It’s already April 2019. My oh my, how time flies! Time flies and my Marshallese adventure continues. I’m getting better and better – I know more, I understand more, I notice more. Every day I discover something new. And I must tell you that recently I have discovered quite a few interesting things. … More MARSHALLESE 22.0: MY OH MY, WHY OH WHY
When you decide to learn an unpopular foreign language, you often hear various “pearls of wisdom” from you relatives, friends, colleagues. Rarely do they smile at you, give you a thumbs-up, pat you on the shoulder, and say: “Wow, that’s so cool!”. Their words are more discouraging than encouraging, and suddenly you get the feeling that what you are doing is … pointless. … More EVEN IF YOU HEAR ONE OF THESE, DO YOUR THING ANYWAY
If you’ve been reading my blog you know that I am an old-school learner. I need a notebook, a pen, a few highlighters (the more colourful the notes, the better!), and of course a good textbook. So when I decided to start learning Hawaiian with Duolingo, I wasn’t sure what to expect. Now, after more than ten weeks, I know exactly what it means to learn a language with an app. … More HAWAIIAN 2.0: A WHOLE DIFFERENT LEARNING EXPERIENCE
2019 is the International Year of Indigenous Languages. That’s undoubtedly a wonderful initiative, but what does it actually mean? Well, completely nothing unless we – the people of this world – make a commitment to celebrate this year the way it deserves to be celebrated. I happen to have a few ideas how you can do just that; especially if you want to focus on the Pacific tongues. … More HOW TO CELEBRATE THE YEAR OF INDIGENOUS LANGUAGES – THE PACIFIC WAY
I’ve probably mentioned it before, but I will do it again – keeping the motivation up is one of the hardest and most important things you have to do when learning a foreign language. Not losing that initial zeal is an ongoing battle; and one you have to win if you want to succeed. I can proudly say that so far I have been victorious in my efforts. … More MARSHALLESE 21.0: MOTIVATED MORE THAN EVER
When we talk about language, we often use different words to describe it. We say “indigenous language”, “vernacular language”, “official language”, “national language”, “first language”, “mother language”… That’s a lot of languages, don’t you agree? We are all familiar with these names, but do we know what they really mean? Are they one and the same thing? … More INDIGENOUS, VERNACULAR, OFFICIAL, NATIONAL
Yes, that’s true. On the 31st of December I began my new linguistic journey, which I am extremely excited about. For three weeks now, I have been learning Hawaiian. And I have to say that I’m doing really great. Thanks to my teacher. … More HAWAIIAN 1.0: SETTING OUT ON A NEW LINGUISTIC ADVENTURE
So, it’s this time of the year again – the time to present my Marshallese skills (or lack thereof). I am quite certain you won’t be enormously impressed with my achievements so far, nevertheless I thought it would be nice to share my progress with you. So, here we go. … More MARSHALLESE 20.0: SECOND ATTEMPT AT KAJIN M̧AJEĻ
Two years. I’ve been officially learning Marshallese for two years. Wow. Warrar! Ekōļōk! That’s a pretty long time, all things considered. I really can’t believe how fast those months flew by and how much and little I have learnt so far. … More MARSHALLESE 19.0: YEAR TWO SUMMARY
I don’t know about you, but I find place names immensely fascinating. I am always curious what the words we see on a map or signposts mean. And that curiosity has led me to some very interesting findings, which I am about to share with you today. Because I am learning Marshallese, I just have to start with the Marshall Islands. … More WHAT’S IN A NAME? THE MARSHALL ISLANDS EDITION
