Goals are essential for language-learning

As the New Year approaches, I'm sure that aside from making preparations for New Year's Eve celebrations, some people are already getting to work on creating their New Year's resolutions. I myself am already starting mine (though I prefer to call them goals) and I have also decided to expand the one that I have for the languages that I am learning.

Goals are incredibly important for any language-learner as having good goals will keep us going especially in times when we hit roadblocks. Roadblocks can come in many forms like: boredom, lack of time, difficult concepts, negativity, self-doubt, etc. If we make sure to write good short-term, intermediate, and long-term goals then the road to mastering a language will be easier and we can be assured that it will keep you going even when you're ready to give up.

How do you go about setting up your goals? First, you must ask yourself two questions:

• Why do I want to learn [insert language here]? - Some people want to learn a language because of an upcoming trip, others for work, and some want to learn because they want simply like the way the language sounds. Whatever your reason is, you must make sure that you know what it is, because there will come a time when things get tough and you will ask yourself "Why the hell am I learning this language?" and you must be able to retort with something other than "..." It is always easier to give up on something in which you don't have a reason to do.
  

• How far do I want to go? - Some might be content to simply be able to get directions to a monument or museum whereas others might want to be able to live out the rest of their lives using their chosen language and to be able to handle it like a native-speaker. The amount of work and time that you need to put into learning a language is closely related to how far you want to go. It also affects the materials that you will need to use.
  

After answering those two questions, you will be able to come up with a few goals. To further give you guys some ideas, let me share with you a few (as I have many) of my own language-learning goals:

Goals for Euskara

• read a short children's book [short term]
• write a journal entry about daily life [intermediate]
• obtain EGA certification (it's a proficiency test for Euskara) [long term]

Goals for Català

• read a novel (short term)
• converse with ease about Barça and fútbol in general (intermediate)
• obtain certification from the Institut Ramon Llull in Nivell superior (another proficiency test) [long term]

I also suggest that you not only write down your goals but post them somewhere where you can see them every day. I have my list of goals tacked up on my pushpin board (next to my calendar) so I wake up every morning and I can use it to give me the necessary push I need especially when I find myself wanting to just relax and watch telly or sleep instead of study.

Also, don't be afraid to revise your goals. Sometimes, you might find that the goal you initially put down isn't working (we all tend to set unattainable goals sometimes) so instead of getting disappointed, just make the necessary adjustments.

In order for goals to be considered "good", keep the following in mind:

• goals are better when they are concrete - This is not to say that abstract goals aren't good but they are easier to stick to and identify when they are concrete. Make sure that your goal can be measured. For example, instead of saying "Put in a little more studying time" is quite abstract in that it is hard to tell what a little more should be. So to make it concrete, we can say, "Put in 1 hour more of study time".
  

• goals need to be measurable - How will you know if you are on the right path if you can't measure your progress? In my short term goal for Català, I want to be able to read a novel (maybe Mercè Rodoreda's La plaça de diamant) and I am able to measure that goal by having the novel with me and seeing how much I can understand easily. If I struggle too much, then I know that I'm not quite there yet.

• goals must be challenging but attainable - If you make your goals too easy then there really isn't much joy when you attain it and if you make them unattainable then you will end up frustrated. Goals should challenge you to go further than what you thought you could reach. This is not to say that we can't celebrate little victories or that we can't dream big but make sure that the bulk of your goals are challenging and attainable.
  

• goals reached should be celebrated - Sometimes the completion of the goal is a reward in itself but I feel that some of the tougher goals should be rewarded, celebrated, and shared with friends. Whenever I complete some of my tougher goals, I usually celebrate by buying myself a little something that is also related to the particular language that I am learning (i.e. a CD, a book, even a meal at a Basque restaurant!). I also make sure to let my friends know about it, especially those who support me in my goals so they can share my victories with me.
  

If this has inspired any of you to write out your own goals, please feel free to share some with us in the comments below. Leer más...

Eguberri on! Bon Nadal! ¡Feliz Navidad! Happy Christmas!

I hope everyone has a fantastic Christmas!

I've just noticed that when people greet you a Happy Christmas in Euskara, they say: Eguberri on! but if they are greeting you a Happy Christmas and a Happy New Year as well, they say: Zorionak eta Urte berri on!

I'm not 100% sure but I think Zorionak eta Urte berri on! = Happy Holidays and Happy New Year whereas Eguberri eta Urte berri on! = Happy Christmas and Happy New Year. In any case, I use both styles. Leer más...

Olentzero and Tió de Nadal

First, let me apologise for the three weeks of silence. Apparently, studying two languages, taking classes at the university, and working can be quite time-consuming... who knew?!

Second, I haven't really had much material to blog about anyway seeing as I've been hard at work trying to figure out the concept of nominalizazioa in Euskara. I have been emailing my teacher, Mireya, back and forth trying to figure out the difference between Nongo, Nongoa, and Nongoak. Unfortunately, the first two translate to pretty much the same thing in English and the third is the plural version. This is one of those concepts that I am not 100% sure I've understood it but as I use it more, it starts to become a little bit clearer.

Third, I think I want to expand this blog and take it beyond just Euskara and Català. I want to include the cultural aspect of the Basques and the Catalans. This would include anything from music to football. The only thing I will be keeping out from this blog (or at least, I will try to as there are times when I will not be able to help but speak out) would be POLITICS because although I enjoy it (I did just switch from Theatre Arts to International Relations after all...) I realise how polarising it can be and how it could turn people off.

Now to the good stuff. Christmas is just a day or two away, depending on where you live, and to celebrate I want to explore different things about the Basque and Catalan Christmas.


[an Olentzero from Hendaia, Lapurdi/Hendaye, Labourd]

[Tió de Nadal]

Growing up, I was raised in a mix of Spanish, Filipino, and some American Christmas traditions but two traditions I did not grow up with are: Olentzero and Tió de Nadal.

Olentzero (I've also seen variations such as: Olentzaro, Olentxero, Onentzaro...)

I first read about Olentzero in a brief one paragraph mention in Mark Kurlansky's The Basque History of the World. In that book, he was described as a "pre-Christian evil sort of Santa Claus who slides down chimneys on Christmas Eve to harm people in their sleep. Fireplaces are lit for the holiday to keep him away."

There are many descriptions and stories of Olentzero and they differ from village to village. Some have him as belonging to the race of the jentilak (giants) who looked up to the clouds and saw in it a sign that Jesus would be born. The other jentilak threw themselves off the cliff, leaving Olentzero behind. There is also another version wherein Olentzero is an orphan who is bestowed gifts by a fairy (an English translation of this tale can be found in Buber's Basque Page).

It was in around the 1950's when Olentzero received a bit of a makeover and the more gruesome aspects of his personality as well as some of the pagan elements were removed. In his modern aspect, Olentzero is slowly starting to look like the Santa Clause of the west (i.e. the one Coca-Cola has seared into our brains for all eternity) rotund, jolly-faced and sometimes with a beard!

On Christmas Eve, an effigy of Olentzero sitting on a chair is carried around the streets as children and adults sing Olentzero carols and ask for food, sweets or sometimes money to be given to a humanitarian cause. At the end of the night, it is sometimes customary to burn the effigy of Olentzero.

Some Basques only celebrate Christmas with Olentzero whereas some do both: Olentzero and the Spanish Reyes Magos (Feast of the Three Kings, celebrated on 6 January).

To wrap up, here's a fantastic Youtube video of an Olentzero kantak. It's set up karaoke-style so you can sing-along! It's a version called Olentzero and performed in the children's program, Txirri, Mirri eta Txiribiton. I was unable to find translations for the entire song but it seems to be a mix of the two carols found in this Wikipedia article.

Also, there is a website dedicated to Olentzero. It comes in four languages (Euskara, English, Spanish, and French) and it is loaded with pictures of Olentzero, people dressed up as Olentzero, celebrations, recipes, and more. It's very interesting although actual articles in English are minimal.

BONUS: Here are some funny Olentzero-related sketches featured in my favourite Spanish-language comedy sketch show, Vaya Semanita (if you can understand Spanish, this is also a funny way to learn a bit about Basque culture and politics). All are in Spanish.

- Olentzero secuestrado
- Olentzero Gandalf
- Olentzero Begins
- Olentzero vs Reyes Magos
- He matado a Olentzero

Tió de Nadal

This is one of those lovely Catalan traditions that I became aware of through the comedy sketch show called Crackòvia. Unfortunately, I cannot find a clip of this sketch on Youtube or on Crackòvia's website. In the sketch, Carles Puyol invites Andrés Iniesta and Samuel Eto'o to his home to make the Tió poop by beating it with a stick. The laughter comes in when a large log, which Eto'o thinks is the Tió turns out to be just the stick that will be used to whack the gigantic Tió outside the house.

The Tió de Nadal roughly translates to Christmas log. In the early days it was quite literally just a rough log which was used to bring heat and light to the home. In a symbolic way it also brought presents of sweets, wafers, and turróns. Now, the image of tió has changed dramatically. It is now a hollowed-out magical log with a painted smiling face, a barretina (red sock hat) on its head and little sticks beneath it for legs.

On 8 December, the tió comes calling on a family's doorstep and the member who goes out to answer the door must care for him by giving him something to eat (dry bread, carob, orange peels or other fruit) and drink (water) each night as well as a warm blanket to keep him from getting cold. It is through the gentle care that the tió is later on able to poop presents.

On Christmas Eve or Christmas Day (depending on the household), the family come around and beat the tió with a stick and sing caga, tió (literally an order to: "poop, log!"). After the order is given, the tió has pooped out a treat that can be found underneath his blanket. The tió never brings large gifts as these are brought by the Reyes Magos. The tió tends to bring sweets such as turrón, wafers, dry figs, and chocolates. When the tió is finished pooping treats, it drops a salt herring, garlic, onion or it simply pees. The beating of the tió with a stick is relatively modern as in the old days they used to stick part of the tió in the fireplace to make it poop treats out.

Here are two different version of songs that one can sing to make the tió poop:

caga tió,
caga torró,
avellanes i mató,
si no cagues bé
et daré un cop de bastó.
caga tió!

poop log,
poop turrón,
hazelnuts and cottage cheese,
if you don't poop well,
I'll hit you with a stick,
poop log!

caga tió
tió de Nadal,
no caguis arengades,
que són massa salades
caga torrons
que son més bons!

poop log,
log of Christmas
don't poop herrings,
which are too salty,
poop turrón
which is much better!

I've also found a cute video one Youtube of two little kids giving the tió a whack with their Mum and also singing a version of the Caga, tió.

BONUS: Anna, who runs the blog: This curious thing called Catalonia, has written an entry talking about the tió, along with personal pictures and a song. Fantastic stuff!

If anyone knows of any other Basque or Catalan traditions, please feel free to share. Also, if you've grown up with Olentzero or the Tió de Nadal, please feel free to share any personal stories of memorable events and the like. I'll be back later tonight to officially wish you all a Happy Christmas.

Leer más...

Basque Cuisine plus recipes and vocabulary words

A week ago, I bought two cookbooks on Basque cuisine: The Basque Table by Teresa Barrenechea and the bilingual Cocina Vasca/Basque Cookery by Juan de Echevarria. I'm quite fascinated by Basque cooking, even more so after having two fantastic lunches at a Basque restaurant in Chino Hills called Centro Basco, so I've decided that I want to try and learn to cook as many Basque dishes as I can. I've already made quite a few (some have been a part of my family's staples for so long that I was surprised to find out they were traditional Basque! And here I thought my family made those recipes up...)

Aside from using food to learn more about Basque culture, it has also helped me learn and memorise words. This is why it's easy for me to recall that in Euskara an onion is kipula, water is ura, and salt cod is bakailaoa. Sometimes, this is easier to do than flash cards although I use both.

A few months ago, one of my friends from the Basque Country sent me a recipe for Intxaursaltsa (also: Intxaursalsa) which in English is sometimes known as Walnut Cream or Walnut Purée. Through that, I was not only able to add more words to my vocabulary but it was also very much appreciated in my family, especially by my Pops who loves sweet things and nuts.

Seeing as I haven't asked her permission to share the recipe, I won't be posting it here. Instead, I will give you guys the recipes found in the two books I mentioned earlier. There is a slight difference in each but both remain quite simple.

The first is from Cocina Vasca/Basque Cookery:

Intxaursaltsa

500 gms walnuts (crush with a mortar and pestle until it has become a paste)
2 litres full-cream milk
4 eggs (beaten)
450 gms sugar
1 stick of cinnamon

- Put the milk to boil with the sugar and stick of cinnamon and when it boils, take the cinnamon stick out.
- Remove the milk from the stove and when it has cooled a little add, the walnut paste and the beaten eggs.
- Put the mixture on low flame and constantly mix for about 20 minutes. (If you stop mixing it will start to boil and separate).
- Transfer the intxaursaltsa into a serving dish. It will thicken as it cools. Eat alone or serve with ice cream.

This next one is from The Basque Table:

Creamy Walnut Purée

1/2 lb walnuts
4 cups water
1 cinnamon stick
4 cups whole milk
1 cup sugar

- Using a mortar and pestle, crush the walnuts until they are ground fine but not quite a paste. (You can use a food processor for this if you take great care not to overprocess the nuts.)
- In a large saucepan, combine the water and cinnamon stick. Bring water to a boil over high heat. Add the walnuts, reduce the heat to medium and cook for about 20 minutes, until the water is almost completely evaporated and the ground nuts are very thick. Discard the cinnamon stick.
- Add the milk and sugar to the saucepan, and cook over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, for about 30 minutes, until the mixture is slightly thickened. If you'd like a thicker mixture, cook it for 5-10 minutes more, or even longer. Let the purée cook in the pan, then cover and chill the purée for at least 2 hours.
- Spoon the purée into small bowls, and top each serving with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Serve immediately.

The great thing about Intxaursaltsa is that you can eat it cold or warm and by itself or topped with ice cream or whipped cream. I usually prefer it at room temperature and by itself.

Although both recipes posted here are in English, here are some vocabulary words you can use if you try the recipe out:

• intxaurra - walnut (intxaurrak - walnuts)
  
• esnea - milk
• ura - water
• kanela - cinnamon
• azukre - sugar
• arrautza - egg (arrautzak - eggs)
  

My next Basque cooking project will be either chicken or Gateau Basque so hopefully I'll be able to post pictures next time!

BONUS: While watching one of my new favourite shows on EiTB, Objetivo Euskadi, I noticed that this week's episode which deals with traditional Basque dishes includes intxaursaltsa. In the show, the couple who make the intxaursaltsa add the crumbs of 5-day old bread. It looked pretty interesting! Leer más...

Euskara and Català: Disparities in Language Promotion

These past few days, I have been going through my online resources for Euskara and Català as I previously mentioned doing a master list so anyone reading this blog can look through and select what can be of use. As I was doing this, I realized that resources in Català dominate in quantity, quality and availability. I then started to wonder, "What can the Basque Country learn from Catalunya when it comes to promoting their language?"

Before I go on, I would first like to make it clear that my goal in all this is to share my observations and maybe inspire people (as well as myself) to help make a change. The last thing I would want is for anyone involved in creating the resources in Euskara to feel that I am in any way putting them down or belittling the hard work that they put into it. Far from it! I have made use of and benefited from a lot of resources but I feel that there is still room for improvement especially when it comes to making these resources available for the use of people who would can only learn it through English and not Spanish or French.

In order try and find solutions to the language promotion problems in Euskara we must first find out what is not quite working or what needs to be improved upon. As I was forming my list, I kept in mind that I needed to look at it from the perspective of my target audience: English-speaking language-learners who do not live in the Basque Country.

1. There are not enough resources in English - When I first started looking for materials I could use to learn a bit more about Euskara, I wanted something light, something that would give me a bit of an idea about how the language works without doing my head in with all the complex grammar rules (i.e. textbooks). I was only able to find one book that met those requirements: Beginner's Basque by Wim Jansen.
   
   
2. There are few quality online courses/programs - One of the reasons I ended up using the BOGA program is because it was the only choice that would meet my requirements: good quality and low cost. The other program I was looking into, UNR's Basque Studies course, failed on the low cost department. I think that there are a lot of other study guides for Euskara online but only a few actual structured programs that will take a person through all necessary levels.
   
   
3. Books in Euskara are hard to come by - I remember early on I wanted to get a children's book in Euskara so I could at least read something basic along with the help of my dictionary. I did find a couple of online bookstores with great books at reasonable prices, except shipping to the US was something to the tune of 27€.
   
   
4. There is a stigma attached to Euskara - There is a website I sometimes visit that has a chat where language learners can meet up for language-exchanges. When I joined the chatroom in Spanish, I met more than a couple of people living in Spain who tried to talk me out of learning Euskara and I got reasons such as: "It is the language that the terrorists use", "It is the language of the radicals", "It's too difficult- you will never be able to learn it", "It's a language of the rural folk" and so on. Now, I personally found some of those reasons to be ignorant and offensive however, that sort of mindset is unfortunately quite common.
   

Now that the problems have been identified it is time to answer (or at least try to) the question: "What can the Basque Country learn from Catalunya when it comes to promoting their language?"

In truth, I don't really know what can be done to improve the quantity and quality of resources for learning Euskara. I would like to say that more funding is necessary however I am not completely sure that lack of funding is indeed the reason behind it. I sometimes think that maybe it's also because the resources created are targeted mainly for a certain audience (the Spanish or French-speaking audience) and because of this, there is a disparity in quantity of resources available. When it comes to finding resources for learning Català on the other hand, I have been able to find a lot of books in English as well as a lot of good quality and low cost online programs and each and every one of those programs is can be accessed in at least three languages (Parla.cat can be accessed in five).

As for finding books written in Euskara, I would really love to find out one day that there is a US-based online bookstore that would meet those needs. One of my main sources for finding books in languages other than English is Bookmooch and it is far easier to find books there in Català (in fact there are a lot of members from Catalunya) than in Euskara. I think that if those books are readily available then the learning process would be much easier.

The last part is the most difficult one of them all. How does one go about changing other people's negative perceptions of their language? How can we go about convincing people that Euskara is a language for everyone and not just for a certain set of people or a certain set of political beliefs? I believe that this is particularly a cause for concern because it could turn off people who want to learn Euskara, people who were searching for support and found nothing but negativity instead.
I believe that more needs to be done to present Euskara (and Basque culture, as a whole) in a more positive light. I think that it would be unrealistic to try and occult the negative aspects but if the positive aspects can be brought to the forefront, then the negative will not be so overwhelming.

When I first thought of writing about this topic in my blog, I didn't want to set out to try and find concrete answers but I felt that if I saw something that needed to change, I should at least try to find a solution. I may not have figured it all out, but I hope I at least got some wheels turning. Maybe this could be the start of great things to come. Leer más...

Parla.cat - THE coolest language-learning resource

A week ago, I finally decided to start studying Català in a more structured way (i.e. joining a program) instead of doing my usual thing of just reading articles and listening to music. I signed up for a course at Parla.cat [parla-pun-cat]- which is a fantastic program that you can access in five languages: English, Spanish, Català, French and German.


Parla.cat offers four learning levels of Català: Basic, Elementary, Intermediate and Sufficiency. Within those four levels are three grades (Basic 1, Basic 2, Basic 3 and so on) and each grade lasts approximately three months and is equivalent to about 45 hours of study.

There are two methods used in Parla.cat: self-managed learning and with a tutor. The former is completely free and you can access all materials in the course while the latter costs 90€ and will give the student access to a tutor who will serve as a guide.

One of the things that first kept me from registering with Parla.cat immediately was because of the registration process. I was asked to put in the numbers for an ID document and I could choose from the ff: NIF, NIE, Passport, and Other. I had to send an email to ask for clarifications and apparently NIF is a number assigned for Spanish citizens and NIE is for non-citizen residents of Spain. I ended up putting my Passport number instead although I was assured that even the number from my ID card in my local university would be accepted.

Read on for some more details on why Parla.cat might just be one of the coolest language-learning programs out there!

Once I had registered, I took what they call a Test of Levels which, given my rudimentary knowledge of the language, was pretty tough! In the program, they allow you take the Test of Levels once every month to assess how you are doing. I was tested at the Elementary 2 level and because of that, the Elementary 2 course was unlocked and I could have started from there but I wanted to be able to start from the very beginning in order to build a firm foundation in the language so I opted to start with Basic 1 instead.

Basic 1 is divided into 7 unitats (units) and one of the great things about each unit is the final task. For example, after the first unit you must be able to complete a card with a persons basic information in it. In the second unit, you must be able to write a little something about your own family.

Another fantastic bit about the program is that there is so much opportunity to hear Català spoken and in a variety of accents. One character has a strong Mallorquín (from Mallorca) accent, another a strong Lleidatà (from Lleida) and yet another a very central accent (from Barcelona). Also the animated letter T (which serves to explain some of the grammatical concepts) speaks in Català but they also provide a transcript which you can toggle between Català to English/Spanish/French/German so you can fully understand what is being said.

My only complaint about the program is that their recording function does not seem to work, at least not for me. In each activity there is usually a function wherein you can use your headset to record the same phrase and it will be compared with the original sentence and the program will give a percentage rating based on how similar your pronunciation is. In my case, the program goes only so far as to recognise my headset but when I record my sentences they do not appear.

Aside from the course programs, Parla.cat also has what they call the Virtual Rambla wherein they have a collection of multi-media resources that will help the student in their studies. The Virtual Rambla is divided into seven sections: to read, to watch, to be informed, to play, to listen, and to communicate. I've discovered so many great things through the Virtual Rambla and was even able to watch an episode of The Adventures of Tintin in Català!

So with all these free resources at your fingertips, there really is no excuse anymore for not being able to learn Català. :)
Leer más...

[BOGAnotes] Things I learned in the 1st strata

Yesterday, I took the 20-part final exam to finish the 1st strata of the BOGA program. This time around, it was much easier than before as I had a better foundation in some of the tougher-to-grasp grammatical concepts. I also think that the somewhat-tough exercises in the review portion helped properly prepare me for the final exam.

As I was flipping through my notes for the 1st strata, I thought it would be a good idea to post some of the things I've learned here. Hopefully, new Euskara-learners will be able to gain new information and native-Euskara speakers will be able to see how non-native speakers see their language. (Please feel free to offer any corrections/tips/observations!)

Things I learned in the 1st strata:

• Euskara has no gender = Unlike Català (and many other languages), nouns in Euskara have no gender, that is, they do not come in masculine or feminine forms.

• Sentences are constructed in a very different way compared to English = Even a simple sentence like: "I am Isabel" comes out very different in Euskara: "Ni Isabel naiz" wherein Ni = I, Isabel = Isabel (although technically, the form in Euskara is Ixabel), and naiz = am. This certainly makes things interesting as I often find myself having to resist the urge to translate directly from English and using the same sentence structure (a very bad idea and one pitfall every language-learner must avoid).

• The article 'the' is not a separate word, rather it takes the form of the letter 'a' which is added at the end of the word = In the BOGA program, new vocabulary words are usually given in the definite form- with the +a already attached, however, in the dictionaries* I use, they always give the indefinite form of the word. Keep in mind though, that some words already do end in an 'a' (called a organikoa). Examples: futbolariA = a footballer/the footballer (remove the +a and it just becomes footballer) and now an example of a word with an organic a: kamiseta = shirt/a shirt/the shirt.

This is the part where I get a little bit more into the grammatical concepts, so new Euskara-learners might find this bit confusing though I do hope you guys will come back to it once you are further along in your studies.

• If the noun goes before the demonstrative, it is in the indefinite form = It took me a while to remember this rule and I did not quite get it up until I compared these two sentences: Hau zubia da = This is a bridge & Zubi hau berria da = This bridge is new.
  

• When an element accompanies an interrogative pronoun it is in the indefinite form = This was not confusing at all except I did experience some problems for sentences in plural form as I would end up writing: Zubiak horiek berriak dira instead of the correct version: Zubi horiek berriak dira.
  

Aside from all that I have previously mentioned, I was able to build up quite a vocabulary of words from the 1st strata which I have made into flashcards so I can make sure that they are engraved in my memory.

Although the 1st strata was a lot of fun, I'm quite happy to be able to move on to the 2nd strata as I'll be taking one step closer to my goal of being fluent in Euskara.

------
* I make use of Gorka Aulestia and Linda White's Basque-English, English-Basque Dictionary as well as a compact Euskara-Gaztelania, Castellano-Euskara Dictionary. Leer más...

So you want to learn Català...

A few weeks ago, I posted on the different methods you can use to learn Euskara and now I thought I would do the same for Català. I am currently not using any specific program as I find that since I speak Spanish, I can already understand around 35%-50% of Català. I do intend on using a program later on though as I fall under the category of people who actually like learning grammatical concepts.

• Català in Catalunya - Like with Euskara, this option is also the most expensive option, however, you will have the benefit of a total immersion into the language as well as the culture. Clicking on the link will send you to the webpage of Intercat and listed there are at least 10 universities in Catalunya that offer a course in Català.

• University courses - When I was first searching for more information on learning Català, I happened upon the website for CARLA (Center for Advanced Research on Language Acquisition) and through that site, I was able to find about 10 universities in North America that offer courses in Català. As far as I know, all courses are in-campus only.
  

• Intercat - It's a great online resource and although it is target more for students visiting universities in Catalunya, it also offers tools for independent study as well as tips on learning the language. [This site seems to be a goldmine of fantastic resources and I plan on going through them more this winter break and I'll be sure to go into more detail about it in a separate entry.]
  

• Self-study books - There are a few self-study books out there written for people who want to learn Català. I am currently using one of the most commonly (and highly) recommended books out there called, Teach Yourself Catalan: A Complete Course for Beginners by Alan Yates. Aside from that, I have also been pointed to course of books called Digui, digui [note: thanks to commenter, Jim, I've found out that Digui, digui is completely in Català]
  

• Articles/Shows - Although I'm the sort who enjoys learning about the grammatical concepts in a new language, I also enjoy just jumping into it and immersing myself through reading in it or listening to it being spoken. As I am unable to just hop on to a plane and land in Barcelona, I make do with a variety of resources online. I tend to check out articles on Avui, an online newspaper in Català as well as articles and interviews on FC Barcelona's website. I don't always fully understand what is going on but with the help of my diccionari, I get by. I also go to TV3 to watch videos of shows in Català (being a huge Barça and just all around footie fan, I love this program called Crackòvia) and although this is quite harder to understand because of different accents among other things, it's also a great way to pick up some words and phrases here and there.
  

I find that when it comes to learning languages, it's best to use more than just one method. In my case, I find that limiting myself to just one method would be to ensure boredom and eventual lack of interest. This is why I set myself a buffet table of different methods and I pick and choose which ones work best for me and which ones I feel like making use of, depending on my mood and the time I have to spend.

I plan on compiling a list of resources along with links on where to find access/find them. I'll definitely separate them into two entries: one for Euskara and one for Català.
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[Music] Ken Zazpi

I firmly believe that one of the best ways to learn a language is through music, and with that in mind, I thought I'd introduce some Basque artists whose music have helped me learn.

One of the things I have noticed about music in Euskara is that there aren't that many genres to choose from. It usually comes in either folk, ska or metal and although I do, on occasion enjoy music within those genres, I find that rock isn't as strongly represented... at least not with the music I have been exposed to.

That said, I did find a great band within the rock/pop-rock genre called Ken Zazpi and I've chosen to feature them, along with their latest album Argiak, in this blog.




I don't know much about Ken Zazpi other than the information found in their Wikipedia page which is limited to a short blurb about the members of the band as well as their four albums, but I do know that their song, "Noizbait" is one of the best songs in Euskara I have ever heard.

Have a listen and you might agree with me:



And here are the lyrics:

Isiltasunak non zauden galdetzen dit noiznahi
zure izena mila aldiz oihukatuz noiznahi
egutegiko orriak aurpegiratu dit
zenbat gau pasatu dudan itzarrik
zu ez zadenetik

Aska gaitezen malkoz esan zenidan noizbait
izango dugu gure aukera seguru noizbait
geroztik noraezean barneko ekaitzetan
arraunean ibiltzen naiz zure mezu baten zain

Bila nazazu izar bako gauetan
gida nazazu zure itsasertzera noizbait

Iritsiko naiz
argiak jarraituz
iritsiko naiz berriz saiatuz
noizbait
itzuliko naiz
aurkituko zaitut
begiak itxiz gertu sentituz

Bila nazazu argiontziaz
gidatu nazazu itsasertzera

Iritsiko naiz
argiak jarraituz
iritsiko naiz berriz saiatuz
noizbait
itzuliko naiz
aurkituko zaitut
begiak itxiz gertu sentituz

There is also a translation into Spanish here in Musikazblai- a very handy tool for searching up song lyrics (and translations if you're lucky) in Euskara, Català and Galego (Galician).

One of the things that "Noizbait" really helped me with early on in my journey was the pronunciation of zenbat (how much) wherein an N + B turns into an M, so you pronounce it as if it were sembat instead of zenbat.

Although music in Euskara can be hard to find outside of Euskal Herria, I'm happy to be able to say that Argiak can be purchased for $8.99 as a digital download on Amazon. With songs like "Gernikan", "Olatuz olatu" and "Gaueko argiak" it's well worth it.

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An in-depth look at the BOGA program

As I stated in a previous entry, the BOGA program, created by HABE (Institute for the teaching of Basque and Basque Language Literacy to adults), is my main method for learning Euskara. Seeing as I intend to blog about my experiences with the program, among other things, I feel like I should at least give a more thorough explanation.

When I started using the BOGA program a few months ago, I did so by sending an email to the Basque Museum in Boise, Idaho. I chose it quite randomly from a list at the original website for the BOGA program. After getting into contact with the Basque Museum, I mailed a cheque for $20, which was the cost of the four activation discs as at that time, the program was accessible only through CD-rom.

As I was starting the 2nd strata, the program conked out completely and I was left without it for at least two months up until the new and completely online BOGA program was launched. This new program, as far as I can tell, includes all the same content as its predecessor only this time, every quiz the student takes is viewable by the assigned teacher, making it easier for the latter to pinpoint areas wherein the student needs more help. Also, instead of a one-time fee of $20 for the activation discs, this new program costs $50 per semester.

One of the great things about BOGA is that it makes use of a number of sketches in order to present certain grammatical concepts. For instance, in the 1st saio, we meet Andoni and Mikel, two friends who have just arrived at Bilbo (Bilbao) and as they spend time there taking in the sights, they come across Andoni's friend Ixabel and her co-worker Ainhoa. As they spend time together, Andoni pairs off with Ixabel and Mikel with Ainhoa and... well, I think I'd rather not ruin the surprise ending for this particular storyline.

Aside from the sketches there is a virtual teacher (with a photo of a woman and the cartoon body of a genie) who explains some of the grammatical concepts. In a very nit-picky way, I must admit I don't particularly like the virtual teacher-genie. I find her voice quite distracting as she manages to mispronounce words in Euskara and English and I know this because there is another voice within the program that sometimes says the exact same words except she does so correctly.

Also, within each saio, there are about 15 or so mini-quizzes. These are quite easy and are usually fill-in-the-blank or multiple choice. However, at the end of each saio, there are three difficult evaluation tests. It is my experience that sometimes, these tests include concepts that were not discusses or that were glossed-over in the preceding saio, which is why I feel like there are still changes that need to be made to the BOGA program.

All in all, I would give the program a rating of 7/10. I took off points for errors in the program, its propensity for crashing (apparently the database is susceptible to overloading) whilst I'm in the middle of a saio and also for its incomplete lessons as I find myself having to turn to other resources to fully understand some concepts.

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[Books] The Basque History of the World

One of the first books I decided to pick to learn more about Basques was Mark Kurlansky's The Basque History of the World. I knew beforehand about the positive and negative reviews but I felt that I needed something that gave me a broad view of everything from food to politics to culture but without being too heavy (I could always go into that later on).

One of the main reasons why Kurlansky's book is great for a beginner (i.e. someone completely unfamiliar with Basque history) is because of its readability factor. He is able to present such polemic topics as nationalism in a way that draws people in and forces them to want to know more.

I also love how the book is sprinkled with poetry (Gabriel Aresti's Nire aitaren etxea defendituko dut), quotes about Basques from famous works (Ernest Hemingway's The Sun Also Rises) and interesting recipes (bacalao al pil-pil).

As I learned more about Basque history, I did come out with one major gripe about Kurlansky's book. I felt that when it came to certain issues pertaining to armed-struggle in Basque nationalism, he did not give a clear and balanced view. Perhaps he might have wanted to downplay the negative aspect of armed-struggle to counterbalance the anti-nationalist bias being perpetrated by the Madrid press but I would have rather he presented both sides of the story on an equal level so the reader can be informed and come to their own decision about things.

Still, all that aside, I think Kurlansky ended up writing a great book. It certainly is one of my favourites and I always suggest it to people who are either unfamiliar with Basque history or people who simply think all Basques are racist terrorists who hate Spain.

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So you want to learn Euskara...

When I finally decided that I was serious about learning Euskara, I decided to search for a way to learn the language while at the same time not have to resort to eating ramen noodles for the rest of my life. I decided to do a little research into the methods people use to learn Euskara and here are some you can try out:

• Euskara in the Basque Country - This could very well be the most expensive option for people living outside of the the Basque Country, however if you choose this route you will have the benefit of a total immersion into the language as well as the culture. Unfortunately, I cannot provide a single link that features all the euskaltegiak (Basque Language Centers) that accept foreign students. Once I do find it, it will be posted here.

• University Courses - As far as I know, there are only two Universities in the United States that offer courses in Euskara. The first is Boise State University, which offers a Basque Studies Minor and Certificate and the the second is the University of Nevada,Reno, which offers a Basque Studies Minor both in-campus and online.

• BOGA program - BOGA is an online program created by the Eusko Jaurlaritza (Basque Government) designed to teach adults Euskara and to provide them with a knowledge base sufficient enough to pass the EGA (Euskararen Gaitasun Agiria)- which is a proficiency test and mandatory for anyone who wishes to work for the Basque Government. The BOGA program is, compared to the first two methods, quite affordable as the current tuition is $50 per semester.

• Self-study Books - There are a few books out there designed to help students learn Euskara and they range from the simple, Beginner's Basque by Wim Jansen to the more complex, The Basque Language: A Practical Introduction by Alan R. King. When I first started learning about Euskara, a number of people have told me it would be sheer madness to try and learn it by myself however I don't think it would be wise to discredit all of the self-study books. I think that some could be used a great introduction to the language, especially if you are not completely sure if you want to seriously pursue it or not and it can also be used to supplement your current program.

I am currently making use of the BOGA program as my main resource for learning Euskara. I chose it as the $50 per semester along with the online access was a great fit for me because it wouldn't burn a big hole in my wallet and it wouldn't require me to have to lose time for work as I can easily do it during my free time.

The program itself is entertaining as it is filled with interesting sketches, exercises and tests. However, it also has its flaws, the major one being its propensity for crashing for a few days. I also find that the explanations in English sound quite unnatural at times, as if it were translated into English by a non-native speaker and although that can easily be ignored, it can sometimes cause a bit of confusion. But I firmly believe that even with those flaws, it can be a very valuable tool.

I am also studying Euskara through a book called Bakarka I: Método de aprendizaje individual del euskera by J.A. Letamendia. This teaches Euskara (or Euskera as it is called in Spanish) through the medium of the Spanish language. I find that whenever there is any concept or grammatical rule that I cannot quite understand when explained in English, I need only read it in Spanish and it suddenly becomes clear.
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Why Euskara? Why Català?

Whenever I tell people that I am studying two languages, they usually guess either: Spanish, German, Japanese or Russian and when I tell them it's actually Euskara (Basque) and Català, they usually give me a blank stare (because they have no idea what it is) or a confused look (because they have no idea why I would want to learn it).

There's actually a short and a long answer for each language. So let me start with the short answers first:

Euskara: because I am Basque
Català: because I am Catalan

And here are the long answers:

Euskara: One of the first words I ever learned in Euskara was, euskaldun, which means "Basque" although literally it means "Euskara-speaker". When I thought about it, I realised that the Basques define themselves by the language they speak. The word for the Basque Country (at least the ones including Nafarroa/Navarra and Iparralde/French Basque Country) in Euskara is Euskal Herria which means "land of Euskara" reflects the focus on the language even more. So with that in mind, I came to the conclusion that blood was no longer enough, at least not for me. I had already missed out on a lot of the culture by the fact that I was not born there (nor was my father or my grand-father or my great-grandfather) and, to this date, have not had the opportunity to go there, so I wanted to learn the language to strengthen my ties to my Basque heritage.

I also felt that Euskara was my birthright. I felt quite cheated that I had grown up not even knowing it existed up until I was bored one day and did a Wikipedia search on Hondarribia (Fuenterrabía in Spanish), the town where my Basque ancestors where from, and browsed around up until I found out about this language called Euskara. So that's the main driving force behind my desire to learn Euskara. I feel like my early ancestors who migrated to the country of my birth, in their desire to assimilate into the culture or for one reason or another, did not keep their original language of Euskara alive and I want to bring that back.

Now, as for Català, it started out quite differently.

Català: Although I had always known I was Basque, it took a while longer for me to realise that I was also Catalan. I remember that it was actually my love for FC Barcelona (my second team, behind Athletic Bilbao, of course!) that first placed the idea of learning Català into my head. I wanted to be able to converse in it should I ever be lucky enough to meet the likes of Carles Puyol or Xavi (I did get to see them a few months ago when they played against LA Galaxy but sadly, I don't think Puyol heard me shouting, "Puyi! Em dones el teu braçalet?" -Puyol, can you give me your armband?-). Of course, I knew that if I wanted any chance at successfully learning the language, I would need a better reason than that. It was then that I decided to contact my Abuela (grandmother) and ask her about her side of the family. I had a suspicion that her side might be Catalan although I knew that her father was from Salamanca. After a few months, she finally confirmed that although by birth my great-Grandfather was indeed from Salamanca, by blood he was Catalan.

So once I had confirmed that I do have Catalan blood running through my veins, I decided that it was also my birthright to be able to speak in Català... and frankly, that's reason enough to want to learn it.
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