Picking up words as they come
Last week I blogged about different vocabulary retention methods, including using a digital flashcard system called Anki. I recently sat down to enter my new Turkish words into the Anki program, and I smiled at how disparate the words are. If I were learning in school, I would probably learn systematic sets of words. Instead I am just living in Turkish (at least some of the time), and picking up words as they come (and when I have a scrap of paper and a pen). These words are all over the place!
From the last two weeks
sağmak to milk
Part of my strange new life includes walking out to the fields to milk sheep. Or to watch people milk sheep, to be more accurate.
gelenek tradition
From a discussion about face tattoos, which you can still find on some older people in Southeastern Turkey.
yetenekli capable
Regarding a young man in the village.
kemik bone
Exploring an old settlement mound in a village.
boru hattı pipeline
I’m in Turkey, but my thoughts are definitely still with Vancouver, and all my friends here get to hear about the current pipeline proposals.
incitmek to hurt someone’s feelings
incinmek to be hurt
Relationships aren’t always smooth-going, in any language.
başınız sağolsun I’m sorry for your loss
Sadly, I had to learn what to say after someone has lost a loved one.
angut a particular kind of orange-coloured bird / a fool
People raise pigeons in this city, and I am getting into the hobby myself. So far, just gathering information from acquaintances.
The bottom line: Get a life, get a language
So many students have asked me how to learn a language better. I suspect they are generally thinking of an activity that can be done at home or the in library – some version of studying vocabulary, doing listening exercises, or writing out sentences with new expressions. The bottom line, though, is that you need to get a life in the new language. You need buddies and regular activities that take place in the language. That is what I am finding out now in Turkey.
