university studyblr

BA french and linguistics student! Main: draemers

[great-tweets]

Beware!

[rayvenreayes]

Avoid sci-hub too👀

[queeranarchism]

From Ask for PDFs from People with Institutional Access

[dowereallyneedthis]

If you want to read an academic article that's behind a paywall just email the author and ask politely if they will send you the article. Most academics will be thrilled that you want to read their work and will gladly send it to you.

[42ds]

PSA

[stevvharrington]

hello! here’s a short tutorial on how to download photoshop 2021 - no torrenting, no complicated coding.

disclaimer: this is not a legal way of obtaining photoshop, so do with that information as you may and proceed with caution. this should work on big sur with no issues, but there’s no guarantee it will work with all mac operating systems, and i’m not responsible for anything that may happen to your computer as result.

Keep reading

[wizard0rb]

and its free

[annakie]

Ditch Ad Block Plus.

And now for an announcement from your friendly neighborhood IT worker.

If you use Ad Block Plus, you should uninstall it and download and install uBlock Origin immediately.  (There are Firefox versions of all the extensions I’ll talk about here, just google ‘em.  And some for IE, Edge and Opera.)

Ad Block Plus is now now only letting advertisers pay them to whitelist some ads, but is now letting advertisers pay them to put their own ads on websites INSTEAD of what you would normally see on that website.

Please remember that it’s possible to spread malware, including Crypotowall type malware, through ads on websites.  Yes, ads are how websites make most to all of their revenue, but until ads can be trusted to not destroy your machine, you should not view them if possible.

Please make sure you get uBlock Origin and not just uBlock. 

I also suggest installing a flash blocker like FlashControl.  This will keep flash from automatically loading on websites you visit.  Unfortunately, malware can be spread through just about any version of flash. Make sure you keep flash up to date, as well. FlashControl will be slightly disruptive to your browsing habits, but most things will load with just a single click.  You can always disable it on a website if it’s being too disruptive somewhere.

If you really want to protect your privacy, install Privacy Badger.  Privacy Badger will stop trackers / cookies from knowing who you are and where you’ve been on the internet.  It also can be slightly disruptive, so if a site isn’t working correctly, disable one or both of FlashControl and Privacy Badger.

Even if you don’t want to do FlashControl and Privacy Badger, PLEASE do yourself a favor and move to uBlock Origin.  Hope this helps!

[madamehardy]

Please read.   Ad Block has sold you out to the ad industry, and this is not an exaggeration.  http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/adblock-plus-wants-serve-you-ads-wait-what-1581285

[espanhois]

Hi everyone! Today I have some resources for learning the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA). I think it’s a really helpful tool for language learners, not just linguists. I also suggest you find the Wikipedia page for your language’s phonology (Here’s Spanish) so you can figure out what sounds exist in your language and how they are transcribed.

TypeIt IPA (IPA keyboard)

IPA Chart (just play around on here and learn some sounds!)

IPA Transcription Practice

Phonetic Transcription Exercises

(More) IPA Exercises

IPA Reader (pronounces your input, available in many languages)

Sounds of Speech (in Spanish, German, and English)

Speech Accent Archive (English, using native and non native speakers)

[fatmasc]

Hey i’m a fashion design student so i have tons and tons of pdfs and docs with basic sewing techniques, pattern how-tos, and resources for fabric and trims. I’ve compiled it all into a shareable folder for anyone who wants to look into sewing and making their own clothing. I’ll be adding to this folder whenever i come across new resources

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/16uhmMb8kE4P_vOSycr6XSa9zpmDijZSd?usp=sharing

[fatmasc]

Updated just now with new hand sewing resources (mainly buttonholes) and textbook pdfs on fashion history, fashion illustration, and thinking through designs!

[bosstoaster]

OP I owe you my life

[jaubaius]

Creative & DIY

[femur-theif]

SO THAT’S HOW THEY FUCKING DO IT

[pompadourpink]

A beginner's guide

Bonjour! Is there a list of things that a french beginner should learn, is there a specific order to learn topics in french? Also, love your blog, it helps me a lot.

*

Hello, thanks love you too! Here's roughly how to proceed:

#1. Genders.

Nouns, adjectives, determiners and past participles in French are either masculine or feminine. There is no neutral.

Known: LE/LA/L’ (+ vowel) + singular, LES + plural (The girl)

Unknown: UN/UNE + singular, DES + plural (A cat)

Uncountable: DU/DE LA + singular, DES + plural (Sugar)

How do I know what gender an item is?

Those that end with a consonant are likely masculine (Un éléphant), those that end with an -e likely feminine (Une girafe), especially if it follows a couple of the same consonant (Une tasse). A noun or adjective can be ‘gender-neutral’, or épicène (Juge, Drôle). There are obviously exceptions (Nation, Incendie).

What’s an uncountable item?

It’s a group of items that are either too small or too large to be counted: fruit, sugar, flour, people, etc (ex: Du sable, Des gens).

Let’s practice: Le facteur et la boulangère sont mariés. La ministre est sortie. Un chien aboie dehors. J’ai mangé du pain.

#2. Numbers.

To turn a singular into a plural, adding an -s is your most popular option. It can also be an -x (Bijou, Feu), nothing if the singular ends in -z, -s, -x (Nez); some words only exist as plurals (Ciseaux). There are a few irregulars (Oeil/yeux, Monsieur/messieurs, Madame/mesdames, Animal/animaux).

Let’s practice: J’ai deux petits frères qui sont nés (past participle) en 1998. J’ai un chat sur les genoux. Il y a des noix dans mes gâteaux. Mes yeux sont noirs.

#3. Verbs.

Verbs belong to one of three groups: -er except Aller (90%), -ir with a few exceptions, and the bin (auxiliaries Être and Avoir, Aller, -re, -oir, -ir exceptions). They can be modal (Should) or reflexive: preceded by an object pronoun (Je m’appelle).

The most useful verbs are:

Être: to be, avoir: to have, faire: to do/make, dire: to say, pouvoir: can, aller: to go, voir: to see, savoir: to know, vouloir: want, venir: to come, falloir: to have to, devoir: must, croire: to believe, trouver: to find, donner: to give, prendre: to take, mettre: to put down/place, laisser: to let, to need: avoir besoin de (...)

#4. Tenses.

The most useful tenses are:

Indicative present (J'aime le fromage - I like cheese)

Imperfect (J'aimais le fromage - I liked cheese)

Perfect (J'ai aimé le fromage - I have liked cheese)

Future (J'aimerai le fromage - I will like cheese)

Present conditional (J'aimerais le fromage - I would like cheese)

Present subjunctive (Je veux que tu prennes le fromage - I want you to take the cheese) triggered by certain verbs + que.

N.B.: There are irregular past participles (Être: été, Avoir: eu, Voir: vu, etc.).

Let’s practice: Je ne sais pas. Il dessinait bien. Nous sommes venus. Ils te verront quand ils reviendront. Vous seriez partis tôt.

#5. Function words.

Personal pronouns: Tu manges du pain

Demonstrative pronouns: Celui de ma soeur est mieux

Possessive determiners: C'est ton chien

Contracted words: Elle est au parc

Coordinating conjunctions: J'y vais mais j'ai peur

Subordinating conjunctions: Je demanderai quand il rentrera

Linkers: On se voit plus tard

Let’s practice: Je crois qu’elle sera à l’heure mais je peux me tromper. Pourquoi est-ce que tu pars? Nous reviendrons plus tard, quand il fera plus beau. Vous ne devez pas être en retard sans raison. C’est là, celle à droite.

#6. Basic knowledge.

Accents

Adverbs

Calendar

Colours

Conversation

En + Y

Family

Food

Negations

Numbers

Prepositions

Questions

Relative pronouns

Terminations

Time

Tu or Vous

*

As you're mastering those, start practising.

Listen to music, podcasts, books while looking at the transcription - don't translate, get used to the pronunciation and the word chewing. Record yourself reading.

Then, start reading. I recommend starting with children's literature, especially books you already know in English. Things like Le petit prince or Perrault's fairytales should be accessible.

Use Reverso and Deepl as if you were paid to.

Study the pronunciation posts. The devil is in the details.

Learn vocabulary every week. Avoid translating English word by word, it's often a fool's bet; make a simpler sentence instead.

Explore my grammar tag once in a while.

[fluencylevelfrench]

Some tips on how to seem confident in front of a class:

[works for teachers, teachers in training, or also for people who have to do a presentation, it's all about that confidence] 1) Preparation I:

if you meet a class for the first time, prepare what you say to them. Even the most basic hello, my name is XY, my subjects are etc. sentence. You know what you want to say, which means that you don't have to focus on that but can focus on other things.

2) Preparation II:

If you teach a class, prepare what you say as well. Especially at the beginning, prepare the different tasks that the students have to do, so you don't have to look for words or think about what they have to do exactly.

3) Plan, plan, plan: goes hand in hand with the first two: plan everything as detailed as possible. plan the time that the students need, include a short cut when they need to much time, plan the homework, plan also who you are going to call when (students who don't want to talk at the beginning with the easy questions), the better you structure and plan your class the better you feel. This way you know exactly what is going to happen and that brings stability into the class- for the students, but also for yourself. It is, however, also important to have a red thread throughout the lesson that the students can follow. Try to switch from one task into the next seemlessly.

4) Appearance: the goal is not to not be nervous, but just not to show it. I think it's totally normal to be nervous at the beginning, when you start teaching or get a new class. Numerous teachers told me (while observing me) that I am so calm and I don't look nervous at all, even though I was nervous at that time. That's the goal to achieve. First of all: stand on your two feet, hips apart. that gives you stability. Secondly, think about what to do with your hands: don't put them together in front of you- sometimes that can show that you are nervous. Try letting them hang next to your body. It feels weird, but looks totally normal. You can also hold a pen (but don't play with it) or keep a piece of paper/ a tablet that you are going to use during the lesson in your hands. My motto here is: "Fake it til you make it."

5) Motto: a motto/ slogan in general is really good to calm your nerves. Say it to yourself before you go into class and it hopefully make you calmer. Someone on here gave me some advice on teaching and included this slogan: "This is my kingdom." I think this really helps you to realize that you are the boss and if you do it right the students will follow you. Other slogans might be: "I can do this." "I believe in myself." "I have the knowledge to do this." You always have to remember that you know a lot more than the students and you can tell them what to do. You are the authority person in this case!

6) Experience: Lastly, the more you teach the more confident you get. At the beginning you are neither accoustumed to standing in front of a class nor do you know the class. With experience you get a routine that helps you a lot. That's why I don't think it is bad to be nervous. Also I'd like to quote The Martian by Andy Weir here: "I guess you could call it a failure, but I prefer the term learning experience." Not everything will go according to plan- but you can learn from the mistakes and do it better next time. Don't be afraid to try things out, nothing bad can happen- you can just decide that it didn't work for you.

I hope this helps (especially for the person who asked for my advice, but also other people !). If you have other tips, feel free to share!

[pompadourpink]

Je suis VS J’en suis

Hi! I’ve been reading a book in French over the past few days (it’s pretty slow going) & there’s one grammar point that keeps confusing me. What’s the difference between je suis and j’en suis? From what I can work out from context, they seem the same? Please help! Thanks so much x

Hello,

Je suis :

+ adjective: I am (Je suis grande - I am tall)

+ past participle: I have (Je suis partie - I have left)

+ determiner and noun: I follow (Je suis une voiture jaune depuis cinq kilomètres - I’ve been following a yellow car for five kilometers)

J’en suis :

I’m in (- We’re going to the beach tomorrow - J’en serai)

+ sûr-e, certain-e, convaincu-e: I’m sure of it

+ conscient-e: I’m well aware of that

+ sorti-e + adjective (+ complement): I came out of there (metaphorical : I came out of there stronger - J’en suis sortie plus forte)

+ là: That’s where I’m at (slang)

+ maintenant à (…): I’m at the point where 

+ à, au(x) + noun : I’m at x (J’en suis au tout début du livre que tu m’as prêté: I’m at the very beginning of the book you lent me)

+ adjective: expresses a personal opinion (Gaga’s last album? I’m crazy about it - Le dernier album de Gaga? J’en suis folle)

Hope this helps! x 

[pompadourpink]

i’m considerinng becoming a TAPIF and i’m curious what parts of france you’d say are 1. most cost effective 2. have good public transport 3. pretty denseley populated but not paris level populated ? sorry if this is kind of a vague question i just have no idea where to start :) merci

Hello,

For starters: very populated areas are obviously in big cities, so while being cost-effective, life won’t be cheap. I’ve made some research:

A TAPIF receives an allowance of €785 a month and gets French social security, ergo the doctor won’t cost much (ex: a visit to a GP is 25 euros, you can either pay 25 and get back 30 to 70% directly on your bank account or just ask to only pay the tiers payant and pay €7,50 as you’re a student). Meds also are pretty cheap, the most expensive things I paid for recently were a muscle relaxer and iron supplements, about €10 each (about €3 for painkillers).

As a student in Lille I got much less than €785 a month and still lived correctly as you get a number of advantages (super cheap public transport, CAF help, discounts in stores, hair salons, theatres; museums are free, etc). In terms of living arrangements, I would definitely suggest you find a roommate (on French Craigslist) as rent for a studio is about €500; then you’ve got internet/mobile (€25ish), energy (€30ish), home insurance (€5ish). And then public transport, food, extra. So living by yourself would be hard.

I found Lille, Lyon, Marseille, Montpellier, to have great public transport; but in the end, I think you should be thinking about the kind of daily life you’re looking for. Don’t think of France as a smaller version of the US: the country is divided into smaller parts which each have a ‘capital’ but it’s still Paris VS anywhere else. What changes from one city to the other is the architecture, weather, food, local slang, and that’s about it, emphasis on the weather. I’m cold-blooded and have lived my entire life in the North: when I visited Marseille for the first time, in the middle of summer, I nearly caught on fire; send someone from the South in Lille, next to the Belgian border, and they’ll freeze; also, the air is humid, not dry, and that makes a huge difference - in the winter, it’s not as cool as it could be in Minnesota in terms of degrees, but the cold is so wet it feels like your bones are rusting. Definitely take that into consideration.

Think also about your hobbies: where I live, we don’t have much nature so you wouldn’t like it if you’re a hiker, for example. If you like surfing, go for Bordeaux; if you’re a climber, you’d love Savoie, etc.

Also, I wouldn’t recommend you aim for the South (let’s say under Agen or Montauban) as I’ve heard a number of American students get an accent du sud after spending some time there for school and that’s definitely not standard (and makes you harder to understand).

Hope this helps! x

[apricitystudies]

here’s my brainstorming process for writing essays! the example questions i used are pretty straightforward but i use this for more abstract essay questions as well.

[destiny-islanders]

If there was a way to run SUPER MEGA AD BLOCKER on this website I fucking would

[celtic-pyro-deactivated20230725]

“Please oh please open up your computer to a porn virus! If you don’t you’re evil!”

[history-student-against-antis]

Freeloader Comin’ through!

[moonlight-fox]

We didn’t start this war internet users have with ads - We might have moaned about banner ads, but it was only when they started making noises when we might be listening to music or a podcast or whatever, causing two sound sorces at once, that we started trying to block ads universally rather than just a specific type of ad (pop ups).

And since then ads have gotten worse - Actual malware rather than merely breaking one of the fundamental sins of web design - though shalt not autoplay anything with sound. And the more aggressive a website is with ‘please turn off adblock’ the less I trust it to bother to vet ads and advertisers to make sure they’re not installing malware.

[bramblepatch]

Not to mention that the idea that avoiding ads is “freeloading” is hilariously backward. Advertisement is a transaction between the platform and the advertiser, the user has no obligation to provide the views/clicks the platform has promised. Using an adblocker isn’t freeloading in the same way that leaving the room to get a snack during a commercial break isn’t cheating the tv network.

[pocosun]

Ok y’all, I work as a web developer and I’m here to tell you that you are 100% right and that it’s shit. SO I’m going to tell you how to get around websites that block you from using their website if you’re using an adblocker. 

Every website uses a language called JavaScript; long story short it’s a website language that allows developers to do the crazy shit you see on websites. Now the easiest thing to do is to disable JavaScript to stop them from knowing you have an adblocker:

Oh no! I’m blocked from viewing the website. It would be a terrible shame if I were able to right click and select the “inspect” feature

Click the three dots in the top right and open the “Settings” Menu

And then scrolled down to “Debugger” and checked the “Disable Javascript Option”

And then just refreshed the page

[eggfucker1]

Reblogging to save my life

[doublekaiju]

saving a life

[queendread]

Right now, I’m sifting through 50+ applications for a new entry-level position. Here’s some advice from the person who will actually be looking at your CV/resume and cover letter:

‘You must include a cover letter’ does not mean ‘write a single line about why you want this position’. If you can’t be bothered to write at least one actual paragraphs about why you want this job, I can’t be bothered to read your CV.

Don’t bother including a list of your interests if all you can think of is ‘socialising with friends’ and ‘listening to music’. Everyone likes those things. Unless you can explain why the stuff you do enriches you as a person and a candidate (e.g. playing an instrument or a sport shows dedication and discipline) then I honestly don’t care how you spend your time. I won’t be looking at your CV thinking ‘huh, they haven’t included their interests, they must have none’, I’m just looking for what you have included.

Even if you apply online, I can see the filename you used for your CV. Filenames that don’t include YOUR name are annoying. Filenames like ‘CV - media’ tell me that you’ve got several CVs you send off depending on the kind of job advertised and that you probably didn’t tailor it for this position. ‘[Full name] CV’ is best.

USE. A. PDF. All the meta information, including how long you worked on it, when you created it, times, etc, is right there in a Word doc. PDFs are far more professional looking and clean and mean that I can’t make any (unconscious or not) decisions about you based on information about the file.

I don’t care what the duties in your previous unrelated jobs were unless you can tell me why they’re useful to this job. If you worked in a shop, and you’re applying for an office job which involves talking to lots of people, don’t give me a list of stuff you did, write a sentence about how much you enjoyed working in a team to help everyone you interacted with and did your best to make them leave the shop with a smile. I want to know what makes you happy in a job, because I want you to be happy within the job I’m advertising.

Does the application pack say who you’ll be reporting to? Can you find their name on the company website? Address your application to them. It’s super easy and shows that you give enough of a shit to google something. 95% of people don’t do this.

Tell me who you are. Tell me what makes you want to get up in the morning and go to work and feel fulfilled. Tell me what you’re looking for, not just what you think I’m looking for.

I will skim your CV. If you have a bunch of bullet points, make every one of them count. Make the first one the best one. If it’s not interesting to you, it’s probably not interesting to me. I’m overworked and tired. Make my job easy.

“I work well in a team or individually” okay cool, you and everyone else. If the job means you’ll be part of a big team, talk about how much you love teamwork and how collaborating with people is the best way to solve problems. If the job requires lots of independence, talk about how you are great at taking direction and running with it, and how you have the confidence to follow your own ideas and seek out the insight of others when necessary. I am profoundly uninterested in cookie-cutter statements. I want to know how you actually work, not how a teacher once told you you should work.

For an entry-level role, tell me how you’re looking forward to growing and developing and learning as much as you can. I will hire genuine enthusiasm and drive over cherry-picked skills any day. You can teach someone to use Excel, but you can’t teach someone to give a shit. It makes a real difference.

This is my advice for small, independent orgs like charities, etc. We usually don’t go through agencies, and the person reading through the applications is usually the person who will manage you, so it helps if you can give them a real sense of who you are and how you’ll grab hold of that entry level position and give it all you’ve got. This stuff might not apply to big companies with actual HR departments - it’s up to you to figure out the culture and what they’re looking for and mirror it. Do they use buzzwords? Use the same buzzwords! Do they write in a friendly, informal way? Do the same! And remember, 95% of job hunting (beyond who you know and flat-out nepotism, ugh) is luck. If you keep getting rejected, it’s not because you suck. You might just need a different approach, or it might just take the right pair of eyes landing on your CV.

And if you get rejected, it’s worthwhile asking why. You’ve already been rejected, the worst has already happened, there’s really nothing bad that can come out of you asking them for some constructive feedback (politely, informally, “if it isn’t too much trouble”). Pretty much all of us have been hopeless jobseekers at one point or another. We know it’s shitty and hard and soul-crushing. Friendliness goes a long way. Even if it’s just one line like “your cover letter wasn’t inspiring" at least you know where to start.

And seriously, if you have any friends that do any kind of hiring or have any involvement with that side of things, ask them to look at your CV with a big red pen and brutal honesty. I do this all the time, and the most important thing I do is making it so their CV doesn’t read exactly like that of every other person who took the same ‘how-to-get-a-job’ class in school. If your CV has a paragraph that starts with something like ‘I am a highly motivated and punctual individual who–’ then oh my god I AM ALREADY ASLEEP.

[revysprite-deactivated20170502]

Very good post thanks for this.

[copperbadge]

Excellent advice for building and submitting job application documents.

[dispatchrabbi]

This is the first good resume advice post I’ve seen on this site. Much better advice than the “lists of active verbs to use” and “here are resume templates”. Follow this advice.

[pompadourpink]

Hi mum !

Avez vous des émissions françaises à me conseiller? Je veux regarder plus de trucs en français pour que je puisse améliorer mon français plus rapidement, merci !

Hello child,

Here are my posts about tv shows: culture (history, nature, science) travelling, games 1 and 2, true crime.

You can also check websites: Lumni for kids and teenagers, Arte for art, Imago for documentaries and short movies, France5 for history.

Hope this helps! x

[random-questions-fairy]

Oh my gosh. I just found this website that walks you though creating a believable society. It breaks each facet down into individual questions and makes it so simple! It seems really helpful for worldbuilding!

[nosebleedclub]

Poetry Month Challenge

1. Four crows 2. Heavy breath 3. Uncontrollable 4. Strawberry field 5. No longer inviolable 6. Mold 7. 11:05PM 8. Police Sirens 9. Voicemail 10. Paradise 11. “A letter came for you” 12. Hiding Place 13. Foreign city 14. Extinction 15. Kittens 16. Tree-lined 17. Petrichor 18. Fake ID 19. Home back then 20. Lost pilot 21. Throat 22. Cut fruit 23. Dewy 24. Genetics 25. Cherry tree 26. Pink moon 27. Tribulation 28. Commune 29. “Walk me home” 30. New growth