My Language Goals for 2021
26 December 2020
I’ll start first by talking about the languages I want to learn before assigning them a time. I’ve never been the best with planning, and that can for sure be seen in my language-learning journey (just this summer, I had a fling with Greek that only lasted for two weeks). One of the polyglot youtubers I watch, Elysse Speaks, posted a video about her goals for 2021, so that got me thinking that I should make a plan instead of going off of my whims.
My cousin who lives in India has a degree in Sanskrit, so my dad and I have decided to start learning from him, as it’s the liturgical language of Hinduism, which my dad practices. Our first lesson with my cousin is tomorrow, so for the foreseeable future, Sanskrit will be in the background of my language learning.
I certainly want to sharpen my French skills. Verb conjugations I can do okay with, I just have to learn the Subjunctive and Conditional, but it’s the vocabulary where I think I’m lacking. So far, I signed up for a language learning website called LingQ, which has short stories and things to help better a grasp on the language in context, as opposed to memorizing grammar structures and vocabulary, I’m reading Le Mythe de Sisyphe, ‘The Myth of Sisyphus’ by Albert Camus in order to sort of figure out the gaps in my knowledge when it comes to learning, and I’ve been watching videos on various topics such as the difference between en and dans, or y and en (as pronouns), but it the first part of 2021, by the end of January, I’d like to sharpen my French a little bit.
Keeping with the theme of Romance Languages, I want to learn Italian. I don’t think it should pose much of a threat, since I already know Spanish and French, but I could be wrong. I’ve downloaded the Duolingo course for Italian, and since I already know Spanish and French, I’m comfortable reading basic Italian, but certainly not output yet. Because of that familiarity, I’ll just read the LingQ readings on Italian to help myself get some exposure throughout 2021, interspersed with videos on grammar concepts such as conjugations and prepositions.
In 2021, I want to, at the very least, get comfortable in a non-Indo-European language. The one I’m thinking about is Turkish. I already understand the basic structure, so I want to put vocabulary in that structure and get a feel as to the sound and look of Turkish, to the level of understanding children’s books. LingQ’s course in Turkish is still in its beta stages, so I may have to find resources on my own, though I’ll certainly use the site. When I’ve reached a point I’m proud of in French, I’ll stop learning French and switch to Turkish for the first part of 2021, but this is subject to change, depending on my coursework for the spring semester.
As for the second part of 2021, I still think it’s too early to make a call as to what I’ll do then, it depends on my mood next summer, so I’ll have to get back on that when next summer comes around.
