How well did you achieve your goals?  What were the stumbling blocks you encountered?  How were you able to overcome them?  What was most/least interesting to you?  What would you like to do next? 

To the question, “How well did you achieve your goals?” I would say that I haven’t achieved them very well. But that depends on what my ‘goals’ were to begin with, because at the beginning of the semester I had wildly ambitious goals and I hadn’t tamed them enough. The learning plan I started with—like all plans—didn’t take into account the kind of language learner I was or the times when my attention would be led astray. I was sort of able to reorient myself by reformulating my learning plan with consideration to the external factors.

However, there was another main roadblock: despite having a language learning partner, we met on set two-hour blocks once a week and I wish I had instead made the structure less rigid. I say that because I felt that I hadn’t utilized my language partner effectively. The times when we would meet still felt like a ‘classroom’ setting when it shouldn’t be. What I should’ve done was keep it informal, so whenever we chanced to meet throughout the week, passing by the library or in dhall for example, we could greet each other in Korean, ask questions about each other’s day in Korean, etc. Just something that would incorporate the Korean into my daily life because the lack of Korean students on campus (my own lack of knowledge about the few who are on campus) impeded my motivation to learn the language because I was using it daily.

In fact, meeting with a language partner was probably the least interesting thing to me. If I ever came across something I didn’t know, my immediate reaction was to go online because there is a plethora of sources, be it online curriculums, formal and informal blogs, video lessons, or forums. My language partner couldn’t really explain certain concepts to me in a way I found satisfactory so in the end I would search for answers myself anyway.

Exploring the Talk to Me in Korean site I found midway through the semester was easily the most interesting thing. They have a curriculum with accompanying podcasts and pdf files and at the end of each ‘Level’ there would be multiple dialogues entirely in Korean utilizing the topics covered in the lessons within the levels. I found the website to be very organized and incredibly accessible to students no matter what they’re proficiency level was, something perfect for me since I am in the elementary level in most areas but in the intermediate level in terms of listening. The site also has a K-drama and K-Pop section where they would identify words or grammar points in an episode or a song.

I would like to continue studying Korean over the summer in preparation for a trip to Korea in the Fall, where I will be teaching English for a year. I have a friend who will also be teaching English in Korea so having a study partner will keep both of us on track. 

My self-directed language learning experience this semester has been an interesting road because by the end of it (the semester, not the language learning experience), I have had to re-evaluate my view of myself as a learner.

Whereas before I had disliked the rigidity of language courses, the overt attention on grammar concepts first, fun and speaking practice hardly ever, I have decided that I appreciate the tight schedule of language courses I have taken at the University. I still think the pacing of typical classroom-language courses are too fast to fully appreciate the nuances of the target language, and that they emphasize memorization above other language-learning techniques. But the challenge of self-directed language learning is in making a learning plan for myself and, more importantly, to actually stick with it.

When I first set out to create a learning plan on the sheets we were given in class, I was too ambitious and had high expectations for myself and the semester. During the semester I was distracted easily, or mainly employed the more passive forms of learning (listening but then not practicing what I’ve listened). Sometimes my motivation would stray, as it is wont to do, because I am the type of learner who likes to have a finger on the pulse of multiple languages, all at once. (Which means I am better at multitasking then I am at sticking with it to the end!)

What I did not do when I first wrote my learning plan is not look at myself with a critical eye and examine my tendencies as a learner. If I had done this earlier, my learning plan would have probably been more useful. In the future I would make clearer learning goals. I would also follow along with a grammar book but I would not use it as a crutch. The grammar book would provide a visual outline, the steps of language learning, while I would find supplementary materials to make it fun. For example, if a chapter dealt with basic verb constructions, I would find songs that have those verb constructions. That way it would reinforce what I’ve learned in a different setting and the learning would take place with clear ‘real-world’ applicability. 

The Talk to Me in Korean site that I found in the latter half of the semester was an invaluable resource, one I will continue to refer to in the future. I can admit now that I am a learner who needs a schedule to follow, otherwise my learning will be messy, sparse, and the bulk of the learning will be done in disorganized snatches when I remember to do it. Having a blog on the SDLAP Ning site was more useful towards the end of the semester than in the beginning, when the blog felt more like burden than what it does now: a visual map of my learning experience, an virtual notebook, something that is mine. I was more motivated to fill it up with my evidence of my experiences. 

Looking back, I probably would have learned more Korean if I knew then what I knew now. Therefore I do not see the semester as entirely wasted, because through this experience I have a clearer view of what kind of learner I am, what my strengths and weaknesses are, so to speak, and what I can do to combat my weaknesses. The lessons learned here will benefit my future learning endeavors, especially when I go to teach English in Korea later this fall. It would be interesting to apply this semester's experiences as a teacher, and student, in Korea. 

1. Greetings & Farewells

2. Simple present tense sentences ("It's me," "It's water")

3. This, That, It - constructions

4. Topic and Subject marking particles

5. "Please give me.." request constructions

6. Common expressions used when eating meals

7. Desire expressions: "I want to.." and "What do you want to do?"

8. Sino-Korean numbers and Native Korean Numbers

9. Some basic present tense verbs (to go, to buy, to do, to see, to eat, etc)

10. Location-marking particles

I can...

- say hello and thank you

- numbers (both kinds, Sino-Korean and Native Korean)

- express disagreement/agreement, denials

- say "I'm sorry" and "Excuse me"

- ask "What is this?" and respond "This is..."

- say "have, don't have, there is, there isn't.."

- ask "Who? What? How?"

- ask the location of something

- basic verb constructions

My fourth artifact is written lyrics of a song called "Replay" by the popular k-pop boy group SHINee.

This song was slightly more difficult to understand than the song I used for my second artifact because this song has a couple repeated core vocabulary with which I was unfamiliar: 

1. “부담스럽다” [bu-dam-seu-reop-dda], which means “to feel uncomfortable/burdened/too much. 

2. “뿌듯하다” [bbu-deu-ta-da] means “to feel a sense of satisfaction/pride” after achieving or finishing something.

Here's the video in case the embedded video below doesn't work. (The youtube video includes lyrics in Hangul and in English for listeners to follow along.)  

Korea is a proudly health-conscious society; it's no coincidence that the Korean word for seasonings, 양념 yangnyom, comes from the Chinese word for "remedy." There is a long-standing understanding of the close relationship between food and health in Korea. Old sayings such as ‘Food is medicine’ reflect a strong consciousness that our health is intimately related with what we eat. Consequently, within Korean food culture, numerous foods and drinks are associated with various medicinal properties, such as ginseng, honey, cinnamon, ginger.

Korean meals tend to emphasize a harmony between flavors, colors, textures and temperatures. Grains like rice have much more delicate flavors than heavily seasoned vegetables or stews, and this provides a balance in flavor. Colors of vegetables, meats and grains are also important in considering a properly set table. Diversity in texture is found in the different side-dishes, dried and fresh foods and even in rice mixed with other grains. Temperature contrast is found in cool foods such as kimchi and hot foods such as soups and cooked rice. More than a single flavor or texture, the success of a Korean meal is determined by the overall harmony of divergent sensations found in it.

Korean Cuisine Slideshow

Sources: 

http://iml.jou.ufl.edu/projects/students/hwang/character1.htm

http://www.trifood.com/intro.asp

http://www.eatingwell.com/food_news_origins/food_travel/discover_the_health_benefits_of_korean_cooking?page=2

http://visitkorea.or.kr/enu/CU/CU_EN_8_1_5.jsp

http://english.visitkorea.or.kr/enu/SI/SI_EN_3_6.jsp?gotoPage=1&cid=259613

http://greentea--mochi.blogspot.com/2011/04/korean-aesthetic-eui-shik-ju.html

http://articles.philly.com/2010-09-23/entertainment/24978680_1_korean-cooking-korean-cuisine-korean-food

http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/regions/asia-pacific/south-korea/120528/more-kimchi-korean-foods-popularity-soars

Michael J. Pettid, Korean Cuisine: An Illustrated History

Today, the word "개뿔" came up in Episode 4 of Protect the Boss. My language partner couldn't really explain the meaning to me so I went online for some answers. No wonder it was difficult for him - it's the slang version of the  N + 는 무슨 construction. (Which, in my rough translation, means "Noun + what is.")

What does "개뿔" is formed from two words: 개 (dog) + 뿔 (horn) 

It means 'something unimportant or not very valuable.'

This is best illustrated and learned with examples.

Example 1

N + 는 무슨 construction:

A: 공부하고있니?
B: 공부는 무슨, TV 보고있어.

A: Are you studying? 
B: Forget studying, I'm watching TV.

For the slang version of the pattern, you use 개뿔 instead of 무슨. 

A: 공부하고있니?
B: 공부는 개뿔, TV 보고있어.

A: Are you studying? 
B: Forget studying, I'm watching TV.

However, it's incorrect to assume that 무슨 or 개뿔 mean "forget" based on example 1. 

Example 2

N + 는 무슨 construction:

A: 그 여자랑 잘되니?
B: 잘되기는 무슨, 전화도 안해.

A: Did it go well with that girl? 
B: Yeah right, she won't even call.

Slang version:

A: 그 여자랑 잘되니?
B: 잘되기는 개뿔, 전화도 안해.

A: Did it go well with that girl? 
B: Yeah right, she won't even call.

Example 2 shows that rather than having a specific translation, 무슨 and 개뿔 serve to kind of contradict the previous statement. 

The NY Times article, 'Why bilinguals are smarter,' would be better titled 'why bilinguals are more efficient than their monolingual peers at multitasking.' The difficulties of defining and assessing Intelligence is already well-known (see Howard Gardner's Theory of Multiple Intelligences) but the article seems to skim over this fact and deems it sufficient to cite reasons, such as bilingualism improves multi-tasking abilities, brain-usage efficiency, resistance to dementia and other symptoms of Alzheimer's disease, as irrefutable markers of intelligence. These are all enticing reasons to become bilingual but to conclude that it makes one smarter is misleading. Furthermore, I wonder what conclusions can/could be/are/were drawn from studies testing polyglots versus biglots and monoglots, and whether multilingualism offers more benefits than bilingualism and monolingualism.

We experience culture shock because our identities are so enmeshed in the fabric of whatever society in which we have been living and growing up. It's inevitable in some cases. Thus, changing our sense of place by moving to another country for a length of time is physically, mentally and psychologically taxing. Our identities are not entirely our own for they are anchored in part to the place we grew up / live in, to the food that we eat, to the smells we are familiar with, and especially to the friends, families and acquaintances in our lives. Home is not only a physical space. Most people experience culture shock because familiarity is comforting so to be thrust out of one's comfort space is akin to being a child again, unable to command the language and having to navigate a new world from the first step. 

My first artifact was a screenshot of a cellphone conversation I had with my Korean friend about the weather. 

My second artifact was a scan of Korean lyrics I wrote. Since I listen to Korean pop music nearly every day and music is an essential part of a culture to me, I wanted to do something with it. Unfortunately I am unwilling to record myself singing along with the song, I decided to record the lyrics instead. I've posted a Youtube video of the song and an English translation for others to follow along. The song is A Pink's "Please Let's Just Love," from the drama I've been watching, Protect the Boss. 

For my third and fourth artifacts, I want to show my speaking capabilities. I think a voice recording of such topics such as greetings or cooking-related dialogues would be good, as it will be another way to efficiently memorize pertinent vocabulary. 

A great part of Korea's body language culture is bowing as it has ties to the hierarchical structure of Korean society. The bow is the traditional Korean greeting, although it is often accompanied by a handshake among men. To show respect when shaking hands, support your right forearm with your left hand. Bowing is usually done to elders, someone of greater status; for a relevant example, if you worked in a company, then you would bow to senior members as a sign of respect. 

A youtube video I found comparing some American and Korean body language. The guy on the left shows American body language while the girl on the right shows Korean body language:

(Here's the video in case the embed code isn't working.)

Considering everything, I'm content with the progress I've made thus far. I admit that I've been lax with doing my weekly posts on time as I usually just jot down my thoughts on a word document that I've used to collect ALL of my 105 and 110 posts. I know I've been favoring the more 'passive' learning methods of listening rather than 'active' learning methods. Maybe I can incorporate more active learning methods in the coming weeks, via speaking aloud, even to myself? I tend to concentrate on reading Korean rather than speaking it so when I go through the talktomeinkorean.com lessons, I will try to read aloud so I can internalize the language better. 

I wonder what I can do to keep myself motivated for the rest of the semester, though. It seems like dramas and music aren't enough anymore... Since I will begin looking at teach English in Korea programs, a future trip to Korea will be motivation enough? 

I also need to think about what other artifacts I can do, as I still need at least 2 more before the end of the semester. 

I will continue to use the talktomeinkorean's curriculum. It's not just a string of grammar lessons. There are podcasts with each lesson and the two speakers are always affable and easy to understand. There are pdf file attachments along with each lesson, which I've found to be very helpful since I'm a visual learner and I need to read while listening to the podcasts. TalktomeinKorean is an invaluable online resource.

According to Dell Hymes, 'cultural competence' is that aspect of our competence "that enables us to convey and interpret messages and to negotiate meanings interpersonally within specific contexts." It is a "dynamic, interpersonal construct that can be examined only by means of the overt performance of two or more individuals in the process of communication." 

The four components of cultural competence are as follows: 

1. Grammatical competence

2. Discourse competence

3. Sociolinguistic competence

4. Strategic competence

I tried to gauge my own cultural competence based on the four components in Korean. I am still not even remotely grammatically competent. My discourse competence similarly low, as I can pass with simple spoken conversation but I would falter with lengthy written texts like news articles. Regarding sociolinguistic competence, I think I this kind of competence can only be increased if one is in the society of the target language since it deals with an understanding of the social context. As such, nuances escape me when I watch Korean dramas; even if I understand the words, the gravity of the words or the humor of a scene escape me. I think I am strongest with strategic competence out of the four components. I view the fourth competence as something more inherent in a person as it is "the competence underlying our ability to make repairs, to cope with imperfect knowledge, and to sustain communication through 'paraphrase, circumlocution, repetition, hesitation, avoidance, and guessing, as well as shifts in register and style'." It is something that informs all communication strategies. 

110 Aromi's Learning Plan

My second artifact is a transcription of one of the songs in the Kdrama "Protect the Boss," A Pink's sickly-sweet and infectious "Please Let's Just Love." 

I first listened to the song and tried to understand as much as I could without looking up any words. This song isn't that difficult since I was able to understand most of it, the majority of sentences, actually. I was surprised that the song lyrics were quite pertinent to the drama because usually songs in Korean dramas are general, talking about lost loves or the various trials and tribulations of love, or fate, etc. However, this song perfectly sums up the love-hate relationship between the two main characters of "Protect the Boss." 

My wrist cramped up while writing this:

Here's the video in case the embedded video below doesn't work. 

*Korean pop song lyrics sound much better in the original language. 

Whether knowledge of a language's history is helpful in learning the language is debatable since it largely depends on that particular language's unique history. In the case of Korean, I think it is important because Korea has exceptional pride in its written system, Hangul. For example, they are perhaps the only country in the world to have a holiday to celebrate the development of its writing system. But this is by no means an isolated view--indeed, legendary University of Chicago linguist James McCawley was famous for holding Hangul Day celebrations ever year and for championing the holiday as an international celebration for linguists everywhere. In an interview shortly before his death in 1999, McCawley noted that "Hangul is the most ingeniously devised writing system that exists, and it occupies a special place in the typology of writing systems." He adds that it is "the only writing system in the world that divides sentences not only into words and syllables and individual sounds, but also articulatory features, and the achievement of its creators in the 1440s was really amazing. They were doing work that would qualify as excellent linguistics by the standards of 500 years later." 

The history of Hangul is the story of Korea's struggle to nurture its most important cultural product, a struggle mirroring Korea's efforts to create an independent, strong, and prosperous nation amid aggressive powers (for one example, consider Korea under Japanese colonial rule from 1910 to 1945, during which the use of Korean was prohibited). Hangul began as the invention of King Sejong for a country unified beyond class lines, only to languish as a second-class writing system for centuries. It was rediscovered by newly awakened nationalists who sought to adopt Hangul as a symbol of Korea's independence from China. 

In general, I would say that learning the language's history alongside the language itself will allow one to make better sense of it, to be more aware of the weight behind the language's growth, and to be informed of the intimate relationship between a language and its speakers. 

My first artifact was a screenshot of a cellphone conversation I had with my Korean friend about the weather. I will continue to use technology in future artifacts. 

The next artifact will be a voice recording of such topics as greetings and cooking-related dialogues, as it will be another way to efficiently memorize pertinent vocabulary. 

Since I listen to Korean pop music nearly every day and music is an essential part of a culture to me, I want to do something with it. Unfortunately I am unwilling to record myself singing along with songs so I'm not exactly sure what form this next artifact will take. I may record the lyrics in Hangul to work on my writing skills and post the song and translation for others to follow along. 

During last Friday's meeting with my language partner, he showed me a news article on naver, a popular Korean search portal, about some guy's altercation with the police (I don't have the exact link to the story). I read the article aloud so that he can gauge my reading level. I mainly had trouble pronouncing words that I hardly ever come across since my mouth is unaccustomed to shaping them. Reading an article like this on The Korea Times, about a Japanese scholar's criticism of Japan's claim to S. Korea's islets, is difficult because I may understand the barebones gist of a sentence but lack many important details. (That Korea Times article has a side-by-side translation so I see what I'm missing.) Written Korean is also much more formal than daily speech, which is something I'm more used to, having grown up trying to speak to my grandmother. 

In terms of new words that I've learned, I've been using the Korean widget on my ning page. It gives a word of the day along with an example sentence and I would write it in my notebook. I have to review it daily because the vocab is learned in isolation; in other words, I'm not encountering these words through shows or music and I have to work harder to put them into my long-term memory. I've also been watching an episode or two of a Korean drama a week as part of my meeting with my language partner and listening to K-Pop on my iPod as a supplement for some 'ear-training.' I have lowered my expectations since the beginning of the semester, though. As long as I feel more comfortable speaking it by the semester's end, I will consider this a success. 

According to the classifications listed in the "Figuring Foreigners Out" article, South Korea leans to the collectivist, indirect/high-context nonverbal, monochronic, external culture (I think). I looked up a study that used a more 'scientific' method than my guessing method here. According to the Geert Hofstede Center, South Korea is a collectivist country, as I have guessed. They state that their collectivism is evident by the commitment to the "member 'group', be that a family, extended family, or extended relationships. Loyalty is paramount... and the society fosters strong relationships where everywhere takes responsibility for fellow members." 

The Center scored S. Korea on an aspect called "uncertainty avoidance," which they define as "the extent to which the members of a culture feel threatened by ambiguous or unknown situations and have created beliefs and institutions that try to avoid these." This seems to tie in which S. Korea's monochronic nature because, as the country is one of the most uncertainty avoiding countries in the world, they believe that time is money, people have an inner urge to be busy and work hard and precision and punctuality are the norm.

The site doesn't have many thoughts on S. Korea as an external culture but I personally think it is due to the prevalence of "fate" themes in Korean dramas. The article defines an 'external' culture as one which believes that 'some things in life are predetermined...there are limits beyond which one cannot go and certain givens that cannot be changed and must be accepted.' Usually in Korean dramas, especially those of the romance genre, a couple is tied by fate, as if their love was predetermined (example: "The Sun and the Moon") and is inescapable (which leads to comedic situations if the couple starts off with a love-hate relationship).