Tag: Minority language

Interesting places to find Language Resources

You are a diligent language learner trying to complete your very first homework assignment but you are already stuck. As a minority language learner the search for resources is part of the struggle. Don’t spend all of your motivation before you even begin. Tackling a less common language means being creative. Keep reading for some unlikely places to find language resources.

Think back to your reasons for choosing your language and start from there.

Heritage:

Family, friends and neighbors.

Are you trying to learn the language of your family or your partner’s? Look right at home. Does grandma speak Ts’ixa? What about your great aunts or uncles, or their friends or neighbors? Ask around. Remember 6 degrees of separation? If grandma does not speak your language she might have a friend who has a friend. Don’t discount your own friends, everyone has a cousin who “knows a guy”.

Places of worship.

Is your language associated with a particular religion? You are in luck. Organized religions can be an excellent language resource. Head over to the nearest place of worship and ask for help. Any religion with a history of proselytization likely has religious materials in your language. Call and ask, I am sure they would be more than happy to send you something….. 😉

Bible translations

https://www.bible.com/versions

Employment:

Embassies, State Departments, Corporations, Non-profits

The United Nations, the World bank, the International Monetary Fund, are these language resources? Yes. They are all large organizations where knowing multiple languages is often part of the job.

State Department Language List:

https://2009-2017.state.gov/m/fsi/sls/orgoverview/languages/index.htm

World Bank

https://www.worldbank.org/en/language-resources

Interest:

Universities, Clubs, Folklore societies

If you are interested in it then someone else is too.

Let’s Begin

So it has come to this, I’ve started a blog.

I am basically a Luddite too, maybe not the violence part, but definitely the I’m-not-a-huge-adapter-to-technology-part. I keep my phones until they are updated out of existence (I stayed with Nokia until the bitter end).The fact that now, in their zillith year, I am now discovering blogs seems just about right.

Really, the only thing I know how to do with computers is type on them, so I have absolutely no business doing this. It is just that I need some help, some community, some accountability. (link?)

Language learning is hard……….

Learning a minority language is even harder. Not only do you have to work harder to find all the (any) resources, you are likely all on your own.

People who run marathons have groups, even people who run marathons in deserts have groups. People learning obscure languages should also have groups!

……….but much easier with someone else

I am not a polyglot, not an anything-glot. Just a regular person with a job and kids and poor time management skills….but I want to do this. I bet you want to do this too. Let’s do it together.

How should we start?

There are a few ways to do this. If you are at the absolute beginning of your language journey I recommend that you start with the set “homework”.(link) Spoken languages are structured via sounds. By starting with them way you set the base for everything else. (link) (link) (link)

What else?

The other way to do it is to check back here and see how I am coming along with my goal. I will be giving regular check-ins to share with you how I am (or am not progressing–feel free to write-in and remind me to get on it!)

Are you learning Irish?

So am I! I will have some specific post related to the joys and trials of trying for the ‘cupla focal’. If you are not, then write in and tell us what you are learning. Someone else out there is learning your language too. Send in your best tips (and gripes 🙂 about your language.

Let’s set some goals…..

Runners have races, gym rats track the weight they can lift. Language learners need milestones too. Maybe you want to have a complete conversation with your grandmother in her original language, or not seem too much like an idiot the next time your travel. Whatever it is, things seem to move along better when you can measure them. Find something specific and work towards it.

2020 Declension Destroyer!

Many languages have official testing bodies with fancy sounding names. They often give proficiency exams. These are excellent trackers. I know, what? I am going to start taking tests for fun? A test is just a tracker. You are out of school now, no one will rap your knuckles if you fail. This is for you to see how you are doing. It is just like the races that runners do (just no t-shirts; “I crushed my conjugations 2020”, “Verb-master”)

My goal for 2021 is to be able to take (and pass) the A2 TEG language exam when (if?, no let’s be an optimists, when) it is given in spring 2021.

What do you want to do? (link to lang exams)

(link to language milestones)