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Hi Moomingirl,
You're welcome I'm glad my advice gave you the final push to get back to studying
Glad to hear that your Italian is coming along. It's such a beautiful language by the way!

I know all about struggling to keep doing something (or start it for that matter)...

I used to have pen-pals too, from my tweens and up to my mid 20's. Writing is so much easier.

Yes, we have both bokmål and nynorsk. I wish we only had one, it's no good that we waste time in school learning two forms of Norwegian. Don't get me started lol!
I think bokmål is the better option if you do go for it at some point. It's bigger, more common and you'll more easily find things to listen to, watch or read in bokmål. Also, if you need help, it's easier for me to help you, as I use bokmål.




Theta, don't steal my thunder! Just kidding!

It is strange though how these days everyone can find out about anything.... I'm still getting used to that... I'm a dinosaur lol.

^ Thank you so much for your advice Skilpadde.

It seems strange that you have two kinds of Norwegian. The language text books I have seen have just said 'Norwegian'. I assume they must be in bokmål, if that is the most commonly used form. Are the two versions very different? So, if you use bokmål, could you understand someone using nynorsk?

I will definitely take you up on your offer of help, if I ever get that far. You don't need to hold your breath though, I suspect I am at least a year or two from even thinking about picking up another language, and that is only if I manage to keep going with my studies, which would be a miracle in itself!

Don't worry, you're not the only dinosaur around here. I still find it amazing that I can find so many free language learning sites on the Internet, and websites to meet language exchange friends, and places to download free audio files. I still remember when if you wanted to know something, or study it, you had to go to the local library and see what they had available to borrow. Now I just sit on my couch in my pyjamas and Google it!

What kind of language sites do you go on, Mooms? I learned Japanese through school and university, but having conversations with people is difficult enough for me in English, let alone in a foreign language. Talking online seems a lot easier – even if it's not quite the same, it's still better than letting my language skills go rusty. Any sites you can recommend?

Hi Murihiku

It depends what you are after.

I use Duolingo for building sentences. I love the 'streak' feature, that tells you how many days you have studied in a row (a bit of OCD there, I don't want to break the streak). I also like the graphs, that show you how much you have studied compared to previous days. There's also a nice community of people there. It is a reasonably new site, so languages are currently limited, but they are working on more. Japanese is not there yet, but if you want me to let you know when it appears, I am happy to do that, just let me know! The downside is that there is no actual 'lessons', you have to try to work out what the sentences mean using the 'hints'. Sometimes it takes a few attempts to work out what is going on, but everyone comments to help explain, and sometimes post useful links to grammar websites. If you see me there you will recognise me.

The other website I use a lot is Memrise. That is based on flash cards, and I use it just for vocabulary.

For practice, if you already know a bit of the language, I recommend www.mylanguageexchange.com. You can search for someone who speaks your target language, and you can use advanced search if you care about their sex or age. Sometimes it takes a couple of attempts to find someone you 'click' with. Some people want to talk, but others are happy with written correspondence (I think that option is in the search feature too).

I have two Italian friends I met there, and one Finnish. Two of them I only write to, and one I Skype occasionally (horrendously difficult for me) but more frequently we record messages to each other and then email them. That way you get to practice what you want to say, and start over if you mess it up too badly. Then they record themselves practicing your language, along with any corrections for you.

I would love to hear how you get on. Do let me know.

Best wishes
Mooms.

Thank you so much, Mooms.

I've had a look at all three sites, and My Language Exchange sounds pretty much what I'm looking for. I'll have a look around the site and maybe listen in on a few chats before jumping right in. I might give Memrise a go, too. And yeah, please tell me if Duolingo starts doing Japanese courses (there aren't any that teach Japanese in the Incubator, so I'm guessing it'll be a while). They're fascinating sites. How did you find out about them, and how long have you been on them?

I have my own things that I do, such as reading news sites and watching Japanese movies. But actual conversation – or the closest thing online – would be more helpful. Thanks again.

You are very welcome.

I've been on Memrise for about a year, and I found Mylanguageexchange about 2 years ago. I am a compulsive Googler, I think I found them both through that.

I was subscribed to a blog called (rather over-optimitistically, I thought) Fluent in 3 Months, and I think it was there that I saw Duolingo mentioned. I only joined that about a month ago, but I have found it really useful.

See how you get on with Mylanguageexchange. As I said, I found the most helpful thing was to start by writing to people (which I enjoy), and then we worked up to recording conversations and emailing the sound files to each other. Certainly as someone who finds real time conversation painfully difficult, it is a great way to practice your speaking and listening skills without the added pressure of Skype. Of course, if you see braver than me you can always work up to that.

Good luck.

Been going over the 2014 Australian federal budget and talking about it with my family.

A lot of people are going to feel like they're losing out (hence the post here ) with this budget.

I appreciate that the new government is drastically trying to reduce debt, but I don't like a couple of the ways they're going about it. Like making everyone pay a $7 fee to see their GP. A small fee, certainly, but one that I think will be hard to get rid of even once the national debt is under control. What about people with chronic conditions that have to go regularly? And what's to stop the fees from going higher? So much for universal health care in this country.

What's interesting, though, is the looming battle in the federal Senate, where some of the parties have vowed to block key parts of the government's budget, including the GP co-payments. If the government can't get their budget passed, we could be heading for a double-dissolution election (essentially, both Houses of Parliament are dissolved and a new federal election is called). Shame the US doesn't have ways of breaking legislative deadlock: then their government might actually get more done.

It's around $40 to see the GP here in NZ. Bring from England, where it is free, the first time I walked out without paying. Had to go back and apologise.

You are both lucky. My luck so far has consisted of being in good health and seldom having to go see a physician. This had until recently been the land of the $600 bag of saline solution.

I can get you a bag from the clinic for about $10!

Norwegian is not unique. There are two kinds of Finnish, too. One with clean words, one with dirty words.

Dare I ask which you speak?

Hello there Mooms, you've been scarce lately! Did you get my msgs?

I think Krabo speaks a laundered version of the dirty one!

Krabo: still a Finn, or have you moved to the Bahamas for a little more sunshine and warmth?

I moved about a mile north. Quiet suburb in the woods.

Yeah, it's strange! We're 5 million and we have two official languages
I would assume the language books you've seen are in bokmål, as it is more used. Yes, they are very alike with a lot of small differences, a lot of words are changed a little or subjugated differently. And that actually makes it harder in a way because it's not hard to understand (say for a few words), yet it's full of these small differences that are very hard to remember when you are forced to write it. We have both forms in schools, but here we have far less nynorsk than bokmål. Such a waste of time when we have plenty of things we have far greater need to know. The occasional word can be difficult to get, but overall we can easily understand it.

Example of how the subjugation can differ:

English: The boy said something strange.
Bokmål: Gutten sa noe merkelig.
Nynorsk: Guten sa noko merkeleg.

A short sentence, yet 3 out of 4 words are slightly changed.


Well, if the miracle does happen, I'm here. I know what you mean though. I'm all too good at starting something without following through myself.


Glad I'm not the only one! I too remember that time well. Now it would be an imposition to have to go the library. Strange how the times have changed. Another thing that stuns me is how young people don't watch TV. They watch stuff online on various sites. Only thing I ever watched online is the occasional movie on youtube.

Hey, Krabo, nice to see you here again!

You moved north eh? It wasn't cold enough for ya where you were?