November
Preface
Last learning journal for the semester! Unfortunately, the internet shutdown in Iran is still a looming issue (see the September & October posts for more resources on the Mahsa Amini protests). As I mentioned in a previous learning journal, I think it might be beneficial to seek out a secondary language partner on iTalk over winter break for the coming semester. That being said, however, it seems that Microsoft Teams might turn out to be a more viable option than WhatsApp, Viber, or Signal (considering the current circumstances in Iran). This past month, my language partner and I have been switching between communication platforms in an effort to resume using video chat during our language learning sessions. Before the shutdown, video chat was a given, but now it is a coin toss on whether or not the call will drop if we use it. Though we have only been using Teams for a week, we have not yet had a call drop (fingers crossed!).
PLO Lessons & Progress
If needed, please see the August post for further explanation of PLO & difficult levels; E# = Elementary Lesson #, I-# = Intermediate Lesson #). On my last journal, I had just finished E38, and I had two more lessons to go until finishing the Elementary level and continuing on to Intermediate (I-41 -- I-60). As predicted, now that I have started the Intermediate lessons, my progress has slowed down significantly. The jump from the Elementary level to Intermediate is steep, as the lessons are now much longer and more complicated. I am going through about one lesson a week, so 2-3 sessions per lesson. Currently, I just started I-43.
Now that we have covered almost all the material for SDLC 105, I am feeling more prepared to tackle more of the complex grammar in Farsi. At this point, I am growing much more accustomed to the Subject-Object-Verb syntax in Farsi.
Now, I think the two things I am currently working on are the definitive article را (rā) and مورد (mowred). Out of the two, I understand rā much better. It is a definitive article, often used after a transitive verb. The closest English equivalent would be "the," but they are not quite the same, as rā only used when a verb is affecting a noun, e.g. "taking the book", not just "the book is red." Mowred, I have to admit, is giving me some trouble. It seems to be a sort of placeholder. In isolation, it is a noun, but what confuses me is when it is used in tandem with other modifiers. For example, mowred-e alāghe, which means favorite.
Other than that, the main thing I am struggling with is just remembering more abstract grammar, which I assume will just come with time and repeated review.
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