It’s quite a long time, I think, since I’ve mentioned my attempts to learn Danish, and how now I have been somewhat thwarted. I first started learning it on Duolingo about ten years ago, and began making good but slow progress. It was much longer ago that I first joined Duolingo, but it was watching Danish crime dramas that inspired me to try the language. I enjoyed the course very much, and made very slow but sort of steady progress. Duolingo at that time was very different – there were forums and guides and moderators who would all help, and I became “friends” with several other Danish learners. I really felt I was doing ok, when suddenly, without warning, Duolingo changed, and changed for the very much worse. The forums and mods disappeared, the content was dreadful, no humour, no hooks to keep going, and the “teaching” was rigid. However, I stuck to it because at least it was a level I could cope with – I did try other courses but they were all a bit beyond me, so I’m plodding on despite moaning at it.
I know Duolingo is now aimed at an American audience, and I can cope with the different words and different spellings for things, but what still really riles is me when the English isn’t even correct in an American sense. It’s now making me wonder if the Danish is correct? Some of the English doesn’t even make sense in any way at all because there are mistakes and errors in it. I have tried a couple of other language learning sites, and to be honest a couple of them are pretty shocking too – their English isn’t current, so is their Danish? I have no plans to go to Denmark, this was just an enjoyable little thing to keep my brain active – I’m reluctant to give up, so I’m going to have to think of another way to pursue my interest. Farvel! I’ll keep you updated!!
Lois Elsden 