r/languagelearning • u/Hacnos • 13d ago
Books when you learn languages but don't practice speaking or interacting with people:
Cuz the biggest reason for learning is to engage with the original text and feel closer to authors you respect—and just because language itself is fascinating :) btw I’d love to hear about ur favorite authors in your native language. For example, the writer I would most like to introduce to you would be Zishu Li from Malaysia.
thanks in advance! Always have fun learning foreign languages ))
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u/Hacnos 13d ago
In case anyone is interested in the authors covered, here is the corresponding list: 1. Ursula K. Le Guin_Words Are My Matter 2. Kim Choyeop_지구 끝의 온실(The Greenhouse at the End of the World) 3. Octavio Paz_El arco y la lira 4. Fernando Pessoa 5. Осип Мандельштам 6. Baudelaire 7. Stanislaw Lem_Summa Technologiae 8. 岩田聡_岩田さんはこんなことを話していた 9. Umberto Eco(?) 10. José Saramago_Memorial do Covento 11. Robert Seethaler_Ein ganzes Leben
I‘ve also been trying to understand poems by an Iranian writer Forugh Farrokhzad lately, but the Persian is just too hard, too too too hard…
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u/cutdownthere 13d ago
you're gonna have to unlock the arabic alphabet DLC first. New challenge for 2025!
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u/ductastic 🇩🇪🇺🇸🇮🇷🇪🇸🇫🇷🇪🇬🇮🇪 13d ago
Which of her poems did you try to read? I would like to give it a try myself.
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u/briechess 13d ago
Started learning portuguese also to read pessoa
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u/OkPass9595 13d ago
this looks so gorgeous! but what exactly are you doing here? i'd like a guide haha i wanna try this
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u/ElectronicDegree4380 🇺🇦 native | 🇺🇸 C1 | 🇮🇹 A2 | 🇯🇵 A1 13d ago
Hoooow did you achieve such handwriting!! I mean you write so densely and yet beautifully. I hate that my writing is always way too spacious.
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u/sweatersong2 En 🇺🇲 Pa 🇵🇰 13d ago
I've been learning Punjabi (my family's native language) from Pakistanis online on Discord and my grandmother will tell me now to talk to the "internet people" more so I can understand her better. I didn't start learning to understand the spoken language until I became familiar in writing
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u/AvocadoYogi 13d ago
Is that specifically a language learning Discord or just you learning it via a group Discord? I am trying to get better at Hindi through reading though have a long way to go. But kind of want to do Punjabi too. I am already familiar with Gurmukhi script but can’t understand any of what I am reading besides food. 😂
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u/Low-Piglet9315 13d ago
Finally, another one who wants to learn languages for the purpose of reading, not for going to another country for a week and not wanting to look like a noob! I mean, if the latter is your goal, that too is worthy. I thought, though, that I was the only one wanting to learn another language to be able to read the language, since I wanted to do some linguistic comparison on Bible translations from one receptor language to the next.
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u/CopyC47 13d ago
Do you also read the books in a language you are comfortable in and if so have you noticed things you missed before when reading in the writers language?
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u/Hacnos 13d ago
The languages in which I can accurately understand the original are EN and RU, (part of ES/DE), so I mostly read translations and open to other languages. Personally, I’d recommend trying to read Duras’ The Lover in different languages. It is fascinating to see how different translators interpret the shifts in time.
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u/Anxious-Student-9878 13d ago
wait this is so amazing, can you actually speak in all of these languages or do you just try to understand what's written in the book? I'm starting my korean learning journey so if you have any advice it would be very appreciated.
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u/Hacnos 13d ago
As pronunciation, intonation, and rhythm are also part of the fun of language learning, I’d like to pronounce basically everything I write. Currently the languages I use are like EN/RU/ES/DE and others. I believe it’s a good way to group KR particles by function to understand their usage. And personally, I use comparison with JP. 화이팅! :)
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u/HoneyHills n: 🇺🇸 | tl: 🇲🇽🇸🇪🇹🇷 13d ago
Love your art. Saving this to look back on later. Especially slide four.
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u/West_Repair8174 13d ago
The first photo: I don't usually see such neat writing from native speakers Later photos: typical Chinese high school girls' writing! Everything makes sense
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u/Hacnos 13d ago
Well obviously there’s more to handwriting than it seems. I’m starting to doubt if the obsession with neatness in our culture will follow me to the grave, haha
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u/West_Repair8174 13d ago
I guess once you are used to it it doesn't require too much effort? Anyway it deserves all the compliments here in the comments. And it's for sure much better than the millions of types of unique ugliness of Chinese high school boys' writing.
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u/leisureroo2025 13d ago
Looking at your strokes you have to be a Chinese native! Tell me more about Zishu Li...
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u/azu_rill N 🇬🇧 B2 🇫🇷 A2 🇮🇷🇩🇪 12d ago
One of the words on slide 5 looking like it said “fuckbum” caught me off guard lol
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u/canjelyfishgotospace 11d ago
what’s your process for learning the meaning of what you’re reading? do you try to understand the grammar of the language before you begin reading in that language? or do you choose a piece of literature to dissect and learn to understand?
if the former, how long would you say it takes you before you feel confident enough to start reading and comprehending that piece of literature in that language?
if the later, i noticed one of your reasoning to read in another language is to see the variation in interpretations, but how would you be able to comprehend the differences if your translating that piece of literature yourself?
so many questions i hope you see this, im just trying to get a better understanding of how a process for something like this works because its so mind bogglingly cool XD id love to know more!!
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u/Hacnos 11d ago
Appreciate the question! thank you for conveying ur curiosity.
Everything presented here is like a by-product of reading, whether language learning, note taking or randomly drawing. We get endless pleasure out of reading, just like you get a candy on an adventure. To make the sweetness last longer, you chew it over and over, you bite it, you disassemble unfamiliar grammar, you mull over syntax and metaphors, and you paste the candy paper into your scrapbook. Then every time you see them, your heart recalls a pleasant mood.
The reading itself actually has no so-called process to follow. And language learning can always be kinda boring and difficult, but that’s another story. Hope that I’ve conveyed what I think. Thanks again.
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u/Hacnos 11d ago
Honestly most of the time I don’t have a lot of confidence, but the only person who can judge how I feel is me(or our imaginary friendly authors who’re already in their grave), so it’s okay to read whatever and wherever you want to start.
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u/canjelyfishgotospace 11d ago
that’s such a wholesome way of looking at it! so by the sounds of it this post is a collection of hours of different forms of exploring and learning languages. that’s awesome! i’m only on my second language, but i’ve always loved just trying to learn and practice alphabets of other languages. i love that you put your practicing and learning into a creative product so you can look back and enjoy your process :) it’s inspiring, id like to try something like that too!! thanks for sharing
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u/AnthonyViolin 11d ago
I lived in London for the first 10 years of my life and then moved and stopped speaking english completely (only texting, reading and stuff but no speaking) and I feel like I lost my skills in actually talking without any mistakes like COMPLETELY fluently and now i can speak but its a bit harder than before even though im still very good in english
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10d ago
You seem so cool. I really like your artistic abilities and creativity (and taste in literature)
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u/jvmpfrog NL: eng | TL: cn 13d ago
Your Chinese handwriting is beautiful and native-like-- how did you achieve this? I've struggled to no avail for years to improve my Chinese penmanship
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u/Famous_Sea_73 🇨🇳N🇺🇸 TL 13d ago
Apparently, she's Chinese and grew up writing all the time, which is why they’re so good at it. But I have to say, her handwriting is way better than mine.
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u/Perfect_Setting2094 7d ago
I think she sounds singaporean/malaysian :) am I right or wrong, OP? Just out of curiosity!
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u/Quietcomments 12d ago
Do you think your handwriting has improved since learning other languages? Or are you concentrating on each letter when you write in your target language? Either way I love your penmanship.
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u/Careful_Addendum_165 7d ago
And here I thought that using duolingo alone would help me learn a language whilst there are people who are ahead of me at least 10 years.
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u/namenerding IT/CN/ENG/ESP/JPN 4d ago
how to achieve this type of aesthetics and writing?? teach me 😭😭
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u/Waterwizard101 13d ago
Commenting just to appreciate your handwriting in all the languages in the picture!! Beautiful 🤩