Now I'm back from my trip to Singapore and Indonesia, I've finally managed to complete the first of two further videos in my "Basque Intensive!" series. As regular readers will know, I'm learning the Basque language. This is an ancient but very much a living language among about 750,000 people in the Basque Country (on both the French and Spanish sides of the western end of … [Read more...]
Basque Intensive! 5: post-course native speaker call
Hi from Thessaloniki where I've arrived for the 4th Polyglot Conference. Look out for more later on the site on that, as I'll be blogging and vlogging like last year and the year before. I'll be straight on from here to Singapore with work. A second leg to Hong Kong was cancelled at short notice, so I'll have a spare week in South East Asia. So, just time to duck and dive … [Read more...]
Basque Intensive! 4: second half diary
I'm now back in London after a month's intensive Basque course at the Maizpide residential language course south of Donostia (San Sebastián) in northern Spain. Regular readers will know that I've been learning Basque for a while now, taking classes in London and online via Skype but this has been my first time "in the field" as a Basque learner. The Basque Country straddles … [Read more...]
Basque Intensive! 3: half way diary
I’m two weeks into my month’s sabbatical from work, at the language school at Lazkao in the middle of the beautiful Basque countryside of Gipuzkoa province in northern Spain. I've made a video of the journey here already and now here's my diary of impressions of the trip at the half-way point. It's an insight into life at an intensive summer language school and an account of … [Read more...]
Basque Intensive! 2: from London to Bilbao and Lazkao (a vlog)
Hello from Lazkao, a small town in deepest Gipuzkao province in the Basque Country. Below you'll find the link to the first of my vlogs from here. I'm already half way through the first week of my four week intensive Basque course and am really enjoying the experience so far. With full board, the company of other enthusiastic learners and committed teachers and in lovely … [Read more...]
Basque Intensive! 1: on the eve
Today was the first day of my one-month mini sabbatical from work. The excitement is mounting here at Howtogetfluent Towers as tomorrow I'm off to the Basque Country (northern Spain) for the fist time since I started learning the Basque language, a unique old tongue, related to no other. I'm bound for a one-month intensive language course. It's three years since I started … [Read more...]
Basque-ing under a summer sun: update, an exciting trip and more tips on keeping going with your beginner level language
It's been well over four months since I posted on my Basque learning. Basque is a fascinating language "isolate", related to no other and spoken by about 600,000 people on both sides of the western end of the Franco-Spanish border. Yes, I'm still at it and in this post I'll bring things up-to-date. Let's mine some tips from my story too, to help you sustain your … [Read more...]
Six tips for keeping going with your language learning (and an update on my Basque)
You may be several months - or years - into learning a language and it still feels like you're a long way from fluency. You may even be wondering whether you're making any progress at all. If so, welcome to the club! I've been learning Basque two and a half years now. In the last few months, there's been a real feeling of progress, but it's still slow and I was trudging … [Read more...]
Learning Basque in Add1Challenge 5, final report.
It's already over a month since the end of Add1Challenge 5, the on-line 90-day language study group in which I participated as a Basque learner this spring (following on from my time in Add1Challenge 4, last summer). This report may be late, but at least it's timely. The next Add1Challenge, no 8, begins on 1 June. I've just sent off my video application. [Update since this … [Read more...]
Back in an on-line language learning group or “Carry on Basque” as Add1Challenge 5 kicks off
The Add1Challenge on-line language learning club is back and I'm in. The commitment to regular study in round 4 of Brian Kwong's initiative was a great way to give structure to my Basque studies during last summer's break in my night classes at the London Basque Society. Reporting back daily, weekly and monthly to my study group helped with motivation. It was also … [Read more...]