Above photo of the author in a dirndl she made herself
I am on day 103 of my streak on the Duolingo language app. I know this app is not perfect, and I find it to be a bit ideological (most of the men have boyfriends and the women have wives, etc.) but I am old and unimpressed by subliminal messages and leftist agendas, so suffice it to say I only recommend this app for adults. It is a great way to practice vocabulary and some grammar patterns, however, and I supplement with a grammar books for each language as well as movies or news apps in target languages as I gain some basic proficiency.
Here is a summary of my status today in all the languages I am working on:
German: Section 3 Unit 19
Italian: Section 2 Unit 7
Norwegian: Section 1 Unit 12
Klingon: Section 1 Unit 10
Korean: Section 1 Unit 7
French: Section 1 Unit 4
How and Why I Chose These Languages
Why German: I am a native English speaker (American) who chose German as a language in high school (our choices were Latin, Spanish, French, and German) because I liked both science and music. I also had a fair amount of German ancestry. German vocabulary is easy for English speakers because both are in the western Germanic language family. However, because of its complicated grammar German is harder for English speakers than Dutch, Norwegian, or the Romance languages. I continued German when I got to engineering school and was able to sing German songs and slowly read some German texts. As an adult, I had few opportunities to practice German in any meaningful context. Recently, I started reading the Bible in German and am enjoying it. A different language brings fresh life to familiar texts.
Foreign Service Institute language difficulty ratings for native English speakers
Why Italian:I enjoyed the Netflix series "Medici" and have always loved the sound of Italian opera. Italian art is another factor. Spanish is everywhere in America, but I wanted something else. Thus the language of Dante and Michelangelo and Lorenzo the Magnificent! I quickly progressed through the Italian section 1 in Duolingo thanks to my scientific background in Latin roots, my passing familiarity with a bit of Spanish, and my engineering quirk that allows me to see patterns in almost anything.
Why Klingon:I have to admire the straightforward warrior culture of the Star Trek race. Klingons are rather Viking-like, with their respect for courage and desire for honor. And as I mentioned in Part 1, it is a real test of how my brain can adapt to a language very different from my own.
Why Korean:With the Germanic, Romance, and Alien languages represented, I thought I should try an Asian language. At age 61, I decided Korean was my best chance. The writing system, Hangul, is an alphabet rather than a bazillion symbols in calligraphy. It is my understanding that King Sejong the Great developed this scientific system for representing the sounds of the Korean language. I am making progress, albeit very slow progress.
Why French: This is an experiment to see if I can keep two different Romance languages straight. It also means I am learning all three major opera languages now.
Why Norwegian:I am interested in Vikings. Also, I found that Norwegian seems quite easy for someone who is already fluent in English and familiar with German. Norwegian grammar is simpler than German and its spelling is simpler than English.
Language Learning Project Links: