I used several resources throughout the semester to better learn Hindi. The first resource I used was the following website: http://www.learning-hindi.com/ This website was really helpful in understanding the different sounds of the language and basic words/phrases. While I relied heavily on this resource in the beginning of my language learning, I drifted away from it as it is more geared for learners who want to learn to read and write Hindi as well. Another resource I used was the book, Hindi a Complete Course for Beginners by the company Living Languages. I read the first chapter, and it was very easy to follow, but again it is geared for beginners who aspire to read and write Hindi, so it was not one of my primary resources. While this semester I found these resources to be mostly ineffective for achieving my language goals this semester, as I continue to learn Hindi, I am planning on expanding my knowledge into reading and writing, and I anticipate that these resources will then be very useful in later stages of my language learning., which I thought as both helpful and conducive to actually applying the words I was learning into application. I also recently opened an account on Mango languages, which I am excited to incorporate into my learning strategies moving forward.
Resources that I used frequently and found very helpful included the following:flashcard app, Pandora radio station, google translate, of course my Hindi Tutor Niyati, and the following website- http://www.hindilearner.com/hindi_tutorials/ConversationInHindi/conversation_in_hindi.php
The resources I listed above were used in a combination of ways to facilitate my daily learning. I often would meet with Niyati, ask her how to say I variety of words/phrases that I wanted to learn for that day. Then I would transcribe the words/phrases into my flashcard app and review the words/phrases on frequent basis- adding to the list as my learning progressed. I listed to a Bollywood Pandora station frequently, which helped me to learn the sounds and rhythm of Hindi. Google translate was used on days I didn't meet with Niyati, but wanted to learn how to say a particular word/phrase that day. As the semester progressed, Niyati and I started to focus more on having dialogue conversations, rather than learning new vocabulary.
I did try to watch one children's video in Hindi, as well as one Bollywood movie, but they were mostly beyond my comprehension level, so I stopped watching both of them close to half way through. I want to add to my own personal learning goals the ability to someday watch a full Hindi movie (even if it's just a children's movie) and understand it.
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