All The Languages I'm Dying To Learn

You know, I learned Italian all through Primary School, excluding the two years I spent overseas with my family in which I learned Indonesian. Of all those years, I don't remember a single word. Then I continued on to high school, where I learned Japanese for a year before bombing out, and French for the entire time. French was pretty easy to fall in love with: i'd never heard anything that sounded quite so elegant to my ears. As well was that, It always resonated through my dreams that I'd finish school or uni and move to Paris. First it was moving to Paris for Architecture, then it was moving to Paris for Writing, and now it's to move to Paris to become an Haute Couture Designer. In some way or other, I still love each three pursuits and would love to find a way to work on each a little bit. But one thing's for certain, Paris is a given! Therefore French is a given also. I can speak it relatively well, conversations at least, but i'm a little slow and my Grammar needs some serious work. At the minute i'm using DuoLingo, Babbel, Rosetta Stone, Busuu and Memrise. They're all quite excellent programs and teach the language using different techniques, It occured to me it might just be best to dedicate heaps of time. Also when I write in my journal every few days I make sure to include a paragraph or two in french. It's not really possible for me to get it checked but it helps me form sentances etc, and after I finish, I always read the paragraph out loud to help with my pronounciation.

But, in very true Matthew fashion, that's still not enough for me. And I have to set myself the most ridiculously conceivable challenges. I've also taken some beginners courses on all of those apps for German, a language i've always been fascinated by. I've seen so many German films and just been engrossed entirely, in many cases not even understanding a word. Nosferatu, , eine Symphonie des Grauens (1922) is one of my absolute favourites. As well as that, Germany as a country has such intricate history and unique culture. I could just as easily imagine speading a GAP year in Berlin or Munich. OMG HAMBURG WOULD BE A DREAM!

So having started these two it occured to me that I'd like to learn more, many more, over the next few years. I feel like when I hear other people speaking different languages around me it's like code being played out to my ears, just tantalising me. I know it's not impossible, in fact i'm sure with great dedication it's possible. The key is just that though, finding energy for constant dedication It will need.

I read an article online that discussed the possibility of learning multiple languages. It stated quite logically that you can pick up two for a two or three year period, and with regular practice it's possible to become proficient in the language. Then, as long as you regularly find time to speak and write, you can get as close to fluency as you could get from living in the country. SOOOOO one night while proceeding to get very drunk at the casino with my best girlfriend, I got very ambitious and composed a list of them all. I don't know just how possible it is at age 20, but I just know I want to try.

Three Year Time Period

-Français (feeling confident enough to study it for two more years and then leave the third to German)

-Deutsch

Three Year Time Period

-Mandarin

-Esperanto

Three Year Time Period

-Russian

-Italian

Three Year Time Period

-Latin

-Swedish

Three Year Time Period

-Arabic

-Sign Language

Three Year Time Period

-Dutch

-Turkish

Three Year Time Period

-Hungarian

-Japanese

It's nuts I realise. I feel like im almost at the point where ambition needs to be medicated. Hahah jks of course, it's a good thing, but also a hell of an undertaking. Seriously, I can't imagine one day even finding the time to talk to people or write in 15 different languages (English included). Seriously what the shit have I set myself.

And so, as well French and German at the minute that, I've put up a chart on the back of my bedroom door and made palm cards testing myself on the Cyrilc Alphabet. This one's preparation for eventually learning Russian, which is definitely a few years off from happening, and I really should be teaching myself Mandarin characters before that, but I definitely feel like Cyrilic is sooooooooo much less daunting, like a thousand characters or so less daunting.

I'm an absolute idiot I completely realise, and it must be near impossible for you guys to understand my ludicracy ;) Wish me luck for the next 21 or so years. <3

#abitaboutme