Due by 5pm on Sunday, April 14: Discussion Post #10 on the Ning
Imagine that you have received a research grant to conduct a linguistic study of your target language and culture. How would you get started, and what would you investigate? How would different structural components presented in class appear in your work?
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If I received a grant, I would research how dialects have significantly shaped Korean society, culture, and identity. I would begin by studying existing literature on Korean dialects to understand the information state of research and identify gaps in knowledge to inform my research design. Consequently, I would plan methods to collect data such as interviews, surveys, and experimental studies. I would Consider factors such as the geographic distribution of dialects and speakers' demographic characteristics. Then proceed to apply my research skills to record natural speech samples begin to administer surveys or questionnaires, and conduct interviews with native speakers. I would ensure that my data is simple diverse and representative of the dialects that I am studying. Interpret the results of your data analysis and conclude the linguistic features and sociolinguistic aspects of Korean dialects. It is also important to consider how your findings contribute to our understanding of dialect variation. I would take more of a sociolinguistic approach to studying Korean dialects. As I research I would use Phonetics this would include studying features such as vowel and consonant systems, pitch accent, and intonation patterns.
I am interested in knowing how dialects in Korea have affected their identity as I know some regions take a sense of pride and identity among speakers. I am curious about how dialects have been associated with social status and class distinction in Korea. The dialect spoken in Seoul is the standard yet there are other dialects spoken in rural areas that may be stigmatized as "inferior." I think researching if there are any efforts to preserve and promote regional dialects as valuable cultural heritage has gained momentum, contributing to a more positive attitude toward linguistic diversity.
My overall goal would be to identify research and areas where further investigation is needed.
Your research plan to investigate Korean dialects sounds comprehensive and insightful, especially in exploring their impact on identity and social dynamics. I'm eager to see how your findings contribute to our understanding of linguistic diversity in Korea and efforts to preserve regional dialects as cultural heritage.
To initiate this research, I would first conduct an extensive literature review focusing on linguistic studies, historical texts, and anthropological research pertaining to Korea. This would provide a foundational understanding of the language and its cultural context. Additionally, consulting with native Korean speakers, linguists, and cultural experts would offer valuable insights into the nuances of Korean language and culture, guiding the direction of the study.
With a solid understanding of existing knowledge, I would define specific research objectives. These objectives would guide the formulation of research questions tailored to the Korean context. For instance, I might investigate the unique phonological features of Korean, such as its consonant clusters and vowel harmony. Understanding these features could shed light on the structure of the language and its evolution over time. Furthermore, I would explore how language use varies across different social contexts in Korea, examining factors like age, gender, and social status.
Selecting appropriate research methods would be crucial. Fieldwork would be essential, involving immersion in Korean culture, spending time with native speakers, and observing linguistic interactions in various settings. Surveys and interviews could complement this fieldwork, allowing for the collection of qualitative data on language attitudes and usage patterns. Additionally, linguistic analysis tools would aid in analyzing large datasets, providing quantitative insights into linguistic structures.
In terms of structural components presented in class, my study would encompass several key areas:
Phonology: Investigating the phonological system of Korean, including its distinctive consonant and vowel sounds, as well as intonation patterns.
Morphology: Analyzing the morphological structure of Korean words, such as verb conjugations and honorifics, which play a crucial role in Korean grammar and social hierarchy.
Syntax: Examining the syntactic structures of Korean sentences, including word order variations and sentence-final particles that convey nuances of meaning.
Semantics: Exploring the semantic nuances in Korean, including honorifics and politeness levels, which reflect cultural values and social relationships.
Pragmatics: Investigating how pragmatic factors influence language use in Korean, such as politeness strategies and communication styles in different contexts.
By integrating these structural components into my research, I aim to provide a comprehensive understanding of the Korean language and its cultural significance. This study not only contributes to linguistic scholarship but also offers insights into the rich tapestry of Korean culture and society.
If I received a research grant to conduct a linguistic study of the Korean language and culture, I would start by searching how Korean was made. There must be a reason why the Korean was made by King Sejong. From there, I would expand my research to how it influences people and culture. I would specifically focus on the start of the language and its impact on the present for further understanding of the language and cultural relationship. Different structural components presented in class would appear in an in-depth explanation of how phrases are structured in SOV order and research whether there is any relationship with Chinese as Koreans used Chinese characters in writing before Hangeul was invented.
Very interesting stuff Emily, this post was very similar to my own. I think looking at how the language was made and the rationale behind things like SOV vs SVO could make for a great study. I wonder if there are any other avenues to look at when looking at languages that influenced Korean other than Chinese?
If I received a research grant for Portuguese I would look into the regional dialects, and in particular, their relationship with Spanish. Because so much of the Portuguese-speaking population live in countries surrounded by Spanish-speaking countries, there is a large degree of overlap among some of the communities in these border regions. Dialects change greatly throughout Brazil, incorporating new pronouns (você, tu, etc...) depending on the region. This affect is also seen in Spanish-speaking countries like Argentina, where the 'you' pronoun vos is derived from the Portuguese você.
I would get started in these regions and try to develop a scale which could measure the level of overlap and Spanish vocab/grammar that is used in different regions of Brazil or Portugal itself. A linguistic map of this could be an interesting tool to study how languages change when they are close to other almost-mutually-intelligible languages (Spanish and Portuguese are not mutually intelligible, technically, but they are fairly close). This could be useful to studying how languages like Galician or Provencal survive in countries where they could theoretically be easily absorbed into the larger (similar) national languages.
The structural components would obviously be important in this study, especially because some elements of language are more easily adopted than others. Changing grammar, for example, would mean a much larger change than the addition of some new slang or vocabulary (which happens all the time in every language). Pop culture might lead to new words appearing but grammar would likely be caused by something more substantial. Breaking the research down into parts of speech could thus give us hints to how and why the spread is occurring.
The topic you chose is extremely interesting and important, Luke. What a certain Portuguese-speaking countries saw their languages change in fascinating on its own, but to make that relationship with Spanish elevates the scope even more. Because the biggest Portuguese-speaking countries have at least one Spanish-speaking neighbor (Portugal and Spain; Brazil and Latin America) it is amazing to see how both entities saw their own language change in different ways, even though both had Spanish speakers around them. This shows how Spanish in Spain is different from Spanish in America, and the same applies for Portuguese.
I would love to study the history of the Korean language, while I am still a novice in terms of ability I have so much interest in why things were done the way they were. I would first like to research the origins further than I already have, by looking at historical accounts and primary sources that were used when building the language. I would also like to see the rationale behind choosing SOV vs SVO, while they get the same point across it's interesting to see how different languages go about organizing their syntax. In addition to this I would also like to look at the influence of other languages on Korean, while most languages share some similarities, I think looking at what other languages relate closest to Korean would be interesting to find. Also looking at different dialects would be very interesting, my family speaks two different dialects of Italian, and it is always interesting to hear how the same words can be slightly different but have the same meaning.
If I received a research grant to conduct a linguistic study of Korean language and culture, I would investigate just how much of the Korean language - in terms of structure, vocabulary and grammar - has a non-Korean origin. For example, words like "shower" in Korean are very similar as in English. As such, one could only expect many more words to come from the English language, especially considering American influence in South Korea since its inception in 1948. However, Korea has also had influences from China and Japan, so looking at their contributions to the Korean language is also something I would look at.
Also, I would definitely go into some of the dialects inside the Korean language (Busan, Jeju, North Korea, etc.) to know what real differentiates them from one another, and most importantly, what caused those differences? was it outside influence? if not, then what? For this research I would try to look for primary and secondary sources of evidence like interviews, journals, local literature, and historical records from decades and centuries past. Lastly, I would use structural components presented in class such as morphology and syntax, to know how these aspects of the Korean language relate to outside influences, and in what areas of the Korean Peninsula are they seen more strongly.