I'm already at the end of week three of my summer “language sprint”. The "sprint" is a boost to the work on Japanese that I was already aiming to do as part of my nine-month Basic Japanese Project, plus, more time than usual on my on-going Basque learning (I'm an intermediate level learner). For a month, I'm aiming to do an hour a day on each language, five days a … [Read more...]
Basque/Japanese diary: Week Two
I'm now two weeks into my summer “language sprint”. What's it all about? First, I’ve increased the work I’m aiming to do as part of my nine-month Basic Japanese Project. My weekly commitment is up from thirty minutes a day, seven days a week, to one hour a day, five days a week. Second, I'm aiming to clock an hour each day on my intermediate Basque. I started the … [Read more...]
What is the Eisteddfod like?
I've spoken fluent Welsh (as an adult learner) for over half my life and one way I've grown into the culture is by attending the Welsh National Eisteddfod or Eisteddfod Genedlaeathol Cymru. It's held for the first week of August each summer. The location changes from year to year. The National Eisteddfod is a huge cultural and social celebration (with a dash of … [Read more...]
Basque/Japanese diary, Week One
A week ago, I started a summer "language sprint". I've increased the amount of focussed study I'm aiming to do as part of my nine-month Basic Japanese Project from thirty minutes a day, seven days a week, to one hour a day, five days a week. Plus, I'm being more consistent in my on-going study of intermediate Basque, aiming to clock another hour each day on that language. This … [Read more...]
Two language tango: a new four-week learning sprint (Basque/Japanese update)
For the next four weeks my language learning will change gear. I'm upping the time that goes into my focussed study of beginner's Japanese and intermediate Basque. It's a summer learning "sprint" or, if you like, a two-language tango. (Scroll down for vid). If you're a regular reader, you'll know that I'm nearly seven months into a project to learn basic Japanese in advance … [Read more...]