Back to Language Learning
It's been more than ten years since my last effort at self-studying. Back then, I was trying to learn as much Norwegian as needed to read online newspapers. For a while that worked okay, but then I lost the drive to do more studying, possibly because the method I used did not agree with me. The "Assimil" method is based on using lots of texts and thereby assimilating vocabulary and grammar without grasping the full concept. While this seems a natural way to go, I did not feel comfortable with it and started making up lists and tables on my own, that way progressing much slower than intended and getting frustrated by the lack of "system".
A few years on, I decided to improve my English skills, did a number of evening classes, and passed the tests offered by the Cambridge ESOL system.
And now it's time for me to return to a language I learned in school (and, after regular school lessons were cancelled, for one additional year in evening classes): Russian.
My motivation? In June my eldest nephew married a young lady from Moldavia who speaks Russian with her family. Her parents don't understand German or English. Meeting them at the wedding was a bit awkward and made me wish I remembered more of my Russian. Also, the young couple are planning to raise their children bilingual German/Russian.
This means that there is a real purpose in my studying Russian. I ordered a self-study pack by Langenscheidt that comes highly recommended. I might still take an evening class next year, just for the speaking practice it provides. My sister-in-law (who lives over in the next suburb) will start learning Russian as well, so we may go to classes together.
Who knows, I might even master that much-dreaded "rrr" pronunciation this time round.
A few years on, I decided to improve my English skills, did a number of evening classes, and passed the tests offered by the Cambridge ESOL system.
And now it's time for me to return to a language I learned in school (and, after regular school lessons were cancelled, for one additional year in evening classes): Russian.
My motivation? In June my eldest nephew married a young lady from Moldavia who speaks Russian with her family. Her parents don't understand German or English. Meeting them at the wedding was a bit awkward and made me wish I remembered more of my Russian. Also, the young couple are planning to raise their children bilingual German/Russian.
This means that there is a real purpose in my studying Russian. I ordered a self-study pack by Langenscheidt that comes highly recommended. I might still take an evening class next year, just for the speaking practice it provides. My sister-in-law (who lives over in the next suburb) will start learning Russian as well, so we may go to classes together.
Who knows, I might even master that much-dreaded "rrr" pronunciation this time round.