My target language, Korean, belongs to the Koreanic family, which consists of the Korean and Jeju language. Although some have also grouped the Korean language into the Altaic family. Many aspects of the Korean language stems from Chinese (culturally contact throughout history), where about 60% of the modern Korean vocabulary is Chinese loanwords. Similar to Korea, Japan also had a long history of cultural contact with China, which resulted in the two cultures sharing words that are pronounced similarly (such as the word Kaban, which means bag in both languages). Structure wise, Korean and Japanese are also the same (Subject-Object-Verb).
I think that these considerations can enhance my understanding because I understand Chinese. It might be easier for me to recognize and understand some Korean words that sound similar or be able to guess what the word might mean. Learning about these connections helps me see Korean not just as a language, but as a reflection of history and cultural exchange. It also reminds me that languages are always evolving, changing through contact, trade, and everyday use. Linguists study these shifts by comparing how words and structures have changed over time, but for me, I view it as looking at about how cultures that I’m related to continue to learn and take from one another.
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