We're only six days away (almost exactly, in my time zone [GMT +8]) from the start of the Hebrew Experiment. Rather like a game of roulette, I was kind of wondering where this project would fall in the spinning scheme of day to day life. Everyone has stuff. Things. Circumstances. Busy spells, quieter streaks, etc. Stuff comes and goes, but it will be interesting to see how well the three of us hold up against the barrage of Pimsleur Hebrew lessons we've set ourselves up for. It'll be great, but certainly a challenge to keep up.
My pre-Semitic linguistic life is nearing its end, and it reminded me of a reason we decided to do this: cramming.
Everyone DOES have stuff going on, and when undertaking a seemingly overwhelming, momentous task such as learning a second language, things like discouragement, fatigue, boredom, frustration, etc. can set in over time. Resigning pursuit of a language early in the game negates so much of the effort one has already put forth. Everyone has to find the right pace.
However, to get a head start on life and frustration and the tedium of study of a language (if that's how you feel), it might behoove you to take an approach like the one we're going to use. Berlitz has held immersion classes for ages, and last I checked they had multi-day, week long, and multi week classes. For a pretty penny, you study in a classroom setting with other students desirous (or in need of) a language, and are instructed and commanded to speak in only the target language.
With some effort, one can go a long way toward recreating this linguistic barrage, and if done successfully, it can be an excellent time investment that will serve you well when you become less than enthusiastic about hitting the books. It's inevitable, but that foundation you have should provide you with enough useful knowledge to see the pursuit as worthwhile and continue using what you're learning.
I don't really get it; how are you actually going about this? Who are the other participants, and can I join in :D?
ReplyDeleteHi JF! (By the way, might I know you personally?)
ReplyDeleteThere are three of us all starting a study of Hebrew on May 1, 2010. The only thing we have set in stone is that we're all going to use the Pimsleur program to study Hebrew. From that point on, we're all taking our own approaches to everything. We'd be more than interested to hear about someone else's progress doing the same, but as for the blog, etc., we're keeping it contained to the three of us. Check posts back in January for how the idea was conceived. Get in touch with me personally if you're interested in trying this out for yourself.