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Oct. 17th, 2013 01:42 amPunted to the new year. I obviously can't say I'm surprised.
Waiting until the next time it comes around on the guitar, that's me.
Waiting until the next time it comes around on the guitar, that's me.
Oct. 17th, 2013
(no subject)
Oct. 17th, 2013 02:32 pmI've been noticing something interesting lately. I'm finding it easier to get to the stage in a language where I can generate some intelligible speech utterances.
I'm sure this has to do with a couple of things. The collection of random vocabulary in various languages has in my head gets larger and more varied every year, so I have a lot more points to start from. Also, I seem to have much less inhibition about launching into a language I kind of sort of know than I used to.
I say this with the caveat that I continue to know jack all about grammar in most languages other than English and Mandarin, both of which I picked up more or less in infancy*, and have forgotten most of what I learned about grammar in French, which I actually took classes in. I don't particularly learn languages via formal grammar rules, which probably also has something to do with the way I use the languages I do.
Nonetheless, I keep having experiences where I am confronted with a situation where I have a specific need to say something in a language I don't actually know and some words will fall out of my mouth, and be understandable enough to get me a useful response. Sometimes it's even correct!
I'm generally surprised by this after it happens.
It's not as useful as it sounds because I'd like to be able to come up with something to say on command instead of just having words fall out of my mouth unpredictably, but I'll take it. Besides, people claim words randomly pop out of my mouth when I'm speaking English and Mandarin, too. :)
*In both English and Mandarin my usual response to someone asking if some sentence is gramatically correct is to say it to myself to pass it through the "sounds right? sounds wrong?" test, and then backfill to try and apply some rule I learned sometime. Formal grammar and I have a somewhat fraught relationship.
I'm sure this has to do with a couple of things. The collection of random vocabulary in various languages has in my head gets larger and more varied every year, so I have a lot more points to start from. Also, I seem to have much less inhibition about launching into a language I kind of sort of know than I used to.
I say this with the caveat that I continue to know jack all about grammar in most languages other than English and Mandarin, both of which I picked up more or less in infancy*, and have forgotten most of what I learned about grammar in French, which I actually took classes in. I don't particularly learn languages via formal grammar rules, which probably also has something to do with the way I use the languages I do.
Nonetheless, I keep having experiences where I am confronted with a situation where I have a specific need to say something in a language I don't actually know and some words will fall out of my mouth, and be understandable enough to get me a useful response. Sometimes it's even correct!
I'm generally surprised by this after it happens.
It's not as useful as it sounds because I'd like to be able to come up with something to say on command instead of just having words fall out of my mouth unpredictably, but I'll take it. Besides, people claim words randomly pop out of my mouth when I'm speaking English and Mandarin, too. :)
*In both English and Mandarin my usual response to someone asking if some sentence is gramatically correct is to say it to myself to pass it through the "sounds right? sounds wrong?" test, and then backfill to try and apply some rule I learned sometime. Formal grammar and I have a somewhat fraught relationship.
"Robert Costa wins the shutdown."
Oct. 17th, 2013 03:08 pmThis is largely inside baseball, but Robert Costa of the National Review has been getting kudos from just about everyone else in the media for his coverage of the shutdown.
From the Politico piece with the headline I borrowed my Subject: line from:
Like I said, mostly Washington media insider stuff, but interesting.
From the Politico piece with the headline I borrowed my Subject: line from:
"There are no winners here," White House press secretary Jay Carney said of the negotiations to end the government shutdown.I'm really glad one of my public policy friends pointed me in the direction of Costa's articles a week or so ago. Costa's twitter feed was worth watching, too.
Except, of course, Robert Costa, the National Review editor who has been widely celebrated over the course of the past two weeks for his unparalleled reporting on backroom Republican dealings.
Like I said, mostly Washington media insider stuff, but interesting.