#language learning asks

8. Are you a grammar snob in your native language(s)?

I used to be one, but since I’ve started studying linguistics I’ve come to realize that language rules are all fake anyways and change is inevitable. So I stopped being pretentious about it.

9. Language pet peeve?

In German it’s unironic “-ne” affixed to the ends of words (like when you have a cold, “Flaschne”), in English it’s the good old “their/they’re”, in Korean it’s being absolutely bewildered by a weird word I’m reading only to type it into the translator and find out it’s Konglish (Korean/English slang)...

11. Who is one person (famous or not) that is a language-learning inspiration for you?

13. How has language learning connected you with others this year?

This year I think it was less about getting connected and more about staying connected in the post-/still-Covid period. I kept contact with my Irish peers via weekly crinniú meetings on Skype in Irish (Gaeilge), joined an online class (where my first ever Irish teacher happened to be a student), and although I couldn't visit the Gaeltacht or the Coláiste in person, a letter I wrote to my friends, classmates and teachers was shared one day at tea.

14. What are you most proud of for accomplishing this year regarding language learning?

6. What was your favorite book you read in your target language this year?

I really enjoyed reading Peu importe and Mauvaise nouvelle (the French translations of the first two books in Edward St Aubyn's Patrick Melrose series).