I have Fibromyalgia - one of the symptoms I have is ‘Brain Fog’. I really struggle with memory, getting words out etc. Not ideal when trying to learn a new language!
I have started with the new Level 1 - and have repeated Lesson 1 three times now. I am ok until about 2/3 through and there are a few different phrases introduced which I just cannot remember. Even if I pause and think about it, I am rarely even able to recall any of them. I progressed onto Lesson 2, as I know that I shouldn’t be repeating the Lessons too often - and had to give up this morning. I was completely unable to cope after only a short time.
I wondered if it was Welsh that was causing the issue, as everyone tells me it is incredibly difficult to learn. I have tried out the Spanish, as I knew a little of that already and find it easier to pronounce. That was easier for me - and now I am doubting whether I should continue with the Welsh if I cannot even get through Lesson 2??!
I have a suggestion which may work - and has worked for a few learners of the Welsh courses in the past. Instead of completing a whole lesson in one go, how about doing 15 or 20 minutes of a lesson, give yourself a break for however long you wish - even a day, then go over that part of the lesson again, or if you feel ready to do the next part of the lesson, do that. Depending on how often you do the lessons it may take a little bit longer, but you may also end up retaining a lot more Welsh in your memory. There is nothing saying that you can’t break down the lessons into bite size chunks, and frustration does slow down even the most hardened learners among us! Do everything at your own pace, take as many breaks between lessons as you want - even during lessons if it helps! Eventually, you will find a pace and style that works better for you and you can also enjoy learning this beautiful language as much as we have!
Best of luck
@alisonwade - I second the suggestion from faithless78 - great advice! I certainly have days where a whole lesson feels like too much, and sometimes just a 10 minute section is enough. I don’t have any issues like you describe, but there have been plenty of times where partway through a lesson, my brain starts to fry! This is definitely something you can do at whatever pace feels comfortable to you. Don’t believe the people that tell you Welsh is incredibly difficult to learn - it’s not, at least not the way Aran has developed this program. I just started at the beginning of May, and I never thought I’d have learned as much as I have already!
I know we are told not to keep repeating the lessons, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t repeat if you need to. I am doing the old Course 1. In the beginning I usually did each lesson two or three times, and if I really had a hard time with something I would repeat those sections another time. The first six lessons are the hardest, and now that I’m past those I only need one or two repetitions per lesson. Do what works for you!
I completely agree with the replies above urging you to keep trying at your own pace, it really doesnt matter how many repeats you need to make it stick. In the early weeks of my learning I had to listen to some lessons several times, I think it took quite a while for my ears and brain to actually hear and process this strange new language that is nothing like I had ever heard before! Once into the course a little deeper I found that the ‘patterns’ really help, and the way that new vocab is introduced… often 2 words that sit together nicely like ‘fall down’ or ‘hear the news’ become so well embedded in the brain that later on in the course you can attach those individual words to a new word you are learning… … ‘looking up’ could become ‘looking down’ for example and you can ‘hear’ countless things besides the news. Those embedded words add-on seamlessly to new phrases, and before you know it you have quite a collection of things you can say. Do keep trying Alison it is SO gratifying when you ‘get it’ and don’t worry one bit about how long it takes -it will come in time.
Pob lwc!!
P. S. We have all been there with huge difficulty on the pronunciations at times. I have amazingly reached lesson 10 in Course 2 (Northern) and I am still recovering from the shock of ‘darllen y llyfr hwn’ in lesson 9!! After, oooohh, about 100 times of the saying it I can now report it roles off the tongue easily and smoothly but for the first 50 attempts I sounded like somebody who had just come out of major dental surgery!
Alison, I have none of the problems you have to contend with and yet I find I make better progress in small chunks. When I start a new lesson I continue until my brain has ‘filled’ with new stuff. That could take 15 minutes but often is more like 10 or even 5. Next time I start from the beginning again and stop when my head has had enough. If I find that I am reasonably content with what I have done (ie not perfect and still needing practice but making sense to me) I note down the time and start from there after the break. I have reached Lesson 23 of Course 2 in this way.
You could just use whatever you find works best for you.
For those from the south, it is gog vowels that hurt!! I used to think, when there, “If I try to sound like that, I’ll choke!” Actually, by the tine I went south again, I sounded a bit more gog than de!
This is definitely something you can do at whatever pace feels comfortable to you. Don’t believe the people that tell you Welsh is incredibly difficult to learn - it’s not, at least not the way Aran has developed this program. I just started at the beginning of May, and I never thought I’d have learned as much as I have already!