About two months ago, I thought it would be beneficial to specialise in four languages. While managing ten is good for a trial experience and for answering basic questions about yourself, it is simply too many to make significant progress. In the end, I decided on Modern Standard Arabic (MSA), French, German, and Japanese. I practice each for 15 to 30 minutes every day using free resources available on the internet. My aim is to take them all to official examinations for formal recognition. I thoroughly enjoy them all, and I have not abandoned the others. Three of my chosen languages already have established roots, while Arabic is entirely new to me.
Sunday, 23 August 2026
Saturday, 25 April 2026
Experimental Log: Spoken Language Acquisition
I am conducting an experiment into spoken language acquisition across the following languages, categorised by their rhythmic timing systems:
1. Stress-Timed Languages
In these languages, the duration between stressed syllables is relatively constant, regardless of how many syllables are in between.
German: (One year's tuition; last lesson in 1980).
Dutch: (No experience).
Arabic: (No experience; note: while often considered stress-timed, it possesses unique pharyngeal resonance).
Irish: (No experience).
2. Syllable-Timed Languages
In these languages, each syllable takes up roughly the same amount of time, creating a "machine-gun" or melodic rhythm.
French: ('O' Level, 1982).
Spanish: (No experience).
Italian: (No experience).
Chinese: (No experience; note: also a tonal language, which adds a vertical dimension to the timing).
3. Mora-Timed Languages
A unique system where the timing is based on "morae" (sub-syllabic units) rather than full syllables.
Japanese: (N4 2004 or 2005).
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