A dialect learner

CEO of slowczech by happenstance, Moravian by choice, master of toilet humor by unusual openness, francophile by childhood dream, and my invitée by the intervention of fate, Eliška is what we need her to be and a lot more besides.

https://slowczech.com

https://youtube.com/@slowczech?si=GmseJj6Qwvs5oNZa

https://open.spotify.com/show/6oylf2ljLhnt67G3cOge4b?si=7LbMj-9tSw2ieGmWwHBIzw

A life spent puttin' one foot in front of t'other.

Surviving rheumatic fever, learning from a polio victim, and finding gumption that would last a long and successful life.

Hazing, scolding, muggings, heartbreak, burnout; and opening for Dave Chappelle.

Some words about terms.

How prioritizing my dialect learning has ebbed and flowed over time and, perhaps, how who we are sets our priorities more than any master plan.

Why dialect learning is the one productive thing in life I feel pretty consistent motivation for, and how I wish it would help me get off my butt and exercise more, too.

From AI skeptic to avid user of Large Language Models (LLMs) akin to ChatGPT. Pending their takeover.

Creator of the YouTube channel "Finnished" and "Comprehensible Input" advocate, Master of Environmental Science and golden-hearted lobbyist, jazz dancer, Italiano Aficionado, and overall overachiever Lotta joins me to discuss her journey from being a minority Finn in Finland, adapting to the Helsinki dialect at university, feeding her study-abroad addiction, controlling her rage over loud music on public transport, and correctly pairing wine and potato chips.

https://www.youtube.com/@finnished

https://www.learnfinnished.com

Why I think we're mostly all using the same "method", despite the different sales pitches, which boils down to:

1. Hear or read something new(ish)

2. Figure out what it means

3. Repeat

And why this simplistic method nonetheless reveals common flaws in other proffered approaches, while offering the freedom and control to focus on what we enjoy, connect with emotionally, and find satisfaction in learning - i.e. what our brain will consider "important" and ultimately retain.