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.
Replies
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 also prefer writing over typing! I'm wondering what have you've been doing to improve on your typing skills? Do you use any typing games or practice sentences you read to learn? I love that you’re noticing patterns in sentence structure too! The subject-object-verb order is definitely one of the unique aspects of Korean which I think is cool.
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:
-
1
-
2
of 2 Next