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   Dana Fried (tess@mastodon.social)'s status on Tuesday, 18-Mar-2025 12:30:32 JST Dana Fried

   "Learning French is going so slowly!" I say to myself, feeling down about the fact that the audio being thrown at me is only now starting to make sense at full speed.

   I look up at my Babbel streak, which I've kept going since I started on the app.

   "10 days" it says.

   Oh.

   Well I guess I am doing okay?

   Feels like a godsdamned slog tho.

   • Embed this notice
     Dana Fried (tess@mastodon.social)'s status on Tuesday, 18-Mar-2025 12:30:32 JST Dana Fried

     in reply to

     Also I cannot pronounce French. I can say each word carefully, constructing it from its constituent phones. But I cannot string together long sequences of /u/, /y/, /ø/, /œ/, /æ̃/, and /œ̃/, all separated by random /ʁ/.

     (I am making some progress with /ø/ vs /œ/, which was something I always struggled with a little in German.)

   • Embed this notice
     Paul Cantrell (inthehands@hachyderm.io)'s status on Tuesday, 18-Mar-2025 12:30:32 JST Paul Cantrell

     in reply to

     @tess
     I have the opposite problem: I have excellent (for a learner) pronunciation, mediocre grammar, and terrible vocabulary. The result is that when native speakers hear me say a few words they charge off at full speed and then realize I don’t understand a word they’re saying.

     Not sure which problem is worse.

   • Embed this notice
     Paul Cantrell (inthehands@hachyderm.io)'s status on Tuesday, 18-Mar-2025 12:49:44 JST Paul Cantrell

     in reply to

     @tess
     “Mumblecore-ass” ← ha, accurate

   • Embed this notice
     Dana Fried (tess@mastodon.social)'s status on Tuesday, 18-Mar-2025 12:49:45 JST Dana Fried

     in reply to

     • Paul Cantrell

     @inthehands I have had literally that exact problem with every other language I've learned well enough to travel with.

     It's just French that's kicking my ass.

     Mumblecore-ass language.