What is your interest in 'your' language the culture(s) where it is used? What do you hope to learn this semester? this year? in the future?
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What is your interest in 'your' language the culture(s) where it is used? What do you hope to learn this semester? this year? in the future?
You need to be a member of The SDLAP Ning to add comments!
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For the first 16 years of my life I lived in Purwakarta, West Java, Indonesia. Asking questions about personal identity is an important element that shaped my development in the past and continues to motivate me. This is the result of having been born to Indian parents, growing up as a part of the Indian diaspora in Indonesia and a lifelong English medium education, part of which is being received at a residential college in the United States of America. However, it was relatively late in my developmental process that I began to realize that Indonesia is also a part of my identity. There is one instance that best demonstrates when I began realizing the importance that my time in Purwakarta had had on me.
After having left Indonesia in 2009, I decided to travel across the island of Bali in the summer of 2013. During this time I was surprised to learn that I had retained a good portion of the language skills that I once possessed. Obviously, this included participating in cultural activities that are essential to the Indonesian culture. My usual day would begin with 2 bus rides into Kuta beach. Usually I would arrive around noon, when it was low tide. I would meet the beach regulars in the shaded area where they would sit with food, drinks and a catur (chess) board. Finally around 3, all of us would jump into the water to surf. Eventually, I found a very comfortable niche with these locals at the beach and in my hostel.
During this process of normalization to Indonesian culture, there were instances when Indian tourists would pass me by while conversing with each other in Hindi. This happened with tourists from other countries as well. From their conversations it was obvious that they did not perceive me as an Indian or an American college student. This experience has demonstrated itself to be enough to cause me to explore the part of my identity that is rooted in Purwakarta. There would be no alternative to going back to the community to which I once belonged but in the meanwhile I hope to gain language and culture of Indonesia through the SDLAP. On the language side, I hope to focus on formal conversational skills, communicate abstract ideas and finally add to my vocabulary of adverbs and adjectives. On the cultural side, I hope to focus on the culture surrounding offices, surfing and education.
The most important role language is a communication tool. This summer when I did internship, I worked with a Korean colleague, who is a junior at top one Chinese University. There were plenty of common interests between us. For example, we both like Bigbang, one famous band in Korean. We both want to eat Korean Kimchi and BBQ. Though she is able to speak some of basic Chinese, I felt their pressure to speak with me. The language barrier forms an idea in mind: why can't I learn Korean instead? In this way, I can visit her country and learn more Korean cultures. Language connects people together to share ideas.
I've learned French for two years in my high school. Applying what I've leaned into my daily life communication is the best experience. When I took Air France airline, a crew member asked me which meal I like most in French, I was able to choose the meal and conduct the basic dialogue. This made me proud of myself as a French beginning learner.
I hope in this semester I can learn basic conversation in Korean such as greeting, food ordering and shopping. At the same time, I wish I could recognize and write some basic words in Korean. I think I should not overload myself too much on memorizing and grammar for this semester, because keeping myself motivated and interested in Korean is key.
In the future, I may use different approaches to learn more Korean words, such as reading Korean books or watching KBS news. I wish my Korean proficiency meets native standard that I am able to carry on a dialogue with a Korean.
I am very interested in Asian languages in general. I find that they are some of the most challenging and most spoken languages around. I currently speak some Mandarin and a dialect of Mandarin. As a dancer, I can't help but admire how Korea always seems to win the breakdancing world competitions and their amazing pop music videos. This is what spurred my interest in the language and culture. I eventually began taking up an interest in Korean films as well. Basically I am looking to learn the "basics" of the language; introductions, greetings, and basic nouns/verbs. I wish to supplement the learning with movies and music. I think that by listening and applying what I'll learn, I will be able to pick up the language more quickly. In the future, I wish to have a working proficiency in the language. I think that the only way I will become fluent in the language is through immersion. I do not think that learning the language will be too difficult considering my history with Asian languages. I already know that some Korean and Mandarin words are very similar.
My language learning experience started early. I first began learning English when I was 8 years old. Throughout my elementary school, secondary school, my English teachers taught me grammars and vocabularies. Then I went to an international school where everything was taught in English. At that time, I learned a lot more English by communicating my high school teachers in English, writing my homework in English and reading English novels. After school, my favorite way to learn English is to combine language learning and entertainment. For instance, I love watching situational comedies so I watch The Big Bang Theory and 2 Broke Girls without subscription. In this way, I could train my listening because I try hard to recognize what they are talking about, I could improve my speaking by repeating their words, and I could know more about American Culture by understanding the plots.
After taking the surveys, I realized that I am an aural learner. Therefore, I got several inspirations for efficient language learning. For example, I should be involved into the classroom and discuss topics with my partners. Also, I can utilize some visual material to deepen the impression. Furthermore, I can expand my notes by using different colors, writing down anecdotes, and reflecting upon the culture behind language.
Why are you interested in Korean?
I first began to be interested in Korean because of my roommate Yoonjeong in high school. She is a korean girl who grew up in Korean and came to China when she was 10 years old. Yoonjeong speaks Chinese to us in school, but speaks Korean to her family everyday after school. When I lived with her, I heard her speak a lot of Korean to her brother and her parents on phones. I was amazed by how she can switch two languages to communicate quickly. Also, Yoonjeong introduced me a lot of Korean dramas and Korean songs. Even though I loved most of them, I felt sad because I cannot speak or write any Korean. I tried to learn several vocabularies from Yoonjeong, but I think I need a class to help me learn this language in a more systematic way. Taking Korean classes with language partner would be a perfect choice because I can have my own plan. For example, I am especially interested in fashion and shopping in Korea so I will try to focus on learning words that is related to this topic.
I see language as a very powerful tool. It can also be a very sheltering obstacle when trying to communicate with someone in a different language. Naturally, the opportunities and perspectives that come from learning a new language have intrigued me since I was a child. I have found learning a language to be unique in that there is an immediate broadening of one’s perspectives as soon as you begin to learn it. What I would look at and call a shoe, hundreds of people would look at and have their own name for that inanimate object. Languages have the power to both separate and bring people together.
Unfortunately, my only exposure to learning foreign languages has been in a classroom setting. I studied Spanish throughout high school and took Latin as well. Reflecting on my growth as a language student is the main reason why I did not want to stop learning a new language now that I’m in college. What is somewhat disheartening is that I know I learn best when I am actually doing something (playing a new sport, eating with chopsticks, etc.). It’s disheartening because I will likely not be traveling to a foreign country for years to come; however, I’m excited to be learning a language on my own and not in a classroom. Because I have a very poor idea of which methods will best suit my language learning progress, I am prepared to entertain every method possible to find the best for me.
I studied abroad in Hyderabad, India, last semester and was quickly enthralled by everyday life there. Certain parts of South Indian culture, from recipes to transportation to religion, seemed so complex compared to American culture that I yearned to master them as quickly as possible. But come to find out, all of these things, and many others, are so complex that it is overwhelming to attempt even an elementary understanding, especially in only 6 months. Nevertheless, I memorized bus numbers and tried to construct maps in my mind as I took rickshaws through new areas. I wrote down the recipe of every meal my host mother cooked and of every dish I ordered at a restaurant. When I saw someone on the street asking for directions that I knew, I butted into the conversation in broken Hindi to show that I was not a tourist.
Looking back, I was probably too determined to memorize menial information, but doing so helped me realize the complexities of Indian culture. In learning directions and transportation routes, I also learned their historical and cultural context - that directions are usually given in relation to places and landmarks rather than street names and addresses. In the old city of Hyderabad, you are told to "turn left at the meat vendor," whereas in the British-influenced outskirts, each road has an assigned number. After learning my host mother's recipes, I was able to identify minute differences in regional cooking as I travelled to the north and west.
Language was yet another monumental puzzle that I wanted to crack, but although I took Hindi during school and used it frequently while traveling in India, I feel that I only scratched the surface. While studying in Hyderabad, I noticed that Hindi and other local languages were shaped around the needs of the culture. For example, adding an extra 'a' syllable to a verb forms it into a direction verb. (For instance, chalna means to walk, but chalana means to drive, or to direct the car to walk.) I had so many questions about the hundreds of languages and dialects in India, how they formed separately, where they overlap, etc. I am still very interested in language as a glimpse into Indian history and culture, and would like to delve into this during the semester.
Nevertheless, I would like to advance my Hindi as a practical skill, as I plan to return to Hyderabad after graduation in the spring, either for research or to teach English. My goal is to be able to converse in Hindi with friends, professors, and my host family about everyday topics and to use Hindi during travel and in shops.