Language-learning resources!

[Solovei]

Just found this, Ba Ba Dum. It's a small vocabulary games site (with amazing animations and quirky illustrations) for a bunch of different languages: Spanish, German, French, Japanese, Italian, Russian, Polish, Swedish, Greek, Portuguese, and Lithuanian, as well as British English and American English. Not so much for language-learning, but something that looks fun and is language-related.

I tried the Swedish and managed to get a whole bunch of words right, then promptly failed everything after that.

This is so cool! Thanks for sharing it! (Also a good way to learn en/ett words in Swedish beyond what Duolingo offers...)
(Although I find it a little unfair that they mix nouns and verbs. Because that's harder *whine*)

[curiosity]

Just found this, Ba Ba Dum. It's a small vocabulary games site (with amazing animations and quirky illustrations) for a bunch of different languages: Spanish, German, French, Japanese, Italian, Russian, Polish, Swedish, Greek, Portuguese, and Lithuanian, as well as British English and American English. Not so much for language-learning, but something that looks fun and is language-related.

Wow, thanks! Found myself playing for an hour or so by now. And surprisingly succeeding in Polish, which I have never ever learnt (yup, knowing Ukrainian helps a lot). Thinking of making my friend addicted too...

[Nimphy]

Very nice (Ba Ba Dum, I mean)! And apparently I can understand more German than I had thought, just because of similirities to English or Italian and thanks to compound words (remind me never to complain about compound words again).

[kjeks]

For the Swedish learners is this one available:
http://www2.nordiska.su.se/komloss/index.htm

The don't have many listening exercises though, and the view pronouncation examples are of usefull but not best quality. But it is free and does not require an account of some sorts. Also they have text for practice available.

[kjeks]

I promised to tell you people how I figures out my own personal keyboard design.

I did that for a Laptop, setup with Windows 7 at present. So I do not know how to do this for mac, or linux. Those of you using an external keyboard might find easier ways to set this up in a different way.

• Inform yourself were your current keyboard setup is located and how to change it
• Download "Microsoft Keyboard Layout Creator 1.4" => it states to be built for windows vista, but it works fine on 7 and also on 8 as well
• Watch this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l5h5ixlRIAA the last 4 minutes are the more interesting. Anyways watch the whole video before trying out the MKLC
• Set up your own keyboard. I started by going File then chose Load existing Keyboard and then started the work on it. More Details are to be found on the video

Also be carefull about putting keys with combining CTRL+key. You may not want to put the letter å on "a" cause CTRL+a is a very usefull combinition. I chose the rightern "Alt" key for combining it with other keys. Often this is called "AltGr".

which Letters did I add? I have a german QWERTZ-Keyboard layout. and added norwegian and turkish letters to the keyboard. So besides öäü, I am also able to write ??åæœç?ø as well as the big versions.

Have fun by setting up your own keyboard layout

[JoB]

So I do not know how to do this for mac, or linux.

Any unixoid machine (which might include the later MacOSes, as they're BSD based) with a GUI should allow you to use xmodmap to do all sorts of strange things to how it interprets keystrokes.

[Eris]

I'm trying to learn Japanese. I've been trying to learn for years. I'm stuck at this stage where I know Hiragana and Katakana but I can't read, well, anything else. I started memorizing words, but that didn't really get me anywhere. It's really frustrating because I want to learn by practicing but I don't know how to because I really can't figure out how to go from where I'm at. I'm too advanced for memorization to be any kind of a good option but too much of a beginner for throwing myself into the practicing to work.

It gives me the sadz. :'(

Anyone have any suggestions?

[mithrysc]

Unfortunately no Japanese learning suggestions, but something I found that might come in handy: http://flashtabs.co/

It's a chrome extension that turns your new browser tabs into flashcards. So if you're patient enough to put in a bunch of vocab, you can study while browsing the web (sort of)!

[AquaAurion]

I've been using http://ankisrs.net/ when I'm studying Japanese. It's a flashcard program that has the option of downloading decks made by others or creating your own decks if you prefer that.

I just did a quick google search for learning Swedish, maybe this could be of use for someone? http://www.lardigsvenska.com/p/resurser.html
It seems to have several dictionaries as well as Swedish courses online, vocabulary lists and spell checks.

[mithrysc]

I've been using http://ankisrs.net/ when I'm studying Japanese. It's a flashcard program that has the option of downloading decks made by others or creating your own decks if you prefer that.

I've been using trying to use Anki as well. It's just a matter of me remembering to do it...

What I really like is that people have already made decks you can use, so you don't have to go through the tedium of entering everything in yourself. (I'm currently trying to go through this Norwegian one)

[AquaAurion]

I've been using trying to use Anki as well. It's just a matter of me remembering to do it...

I can totally relate to this. My Anki usage has its ups and downs ^w^
If you have the app on your phone I can recommend trying to get a few cards done every time you go to the bathroom or ride the bus/train. Eventually you will start pulling out your phone and starting Anki without having to think about it.

[kjeks]

If you need to konjugate verbs quickly I recommend this website:
Konjugate me yay!

standardlanguages such as french, spanish and norwegian are provided but also rare ones. Have fun with it.

[Synthpopalooza]

For those trying to learn Polish, I did find this online:

http://mowicpopolsku.com/

For those who speak either English or German natively.

Maybe it'll do till the Duolingo course comes along.

[kjeks]

and here are some nice lessons for learning kurmanci-kurdish.

https://www.youtube.com/user/kurd1

I like that they talk first without any subtitles and give you the important grammar afterwards. Then they repeat some of the scenes before with subs, so you can read along which is really nice. What it lacks is vocabs, yet you may find some of them on the web and some during later lessons.

[Laufey]

I skimmed the discussion quickly and thought I didn't see this, but if Icelandic Online was already linked then my bad and apologies!

Icelandic Online is a free Icelandic learning tool and the University of Iceland uses it for introducing people to the basics of the language. For anyone considering learning Icelandic at the uni here you might as well start with this already, studying it through is a requirement for applying.