How have you started writing in the target language? Do you prefer to type or write free hand? Have you started to see patterns emerge in the structures between words, clauses, and sentences? What is the relationship between simple and complex sentences? How does your knowledge of parts of speech, government, and agreement affect your ability to communicate in written contexts? Provide a sample of several short meaningful writing exercises from your target language.
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I started writing before this class so yes! I prefer to write in free hand because I'm still not familiar with the phone/computer keys for Korean and have to hunt down which letters correspond to which letter. Doesn't mean my handwriting is good in any way, but I prefer it to typing. I do see a pattern as I slowly learn the correct spelling and certain grammatical rules in sentences. There is for example, un-sounding letters that add a different sound that is at the bottom of the syllable, called 받침, that have certain patterns that I just have to memorize but slowly I could see a pattern and follow along, but certain ones are just harder to catch/understand than others. For example, word, did in Korean is 했어 and the bottom of the first syllable has double 's' sound that transfers to the next syllable and the starting consonant is an unsounding consonant. I haven't gotten to the difficult parts such as complex sentences in Korean in written form/ grammar, but colloquially I can speak complex sentences. I know it by feeling and hearing others speak in conversation, but can't really address which part of speech is which and how it all comes together. This is actually something I want to address and learn formally. In written form, I speak very simply and don't engage in complex sentences as I am not familiar with the different forms of written sentences and parts of speech and what form each verb and sentence structure has for example the subjunctive form or impartial. A simple way of writing would be: I go there or 나 거기 가. A complex sentence might be: 어재, 내가 거기 가는대, 어쩌다가 친구를 만났어 or yesterday, I went there and by chance I met a friend.
I've started to write in Korean when texting my parents. I prefer to text far more than writing freehand. To me, writing in Korean requires decent handwriting skills and since I haven't written in a long time, texting seems far easier. In terms of structures, I always tend to write formally in Korean whenever I write anything. This is usually done by adding the Korean word "요" to the end of the sentence. For example, the sentence "I'll wash the dishes" can be translated to "설거지를 할게" which is an informal version of the sentence that can be used on friends, but by adding the word "요" this turns into "설거지를 할게요". This would be something that you say to an elder or someone in a higher position of power than you. I can usually write complex sentences, but I don't always have to, so I'm more used to writing simple sentences that convey a direct message.
I totally understand the handwriting skills you bring up. It's been ages since I actually wrote Nepali and when I started learning Nepali again for this class, everything felt so familiar yet so foreign at the same time. I don't know how exactly to describe it but it seemed like I was writing the right thing the right way but then I would second guess myself and wonder if what I was writing was even the right thing. I should also start texting my parents in full Nepali and not Nepali written in English.