Tread lightly on the things of earth

After spending much of the past year self-studying German, then exercising what I’d learned last month in Berlin, I’ve now moved forward with my plan of returning con mucho gusto to learning Spanish. (This is my nth launch into Spanish since high school; looks like this one’s gonna take.)

Spanish does seem easier by comparison now, just as I’d hoped. A bigger factor is probably that I really have softened my hard head so it’s better at learning language. (“Go soak your head?” Done.) Indeed, the best of what I’ve learned over these past months is metalearning about how to learn language.

So I’m focused and on a roll, harnessing the momentum. Just finished Pimsleur Spanish I Comprehensive (Amz). Now alternating lessons between Pimsleur Spanish II (Amz) and Learning Spanish Like Crazy (LSLC) Level 1. Plan is to continue through Pimsleur Spanish III (Amz) and LSLC Level 2, working them somewhat in parallel, then move on to Platiquemos after that. With happy side excursions, of course, into vocabulary building via flashcards and LinkWord Spanish Levels 1-4, and into grammar texts including Señora Madrigal’s engaging Magic Key to Spanish.

Just saw this Listening-Reading System idea, which is fascinating. So I’ve queued it up to try using one of my favorite works, Saint-Exupery’s The Little Prince. Big thanks to Alba for making the necessary Spanish audio of TLP available, along with printed English and Spanish translations.

You know, the thing I’m loving most about studying Spanish here in the U.S. is it’s such a big ol’ FU to Dobbsian anti-immigration bigotry.

While this is perhaps not a particularly laudable motivation, it is seriously working.

2007-11-17 update: As a result of reading this How to Learn any Language forum thread, fortified by another thread on learning styles, capped by an enthusiastic recommendation from linguist John McWhorter, I’ve added Assimil to my language-learning curriculum mix.

From the learning-styles thread I see I fit the learning style described as reflective-intuitive-verbal-global, as compared to the other end of the learning-style scales, active-sensing-visual-sequential. Assimil is mentioned (especially on thread’s page 4) as a program that appeals to intuitive-global learners.

This past summer I listened to McWhorter’s Teaching Company course, Story of Human Language. What an outstanding accompaniment to my first big second-language self-study project! (I listened in parallel to studying beginner German.) Very motivating by revealing backstory and characteristics of languages through time. Based on that course, the man has my respect, so I’m inclined to pay attention to his recommendations. He’s big on Assimil.

So I’ve bought Assimil Spanish with Ease from LanguageQuest. I see it’s also available at a just-lowered (I think) price at Amazon.

I’m very interested to discover what Assimil adds to the mix.

2007-11-20 update: Spanish-learning resources on the Web abound, including many delightful podcasts. These podcasts appeal to me because they often provide a slice-o’-life view into others’ lives, thinking, and culture. Of the language podcasts I’ve sampled so far, I’m most enchanted by Mark and Kara’s Coffee Break Spanish and Ben and Marina’s Notes in Spanish.

I could listen to Mark and Kara’s Scottish accent (when they’re speaking English, that is) for weeks on end. Ben and Marina, in addition to what they’re teaching, remind me to laugh more. I love hearing, and seeing, their joyful approach to life. Isn’t it amazing how people you’ve never met can feel like friends? Gracias, mis amigos.

2007-12-31 update: While this matters to hardly anyone but me, I want to record where I am with learning Spanish as 2007 draws to a close:

• completed Pimsleur Spanish II
• completed 2/3 of LSLC Level 1 (ready for Lesson 20)
• completed passive phase of Assimil Spanish with Ease (thru Lesson 49)

I’m queued up to segue immediately into Pimsleur Spanish III, wrap up LSLC Level 1 and proceed to LSLC Level 2, continue into Assimil’s active phase, and then, at some point, start Platiquemos.

I’ve been saying I’m going to be at least bilingual before I die. I didn’t realize that the journey could be (1) this much fun, and (2) call forth this much self-discipline, which is spilling over into other areas of my life, like rain in a desert.

Thus, at least in this context, it really is all good.