a polyglot wannabe

& some Halloween vocab too, of course! 👻🎃

Automne (m) - Autumn Septembre - September Octobre - October Novembre - November L’équinoxe (m) d’automne - The Autumn equinox 

Feuille(s) (f) - Leaf, leaves  Citrouille(s) (f) - Pumpkin(s) Pomme(s) (f) - Apple(s)  Gland(s) (m) - Acorn(s) Châtaigne(s) (f) - Chestnut(s) Canneberge(s) (f) - Cranberry, cranberries  Moisson (f) - Harvest Épouvantail (m) - Scarecrow Cidre (m) - Cider  Gants (m) - Gloves  Écharpe (f) - Scarf Manteau (m) - Coat  Imperméable (m) - Raincoat  Parapluie (m) - Umbrella  Bottes (f) - Boots  Pull (m) - Pullover, jumper, sweater Chocolat chaud (m) - Hot chocolate  Feu (m) - Fire Cheminée (f) - Fireplace  Bougie(s) (f) - Candle(s) Flamme(s) (f) - Flame(s) Obscurité (f) - Darkness  Grisaille (f) - Gloom, greyness  Couverture(s) (f) - Blanket(s)  Couette (f) - Duvet, quilt 

Vent (m) - Wind Pluie (f) - Rain  Bruine (f) - Drizzle Nuage (m) - Cloud Tempête (f) - Storm Brouillard (m) - Fog

Halloween (f) - Halloween Bonbons (m) - Sweets Chauve-souris (f) - Bat Chat (m) noir - Black cat  Fantôme (m) - Ghost  Film (m) d’horreur - Horror film  Costume (m) - Costume  Décorations (f) - Decorations Squelette (m) - Skeleton Monstre (m) - Monster Vampire (m) - Vampire Zombie (m) - Zombie Cimetière (m) - Graveyard  Pierre (f) tombale - Gravestone  Maison (f) hantée - Haunted house 

Rouge - Red Jaune - Yellow Orange - Orange Or - Gold Doré - Golden Gris - Grey 

Froid - Cold Frais - Fresh Douillet - Cosy, snug Croustillant - Crisp, crunchy  Effrayant - Scary, frightening Sombre - Dark Orageux - Stormy Pluvieux - Rainy Nuageux - Cloudy  Brumeux - Foggy Fantomatique - Ghostly 

October/Halloween Vocabulary 十月とハロウィーン

十月: じゅうがつ (juugatsu) - October/ month 10

十月十日: とつきとおか (totsukitooka) - babies born on October 10, supposedly conceived on New Year’s Day/ normal gestation time (i.e. 9 months)

秋: あき (aki) - autumn/ fall

草枯れ: くさがれ (kusagare) - autumn/ withering of the grass

秋日: しゅうじつ (shuujitsu) - autumn day/ autumn

紅葉: こうよう (kouyou) - autumn colors/ leaves changing color/ leaves turning red/ red leaves/ leaves turning yellow/ yellow leaves

紅葉: もみじ (momiji) - (Japanese) maple (Acer japonicum)/ venison

秋季: しゅうき (shuuki) -  autumn season

秋風: あきかぜ (akikaze) - autumn breeze

秋色: しゅうしょく (shuushoku) - autumn scenery

紅葉狩り: もみじがり (momijigari) - autumn-leaf viewing

オカルティック (okarutikku) - occult/ spooky/ eerie

気味悪い: きみわるい (kimiwaru) - unpleasant/ uncomfortable/ creepy/ spooky

お化けの話: おばけのはなし (obakenohanashi) - spooky tale/ ghost story

物の怪: もののけ (mononoke) - (vengeful) ghost/ specter/ spectre

鬼: おに (oni) - oni, ogre, demon/ spirit of a deceased person/ ogre-like person (i.e. fierce, relentless, merciless, etc.)

魔: ま (ma) - demon/ devil/ evil spirit/ evil influence/ someone who habitually performs some negative act

魔女: まじょ (majo) - witch

南瓜: かぼちゃ (kabocha) - pumpkin (Cucurbita species)/ squash

お菓子: おかし (okashi) - confections/ sweets/ candy

キャンディ (kyandi) - candy

コスプレショー ( kosupuresho) - costume party

verb conjugation:

Why did you start learning that?

I believe it’s impossible for a human being to always use correct grammar, spelling, pronunciation, etc. when speaking or writing. I myself stutter, stumble over words, forget the names for things, mispronounce and misspell things, misuse grammatical constructions and say “uh…” in the middle of sentences all the time in my own native language. I cannot tell you the number of times I had to look up the definitions of words and check my spelling, grammar and punctuation while writing this response. With this in mind, I think it is quite unfair that the general consensus, at least in the English speaking world, especially among those who don’t have much experience with foreign languages, and who don’t consider them to be a vehicle for communication, rather than just a subject at school, is that being “fluent” involves knowing every word in the dictionary and being able to speak with a perfect accent and using eloquent grammar without ever making a “mistake”, stammering, or misunderstanding. The incredible uncertainty surrounding this commonly accepted definition of the word “fluent” is the reason I avoid using it. “Fluency” is not the same as “accuracy” and it is also not necessarily a reflection of an individual’s actual level in any given language. Successful “fluent” communication includes not only understanding the meanings of individual words, but also cultural awareness, context, humour, and nuance. Someone can be “fluent” at a B1 level if they are able to well make use of the skills they do possess to draw attention away from the gaps in their knowledge and keep a conversation running smoothly. Likewise it is possible for someone to have an incredibly expansive vocabulary and understanding of grammar, yet struggle to put their theoretical proficiency to use due to lack of confidence and or experience with the language in real world contexts.