Due by 5pm on Sunday, March 30: Discussion Post #8 on the Ning
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 have started writing in Korean and I much prefer to handwrite when it comes to learning. It's much more tedious, but I've actually found that it's almost just as tedious and timeconsuming to search and find the correct symbol on the keyboard. In terms of learning, I can feel myself starting to be able to visualize certain words as I speak them. It seems that this is the key to being able to speak and write fluently. Being able to instantly visualize the structure of a word as I speak them directly translates into my ability to read and write. Writing free hand also seems to improve my memorization of a word. Typing the same word does not have the same effect. I have not been able to see any patterns, but I think this is actually due to my already existing experience with Korean. I think that this "advantage" is actually hindering me from being able to see this "new" language with an open mind. I can only see, hear, read, and write Korean with the foreknowledge I have instead of feeling like I am actively learning. I tend to rely on what I already know rather than trying to learn to lean on my new learning.
Some of my learning includes these sentences that contain more advanced vocabulary pertaining to the fields of medicine and politics.
Yes, I have started writing in my target language. I prefer to type. Yes, I have started to see patterns emerge in the structures between words, clauses, and sentences. Specifically my mentor and I spent our last lesson going over the roots of words and how certain words have core letters that remain in many types of words with similar meanings. In Hebrew, simple sentences provide a basis for communication by establishing basic subject-verb-object structures, while complex sentences allow for expression by incorporating clauses, conjunctions, and varied syntax. My knowledge of parts of speech, grammatical agreement, and government (how verbs and prepositions determine the form of their complements) is crucial for writing accurately in Hebrew. Gender and number agreement affect adjectives, verbs, and pronouns, and mastering these rules helps with clarity in formal and informal writing. For example, a simple sentence like אני לומד עברית כל יום (I study Hebrew every day) establishes a clear idea, while a more complex sentence such as אם תתאמן כל יום, תוכל לדבר עברית טוב יותר (If you practice every day, you will be able to speak Hebrew better) adds depth by introducing a condition. Similarly, expressing opinions requires an understanding of structure and agreement, as seen in אני חושב שהעברית היא שפה יפה בגלל ההיסטוריה שלה (I think Hebrew is a beautiful language because of its history). These exercises help reinforce my grammatical accuracy and ability to express ideas clearly in Hebrew.
I have started some short writing in Korean. Personally, I prefer typing over writing by hand because it’s faster and easier to edit. I use a Korean keyboard to practice typing Hangul, which also helps me remember the layout of syllable blocks.
I’ve noticed some patterns in the sentence structure that is different from English. A sentence like “I eat noodles” follows a subject-verb-object structure in English, but in Korean the word order is subject-object-verb. So the same sentence in Korean becomes “I noodle eat”- “나는 국수를 먹는다.” Also, most words in a sentence have a particle attached to them, indicating the role of each word in a sentence. 은/는 is placed after a word to indicate that it is the subject of a sentence, and 을/를 placed after a word to indicate that it is the object of a sentence. These grammar rules affect how I form both simple and complex sentences, and those cannot be translated into English. Yet I haven’t started writing, but I can start to combine ideas using words like 그리고 (and) and 하지만 (but). These connect sentences and help form longer thoughts. Knowing the difference between verbs, nouns, and adjectives helps me figure out what order the words should follow. I also try to be aware of formality, which affects verb endings depending on the situation. Here are some short writing exercises I’ve practiced:
저는 떡볶이를 좋아해요. “I like tteokbokki.”
화장실이 어디에 있어요? “Where is the bathroom?”
제 이름은 Emily예요/입니다 “My name is Emily”
Yes, I have started writing in Korean. I prefer writing freehand over typing since I am not as accustomed to typing. I have had previous experience writing in Korean, but not as much experience typing. However, I do make an effort to practice typing occasionally to learn and improve. As I’ve progressed, I’ve begun to notice patterns in how Korean sentences are structured. For example, Korean follows a subject-object-verb word order, which is different from English. Simple sentences in Korean tend to end in a verb while complex sentences often involve conjunctions or verb endings. Understanding parts of speech, like subject and object markers, verb conjugations, and honorifics has been crucial as well. The concepts of government (how verbs dictate which particles follow the nouns) and agreement directly affects how I form correct sentences. Speaking accurately to native speakers while keeping these rules in mind has been challenging, but it’s helped me become more mindful and precise in my writing. For example (writing about my daily routine):
I have started writing in Korean, but only very simple sentences. My focus has been on basic sentence structure, common phrases, and simple subject-object-verb patterns. While I prefer typing for academic work because it is faster and more efficient, I find that freehand writing is more effective for language learning. Writing by hand helps reinforce spelling, stroke order, and character recognition, making it easier to retain vocabulary and grammar rules. As I write more/hear the language, I have begun to recognize small patterns in sentence structure. Korean follows a subject-object-verb (SOV) order, which is different from English’s subject-verb-object (SVO) structure. For example, in English, I would say, "I eat an apple", but in Korean, the sentence would be structured as "I an apple eat" (나는 사과를 먹어요). I have also started noticing particles like -을/를 for objects and -은/는 or -이/가 for subjects, which are essential for grammatical accuracy. The relationship between simple and complex sentences is becoming clearer. Simple sentences often follow a basic subject-object-verb structure (e.g., "나는 책을 읽어요" - "I read a book"), while more complex sentences add clauses using connective endings such as -고 ("and"), -지만 ("but"), and -니까 ("because"). Understanding how to link ideas helps in writing more fluid and natural sentences. My knowledge of parts of speech, government, and agreement plays an important role in improving my writing. Korean verbs change based on formality and sentence-ending structures, which means I need to be mindful of verb conjugations depending on the context. Additionally, Korean has a system of politeness levels, so using the appropriate verb ending is crucial to maintaining proper communication. For example, the verb "to eat" can be written in different forms: 먹어 (meogeo) – casual, 먹어요 (meogeoyo) – polite, 드세요 (deuseyo) – honorific. So, being aware of these grammatical structures allows me to write more accurately and appropriately depending on the situation.
Sample Exercise: