For learning Language task 1, I explored some of the resources discussed in class such as BYKI and Mango Languages which seemed extremely reliable and efficient with Korean vocabulary and expressions. It even provides help with pronunciation, which can be difficult for Korean. My sister and I found another source within the Global Studio for learning Korean which was learning blocks. The Korean block looked like a fun way to learning a couple of simple words in Korean and the geography of Korea. We also noticed that there were some Korean workbooks and activity books which seemed a couple of level higher from novice. Potentially, after a couple of months, I might be able to transition to utilizing these books to increase my Korean learning. I was not able to post stuff on Diigo due to technological difficulty,  but if I could post something: it would be this

http://abcconsultingarizona.weebly.com/customs-and-etiquette.html

http://www.emagasia.com/greetings-in-korea

Language task 1 consist of learning greetings such as “Hello” and “Good-bye” which many seem simple, but in fact is very complex because of the different levels of hierarchy and respect. There are 2 different ways to say “good bye” which differs in the context. For example, if I was the one leaving I would say “anyeoung he keseyo” and if I were staying while someone else leaves I would say “anyeoung he kaseyo”. There are 3 ways to say “hello” which changes based on who you are greeting. So there is an extremely formal way used for elders and bosses. There is an informal way used for friends and loved ones. I learned this through my Korean partner (Alvin) and my Korean friends. I think they serve as the best tool/resource available to me. 

I decided to do my cultural project on religion in Korea because it reflects an important aspect of their culture and society which helps in understand and learning the language. In this presentation, I provide information about the Korean flag which has religious and philosophical overtones, give basic statistics on religion in Korea, and lastly go a bit in depth into the Korean religions: Rise of Christianity, Revival of Buddhism, Shamanism and Confucianism. Each religion play an important role in shaping and structuring the Korean society. Here I attached the powerpoint presentation along with a word document of some of the points are talk about during the presentation. All of the sources I used are listed on the powerpoint through links. 

Religion%20in%20Korean%20Complete%202.pptx

KOREAN%20religion%20source%20and%20talking%20points.docx

Korean%20Language%20History222.pptx

The PowerPoint slides Korean%20Superstitions.pptx 

            In this semester self-directed language course for Korean, I not only learned a lot of Korean, but learned a lot about myself. I am very proud of the level of success I had in learning to speak Korean. I am able to introduce myself, greetings, farewells, tell time, months, days in the week, count in two numbering systems, express emotions, explain my identity, family, school, transportation, personality, and simple survival language.

            As a language learner, I realized exactly what it takes to learn and understand a language. From some of the assigned readings, I learned how the brain process languages and how we structure meaning and language. Korean language is vastly different from the languages that I have learned in the past: English, Spanish and French. For instance, Korean holds more similarity to Chinese and Japanese in terms of the syntax structure to the pronunciation or writing than the Romance language. Hence, I struggled in learning to say some Korean words or phrases because of the tongue movement or noises that were foreign to me. One important aspect that I learned as a language learner is the important of listening and practicing. For me, Vocaroo served as the best tool to practice Korean speech as it provided me with a way to repeat and listen to myself. It helped me with pronunciation and learning. However, the greatest resource was my Korean language partner who is responsible for teaching me many Korean words and phrases. He helped me with my challenges of speaking Korean, in correcting my pronunciation and making connections.

            As a cultural explorer, I discovered a lot about the Korean culture through the research for my presentations and other Korean learners’ presentations. I have the privilege of having many Korean friends who talk to me about the Korean culture. Through dialogue and conversations with my friends, I am able to become more informed and educated in the Korean culture. I have listened to many Korean songs (by David Choi). I have watched many Korean movies (like “Old Boy”) and game shows. I have eaten a lot of Korean food; thanks to my Korean roommates parents (cooked in my kitchen or Korean BBQ restaurants).  I have learned about the history of Korea and the Korean language (Hangeul and Hanja). All of the aspects I learned from the Korean culture through my friends were applicable and facilitated my process of learning to speak Korean. From the video assigned on “Culture shock”, I realized the difficulty and challenges of foreign exchange or study abroad students in relations to assimilating and comprehending a different culture. It shaped my perspective as a cultural explorer. It is not as simple as finding new information on the culture, but attempting to understand the reasons and effects on the culture. I think this part is difficult to some degree, even though my experience does not compare to a student experience in a foreign country.

            Another thing, I enjoyed were the presentations because I was able to get a glimpse of other students learning another language (Urdu, Turkish, German, Greek, and Hebrew) and aspects of their culture. The presentations from other Korean learners’ also offered more insight in Korean culture and language. My favorite readings were on bilinguals and language extinction. I consider myself bilingual, so the reading on studies on it was fascinating. Language extinction was interesting because of the effect it has on the world, by losing a language equates to losing a culture. I would have liked to learn more about this topic because of the magnitude and severity of a language disappearance. Another area that I would have liked to learn is slang, dialects, or mixture of languages. For example, I know in Miami, Fl there is a mixture of English and Spanish dialect referred to Spanglish. It would be interesting to learn if other cultures have that same experience and what is the effect of it on the culture and society.

           Lastly, I will continue on my journey of learning Korean by learning how to read and write. Having learned a lot of Korean speech, I think it would ease me into reading and writing. I will continue to keep in touch with Alvin (my language partner/ great friend) and with my other Korean friends who can help me with Korean. I also have access to other online resources and apps that can aid me in Korean.

Overall, this semester was a success in learning Korean because of the help from my Korean language partner, Alvin Yang, and the resources available to me such as the Mango app, vocaroo, and other Korean students. My personal reason for learning the Korean language was to be able to understand and communicate with my Korean friends and their parents. I can proudly say I am able to initiate conversation and respond to certain situations. A brief overview of what I have learned this semester are simple greetings, farewells, introductions, expression of emotions, counting, months, days in the week, description of time, explanation of identity, asking questions, terms for personal use, and general survival language. To see a list of the words and phrases that I have learned, one can view them in previous learning journals. To hear me speak, one can hear the four artifacts which contain vocaroos that facilitated practice of pronunciation and enunciation while reinforcing my learning. The progress I made in Korean this semester sets the ground works for further study and practice of Korean language. My next goal for the following months is to learn to read and write. The difficulties in learning Korean, particularly speech, were the pronunciation due to contrast of Korean to my background languages (Spanish, French, and English), as well as the discipline to learning a language. At times, it can be challenging to practice Korean due to the work load of a senior but having a language partner as a roommate and many Korean friends allows for practice to take place at any moment of the day or day in the week. Both my language partner and I are very proud of the amount of words and phrases I was able to learn in this semester. The words and phrases are really applicable to the day to day life of Koreans and people in general.

My learning goal for this week was not focused on learning more words or phrases in Korean, but more on understanding the history of Korea in regards to the South and North. I feel like comprehending the history of Korea, specifically the Korean War and the division of the North and South, would help me in learning more about the Korean culture. The results of the war are still felt in today’s world. North Korean remains in the control of the communist party, and has turned into one of the most repressive and horrifying regimes in the history of the world. Examples of the state of North Korea are reports of a large segment of the population suffering from famine, poor living conditions, brain washing, torture, and working in concentration camps. The effects of the war can be observed in modern day South Korean politics, economics and culture. For instance, there is a South Korean draft, mandatory military serving to the South Korean army for the men, because of the constant threat of the North. Having Korean friends, I hear of the difficulty decisions on whether to join or not join the Korean army, as well as stories from some who have joined and their 2 years serving time. The penalty of not doing the draft for Korean is high for instance public backlash and the loss of citizenship/ Korean nationality.

          My study of the Korean War consisted of using University of Richmond online databases and books as well as online research in Google. I watched videos on the Korean War and read articles on the effects of it in today’s South Korea. The Korean War occurred a little after the occupation of Japan in Korea during World War 2. The major parties consisted of communist Russia and China helping the North; meanwhile the South was supported by the United Nations (UN), specifically the United States with Truman as President. The North was under the rule of Kim Il Sung and the South under Syngman Rhe. The back and forth pressure and battles between the sides lasted a couple of years, each gaining and losing territory. The war ended in an Armistice, which succeed in ending conflict (the fighting) but left nothing resolved. The country remained divided. As an American, I learned about the Korean War as a proxy war for the Cold War which was between the Soviet Union and the U.S.

For my target language (Korean), I did not try to learn how to read or write because I wanted to focus on speech. However, in the process of learning how to speak Korean, my language partner would write down the words or phrases in the way one would pronounce it. This is different from the actual writing of Korean using Hangeul and Hanja, but helps in speech. In my opinion, speech has a more practical use for me because I am instantly able to communicate and express myself more directly in a social setting which would not be the case if all I knew was how to read or write. I feel like speaking Korean will facilitate an easier transition to learning reading and writing. Reading and writing may be the next steps in the process of learning Korean next year, beginning with the alphabet and children’s book. Interestingly, I learned more about the grammar and syntax formation of Korean. For instance, the noun, adjectives or object is presented first, and the verb is always at the end. In English, one would say “What is your name” but in Korean that is switched to “Name what is”. I assume that learning how to read and write would be a challenge to me based on the inversion and reverse function. Despite the challenges, I am interested in learning how to read and write in Korean. This can be something I can focus on in the future. 

I decided that this week I would learn how to describe and explain the weather in my target language (Korean). I also wanted to learn some terms to describe my education such as “biology”, “healthcare” and “college”. My Korean language partner taught me basic sentences and words for this topic on weather and education. This will serve me well when having a conversation with a Korean speaker. My language partner served as the main source for both finding these words/phrases and correct pronunciation.

It’s a beautiful day – nal ch/si ga chjo a yo

It’s raining – bi ga wa yo

Its hot  - nal ch/si ga teo wo yo

Its cold – nal ch/si ga chu wo yo

Weather – nal ch/si ga

Spanish- ss pay in aw

French-puh lang ssaw

School—Hak kyo

College—Day hak

The fourth artifact contains words and phrases learned from the learning tasks covering weather and personal information ranging from hobbies to house. Some personal words/ phrases learned regarded school life, expression of like or love, and common terms that I use in English and Spanish such as "awesome". In addition, I learned a couple of words for my future profession, dentistry, such as words like "dentist" and "teeth". More importantly, this learnign tasks focused on describing the day and time in regards to weather. This artifact has a vocaroo of me speaking Korean in order to practice my speaking skills while helping learn the words or phrases. 

http://vocaroo.com/i/s1EDuIpUfODr

In this third artifact, I want to present the next topics covered in my Korean learning class. I thought it was important to learn more basic and common phrases or words regarding time and restaurant setting. It is important to be able to speak of time like "good morning" and "good night" or "hurry" and "slow down" in a language. The terms I learned are very applicable to Korean day to day interaction. I learned to express needs and wants, which can be helpful in a restaurant setting for ordering food. Expression of emotions and taste were other areas expanded more in these past learning tasks. Another aspect covered in this tasks was learning words regarding transportation. This is important for me in case I need to get around in Korea. The vocaroo serves as guide to practice my pronunciation and Korean accent as well as reinforcement of the teachings. I can see the progress. 

http://vocaroo.com/i/s1hAcmHhKIyP

In the reading from the New York Times “Why Bilinguals are Smarter and the Science Line “Are Bilinguals Really Smarter?” the authors discuss the science evidence and thoughts on bilinguals whether their smarter or more adept than monolinguals. I found these articles very interesting because I am bilingual, Spanish and English. Currently, I am learning Korean and French which would increase my sense of language and my linguistic ability. One article (NYT), the author refers to scientific studies examining bilinguals and monolinguals. According to the articles, bilingual’s brains are constantly thinking in both languages, and the constant rotation between the languages reinforces connections and brain networks (wiring) which strengthens the brain. The other paper is skeptical to saying that bilinguals are smarter, but rather more executive functions. Apparently, in the past, people or school administrators viewed learning a second language hindered and slowed education. It is interesting to see the paradigm shift in thinking because currently (modern times) the idea of bilingual or learning multiple languages help one understand the world and learn more. I have noticed that there are times when knowing a second language has given me the advantage to learn something quicker or better than my other monolingual friends. However, I agree with the author in the article from Science Line that the most important advantage of bilinguals or dual language learners is the ability and increase opportunity to communicate and express with more people at a global scale. I am very pleased to read about how bilingual (knowing two languages) has shown to help combat or delay dementia (memory loss).

In this week, the words/phrases that I learned are more personal and for day to day interactions with Korean speakers. I wanted to learn basic words to describe my interest, my surroundings, my emotions, and my interests. For example, the term “I like” has power to describe an interest and an aspect of myself. Expressive words like “Awesome” and “that’s funny” are useful to describing the situation or something. Some of the words are basic terms used in conversation or in life such as “house”, “bedroom”, “homework” and “dentist”. The sources I used to learn these words consisted of Mango app, online and most importantly my Korean language partner (especially for pronunciation).

I have homework—j/chunen suk chay yit seo yo

I love you—sa rlang hay (yo)

I like you—jo a hay yo I like…-- J/chunen…… jo a hay yo

Basketball—Nong gku

House—ch/jip

Bedroom—hwa chang shil

Dentist –chi-kwa ei –sa

Doctor—ei sa

Teeth—e ppal

Awesome—Day bak

That’s funny—Jay mi it nay yo

For my target language (Korean), I have learned over 75 words and phrases in topics ranging from family to dates. From greetings, farewells, and introductions to family, numbers, and questions, I am able to say important Korean words and phrases for day to day conversation. I have been able to learn two numbering systems, members of the family, simple expressions of emotions, basic questions in order to obtain important information, simple responses to questions, forms of identification, expression of time, months, and etc. The strategies I have used to learn these Korean words and phrases encompass repetition and practice. I write the phrases repeatedly on the board and my notebook, and then I record myself to practice pronunciation. Having other languages in my arsenal (Spanish, English and French), I am able to make connections with the Korean words and phrases that help me learn it rather than memorizing them. I think I have realistic goals for acquiring vocabulary in my target language (Korean). Weekly, I pace myself to learn about 6-9 words or phrases. The key trick is to learn the connections and find the pattern on phrasing and use of the Korean words and phrases. For example, I learned the word “I” for Korean is “j/chun” which is used repeatedly when saying “I am sad, I am mad, I am happy, I am American”. Another example is the repeated used of the word “day” (yo-il) or “month” (wull) when saying the days of the week or months in the year. I do not try to learn more than my limit of 6-9 words and phrases per week as well as practice multiple times a week.

In this week, I focused on obtaining important words and phrases that could help me in a restaurant scenario or city transportation scenario. These words/phrases are part of the day to day conversation language I am trying to obtained in order to survive a day in Korea. Examples of the words and phrases are in the bottom of the blog. The top few are for ordering or responding to the waiter in a Korean restaurant, specifically asking for food and drinks. These words/phrases express my wants and my pleasure/or dislike with the food. The lower half is focused on the public transportation. These words/phrases express my needs. I learned these phrases and words from my Korean language partner along with the proper way of speech (pronunciation).

(name of food)… chu sae yo-- I want some

(name of drink)…chu sae yo-- May, I have a drink

…ma ch/si seo yo-- This is delicious

….ma ch/si up seo yo-- This is gross

Taxi—tak si

Car—Cha

Bus—Bo-ss

I need a…-- J/chunen……pil yo hay yo

In this week, I decided to focus more on phrases and words pertaining to time used in day to day interactions. I learned last week how to read time, ask for time, dates, months and weeks. I learned more conversational words and phrases such “good night” and “good morning”. Here I list some phrases and words that I found online and my language partner taught me in our meeting. These are common words and phrases used in Korea. My language partner helped me with pronunciation.

“it is early” (“il-jigk wat seo”),                                     “hurry up” (“pali-pali”),

“it is late” (“neu y/jeo seo”),                                       “slow down” (“chen chen hi”),

“Good night” (“ch/jal ja yo” or “ch/jal ja”),                    “tomorrow” (“nae-il”),

“Good morning (“cho-eun a chim”),                            “today” (“o-neul”),

“Now” (“ji-gum”),                                                       “Later” (“na jung ae”)

This week was focusing on learning how to ask “what time is it” (“myeouh/si ye yo” or “myeouh/si yip ni dap”) as well as read the time (based on the numbering system I learned) and tell the time in Korean (“si” meaning hour and “pbun” meaning minutes) in Korean. The two numbering systems I learned were Sino Korean, which is used for minutes, and Native Korean, which is used for hours. Hence, if I wanted to say “it is 3:15”, it would be “se si ship-o pbun”. I also learned how to say days in the week (“yo-il” meaning day) and months (“wull” meaning month).

January           il-wull                         Monday           wull-yo il

February         i-wull                          Tuesday          wha-yo il

March              sam-wull                    Wednesday     su-yo il

April                sa-wull                       Thursday        mok-yo il

May                 o-wull                         Friday              keium-yo il

June                 yuk-wull                     Saturday         to-yo il

July                  chill-wull                    Sunday            il-yo il

August            pal-wull

September      gu-wull                       weekday         j/chu  jung

October          ship-wull                    weekend         j/chu  mal

November       ship il-wull

December       ship i-wull

I think learning the Korean numbering systems would be beneficial for someone to learn because it would facilitate learning time and dates. I have learned two numbering system which has helped me say the time and date. To teach someone the Korean numbering systems, I would provide them online resources illustrating the pronunciation of the numbers and then have them write it on the board several times (conditioning). Lastly, I think making a fun game or activity to test and recondition the information would help them absorb the information.

The activity I had in mind was to make a mix and match game. I would write the numbers numerically and in Korean on small sheets of paper. Then, I shuffle the papers around and flip them side down. They would have to flip it up and match the number with the Korean form of saying it. This would require concentration and focus to remember the placement of the words and number. Focus and concentration are crucial components when learning anything because a clear mind helps store and relate the information. Therefore, I think this activity would be highly efficient for the person. I learned two numbering systems:

il       -        hana                one (1)                yuk       -           yeaseot          six (6)

i        -        dul                   two (2)                chill      -           ilgup               seven (7)

sam  -        net                   three (3)              pal       -           yeadeol           eight (8)

sa     -        set                   four (4)                guu      -           ahop               nine (9)

o       -        daseot             five (5)                 ship     -            yeol                ten (10)

As I reflect on my progress in learning the Korean language, I think about all the words and phrases that I have memorized and learned to pronounce. From basic greeting and farewells to complex introductions and conversation, I know the proper speech to be cordial to elders and to be normal with my peers. I have learned a lot of basic survival language which consists of asking questions, responding to questions, express emotions, and identify one and others. The activities and methods I used to learn the Korean language has proven to be efficient and helpful for me based on my language partner’s reaction of my improvements and progress.  My methods are a lot of oral repetition and writing on notebook along with practicing it with my Korean friends. I have slightly exceeded my learning goal as I am ahead of schedule by learning some concepts in future tasks.

In this second artifact, I decided to focus more on numbering systems, family, and days and month rather than identity questions. I feel like task 1 and task 2 (artifact 1) covered some questions and identity information so I wanted to branch more on task 3, 4 and 5 assignments in this artifact. I have two recordings, similar to artifact 1, in which the first one is more of an oral exam from my language partner to test my knowledge and learning of the new material while the second recording is to practice my pronunciation and speech. 

Vocaroo_Artifact 2

http://vocaroo.com/i/s0zUwbSmgKVm