Language reflections

October 16th 2023

Today in class I completed my duolingo practice review course with a 100%. I didn't find any additional resources but duolingo and my dad is all I need. I am learning that I love Dutch while doing this assignment. I learnt what meisje meant, which is very cool. I faced the challenge of understanding the difference between de and het, i still don't understand it. A big difference between Dutch and English is the hardness of your g’s and r’s.

November 30th 2023

I completed 2 duolingo dutch levels and aced them during class. I found some Dutch books on my bookshelf and they are hard to read but are helping me get a deeper understanding of dutch. I couldn't understand some words in the book so I got my dad to help me. I think I'm making big progress as the language is kind of coming back to me even though I haven't spoken it for so long. I've noticed many words are similar to the english language as the languages are closely related, they even have a term for it “leenwoorden” My retention is going well and I'm able to remember most vocabulary.

Feb 26th 2024

I have dedicated about 13 hours to studying the Dutch language. I complete daily duolingo as well as receiving tips and other help from my dad. I've been improving the flow of my conversations although it's still very rocky. I often struggle with some vocabulary and constructing sentences.

March 4th 2024

There are 3 main strategies I use: Speaking, observing, and consistency. Speaking with my dad every day in Dutch, he gives me good criticism and always tries to make me read more dutch. I watch Dutch movies and shows to learn how they speak in groups and general vocabulary. Finally, I consistently use Duolingo so I don't forget the language. It's been going well for me. I can feel my Dutch getting better and maybe I will soon start to begin practice on a more advanced level of Dutch.

speaking

  • Constructive Dad Moments: My dad's input is very helpful. Lately he's been correcting my word order. For example, instead of saying "Ik rode appels gekocht" (I have red apples bought), he reminds me it's "Ik heb rode appels gekocht." Now when I think back I can see it was an obvious mistake, so I've improved a lot.

Observing

  • I binge watched some Seven Sprong episodes, I found it really fun to understand the jokes they where making during it. I found myself being able to actually understand some of it without just reading subtitles

Consistency

  • Duolingo: The streak system in Duolingo is very nice; it keeps me motivated. I find the listening exercises easy, but the short stories are good for building vocabulary about random topics, but mostly for not forgetting the language again
  • Dutch in Daily Life: I changed my phone settings to Dutch, which is kind of helpful but annoying at times too, as it takes a long time to find stuff sometimes



March 24th 2024

I watched the final episodes of the zeven sprong. It was very informative as I learned how to sing in Dutch and I thought it was very interesting. It taught me about Dutch culture and their accents as it was based in a more southern area of the region. My friend was very informative when trying to make a poor replica of the dutch language as i could see how much progress i made compared to beginner. This showed me that I am making tremendous progress in my Dutch abilities and am able to finally be able to notice some solid progression. 

April 22nd 2024

I have been steadily progressing with my Dutch skills, I've completed duo lingo, and watched some Dutch shows. The duo lingo has introduced me to some new vocabulary about mail. I watched a bunch more episodes of de Avond Show, which is relevant because it keeps me up to date with Dutch politics. Ive learned about the new most popular party the PVV is advocating for safer borders and such. Wilders is trying to create more freedom, leave the EU, and destroy any muslim presence within the country. I've used conversation with my dad to help my skills to help remember vocabulary. I had a whole conversation with him on how to fix bikes. I ended up learning how to use oil to loosen my chain, and how to pump up my tires. I also learned about how cracks in the axle can lead to a lesser biking experience.

September 18th 2024

I've started to converse with my dad much more in Dutch in the past few months. He's really made me feel like I truly am starting to become fluent in Dutch. I've also watched a few more episodes of De Avond Show which I found to be very enjoyable.

January 4th 2025

This is my final reflection, I feel like I have learnt a lot over my journey, and I feel like I have truly started to reach a level of Dutch where I am not fluently able to converse with my dad. Although I still-can forget a few words, and get some structure wrong. They unfortunately canceled De Avond Show, but I heard the host is starting a new show sometime this year.