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3 responses so far ↓
Geoff // February 23, 2007 at 7:04 am
One of the things I like about language learning blogs is the absence of omniscience on the writer’s part. At language learning sites, you might wonder what’s wrong with you that the site’s authors know so much and you still know so little! (I even feel this way when I look at my own site – multilingua.info – and see what I’ve been able to compile versus what I can actually remember!) The fun of the blogs is knowing that others, like you, struggle, but that through the ups and downs, they keep going. And like you, sometimes they stall. Which is also okay, as long as you get back to it.
One problem that I think language bloggers run into, though, is the fear they need to have something useful to say every time they post. Which is funny, because no other variety of blog is very consistent in having useful things to say
And frankly, the personal notes about the more mundane aspects of language learning and dealing with its frustrations often provide more benefit, for the comfort they offer, than somebody’s neat new trick that’s a little too much like something from the omniscient language learning site.
I’m not sure whether anyone else actually gets anything out of my blog. But I know the gnawing sense that I should post again goads me to at least pick up a book or google for a new idea about a language I’m learning. So I’ll have something to post about. I think doing it this way, having a blog helps. The other way, it might just be one more aspect of language learning that’s frustrating you, at times.
It’s good to see a new post. Remember, though, that it’s just a blog. So don’t worry so much about having something new to report. Some people may show up here in search of the secret that will solve their problems learning Russian. But regulars are often just interested in finding out how a fellow language learner is doing these days and if there’s something fun to try to get out of the doldrums (which you know they’re in, because they’re reading blogs instead of studying!).
Good luck with the regular studying. And if you can find a way to actually clear a half-hour a day at a regular time, keep us posted, since it’s probably a much bigger challenge for the typical language learner than even conjugations and declensions.
Josh // February 23, 2007 at 10:55 pm
Geoff: Thanks for such a great comment. There is certainly not any omniscience around me; I’m just another average Joe who likes foreign languages.
You’re right about me feeling as if I need to have something truly meaningful to warrant a new entry here. I think that’s one of the main reasons the number of posts here is still so low. I at first thought that mundane, everyday “this is the problem I had with German” posts would bore people to death. Perhaps I was wrong!
Thanks for the luck. I’m bound to need it!
The best trick for learning a foreign language « The Language Geek // February 24, 2007 at 12:19 am
[...] 24th, 2007 · No Comments On my last post, Geoff posted a wonderful comment. Here’s a snippet from it: And frankly, the personal notes about the more mundane aspects of [...]