What a goal! I'm hooked and can't wait to go read your backlist and follow your journey. I've been working on learning Italian for years so some of what you've said is relatable. What will this year bring you? I can't wait to find out.
I'm looking forward to follow your language journey passively. And I'm curious to see, if I can pick up something for languages I want to dip my toes in one day. At the moment I'm learning Russian and dabble with Dutch and sometimes Esperanto.
Beside some popular ones like Italian & Spanish , I think to dabble with Frisian, Papiamento, Norwegian, Icelandic, Indonesian.....
Yesterday I received a copy of How to Be a Good Savage. Poems written in Zoque (indigineous language), Spanish, and English. (Some were originally in Zoque then translated to Sp and Eng, some originally in Spanish then translated the other directions.) I opened it and my brain was like... wha?? I get so closed off thinking my world is the only world. My stuff is the only important stuff. etc etc Dumb brain... the world is so WIDE!! So, yes. Maybe this Substack can save us all!
Of course one cannot "learn" 12 languages in a year. But one can "study" 12 languages per year - that's what you should be saying. Nobody says languages are "impossible" to learn. But let's not give the impression that languages are super easy to learn, or that you can reach any kind of decent "useable" level in one month.
You’re an amazing writer and I had the same burning urge to share this information about eating cake in Finnish but I couldn’t figure out how to do that outside of substack.
I’ve been thinking about language learning a looooot recently and I’m stoked to follow along on your journey.
Please do the thing where you tell us about your day in your latest new language!
Ok Finnish seems so hard but I LOVE Finnish culture! Language tells us so much about a culture too. I wonder why this cake portion size is so relevant? What does it really mean about the culture - that they don’t waste?
What a goal! I'm hooked and can't wait to go read your backlist and follow your journey. I've been working on learning Italian for years so some of what you've said is relatable. What will this year bring you? I can't wait to find out.
Thank you, Patricia
Stoked to follow along with your journey. This is a great concept.
Thanks, Mike!
I'm looking forward to follow your language journey passively. And I'm curious to see, if I can pick up something for languages I want to dip my toes in one day. At the moment I'm learning Russian and dabble with Dutch and sometimes Esperanto.
Beside some popular ones like Italian & Spanish , I think to dabble with Frisian, Papiamento, Norwegian, Icelandic, Indonesian.....
Hi Claudia! That’s a fantastic wishlist of languages! Thanks for taking the time to read and comment :)
I guess the list will grow. But for some languages I just aim for "tourist fluency", others I just want to get an idea off and probably continue.
My X-mas project this year is Toki Pona, coz I think it'll help to get used to simplify and to find a kind of workaround, if missing vocab.
As a person struggling to learn ONE language, I admire your ambition here. I'm excited to follow along!
What are you learning?
I'm learning Italian. My partner is Italian and we speak it sometimes at home (& our pets "speak" italian) but I still have a long way to go :)
Oh my gosh, I'm learning Italian too. I've been at it off-and-on for 5 years now and still feel beginner. Consistency is my problem.
I’ll be dying to learn how the baby languages will get along in the mouth.
Yesterday I received a copy of How to Be a Good Savage. Poems written in Zoque (indigineous language), Spanish, and English. (Some were originally in Zoque then translated to Sp and Eng, some originally in Spanish then translated the other directions.) I opened it and my brain was like... wha?? I get so closed off thinking my world is the only world. My stuff is the only important stuff. etc etc Dumb brain... the world is so WIDE!! So, yes. Maybe this Substack can save us all!
This is incredibly ambitious, excited to hear about your journey!!
this is cool
This is so exciting! You've inspired me – maybe not 12 but I just picked Hebrew back up on Duolingo for starters. Can't wait to follow along.
p.s that photo you is 🥰
Yay! I'm so happy I've inspired you.
Tan'ka, this is brilliant! And so funny, as usual:)
And .... it is such an honor to be a character in your story! Feels like someone has made a a film and I am playing in it... ;)
You're a major character :):)!!
Of course one cannot "learn" 12 languages in a year. But one can "study" 12 languages per year - that's what you should be saying. Nobody says languages are "impossible" to learn. But let's not give the impression that languages are super easy to learn, or that you can reach any kind of decent "useable" level in one month.
You’re an amazing writer and I had the same burning urge to share this information about eating cake in Finnish but I couldn’t figure out how to do that outside of substack.
I’ve been thinking about language learning a looooot recently and I’m stoked to follow along on your journey.
Please do the thing where you tell us about your day in your latest new language!
If you can bear the sex, drugs and rap, watch the movie Kneecap regarding language preservation.
I just googled it, it looks really interesting. Thanks for the recommendation!
Ok Finnish seems so hard but I LOVE Finnish culture! Language tells us so much about a culture too. I wonder why this cake portion size is so relevant? What does it really mean about the culture - that they don’t waste?
Such a cool challenge!!!
Fascinating. Do the Finns have a word for eating the entire cake by yourself?
Hah! I don't think so but I wish they did 😁
This is a brave, crazy idea. I love it.
But how do you say "seahorse midwife" in Finnish?