Working Towards B1

Week One of Taking Three Languages

Me during my first Uzbek class

My Uzbek and Tajiki classes with Eurasian Regional Language Program began this week. The first week went mostly well. I received my lifeguard recertification after taking lessons for five days this week. I have been working at Texas Roadhouse and hope to start a lifeguarding job too. My Uzbek and Tajiki classes mostly went smoothly. There was a change of schedule, confusing my teachers. During my first Uzbek class, the Skype chat did not work. My teacher struggled to send my vocabulary. These problems were

This chart is my language class schedule for the next six weeks.

Goal Setting

Before starting my Russian and Tajiki courses, I took a proficiency test in both languages. I received an A2 (high beginner) level in Russian and low intermediate in Tajiki. I believe that I am around A2 in Uzbek. These six weeks, I am working towards B1 in all three languages. I will accomplish this goal by studying new words and grammatical structures and speaking each language for five minutes, five days a week.

My eldest dog sleeping through my Uzbek class

New Study Schedule

This summer, I studied Tajiki at night. I started studying Uzbek, Tajiki, and Russian right after my classes ended. Since my classes alternate, I study the vocabulary and grammar and write a short essay on the day of class and then do my homework on the day I do not have class. I try to speak each language five days a week to help me accomplish my language goal. I like my system because, at night, I am free to chill and watch Netflix. I am also not tired when I study, unlike this summer, when I fell asleep before studying.

My set up for studying

Mixing Up Languages

My mind struggled to switch from Tajiki to Uzbek, causing me to screw up words like ман and мен (I) when starting a sentence. During my first Uzbek class, I said, “I don’t understand” in Tajiki before being corrected by my teacher. Uzbek and Tajiki have similar vocabularies, so sometimes my slip-ups are correct. My professor will say, “yes, that’s correct, but here is the Uzbek word for it.” Both Tajiki and Uzbek are influenced by Arabic, Persian, Turkish, and Russian, so three words mean the same thing.

This cultural note from my Uzbek textbook explains it well.

When I speak Tajiki or Uzbek, I tend to use the word that is in both languages. For example, there are several ways to say in Tajiki because, but I prefer chunki because it is in both languages.

Tune in next week to hear about my first week of Russian classes!