Week II

[ReidSchluter]

The key thing I have been working on this week has been my pronunciation. The 'g'/'ch' hebrew-like sound has been difficult for me to pick up, as has the 'r'--which can either be rolling or throaty, but must always be pronounced. I've seen marked improvement in the last week though, and am meeting with my language partner for the first time tomorrow. He will obviously be a huge resource in aiding my pronunciation, and is fortunately from the Holland region which possesses the dialect I would like to acquire.I have been working through 'Colloquial Dutch' over the past week. I'm close to finishing the second unit following an introduction on pronunciation. There are not very many audio examples given with the book though, which I have found to be a major shortcoming. However, the two resources I added to Diigo are both extremely comprehensive (and free), and fortunately include a fair portion of listening exercises. I think that between 'Colloquial Dutch', my language partner, & these online resources, I could foreseeably gain an intermediate knowledge of Dutch by the end of the semester. It would take a consistent effort, but would certainly be achievable.Overall this week, I've become comfortable with the language. In effect what that means is that I have gained the ability to write, speak, read, & listen to the language without hesitation. Of course I still go fairly slow in each of these disciplines, but there is a visible learning curve, which I'm very optimistic about. Specifically this week I have learned about: personal pronouns, present verb conjugations, having a basic 'how are you' conversation, about 30 verbs including the 5 irregular ones, noun gender, & various basic vocabulary (which I have a broader background in from both my time there & using Tell Me More. Repetition will be key so these things become second-nature, but I know & understand them.