The Fake Polyglot

Native English speaker learning French, Arabic, Italian,and Norwegian

[ruhua-langblr]

Duolingo Sucks, Now What?: A Guide

Now that the quality of Duolingo has fallen (even more) due to AI and people are more willing to make the jump here are just some alternative apps and what languages they have:

"I just want an identical experience to DL"

Busuu (Languages: Spanish, Japanese, French, English, German, Dutch, Italian, Portuguese, Chinese, Polish, Turkish, Russian, Arabic, Korean)

"I want a good audio-based app"

Language Transfer (Languages: French, Swahili, Italian, Greek, German, Turkish, Arabic, Spanish, English for Spanish Speakers)

"I want a good audio-based app and money's no object"

Pimsleur (Literally so many languages)

Glossika (Also a lot of languages, but minority languages are free)

*anecdote: I borrowed my brother's Japanese Pimsleur CD as a kid and I still remember how to say the weather is nice over a decade later. You can find the CDs at libraries and "other" places I'm sure.

"I have a pretty neat library card"

Mango (Languages: So many and the endangered/Indigenous courses are free even if you don't have a library that has a partnership with Mango)

Transparent Language: (Languages: THE MOST! Also the one that has the widest variety of African languages! Perhaps the most diverse in ESL and learning a foreign language not in English)

"I want SRS flashcards and have an android"

AnkiDroid: (Theoretically all languages, pre-made decks can be found easily)

"I want SRS flashcards and I have an iphone"

AnkiApp: It's almost as good as AnkiDroid and free compared to the official Anki app for iphone

"I don't mind ads and just want to learn Korean"

lingory

"I want an app made for Mandarin that's BETTER than DL and has multiple languages to learn Mandarin in"

ChineseSkill (You can use their older version of the course for free)

"I don't like any of these apps you mentioned already, give me one more"

Bunpo: (Languages: Japanese, Spanish, French, German, Korean, and Mandarin)

[adito-lang]

Grønnsaker - Vegetables 🥒🥔🌽🍆🍅🥕

brokkoli (-en) - broccoli

rodkål (-en) - red cabbage

hodekål (-en) - white cabbage

blomkål (-en) - cauliflower

salat (-en) - lettuce

ruccola (-en) - arugula / rocket

potet (-en) - potato

gulrot (-a) - carrot

løk (-en) - onion

vårløk (-en) - spring onion

reddik (-en) - radish

purreløk (-en) - leek

hvitløk (-en) - garlic

agurk (-en) - cucumber

tomat (-en) - tomato

aubergine (-n) - eggplant

paprika (-en) - paprika

gresskar (-et) - pumpkin

mais (-en) - corn

asparges (-en) - asparges

artisjokk (-en) - artichoke

sjampinjong (-en) / sopp (-en) - mushroom

ert (-a) - pea

selleri (-en) - cellery

[german-enthusiast]

In my L1-acquisition class two weeks ago, our professor talked about how only 9% of the speech a baby hears is single words. Everything else is phrases and sentences, onslaughts of words and meaning!

Thus, a baby not only has to learn words and their meanings but also learn to segment lots of sounds INTO words. Doyouwantalittlemoresoupyesyoudoyoucutie. Damn.

When she talked about HOW babies learn to segment words our professor said, and I love it, "babies are little statisticians" because when listening to all the sounds, they start understanding what sound is likely to come after another vs which is not.

After discussing lots of experiments done with babies, our professor added something that I already knew somewhere in my brain but didn't know I know: All this knowledge is helpful when learning an L2 as well:

Listen to natives speaking their language. Original speed. Whatever speaker. Whatever topic.

It is NOT about understanding meaning. It is about learning the rhythm of the language, getting a feeling for its sound, the combination of sounds, the melody and the pronunciation.

Just how babies have to learn to identify single words within waves of sounds, so do adults learning a language. It will help immensely with later (more intentional) listening because you're already used to the sound, can already get into the groove of the languge.

Be as brave as a baby.

You don't even have to pay special attention. Just bathe in the sound of your target language. You'll soak it up without even noticing.

[foreverjeans]

language learning is such a personal thing that there is no “right” or “wrong” way of doing it. it’s whatever works on bringing YOU closer to YOUR goal.

you want to watch tv shows but don’t really care for speaking with others? yay!! no speaking practice needed.

you want to learn quickly for an upcoming trip? yay! text book phrases and simple grammar.

you’re a beginner and it’s been 10 years? 2 weeks? 6 months? it doesn’t matter. as long as you are working towards bringing YOURSELF closer to what YOU want to achieve, you have succeeded: you are succeeding; you are doing great.

i find that so much demotivation comes from comparison and/or trying to follow other's advice too closely. if anki decks don't work for you, that's fine! if duolingo works well for you, then use it!

this language learning thing, it should be enjoyed. in the sea full of deceptive polyglot stories and videos on top of videos attempting to understand how to learn languages in "the fastest way possible" sometimes we should sit back and ask ourselves, "when is just learning things, enough"?

with that i hope you all continue working towards your dreams! whether you want to become a translator or just watch a few more movies in your target language, you can do it. i know you have it in you.

[literally21]

Felt that it’s important to share videos like this too.

[starlightshadowsworld]

The world wants us to forget that they are people.

People who dance and play and smile just like you and I.

And it's important to share things like this, to remind them the world that they are human.

[thefakepolyglot]

Language Logs 10/30-11/5

I am so happy with this week's logs!! I managed to practice every single skill in every single language (some of them only once, but still! this is an improvement from the last two weeks). These logs are seriously amazing and been so motivational for me.

I got a Norwegian kick last weekend so made sure to practice Norwegian almost every single day this week. Arabic and French suffered the most so definitely need to work on them more this upcoming week. And Italian!!! The language that I had previously been neglecting the most looks so full and beautiful near the end of the week.

Also, I've been working two jobs the last few months, and one of them just ended, which means that I will have so much more time in a day!! I'm pumped to try and fit in multiple languages in one day, but still keeping the focus on one particular language.

[nordic-language-love]

A Child of Gaza

I am a child of Gaza Do you remember me? I was thirsty while you drank I starved while you ate I was afraid while you slept I cried while you laughed I was ravaged while you played I cried for help while you covered your ears I bled out while you were silent I was murdered while you watched

I lived in pain right until my last breath Now I'm in a better place, with better people Better neighbours and a better home But remember that YOUR silence killed me A child of Gaza

-Emad Salha

Seen in Oslo

[delamiafede]

pdf: palestina: versi della resistenza, a compilation of resistance poetry by palestinian poets Mahmoud Darwish, Mueen Bsyso, Fadua Toukan, Samih Al Kassem translated into italian

[phrootsnacks]

Arabic writing practice for a free Palestine

I wanted to know what Arabic phrases people used to express support for Palestine, and I found this post by @arabic-langblr :]

So I practiced writing these phrases! I'm glad I did, I have some difficulty with the medial form of ه and the combination of لا, which the phrase "أنهوا الاحتلال" (end the occupation) gave me some practice with.

As always, corrections welcome! شكراً

[thefakepolyglot]

Language Logs 10/23-10/29

Week two of my language logs and trying out the one language per day method! I'm getting more comfortable with pouring all of my attention into a singular language, so I think I might stick with this method. The one issue is that certain languages only get one day to shine (i.e. Italian), but these logs are super helpful in letting me realize what I need to be focusing on!

This weekend I did pretty well with practicing each language (poor Italian), but I still missed the speaking square for Norwegian. Also another update, I filled the entire column in French! Last week I was shocked to realize my resources weren't comprehensive enough, but I started an audio journal to force myself to speak and write, and now it's all filled in.

Once again, these are not of my own creation, so all props to this post for introducing me to them!

[staticnoisesss]

how you can help palestine

Donations

palestine children's relief fund

palestine red crescent society

help bring down israel's weapon trade - palaction

save palestine - islamic relief canada

click to donate - arab.org

send medical supplies to gaza - palestinian american medical association

Petitions

petition to investigate war crimes committed by israeli military

demand ceasefire - amnesty.org

open call for immediate ceasefire

american government call for immediate ceasefire

american government to stop funding israeli military

ceasefire and increase humanitarian assistance - oxfam au

location specific petitions

gaza call for ceasefire - oxfam (UK)

end israeli occupation - parliament uk (UK)

email your MP - medical aid for palestine (UK)

stop fuelling genocide - action network (USA)

call congress and demand a ceasefire - uscpr (USA - they provide a script of what you should say, so don't worry about it)

note: you can call everyday. they tally the number of calls per issue. so more calls = higher chance for them to take action. p.s. you mainly go to voicemail so don’t worry about phone call anxiety. fight through it just this once please.

australia call on israel to stop attacking palestinians - apan (AUS)

sign to send letter to MP for ceasefire - nccm (CANADA)

ceasefire now! - ijv (CANADA)

cessez-le-feu et un couloir humanitaire - le mouvement (FRANCE)

write to your député - assemblée nationale (FRANCE)

skydda civilbefolkningen i gaza! - mittskifte (SWEDEN)

singaporeans call for immediate ceasefire (SIN)

contact your elected reps and demand a ceasefire (GERMANY)

write to the EU demanding a ceasefire (EUROPE)

template of letters you can send (EU)

Campaigns

friends of al-aqsa

❥ UK-specific

urge your MP to speak up for palestine

hands off al-aqsa

stop administrative detention

petition for UK to stop arming israel

❥ International

boycott puma — email them to end their partnership with israel

boycott coca-cola

palestine action

join the resistance

islamic relief canada

urge your MP to rally for ceasefire

text campaign for people living in USA

text CEASEFIRE @ 51905 to call for a ceasefire

please let me know if you have any more links. i will add them to a follow up post.

UPCOMING PROTESTS

[tealingual]

THIS LANGBLR STANDS WITH PALESTINE 🇵🇸

[thefakepolyglot]

a genocide is currently happening in the world with the backing of western powers, being paid for by YOUR taxes. we are already complicit. stand with the oppressed not the oppressors

[german-enthusiast]

Exercise to practice Writing in German (or another language):

If you like DnD, writing stories, imagining characters etc., this might be for you!

This also works for all levels, as you can expand infinitely or limit yourself to the basics.

Pretend you need to invent a character (for a DnD game, for a story, a song, movie, etc) and simply describe them. You're entirely free on every aspect of their appearance and personality. Create a bibliophile orc, a tragic villain, a fairy scared of elevators.

Write it as a report or as a story, whatever is most fun and doable for you.

Aspects you can write about:

- appearance (body, clothing, their bedroom, their house and garden, their office,...)

- personality (simple adjectives, how they react in certain situations, what they love/hate, whether they hold the door for others,...)

- their life (family, job, studies, hobbies, worries, achievements, past relationships, hopes, moments that impacted them the most, moments they want to forget, ...)

You get to use all the basic vocabulary you learn at the start of learning a language but you also get to be creative, aren't limited to real life, and might write something others can enjoy!

Tag me if you do this!!!! (in any language!)

[thefakepolyglot]

10/24

today was french day! did duolingo early in the morning before heading to the doctor for some boosters, and on the way listened to the duolingo french podcast to see how comfortable i was with that resource. i understood almost everything so i might try and find something a bit harder for a listening resource.

then went to the library and picked up “Translating Myself and Others” which is a beautiful collection of short essays about language and translation by Jhumpa Lahiri, and i’d recommend anyone from this side of tumblr to check it out. finished out my morning with a nice stroll through the park downtown and then went off to work!

at the end of the day i started my audio journal in french. so rather than write entires, i speak them, then notate them. this way i can practice speaking, listening, and writing all in one!

a very nice, full day. could probably add more opportunities to practice french but i do work about 11 hours a day so i’m trying not to feel burnt out

[lafilledanslaville]

✎ 100 common french verbs ⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚

être - to be

avoir - to have

faire - to do, make 

dire - to say, tell

pouvoir - can, to be able to

vouloir - to want

savoir - to know

voir - to see

devoir - to have, must

venir - to come, occur

suivre - to follow

parler - to speak, talk

prendre - to take, get

croire - to believe, think

aimer - to love, like, be fond of

falloir - it is necessary, must, have to

passer - to pass, go by, cross

penser - to think

attendre - to wait for, except

trouver - to find

laisser - to leave

arriver - to arrive

donner - to give, give away

regarder - to look at, watch

appeler - to call

partir - to go, leave, go away

mettre - to put on, wear

rester - to stay, remain

arrêter - to stop

connaitre - to know, experience

demander - to ask

comprendre - to understand

sortir - to go out, take out

entendre - to hear, listen to, understand

chercher - to look for

aider - to help

essayer - to try, test

revenir - to come back, return

jouer - to play

finir - to finish, end

perdre - to lose, miss

sentir - to smell, sniff, feel

rentrer - to bring in, take in, get in, go in, come home

vivre - to live, be alive, go through 

rendre - to return, give back, repay

tenir - to hold, run, keep, last

oublier - to forget, miss

travailler - to work, work on, practice

manger - to eat

entrer - to go in, enter, come in

devenir - to become

commencer - to start, begin

payer - to pay

tirer - to pull, draw

ouvrir - to open

changer - to change, exchange 

excuser - to forgive, pardon, excuse

dormir - to sleep

occuper - to occupy, live in, take up

marcher - to walk, march, go

envoyer - to send, throw, dispatch, refer

apprendre - to learn, to hear

boire - to drink (alcohol)

garder - to keep, to look after, to guard

montrer - to show, point out

s’assesoir - to sit down, sit up

porter - to carry, wear

prier - to pray

servir - to serve

ecrire - to write

retrouver - to find, to meet

gagner - to win, earn

acheter - to buy

rappeler - to remind, remember, call back, be reminiscent of

lire - to read

monter - to go up, rise, come up

quitter - to leave, depart

emmener - to take (somebody), take along 

toucher - to touch

continuer - to continue, go on

raconter - to tell

repondre - to answer, reply

sauver - to save

rencontrer - to meet, encounter

fermer - to close, shut

valoir - to hold, apply, be worth

compter - to count

bouger - to move

apporter - to bring, supply

decider - to decide

vendre - to sell

expliquer - to explain

agir - to act, behave, work, take effect

adorer - to adore, love

recevoir - to receive

utiliser - to use

coucher - to put to bed, lay down, to sleep

preferer - to prefer

offrir - to offer, give

preparer- to prepare, make, get ready

[adito-lang]

Podcasts for intermediate/advanced Norwegian listening practice

Finding Norwegian podcasts has always been a bit daunting for me, because I don't listen to a lot of podcasts in general, but over the past weeks I've discovered some that I really enjoy!

1. Lær norsk nå!

This podcast (norsknivå B1 – B2) cover all sorts of interesting social, cultural and political topics - coffee, the Cold War, right-wing populism in Norway, feminism, Sámi history, etc - as well as aspects of the Norwegian language 🔡 You can listen to all the episodes and find transcripts for them (starting with episode 5) here. The host, Marius, is originally from Nærbø (in Rogaland, near Stavanger), and speaks in both his dialect and also standard østnorsk depending on the episode.

2. Relax With Slow Norwegian

I'm a tinglehead (someone who loves listening to ASMR ✨), so I was super excited to find this podcast and Lene's YouTube channel! She speaks bergensk and has lots of great episodes and videos dedicated to learning Norwegian centered around a specific topic.

3. Norskpodden

An awesome podcast (norsknivå B1 – B2) with episodes ranging from grammar to salary negotiation to the the history of queer rights in Norway. Episodes and transcripts can be found here. I find the transcripts helpful, because the host Camila speaks at a quite natural pace (so it gives me a huge confidence boost whenever I can understand most of an episode without the transcripts 😎).

4. Nylig Norsk

This is a fun little podcast created by students at the University of Bergen. They speak a lot slower than the other podcasts here, which sounds a bit unnatural, but that makes it quite easy to understand (norsknivå A2-B1). The topics are engaging and there's transcripts here for each episode. I like the "city-trip"/regional episodes, and it felt really cool having been to some of the places they talked about! ✈️

5. Språktalk

This podcast isn't aimed at people learning Norwegian, which is good practice for listening to natural-sounding dialogue. The episodes are all about languages and linguistic topics, so if that's your cup of tea I highly suggest giving it a listen. They had a German guest for one episode who spoke Norwegian sooooo well, it gave me hope for myself 😂

6. Forklart

Forklart, another podcast that isn't aimed at people learning Norwegian, takes a topic from the news (sometimes domestic news, but more often international news) and breaks it down into a compact 15-minute episode 🗞 There is one episode every day, so if you're interested in keeping up with current political events in Norwegian, this is a great podcast to listen to! Although keep in mind that the podcast is run by Aftenposten (as is Språktalk), which has historically been a centre-right newspaper.

[dejlige-dage]

If you’d also like to read the sagas in Danish (or Norwegian, or Swedish, or Icelandic, or Faroese), you can!

Tekster på dansk – heimskringla.no

This link will take you to the main page for the Danish texts, but if you look at the top of the sidebar on the left of the page, you’ll see the option to view the texts in another language! Woohoo!

I’ve just recently finished the first volume of the Oldtidssagaerne, and can personally recommend specifically the Vølsungernes saga! Also featured in the book I read is Ragnar Lodbrog’s saga, which was also a delightful read! To find these quickly, just search for them in the search bar at the top of the page!

Happy reading, friends! ✌️💕📖