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Languages, syntactic
Dec. 2nd, 2016 04:22 pmI continue to study Swedish via Duolingo and the occasional conversation with my friend Petra (conducted via text, so I have time to look up words I don't know). I'm to the point where I can interpret most simple sentences with a high degree of accuracy, and occasionally work out more complex stuff by a combination of word roots and context. I'm not going to be working as a translator for the UN anytime soon (not that most Swedes would need one), but it's satisfying to be able to have an idea of what Petra and her friends are talking about on Facebook without having to constantly click the "translate" button.
My verbal comprehension, on the other hand, is lagging behind significantly. I've always read faster and more accurately than I hear, but especially with a non-native language it's turning out to be a real handicap. I know I'm making progress - I can make out about one word in five, now, instead of one word in ten or twenty - but it's not quite enough to get the gist, especially when they go by so quickly. I hadn't realized how much I depend on predicting what words are coming next in a given sentence to keep up; I just don't have the body of vocabulary or syntax to guess in Swedish.
This was brought into somewhat hilarious focus today when I (completely by accident) picked a Pandora playlist that turned out to be a mix of American power ballads and Swedish rap. As I was texting Brian on the train: "So, there's a dude rapping over a minor-key riff, with a highly processed falsetto voice providing accenture and chorus, and so far I've managed to make out 'the train', 'your letter', and 'never come again'...I'm guessing it's a breakup song?" Then, of course, there's certain words that the languages have in common - I about busted out laughing when my brain was trying to process "...{Swedish garble} fucked upp system!" Given the driving beat, I'm going to guess that one was more of an antiestablishment song, but I wouldn't bet too heavily on it.
Still, it's turning out to be useful - the cadence of the words fits and things rhyme consistently, and the singer's diction is clear enough that I can make out some individual words even when I can't remember (or don't know) their meaning. I have a feeling this artist will feature somewhat prominently in future practice efforts.
My verbal comprehension, on the other hand, is lagging behind significantly. I've always read faster and more accurately than I hear, but especially with a non-native language it's turning out to be a real handicap. I know I'm making progress - I can make out about one word in five, now, instead of one word in ten or twenty - but it's not quite enough to get the gist, especially when they go by so quickly. I hadn't realized how much I depend on predicting what words are coming next in a given sentence to keep up; I just don't have the body of vocabulary or syntax to guess in Swedish.
This was brought into somewhat hilarious focus today when I (completely by accident) picked a Pandora playlist that turned out to be a mix of American power ballads and Swedish rap. As I was texting Brian on the train: "So, there's a dude rapping over a minor-key riff, with a highly processed falsetto voice providing accenture and chorus, and so far I've managed to make out 'the train', 'your letter', and 'never come again'...I'm guessing it's a breakup song?" Then, of course, there's certain words that the languages have in common - I about busted out laughing when my brain was trying to process "...{Swedish garble} fucked upp system!" Given the driving beat, I'm going to guess that one was more of an antiestablishment song, but I wouldn't bet too heavily on it.
Still, it's turning out to be useful - the cadence of the words fits and things rhyme consistently, and the singer's diction is clear enough that I can make out some individual words even when I can't remember (or don't know) their meaning. I have a feeling this artist will feature somewhat prominently in future practice efforts.
