeda I'm Jewish and learned the requisite Hebrew to get through my bat mitzvah, but lately I've become interested in areas of history where a knowledge of Hebrew would be helpful. I'm also thinking of a trip to Tel Aviv when I'm over in Eastern Europe next year (I actually speak Russian pretty fluently, and I'm spending some time in St. Petersburg next year. Hope I don't forget it!). Mon, 05 Dec 2011 14:11:34 -0600 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=2#forum_thread_comment_937466 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=2#forum_thread_comment_937466 80sbrokemyheart Are there any French NaNo speakers that would want to send letters back and forth to practice? I'm a native English speaker and I'd be willing to help anyone with English in exchange for French : ) Mon, 05 Dec 2011 14:31:59 -0600 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=2#forum_thread_comment_937534 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=2#forum_thread_comment_937534 Bill Moonroe The trip to Tel Aviv sounds like a big, fun scary adventure. About a year ago, I had the opportunity to hear a lecture by an archeologist who was working on uncovering a Philistine settlement in the Levant. Very interesting stuff. I think the most fascinating part was the discovery of a pot buried in the lintel to a house. Kind of makes me wonder what, or who, was in that pot. Tue, 06 Dec 2011 00:18:49 -0600 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=2#forum_thread_comment_940748 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=2#forum_thread_comment_940748 ModestTreasure252 I bought the "Spanish All-in-One For Dummies" book which supposedly blends 4 different types of "Spanish For Dummies" books into one gigantic book. I showed the book to my co-worker and she laughed b/c a few days ago she asked me how to pronounce a couple of Spanish words since I speak a little more Spanish than her. She told me that one day being a radio DJ may mean becoming bilingual. I think after Spanish I may start on Mandarin or maybe learn Cherokee. Anyone have any good resources for learning Cherokee? Tue, 06 Dec 2011 00:41:32 -0600 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=2#forum_thread_comment_940781 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=2#forum_thread_comment_940781 alicerabbits I took 3 years of French in High School. The best part is I can read, and mostly understand it. I'd like to brush up on my hearing comprehension and speaking. Tue, 06 Dec 2011 07:01:38 -0600 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=1#forum_thread_comment_941245 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=1#forum_thread_comment_941245 DarkOwl I am also going to try to learn Polish, though I don't have a Polish girlfriend. I have a book character who lives in Poland, does that count as a decent reason to learn the language? Tue, 06 Dec 2011 19:09:51 -0600 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=1#forum_thread_comment_943817 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=1#forum_thread_comment_943817 DarkOwl I'm going to be attempting to learn German and Polish in the new year. Oh, and French, but I'm taking that as a school course and therefore I need less mental butt-kicking to learn that. I'd like to learn (at some point before I die) French, German, Polish, Russian, Hebrew, Occitan, Arabic, Japanese, Gaelic, Scottish, Irish and Italian. In no particular order of seniority. I have a hunch that it will be hardest to learn Occitan, because no one seems to publish books on it, but I've also been told that Asian languages are hard for native English speakers. I was going to write my NaNo novel in French two years from now, when I'm done with the school course, but maybe I can manage to weave in some German or Polish in 2012. Tue, 06 Dec 2011 19:16:47 -0600 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=2#forum_thread_comment_943860 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=2#forum_thread_comment_943860 reine_margaux I don't need english help, but I'd definitely love some french chat! I'm a native speaker. Tue, 06 Dec 2011 22:35:02 -0600 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=2#forum_thread_comment_945087 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=2#forum_thread_comment_945087 Haselnuth Oh, Czech! Is it easy to learn? I went to CZ four times for a festival, and I didn't learn more than the most important words (like: Pivo, Ahoj, Dekuji, Prosím, Na zdraví, and thanks to the tattoo guy Vajícko) and how to talk to people without words. I should learn the language at some point. It's more exciting without understanding the people though o_O Wed, 07 Dec 2011 11:52:23 -0600 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=2#forum_thread_comment_946653 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=2#forum_thread_comment_946653 Haselnuth Swedish is like German. Or maybe more like an easier version of German grammar. I had no problems to understand the grammar as it felt like home. But I only had some Swedish, so maybe I am wrong XD Wed, 07 Dec 2011 11:53:50 -0600 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=2#forum_thread_comment_946656 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=2#forum_thread_comment_946656 kimmci Norwegian and Irish are top of my list for learning next year as well. I have to self study which makes things difficult. That's basically why I've given up in the past. Wed, 07 Dec 2011 13:27:49 -0600 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=1#forum_thread_comment_946985 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=1#forum_thread_comment_946985 Johanna L Sillä lailla! Jos haluat harjoitella kaverin kanssa tai tarvitset muuten apua suomen kanssa, kirjoita minulle. Wed, 07 Dec 2011 13:34:06 -0600 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=2#forum_thread_comment_947012 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=2#forum_thread_comment_947012 ChoKiba Since so many of us want to learn languages and some similar languages of course, would anyone be interested in both a facebook and chat group? Wed, 07 Dec 2011 13:45:26 -0600 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=2#forum_thread_comment_947055 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=2#forum_thread_comment_947055 sarahsomebody Well, I've got Latin, ancient Greek, French, and German (ish) down, I'd like to finish up Spanish, too. But I'd really like to finish with Hittite, Egyptian, and Akkadian, and maybe also Old Irish, Italian, Old English, Hebrew, and Welsh! I won't have time to do all of that, of course, but realistically, I'd like to get Hittite and Egyptian and Akkadian, since I've already dabbled and started on each of those. And then I'd like to see if I can talk one of my professors into an Old Irish independent study! Oh, and Sanskrit!!!! How could I almost forget! If everything goes as planned, I'll be taking a Sanskrit course starting next year! (I'm currently working on getting my PhD in Classical Linguistics, so I'm not super crazy, maybe, I promise.) Wed, 07 Dec 2011 22:25:32 -0600 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=2#forum_thread_comment_949704 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=2#forum_thread_comment_949704 sarahsomebody What sort of Ancient Greek syntax book are we talking about? Like an actually grammar or do you mean just a textbook? If the latter, then I would recommend Crosby and Schafer, since that's what I used to learn it on my own. Took a month and then I was reading Socrates! Athenaze is awful, I'd say, and Hanson and Quinn is super technical. Crosby and Schafer is fairly cheap too, like 25-30 dollars I think. Wed, 07 Dec 2011 22:29:00 -0600 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=1#forum_thread_comment_949728 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=1#forum_thread_comment_949728 premiumcider I will begin to study Finnish next year at a University. Yaaaaay! Thu, 08 Dec 2011 07:43:15 -0600 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=2#forum_thread_comment_950668 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=2#forum_thread_comment_950668 DarkOwl I'd have to get my dad to agree to let me get a Facebook account first =p But otherwise I'm all for the idea. It sounds like fun, actually. Thu, 08 Dec 2011 08:46:27 -0600 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=2#forum_thread_comment_950779 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=2#forum_thread_comment_950779 lifegoeson I love learning languages :* I'm looking to become fluent in Spanish in the next year, and learn some German. Maybe some French as well, as I only really know the basics in both languages. I'm looking forward to it! Thu, 08 Dec 2011 09:58:05 -0600 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=2#forum_thread_comment_950931 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=2#forum_thread_comment_950931 selinedun9 Eesh! I've got English, first language, a smattering of Greek and Latin from my elementary school years, conversational ASL, and....Spanish! I want to become fluent in that. Almost done with Spanish 2 in college. I love languages......this thread has given me a lot of motivation! Go everyone! :) Thu, 08 Dec 2011 10:43:53 -0600 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=2#forum_thread_comment_951091 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=2#forum_thread_comment_951091 AgentORC Currently majoring in Spanish, but this summer I want to study Japanese and Urdu. (And maybe try studying Klingon again...lol) There's soooooo many others I want to learn eventually, though. Thu, 08 Dec 2011 11:40:20 -0600 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=2#forum_thread_comment_951263 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=2#forum_thread_comment_951263 Faeiri I'm in Spanish for school, but I'd like to keep up with Latin more. Had three years of it and I can still do most of the grammar. It could be a lot better, though. Thu, 08 Dec 2011 11:44:29 -0600 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=3#forum_thread_comment_951287 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=3#forum_thread_comment_951287 ChoKiba <a href="http://tinychat.com/1pugb" rel="nofollow">Here</a> I made a chat room for us if anyone should like to join! Thu, 08 Dec 2011 11:51:51 -0600 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=3#forum_thread_comment_951327 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=3#forum_thread_comment_951327 Apiecalypse I'm going to be learning Latin :) It's so useful and fun as an aspiring author, since I get so much darn English vocab as derivatives. Thu, 08 Dec 2011 18:34:19 -0600 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=3#forum_thread_comment_953049 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=3#forum_thread_comment_953049 Outasync I'm looking to improve my BSL, and I'd like to learn ASL, too. I need to buckle down to my Welsh, as I've been meaning to get around to it for years but always lose my momentum early. I'm also interested in French, German, Czech and Japanese. A working knowledge of Greek and Latin would be good, but I'm trying to be realistic here. Fri, 09 Dec 2011 03:33:54 -0600 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=3#forum_thread_comment_954777 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=3#forum_thread_comment_954777 Mariana OConnor My brother's getting married in France. There are going to be lots of french people there, I haven't done French since I was 14. This is an issue. I need to learn. :( Fri, 09 Dec 2011 03:48:28 -0600 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=3#forum_thread_comment_954784 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=3#forum_thread_comment_954784 MissAngelAdorer I want to learn Italian, so I asked for Rosetta Stone for Christmas. Let's hope I get it. That language would be awesome to learn, and it would be cool to be fluent in something other than American English for once. Fri, 09 Dec 2011 08:46:56 -0600 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=3#forum_thread_comment_955108 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=3#forum_thread_comment_955108 Silver Fallen LiveMocha is actually a great website to use and learn langauges. It's free and you can communicate with other people who are learning or are native speakers. So you could definetly use that. I don't really think you can master a language using it, but you can learn a lot. Sat, 10 Dec 2011 21:00:17 -0600 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=2#forum_thread_comment_960742 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=2#forum_thread_comment_960742 Red Queen I never realized so many people actually *want* to learn German; I always assumed everyone outside the German speaking countries thought of it as too complicated and generally weird^^ Though I have to admit, German grammar could lose a considerable amount of stupid rules and restrictions... I started learning Finnish last summer, and I plan on improving my skills at least a little, so I can get by without using hands, feet and English to communicate. Also, I intend on polishing my French a bit. I know half a dozen swear words, but I have no idea how to ask for directions anymore; I consider this a serious flaw in my education ô.O And by autumn, I'll have my degree in Creative Writing and settle for another Bachelor's degree: Scandinavian studies with a minor in Finnish Studies. This requires me to learn two of the Scandinavian languages and two Finno-Ugric ones. So lots of language fun for me in 2012 :) Sun, 11 Dec 2011 08:16:15 -0600 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=3#forum_thread_comment_962019 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=3#forum_thread_comment_962019 .izzy21. Um, well, I've been taking Italian since the beginning of the school year, and I plan on continuing it and learning more. Sun, 11 Dec 2011 19:26:19 -0600 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=3#forum_thread_comment_963621 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=3#forum_thread_comment_963621 twaltzing Looks like I'll have to offer a NaNoWriMo winners' discount for Mandarin lessons...http://www.AlbanyLanguageLearning.com/training/chinese-classes :-) Sun, 11 Dec 2011 19:41:47 -0600 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=3#forum_thread_comment_963675 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=3#forum_thread_comment_963675 ModestTreasure252 If you get it, let me know how well it works. I've been thinking about getting the Rosetta Stone for Spanish, but I'm torn b/c of the mixed reviews and the price. Sun, 11 Dec 2011 19:50:42 -0600 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=3#forum_thread_comment_963697 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=3#forum_thread_comment_963697 Olivia44 I'll start my first try to learn French after my teachers having failed to teach it to me in six years at school. ;) However, I'm moving to Luxemburg where my parents live and official language there is French. Mon, 12 Dec 2011 10:00:34 -0600 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=3#forum_thread_comment_965505 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=3#forum_thread_comment_965505 akizakura I'd also be interested in some kind of group language exchange/accountability thing. Mon, 12 Dec 2011 19:36:03 -0600 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=2#forum_thread_comment_967652 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=2#forum_thread_comment_967652 PlasticSmoothie Sorry to say, but I would NOT recommend Rosetta Stone. The concept sounds nice, but it doesn't work in reality. For it to work, you would need to use it many, many, many hours a day and have a very good feel for grammar. Tue, 13 Dec 2011 09:35:47 -0600 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=3#forum_thread_comment_969103 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=3#forum_thread_comment_969103 PlasticSmoothie Well, not new languages, buuut.... I'm hoping to improve my French by A LOT. In the middle of 2012, I'm going to have an exam in that. And as of right now, I don't feel fit to take that exam AT ALL. I've also been wanting to pick up Japanese again. I've found that I need it quite a lot lately. I haven't used it in so long that I've forgotten so many words and kanji... And that annoys me. :/ Tue, 13 Dec 2011 09:36:33 -0600 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=3#forum_thread_comment_969106 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=3#forum_thread_comment_969106 IrishMouse My goal is to learn Irish in 2012. It's such a beautiful language and one I've wanted to learn for years. Tue, 13 Dec 2011 13:59:47 -0600 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=3#forum_thread_comment_969749 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=3#forum_thread_comment_969749 BriiMarie I am planning on working on Spanish and Italian in 2012 (and technically for the rest of my high school years). I was supposed to have learned the equivalent of two years of high school spanish in middle school but I went a year without really practicing it, then learned that my 8th grade class only completed half of the chapters in the year 2 Glencoe Spanish textbook we used. Right now I am working through the rest of the chapters in that book, then plan on taking the two Intermediate Spanish classes on busuu.com. From there, I am uncertain where I will go. I read an article somewhere online that if you practiced/studied a language for an hour a day, seven days a week, you would be on an intermediate level after one year. Of course, I know I do not have the discipline for that. I am struggling to stick to a half hour a day for Spanish and fifteen minutes a day for Italian. Once I gain a reasonable fluency in Spanish and Italian, I might try and learn ASL and Conversational Japanese (so I can watch my favorite animes in the original language). Tue, 13 Dec 2011 19:34:52 -0600 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=3#forum_thread_comment_970864 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=3#forum_thread_comment_970864 Dennis Jernberg That's it. I'm going to have to hunker down and finally become fluent in French once and for all. I've dabbled in the language since I got my Living Language record set back when I was 10 (yes, LPs; I'm that old). I can half read it. Now I want to be able to hold a conversation in it. I may start relearning German as well (I took it in high school). But right now my first priority is French. And I'm going to start as soon as I get offline tonight. Wed, 14 Dec 2011 02:35:44 -0600 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=3#forum_thread_comment_971851 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=3#forum_thread_comment_971851 Tesla.Ana I used to take Spanish class, but I have always wanted to learn German, so I dropped Spanish (it was only for high school elective credit). I have been learning Russian and Persian for a while, but I think I may quit Persian for Mandarin. I'm a dabbler, so I like to learn about the other languages before I take intensive study. I have gathered so many bookmarks for language resources, I think I'm becoming a hoarder. If anyone wants, I can send you the links to them. I have Japanese, Chinese, French, Persian, Russian, Latin, and Anglo-Saxon. They are mainly from colleges and stuff with useful lessons, cultural notes, and things (since I prefer websites where I don' t have to sign up or subscribe to). Wed, 14 Dec 2011 15:24:33 -0600 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=3#forum_thread_comment_973030 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=3#forum_thread_comment_973030 S22K German and Spanish. Spanish has been my goal for years, I can say a few things and read a few things but am not fluent yet. BIG GOAL. :) Thu, 15 Dec 2011 16:15:50 -0600 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=3#forum_thread_comment_975826 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=3#forum_thread_comment_975826 Princeshelby Thanks, I'll definitely look into that! Sun, 18 Dec 2011 15:49:39 -0600 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=1#forum_thread_comment_982572 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=1#forum_thread_comment_982572 Tigers Eyes well... French, german Spanish and some latin... Might end up just picking one later though. (through school) Mon, 19 Dec 2011 08:16:17 -0600 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=3#forum_thread_comment_984467 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=3#forum_thread_comment_984467 S22K Finnish? Really interesting!! How did you go about doing it? I love languages and Finnish is on the list mostly because I like a challenge :) Mon, 19 Dec 2011 13:02:05 -0600 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=3#forum_thread_comment_985039 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=3#forum_thread_comment_985039 Skarlette.Knox I want to speak at <em>least</em> 5 languages before I die, but my list is up to 9. ^_^ - Italian - French - Greek &lt;3 - Latin &lt;333 - Spanish (I have a friend who took Archaic Spanish *love*) - Romanian - Hebrew - Some sort of Asian language (Japanese, Chinese, etc.) - ...Maybe German? ...yeah, so I'm taking this one step at a time and am focusing on <strong>Italian</strong> this upcoming year. =D <strong>Io capisco un po' l'italiano, ma non molto bene. E parlo un po', anche.</strong> ^_^ Mon, 19 Dec 2011 15:49:02 -0600 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=3#forum_thread_comment_985402 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=3#forum_thread_comment_985402 Kiwi-kauri-kid I'm taking Japanese for school this year, but I'm also quite interested in Spanish, which I'm thinking I'll probably take up once I think I've got the basics of Japanese Mon, 19 Dec 2011 16:51:19 -0600 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=3#forum_thread_comment_985566 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=3#forum_thread_comment_985566 Princess Binky Lemontwist Learning AMerican SIgn Language!!! Thu, 22 Dec 2011 10:45:57 -0600 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=3#forum_thread_comment_993635 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=3#forum_thread_comment_993635 Princess Binky Lemontwist You speak a little Italian and a little Anche? WHAT IN THE WORLD IS ANCHE???? Thu, 22 Dec 2011 10:46:57 -0600 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=3#forum_thread_comment_993637 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=3#forum_thread_comment_993637 Bill Moonroe So... self-taught lingsters... what's your favorite route? Recordings? Flash cards? Youtube videos? Neural surgery? I'm learning Samoan primarily to be able to speak it. I'm not sure how much written Samoan literature there is, though hopefully I'll be pleasantly surprised. I've got a Samoan language course book, I've downloaded the audio portion into my iPod, and will be making flash cards as I go along. Once I've got a good grounding in Samoan, it makes sense to branch out into other Polynesian languages. Hawaiian, for sure, then probably Maori or Tahitian. Thu, 22 Dec 2011 11:50:02 -0600 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=4#forum_thread_comment_993788 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=4#forum_thread_comment_993788 Tarun Hazarika I actually want to learn Gujarati. I happen to be Gujarati and live in a family that speaks it. I can understand it fully but when I try speaking it well... I sound awful. Not to mention I can"t read or write it. I feel like I've spent too many years without knowing my family's tongue! I have a stack of language coursebooks that my grandfather gave me over the years. Now if only I could practice writing on the bus without people gawking at me... Thu, 22 Dec 2011 19:46:11 -0600 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=4#forum_thread_comment_994940 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=4#forum_thread_comment_994940 BriiMarie Well, I am personally a visual/auditory learner (primarily visual) so I like to use Youtube videos and a text or online course so I can see my steadily progression through something. I like to hear the audio version of the word first, because I have a bad habit of pronouncing a word just by reading and it takes quite a bit of time for me to undo my mispronounciation (happened to me when I was younger and reading higher level words that didn't come up often in conversational English). Sun, 25 Dec 2011 14:38:27 -0600 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=4#forum_thread_comment_1000047 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=4#forum_thread_comment_1000047 Skarlette.Knox Haha, my grammar was probably way off, but I said, "<em><strong>I understand a little Italian. And I speak a little, too.</strong></em>" <em><strong>"anche"</strong></em> is <em>l'italiano</em> for "too". ^_^ Mon, 26 Dec 2011 02:29:40 -0600 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=3#forum_thread_comment_1001113 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=3#forum_thread_comment_1001113 Mystic Dodo I'm going to study harder at learning Japanese Mon, 26 Dec 2011 03:41:37 -0600 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=4#forum_thread_comment_1001145 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=4#forum_thread_comment_1001145 paythepiper I'm going to brush up on my spanish and try learning some gaelic as well :) Wed, 28 Dec 2011 12:44:47 -0600 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=4#forum_thread_comment_1006591 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=4#forum_thread_comment_1006591 ChristieM Studying Spanish in high school... And I am in the process of starting to learn Elvish (yes, Tolkien's Elvish- Quenyan, if you are interested). I think languages are very interesting and I want to be multilingual. Eventually ;) Thu, 29 Dec 2011 18:06:58 -0600 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=4#forum_thread_comment_1009638 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=4#forum_thread_comment_1009638 MissAngelAdorer Well, I got it, and like it. It works okay, but I wish they would translate some more and not leave so much up to you to figure out. I only recommend it if that`s what you want. (Sorry for grammar. Am on mobile device.) Sat, 31 Dec 2011 14:46:10 -0600 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=3#forum_thread_comment_1014810 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=3#forum_thread_comment_1014810 artofcheatery I really should start trying to learn Spanish. Not for fun, just cause I need to know it. I live in L.A. -X Sat, 31 Dec 2011 21:21:36 -0600 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=4#forum_thread_comment_1016323 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=4#forum_thread_comment_1016323 Nikko-chan I am going to study American Sign Language this coming semester at school. Finally! So beyond happy! Sat, 31 Dec 2011 22:36:30 -0600 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=4#forum_thread_comment_1016727 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=4#forum_thread_comment_1016727 Zookeeper When I lived in Chicago, I studied Irish for a couple of classes. I didn't keep up, mainly because there's no one to converse with. It's easy to lose a language when you're not talking/thinking in it. I've also studied Old and Middle English and Japanese. This year, I'm thinking of studying Spanish. I have a book on it. I'm surrounded by Spanish nearly every day. And my Nano 2011 protagonist is named Annabel Ochoa. Sat, 31 Dec 2011 23:01:47 -0600 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1016858 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1016858 Zookeeper I think so. Even though I'm not that good at foreign languages, every Nano I seem to have a character who's something other than American, or who was raised in a different culture. In 2011, my protag was Hispanic. In 2010, my time traveling character was a Norwegian who'd moved to Greenland and then time traveled to Victorian England. She spoke Danish and Norwegian. Another character was from Ireland. In Nanos before then, even though my urban fantasy series was set in Denver, my 1000-year-old wizard grew up speaking Old English. It would really be easier for me and make more sense if all of my characters were Caucasians from middle America, but it just doesn't seem to work out that way. Sat, 31 Dec 2011 23:10:06 -0600 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1016892 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1016892 Zookeeper I don't think you're nuts. I've studied Old and Middle English, and I'd love to learn Old Gaelic or Old Icelandic or even just Latin. I would love to be a polyglot, but I'm not sure I have it in me. I've heard that it's a lot harder learning a language when you're older (and I've got you beat by two years), so I guess we'll see. Sat, 31 Dec 2011 23:14:54 -0600 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=2#forum_thread_comment_1016908 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=2#forum_thread_comment_1016908 Zookeeper I <em>almost</em> became fluent in Cherokee when I was younger. My grandfather was a native speaker, and even though no one understood him, he continued to speak Cherokee to his dying day. Not exclusively, of course. For the most part he spoke English, but he was teaching Cherokee to my brother and me, kind of casually, like he'd point to something and then tell us the Cherokee word for it. But my mother was very adamantly English only and didn't want us to learn our ancestral language, so she put a stop to it. I've forgotten what little Cherokee I learned. In later years, though, she changed her mind and began researching genealogy and Cherokee culture. She found out that we're distantly related to Chief John Ross. She passed a couple of years ago, though, so unfortunately I don't know of any Cherokee resources off hand. Sat, 31 Dec 2011 23:21:56 -0600 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=2#forum_thread_comment_1016932 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=2#forum_thread_comment_1016932 Zookeeper I've always wanted to learn Tolkien's languages. I'm fascinated by created languages and would like to create my own, but I have no idea how. I'll probably try Spanish this year. Previously I've studied Japanese, Irish, Old and Middle English, and I once knew about a dozen words of Cherokee that I learned from my Cherokee grandfather. I've heard that it's much harder to learn a foreign language when you're older, that younger people learn languages much more readily. True? Sat, 31 Dec 2011 23:30:49 -0600 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=4#forum_thread_comment_1016969 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=4#forum_thread_comment_1016969 Septimus Pfluger Continuing with Latin in school, learning Africaans on my own, and I want to learn German some time in the future. Also think Spanish would be useful, and interested in Welsh, Finnish, and, of course, Anglo-Saxon. Sun, 01 Jan 2012 10:24:57 -0600 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=4#forum_thread_comment_1017779 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=4#forum_thread_comment_1017779 laura-elizabeth I'm learning Hawaiian and French in 2012 and I might pick up some Russian as well. Sun, 01 Jan 2012 12:31:40 -0600 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=4#forum_thread_comment_1017946 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=4#forum_thread_comment_1017946 Aranel du Lac There are several languages that I want to study and learn, however, I am really drawn to Russian. Does anyone else speak it here??? It would be neat to practice my meager vocab and learn some new stuff. Wed, 04 Jan 2012 18:57:00 -0600 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=4#forum_thread_comment_1030878 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=4#forum_thread_comment_1030878 mssboy2000 Persian is hard and sweet http://silverlifegroup.com http://silverlifegroup.com/Productview.aspx?id=1 http://silverlifegroup.com/Productview.aspx?id=3 http://silverlifegroup.com/Productview.aspx?id=11 http://silverlifegroup.com/links.aspx Thu, 05 Jan 2012 09:31:43 -0600 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=4#forum_thread_comment_1032890 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=4#forum_thread_comment_1032890 silvertouch My first language is English and I'm fairly fluent in Latin (I mean, when it gets to the point where you accidentally type in it instead of English...) but I really want to learn Italian and French. I'm probably going to begin Italian this year. God only knows how long that will take but I love the language so much that I probably won't care. Sat, 07 Jan 2012 19:05:30 -0600 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=4#forum_thread_comment_1039967 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=4#forum_thread_comment_1039967 Lilia Sparks Yes it is partially true. I have no clue why, but in the first period after birth, children can potentially make any sound in any language. After they are exposed to certain ones, those sounds stick and others fade. It's a whole lot easier to memorize anything when you're a child. Yea, I really don't know much... Sun, 08 Jan 2012 16:42:07 -0600 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=4#forum_thread_comment_1041972 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=4#forum_thread_comment_1041972 Lilia Sparks I'm thinking of either Italian or French. Which one is easier? Sun, 08 Jan 2012 16:43:11 -0600 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=4#forum_thread_comment_1041977 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=4#forum_thread_comment_1041977 Zookeeper You guys have inspired me. I put my <em>Idiot's Guide to Spanish</em> on my pile of books, so I'll be working on it. Tue, 10 Jan 2012 17:45:28 -0600 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=4#forum_thread_comment_1048096 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=4#forum_thread_comment_1048096 Horselover150 I am pretty crazy. I am trying to continue my Japanese study, and begin learning Spanish, Italian, and Chinese. XD Thu, 12 Jan 2012 04:41:04 -0600 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=4#forum_thread_comment_1052490 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=4#forum_thread_comment_1052490 Prudence Fang I'm trying to learn Swedish, Finnish and/or Norwegian for a big trip planned to Scandinavia. I've been saving and planning for years, now it's time to get the languages down for next year. Just one more year to go! Thu, 12 Jan 2012 10:26:22 -0600 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=4#forum_thread_comment_1052959 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=4#forum_thread_comment_1052959 Zookeeper I started on my Spanish book, and I've now added two more Spanish phrases to my vocabulary. Thu, 12 Jan 2012 17:13:26 -0600 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=4#forum_thread_comment_1053700 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=4#forum_thread_comment_1053700 rachelthorn I want to relearn Spanish (conversational)... I can read and write some but holding a conversation is impossible. I am currently learning Korean and Japanese but I have been focusing more on Korean and have put Japanese on the back burner. Thu, 12 Jan 2012 22:42:28 -0600 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=4#forum_thread_comment_1054985 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=4#forum_thread_comment_1054985 MissAngelAdorer How's everyone's language learning going? So far I've had fun learning how to say "hello" and "good-bye" in Italian, as well as count from zero to twelve. Any new phrases stand out? Fri, 13 Jan 2012 12:16:18 -0600 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=4#forum_thread_comment_1056349 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=4#forum_thread_comment_1056349 nevva I'm currently taking Spanish in school and am pretty far along with that, but on my own I'm focusing on Welsh (found a nice website with educational podcasts by native speakers) and ASL, which my deaf friend is teaching me... while she laughs at my awful signing. ^^; For anyone who's learning a language and has no native speakers to listen to, I've found listening to music in that language really enjoyable and helpful, especially if the lyrics are translated somewhere. Sat, 14 Jan 2012 15:09:40 -0600 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=5#forum_thread_comment_1059813 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=5#forum_thread_comment_1059813 aliaswriter They are both Romance languages, so they will be similar. Sat, 14 Jan 2012 16:51:43 -0600 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=4#forum_thread_comment_1060048 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=4#forum_thread_comment_1060048 JesusLover This year, I'd like to learn more Japanese and Sign Language. Those are two languages that I find very interesting. ^_^ Sat, 14 Jan 2012 18:20:33 -0600 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=5#forum_thread_comment_1060309 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=5#forum_thread_comment_1060309 rachelthorn Music is a great way of learning more of a language. That is how I started learning Korean and Japanese. Sat, 14 Jan 2012 22:50:22 -0600 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=5#forum_thread_comment_1061028 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=5#forum_thread_comment_1061028 Bill Moonroe Malo, MissAngelAdorer. Ioe, I've picked up a few words of gagana Samoa. Manaia le aso, which means, "Have a nice day". Sat, 14 Jan 2012 23:02:15 -0600 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=4#forum_thread_comment_1061074 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=4#forum_thread_comment_1061074 LadyLinguistic I have taken both French and Spanish in school but my ultimate goal is to learn Swahili. It really isn't spoken around here and it hasn't been mentioned so it is safe to assume it is not a 'popular' language but I am determined to figure it out somehow. I may try livemocha like someone suggested earlier. I do want to try to continue learning Spanish because I suspect it will be useful. Sat, 14 Jan 2012 23:21:23 -0600 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=5#forum_thread_comment_1061149 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=5#forum_thread_comment_1061149 Iago Grey I'm currently dabbling in Irish. The prospects aren't looking good. I chose an awful time to start learning, in the middle of GCSEs. I also live nowhere near Ireland and know precisely nil Irish speakers. Also, I'm more of a dabbler than a steady learner. I'll hop around from language to language, pick up a few words and phrases, and then move on. Let's see how long I can keep going with this one. Mon, 16 Jan 2012 11:36:10 -0600 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=5#forum_thread_comment_1064598 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=5#forum_thread_comment_1064598 Victoria Nonpraeda Update: I've begun to read Hebrew a bit more; my temple actually offers a class in modern Hebrew for a small fee, so I've been doing that. I've also become mildly obsessed with the history of Korea (my grandfather fought at Pusan) and have started learning Hangeul (the Korean alphabet). It's fun so far! Mon, 16 Jan 2012 18:26:39 -0600 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=5#forum_thread_comment_1065673 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=5#forum_thread_comment_1065673 Zookeeper I've thought about trying to learn Yiddish. When I lived in Chicago, it was in a heavily Jewish neighborhood, and I absorbed some of the Yiddish I heard. I joke that I remember enough to insult my exhusband. ;-) People used to ask me all the time if I was Jewish. I'm not. I'm Irish. And that used to really puzzle me until I realized that I also absorbed the accent I heard in my old neighborhood. Wed, 18 Jan 2012 10:37:38 -0600 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=5#forum_thread_comment_1070622 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=5#forum_thread_comment_1070622 MissAngelAdorer Sounds interesting, but hard to pronounce. Wed, 18 Jan 2012 13:44:51 -0600 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=4#forum_thread_comment_1070914 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=4#forum_thread_comment_1070914 AgentReyes My goal is to be fluent in French by the end of the year, and to start working on/familiarizing myself with a few others. Hopefully this will go well :) Wed, 18 Jan 2012 21:48:32 -0600 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=5#forum_thread_comment_1072553 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=5#forum_thread_comment_1072553 Riwanon My goal is to be able to understand both German and Swedish by June. German is more or less manageable since I've been studying it for four years, but I'm just starting learning Swedish. Thu, 19 Jan 2012 04:22:27 -0600 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=5#forum_thread_comment_1073188 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=5#forum_thread_comment_1073188 Elinde I've been learning French for 6&amp;1/2 years and will be finishing my A level in it in May/June so I hope to keep up a fairly good level of proficiency in it through uni, though I'll be actively learning pretty languages like Welsh (especially if I go to my back up uni which is in NW Wales), Sindarin (which is based on Welsh though sufficiently different to make me go huh?) and maybe even Romanian. Tue, 24 Jan 2012 14:58:37 -0600 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=5#forum_thread_comment_1088267 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=5#forum_thread_comment_1088267 Zookeeper Learning a new language is HARD! Especially when you're doing it on your own. I'm progressing very slowly with my Spanish, and I've maybe a dozen phrases memorized. "Donde esta el banyo," I think is the most important of them so far. That and "Habla ustedt englais?" I think I spelled that right. Mon, 30 Jan 2012 12:05:59 -0600 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=5#forum_thread_comment_1102490 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=5#forum_thread_comment_1102490 premiumcider So my language course started last week and it's a distance course and so far it's been REALLY scary because my cheap headset isn't very good so I can barely hear the teacher! Is it because I bought the cheapest headset? Weird thing is that I can hear some of the students fine, it varies a lot! Is it the fact that I have Vista? I have the volume turned up to the max, obviously. If anybody has had a similar experience I'd love to hear how you solved it. Is it me? Is it them? I think I'm being heard just fine, 'though. Wed, 01 Feb 2012 12:52:39 -0600 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=5#forum_thread_comment_1107659 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=5#forum_thread_comment_1107659 premiumcider I'm such an idiot. There's a volume adjuster on the actual headset. Well done me, as usual. Wed, 01 Feb 2012 14:12:28 -0600 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=5#forum_thread_comment_1107742 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=5#forum_thread_comment_1107742 Generalist I'm trying to improve my knowledge of JavaScript, Java, XML, HTML5, PHP, MySQL, CSS and other web based 'languages'. Does that count? I know that ForTran counted as a 'foreign' language back when I got my bachelor's degree in the 1970s. Wed, 15 Feb 2012 12:02:28 -0600 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=5#forum_thread_comment_1141684 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=5#forum_thread_comment_1141684 Dragon Gal Ah, this thread has reminded me that I still want to learn Italian (probably by teaching myself- and hopefully not giving up!) I have a couple phrases memorised, like "come stai?" how are you? "Ciao amico!" Hello friend! and the three forms of greeting, but I would love love LOVE to learn more! I must get back into researching... and I'm super-lucky in that one of the women on my street speaks Italian. Now, if I could just get over my shyness issues, I could be able to practise on her... Thu, 01 Mar 2012 02:01:24 -0600 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=5#forum_thread_comment_1181510 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=5#forum_thread_comment_1181510 MissAngelAdorer Cool, someone else studying Italian. You are lucky to know someone who speaks it. If you happen to get some help from her, mind helping me out? Thu, 01 Mar 2012 09:56:39 -0600 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=5#forum_thread_comment_1182124 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=5#forum_thread_comment_1182124 Wonder Writer Techinically not a whole new language perhaps, but I want to learn more British English terminology. :) Thu, 01 Mar 2012 16:41:30 -0600 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=5#forum_thread_comment_1183248 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=5#forum_thread_comment_1183248 Bill Moonroe Oh, man, I really need to get cracking on Samoan. My trip's in August, and, well... I know where my language book is, so I guess that's a start. Fri, 02 Mar 2012 10:41:31 -0600 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=5#forum_thread_comment_1184819 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=5#forum_thread_comment_1184819 Dragon Gal Hey, we can help each other! I'm a beginner, and I take it you are too, so let's try and work on it together! Sat, 03 Mar 2012 01:53:18 -0600 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=5#forum_thread_comment_1186171 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=5#forum_thread_comment_1186171 lilyv I've decided to do this thing where every year I choose a language to learn as much as I can before the end of the year when I have to choose a new one. For this first year, I chose Italian. It's sort of easy, since I speak Spanish fluently, but I always confuse both languages and the pronunciations in Italian are a little different. But it's going alright. I'm slacking, but still moving along. I'm already trying to decide what language I want to try next ;) Sat, 03 Mar 2012 20:41:48 -0600 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=5#forum_thread_comment_1187747 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=5#forum_thread_comment_1187747 Zookeeper I'd be happy to learn one other language. I'm still plodding along memorizing phrases in Spanish. Trying to, anyway. Sat, 03 Mar 2012 20:50:22 -0600 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=5#forum_thread_comment_1187772 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=5#forum_thread_comment_1187772 MissAngelAdorer Sounds good to me. Sun, 04 Mar 2012 14:14:31 -0600 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=5#forum_thread_comment_1189396 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=5#forum_thread_comment_1189396 RJA I've been wanting to learn a new language for years now, but I'm determent to finally start with learning one in 2012 -was one of my WriYe 2011 goals, but failed- I've been wanting to learn Spanish for years and I'm kind of obsessed with Welsh, but I'll probably start learning Norwegian first -yeah, really different languages haha-. But since I want to study in Norway next year, it's most logical to start with learning Norwegian and well, I really like Scandinavia, so it's okay ^_^ And after spending a couple of months there I might be getting quite fluent in it, I hope. So far German is suposed to be my second language after Dutch, but it's gotten quite rusty, since I haven't been in Germany for about five years and I'm quite fluent in English. Think it has grown to be better than my German. Have studied French for about three years in high school, but I've never got the hang of that ;) But if I can help anyone whose trying to learn Dutch, feel free to sent my a private mail. Sun, 04 Mar 2012 20:37:35 -0600 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=5#forum_thread_comment_1190289 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=5#forum_thread_comment_1190289 Lolowriter Im learning spanish. Hola.Me llamo Jodie. Sun, 18 Mar 2012 12:00:20 -0500 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=5#forum_thread_comment_1220565 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=5#forum_thread_comment_1220565 Nikko-chan I know over 300 words now :) Yay. By the time I am done with ASL one I will have basic ASL skills. Thu, 22 Mar 2012 22:40:47 -0500 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=5#forum_thread_comment_1231998 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=5#forum_thread_comment_1231998 Zookeeper I keep going over the same phrases in my Spanish book over and over. I know quite a few phrases, but I don't know how far that will go in actually speaking the language. Maybe it's time to watch some Spanish movies on Netflix. Thu, 22 Mar 2012 23:57:29 -0500 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=6#forum_thread_comment_1232087 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=6#forum_thread_comment_1232087 roruna just signed up on busuu.com to refresh myself on French (took in high school, don't remember much) and learn German. Fri, 06 Apr 2012 16:11:28 -0500 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=6#forum_thread_comment_1268515 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=6#forum_thread_comment_1268515 KonataIzumi1 Japanese and French are the main ones I want to learn. I know a bit of Spanish, and I really want to pick up a bit of German here and there. (BTT anyone?) Fri, 06 Apr 2012 19:29:21 -0500 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=6#forum_thread_comment_1269015 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=6#forum_thread_comment_1269015 Hunger Ludinivalis I'm going to attempt to learn Korean, if for no other reason than to be able to understand some of my favorite bands... Sat, 07 Apr 2012 15:43:05 -0500 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=6#forum_thread_comment_1271179 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=6#forum_thread_comment_1271179 silentalltheseyears I'm in Arabic 2 this semester and will take both Arabic 3 and Hebrew 1 next semester...I'd also MASSIVELY love to learn Gaelic. That would be a dream come true :) Fri, 13 Apr 2012 23:30:35 -0500 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=6#forum_thread_comment_1287635 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=6#forum_thread_comment_1287635 beanza3 Portuguese. Spanish would be nice, since I'm technically learning it, but not really! :D I want to learn French (just to see Le Miz in French. &gt;.&lt;) Chinese because it's awesome. Arabic, because I might as well. Gaelic. English would also be nice! :D Techically fluent, but... I suck at grammar. I also want to learn one completely random language just because. But... We'll see. Mon, 30 Apr 2012 17:44:17 -0500 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=6#forum_thread_comment_1332000 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=6#forum_thread_comment_1332000 Septimus Pfluger Dead language? What are you talking about? Sanskrit is still ver much alive today in the books that it's been written in. Same with Latin and Ancient Greek and so many others. Not to mention all the languages that are around today because of them. If someone destroys every written instance of Sanskrit, then it'll be dead, but for now it's still around. I prefer to use the term 'language of lore'. Sun, 06 May 2012 17:31:41 -0500 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=2#forum_thread_comment_1347793 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=2#forum_thread_comment_1347793 Cedar I'll continue studying Spanish for school (and for talking with my Spanish-speaking friends), and I'm also studying Latin. It's really interesting to see how the Latin roots appear in Spanish, English, and all the other Romance languages. (And yes, I know English is technically Germanic. So I might study some German as well over the summer.) @Zookeeper: I find watching Spanish movies really helps with understanding the vernacular part of the language. Especially movies you are familiar with in English, so you have more context and understand what's happening. Sun, 06 May 2012 20:56:38 -0500 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=6#forum_thread_comment_1348329 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=6#forum_thread_comment_1348329 Earthsick A friend and I decided that we want to learn some French, probably together. xD Haha. The thing is, I already tried learning French in school and failed because our teacher was horrible. I still have my French books of course. Let's see about that - I still have to learn some maths first. D: Now I feel kind of lame since everyone here wants to learn so many languages. Apart from my native language (German) I can only speak English (obviously). xD You guys rock! Tue, 08 May 2012 05:08:44 -0500 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=6#forum_thread_comment_1352457 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=6#forum_thread_comment_1352457 charcoalbrumby I want to relearn my native language - Cantonese. And Mandarin as well. The problem is that I can understand when people speak it; it's just that my tongue won't fit around the somewhat slurred and pitch-reliant words anymore after the blockier, firmer English. Also, I have completely lost my ability to read and write. Sun, 20 May 2012 00:21:47 -0500 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=6#forum_thread_comment_1383716 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=6#forum_thread_comment_1383716 Heather Dudley I'm REALLY excited... I got invited to the DuoLingo private beta! *cheers* Thu, 24 May 2012 13:21:43 -0500 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=6#forum_thread_comment_1396039 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/the-year-of-doing-big-fun-scary-things-together/threads/46747?page=6#forum_thread_comment_1396039