Korean%20final%20reflection%20paper.docx

Overall I believe that I achieved most of my goals which I set out to accomplish at the beginning of this semester. Based on my learning plan, I can read and speak Hangeul, the Korean alphabet, on a very beginner level, and I can greet people, introduce myself, and say farewells. I can also describe myself and order food, to name a few examples. There are many other aspects of the Korean language which I learned as well yet it is still difficult for me to remember information off the top of my head as a novice learner. I need to continue to progress in my language skill through drilling, using the resources that are available online and on my IPhone, as well as practicing with friends who speak Korean.

One stumbling block which I encountered was adapting to a language which does not write letters in a line from left to right but from top to down in a block format. One has to be able to understand which characters are consonants and which are vowels and figure out the placement of each character. This is a unique way to form letters which I think is beautiful. Yet it was something new to adjust to. I encountered my second obstacle the day that I realized that Koreans use two different number systems: the Sino-Korean and Native Korean versions. Sino-Korean is used for many situations such as money/currency, math, phone numbers, and for any number 100 or higher among other occasions. On the other hand, Native Korean is used for one’s age, counting physical objects, and hours, to name a few, key examples.

Therefore I had to overcome these obstacles by taking on the challenge and putting in effort to learn and memorize the placement of characters and when to use which number system. Working with Sun for accuracy and simply practicing on my own showed improvement in how much I would retain.

I found this entire SDL Korean learning experience to be interesting and fun. I would describe this educational experience as holistic because I was able to learn so much more than simply how to say and write words in Korean. I also learned about the culture of Korea through my own cultural presentations and those of my peers who are also learning Korean. Therefore this was a very holistic course which brought in aspects of Korea’s economy, LGBTQ community, cosmetic surgery culture, dating culture, etiquette, and so much more. I really enjoyed this aspect of exchanging information about the same culture and language which we were studying with my peers.

In the future, I want to continue my study of the Korean language. I will need to remain determined and consistent with my practice in order to advance in my skills yet I know that this can be achieved with perseverance and enthusiasm. I am very glad that I took this course during the final semester of my senior year, and I am very blessed to have been under the guidance of such wonderful professors and tutors.   

If I were to teach something to a friend in my target language, I would like to teach him/her about the family tree and the name for particular family members. I would teach them about the key words: halmeoni (grandmother), harabeoji (grandfather), umma (mother), appa (father), hyung (boy’s elder brother), nuna (boy’s elder sister), oppa (girl’s older brother), unni (girl’s older sister), and dongseng (younger sibling). The outline of my activity would include making a family tree on paper with the terms in English, Romanized Korean, and Hanguel written next to each designated member of the family. Then I would let my friend watch a YouTube video (which I have uploaded on the Ning) which showcases the spelling of the words in Romanized Korean and Hangeul and helps the learner to obtain the right pronunciation of each term. After teaching this activity to a friend, I found that my activity proved to be very effective. My friend Rubi found the video to be very interactive and informative as it also provided pictures to go along with each family member. Therefore this was a very helpful resource for a visual, novice Korean learner, in my opinion. The speaker in the video spoke very clearly and slowly which was great as well. Rubi also enjoyed the topic because she found it to be fascinating that the Korean language is so specific in regards to one’s age and sex. This relates to how Korean grammar uses an extensive system of honorifics to reflect the speaker’s relationship. Honorifics are used to differentiate between formal and informal speech based on the level of familiarity between the speaker and listener. This was a fun learning activity overall! 

1. I can read and speak Hangeul (very basic)

• I cannot write.
• I know single consonants from the alphabet.

2. I can greet people, introduce myself, and say farewells

• Informal and formal

3. I can describe myself. 

• I can say that I am a student, my age, where I am from.

4. Family

• I know the main family members
• honorifics

5. time

• I know the very basics of how to tell the time.

6. dating

• I know how to ask a guy out based off of a specific script.

7. order food

• I know the basics of how to order food on the phone (order delivery)

8. hobbies

• I can say a few of my hobbies.

9. weather

• I can describe the weather: good, sunny, cloudy, rainy.

10. home

• I can describe my house: size, color, has flowers.

Christy Buranaamorn

Goals for Week 2:

•             Practice greetings

•             Learn terms for main, family members

•             Learn how to address certain people based on their age and sex

•             Learn common phrases such as “I’m sorry! ,” “Good job!” and “I’m hungry.”

Tasks for Week 2:

• Use the Korean Bravolol IPhone App to search greetings/terms for family and how they are pronounced
• Read and practice reciting words from my notes
• Practice with Sun and my other Korean novice learners
• Attempt to incorporate common phrases more into my daily conversation (Ex. Addressing Azmain and Gargi as dongseng (someone who is younger than yourself))

Evaluation of progress:

I believe that I successfully memorized family names through practice and recitation. My greeting s definitely flow more easily when I run into Korean friends simply by putting more effort into my studying and utilizing the Korean Bravolol IPhone App. Sun taught us very well and did not speed through topics too quickly. She was very patient in her teaching; therefore I was able to process the information very well and my learning was more effective in this way.  

Karaoke Time!

Allan and I happened to meet at a Karaoke gathering hosted by Asian Student Union (ASU). And so we both thought, "Why not do an artifact?" We chose the song "Byul" which is featured in the film "200 Pounds of Beauty." Speaking in Korean and singing in Korean proved to be two completely different things in my opinion. Since singing was involved, I tended to worry more about the meanings behind the words and the emotions involved. Diction is important yet making sure one's feelings come across well is just as important too. Therefore I became more aware of this aspect through this singing experience.

I also particularly enjoyed this song because we spoke about this specific film in our cultural project in relation to  the phenomenon of Korean cosmetic surgery. This song expresses how one's inner beauty is so important and how surgery can make the world a superficial life. 

Summary%20of%20weely%20reflections.docx

A) Korea's History and Language (presented w/Allan Peng)

http://prezi.com/zsy3lc_pidhk/?utm_campaign=share&utm_medium=copy

B) Korean Nightlife

http://prezi.com/j4zohecx1vqq/?utm_campaign=share&utm_medium=copy

C) Korea's Cosmetic Surgery Phenomenon (Cultural Project presented w/Allan Peng)

http://prezi.com/3pans_qrmsn2/?utm_campaign=share&utm_medium=copy

“Why Bilinguals Are Smarter” by Yudhijit Bhattacharjee really gives the reader a glimpse into the benefits of learning more than one language. I have personally never considered all of these benefits and truly had no idea about the extent to which research has been conducted in regards to bilingualism and intelligence/cognition. In this day and age, it makes more sense to correlate bilingualism with greater cognition and having a greater adaptability for changes in a new environment, for example. The research findings in this article really blew my mind. In particular, research pertaining to Alzheimer’s disease as well as dementia was quite telling. Those who were bilingual were more resistant to obtaining such symptoms in comparison to those who were monolingual. Therefore I realized that I really would like my children to learn more than one language as they are growing up. It will give their minds a workout and it will help them mentally in the long term, based on this interesting research. 

Based on “Tribe Revives Language on Verge of Extinction” by Kirk Johnson, this article gave me a new perspective on how languages need to be maintained in order for them to not become completely extinct. A new light was shed on the language of Siletz Dee-ni, an American Indian language with only five speakers left. It is essential to create a pool of speakers large enough so that it will not disappear first of all. Secondly, this article addresses the need for dictionaries for the language to be created officially. It is amazing that this language was able to survive through songs used for native dances. Thirdly, the institutionalization of education systems that teach Siletz Dee-ni has become more prevalent, creating an arena for people to learn this beautiful and ancient language. This structure will help this language to flourish and hopefully, it will thrive with time. Therefore I gleaned alot from this article-so many factors go into keeping a language alive that I have never considered, having English as my first language. In a way, I have taken for granted how accessible and dominant the English language is and it was a neat experience to attempt to put myself in the shoes of someone whose language is on the verge of extinction. This would be a scary and terrifying feeling in my opinion yet I am glad that there is hope for the future of Siletz Dee-ni, based on the findings of this article. 

ChristyLearningplanSpring2014.docx

History plays a major role in learning the language of a given country and culture. In Korean history, its language system went through many changes to get to the state it is in now (as in all countries basically). It began with Hanja in which the Koreans borrowed many Chinese words. This progressed into Hangeul which is the current Korean alphabet. One can see how geography and cultural exchanges greatly impacted the Korean language in this way. A country’s history is literally telling you a story of what that country has undergone-wars, famine, disease, natural disasters, etc.  It tells how these events shaped the people which in turn shaped the language. Having this idea in mind helps me to learn the Korean language because I need to understand the culture and customs along with the language itself. It is an all-inclusive package; it does not make sense to learn the language without understanding the cultural context of the words and expressions. Korean history can assuredly depict why formality and respect have such a great presence in the Korean language. One only needs to do some research to see the big research and not just focus on the small details. 

It was interesting to read about new terminology such as communicative competence in the given article by H.D. Brown. Communicative competence relates to competence that enables us to convey and interpret messages and to negotiate meanings interpersonally within specific contexts. This can only be seen by observing two or more individuals communicate. This definition led to many sub-divisions and definitions and I also learned about cognitive/academic language proficiency (CALP) as well as basic interpersonal communicative skills (BICS). It was amazing to learn of all of these terms which I never knew existed. I am a visual learner so having a chart that encapsulated all of these different types of competencies under the large umbrella of language competence was great on pg. 271. I appreciated learning the difference between the forms/functions of language and discourse as well. It may seem like a small detail but it struck me that discourse really is language beyond the sentence. It can entail so much more in relation to kinesics (body language) and cultural context. Essentially, saying yes in a given culture could really mean saying no, funnily enough.

In relation to cultural competence, I learned about this term in my Medical Anthropology class from last semester. It relates to one having an understanding and openness to other cultures. In my class, we learned how it is essential for health practitioners to have cultural competence as they need to be understanding of the customs and practices of other cultures. One patient may not understand what a doctor says and say OK when the doctor asks if he/she understood how much medicine he/she needs to take. Some cultures do not pay as much attention to instructions and simply may not be used to a hospital environment. Therefore there needs to be a certain level of patience and guidance in this matter. 

I found the “Culture Shock” video to be very illuminating in the way that international students and faculty perceive the reaction and transition of international students into the University of Richmond to be. This was a great way to really delve into the minds of the international students especially so that students from various universities around the world could voice their opinion on how their stay at UR was, from beginning to end.

I personally connected this video for a few reasons. First of all, I am the offspring of two immigrants-my mother was born in Mahebourg, Mauritius and my father was born in Bangkok, Thailand. Through my interactions with them, I have seen firsthand how difficult it can be to deal with issues relating to differing cultural customs and practices. Culture shock is not always an easy or simple process. Oftentimes there is a period of feeling lost or confused when one is in a completely new environment without any familiar faces. Some can adapt but some honestly do not cope well with this overall feeling of the foreign and unfamiliar.

Secondly, I am a multi-cultural pre-orientation advisor at UR. Therefore I do not interact with international students specifically but incoming first years who have multi-cultural backgrounds. They may have been born or lived in other countries but have lived in the U.S. for the majority of their lives. The advisors provide guidance for them because they also need help in their transition from high school into university life. Every student has some type of worry when they are starting this new journey into university life. Some have an idea of what to expect but international students can only learn from the media and stereotypes of Americans and the U.S. I have noticed that the international students at UR can be open as well as exclusive. It honestly depends on the students themselves. During my junior year, I made many great, international friends from Brazil, and China who I still keep in contact with. Yet this year I see more international students clumping together and not interacting as much with the UR students from the U.S. This was an interesting and informative video that was engaging. I would like for this video to be expanded upon even more-a sequel should definitely be in the works!  

Post Learning Journal Entry # 5:

How many new words have you learned? Do you have realistic goals?

I have learned about 30 words fairly well, I would say. This list also includes common phrases.

Here are some of the words/phrases I have learned thus far and have memorized.

1)      Hello=an nyong ha sae yo (formal) &anyoung (informal)

2)      Goodbye=an nyong hee gah sae yo (formal) & anyoung (informal)

3)      Nice to meet you=Man na seo ban gab seub ni da

4)      Good morning (informal)=Joh ohn ah chim

5)      Older brother (for guy, to older guy)=hyung

6)      Older sister (for guy, to older girl)=nuna

7)      Older brother (for girl, to older guy)=oppa

8)      Older sister (for girl, to older girl)=unni

9)      Younger person= dongseng

10)   I am sorry=Jwai song hap nee da

I have also learned the basics of how to order food with my language partner. I would like to create an artifact on how to order food with another peer who is learning Korean. I believe that my goals are realistic. My goals relate to common situations that a tourist would be in when going to another country: greeting others, getting directions, ordering food, etc. My vocabulary preferences will relate to these kinds of situations. Therefore I am not necessarily looking for a specific number to learn by the end of semester. I would just like to know the words necessary for specific occasions. 

Christy Buranaamorn
Dr. Grove
SDLC 105
April 1, 2014

SDLC Reflection Paper #2

As of April 1, 2014, it has been about 11 weeks since I started my project of learning Korean back in mid-January. I believe that my progress in learning the Korean language has evolved and developed a great deal. When I first began this journey with my peers and teachers, I was a blank slate completely. My previous background knowledge was solely comprised of the random Korean dramas I had seen and my newfound interest in Korean pop music. I had never tried to learn how to read or write in the Korean language. Therefore I knew right away that I desired a solid strategy or game plan on how to learn all of this in a consistent and efficient manner. This is where the Learning Plan really came into play. Creating a Learning Plan was a fantastic way for me to narrow down the topics and concepts that I wished to learn. As of February 5, 2014, I had learned the basics of being able to read the Korean alphabet (hangul), how to create small and basic words, and solidified my knowledge of common Korean phrases from dramas and TV shows. I created my list of goals and tasks which I have been trying to check off one-by-one. Of course, this is a lengthy process and I am not expecting to learn how to speak Korean like a native in a few months. But my thoughts truly feel more organized with this learning plan in mind.
In learning my target language, I naturally gravitated towards learning about cultural concepts in South Korea firstly. This relates to the importance of understanding Korean traditions, customs, and general way of life. It was also significant to learn about the norm in Korea in relation to the volume of speaking, tonation, pronunciation, and enunciation. Being able to recognize direct and indirect communication is key in order to understand what yes and what no means based on the cultural context. Also, the idea of personal space is another major cultural concept, which I wanted to delve into and learn more about. The last thing that I would want to do is unintentionally disrespect someone in Korea when this slip-up could have been prevented through careful research and simply practicing! After looking at these concepts, I wanted to focus more on the details and facts. I began to practice everyday conversations with my language partner Sun and my fellow Korean-learners. We have learned how to order food, how to say hello/goodbye, and how to count from one to ten, to name a few examples. We have also looked at how to create more complex words, phrases, and sentences.
I am a very interactive as well as visual learner. Therefore Sun was the perfect language partner. She would create practice sheets for class and have the students practice how to write and speak in Korean. She even gave us a challenge to translate specific Korean sentences into romanized Korean in order to see if we can read hangul. There was also a prize for whoever finished the challenge the quickest and had the most accurate responses. This was an educational as well as fun way to learn Korean. Practicing with my peers outside of class has also been very helpful. In regards to what has not worked, I find that my attempts to create order and discipline in my Korean language had failed immensely in the beginning. At first, I thought that I would spontaneously want to study and practice Korean at sporadic times during the day. Yet I have realized that I need to set aside a specific time to practice or else I will completely skip my learning time. This would only set me a step back on my journey to learn Korean. Studying can also involve watching YouTube videos or watching a Korean drama. I do not need to limit myself in the ways in which I can study. People learn languages in different ways and this course has helped me to see that I need interaction with others to learn as well as discipline in myself. For the future, I want to continue my learning plan and learn how to tell time and learn more numbers. After graduation, I want to try the 30-day challenge, as we spoke about in our last class, to see if I can stick to my goals and continue to learn more Korean. One does not necessarily need other people to learn something new; I want to progress even when this self-directed learning course will unfortunately end. This course has provided great tools for me to continue on my Korean learning journey.

I truly enjoyed learning about different cultural aspects of my peers' self-directed languages. In particular, Krystin's presentation on Hindu weddings in India was very informative as well as visually stimulating with colorful, expressive pictures.Firstly,  Krystin let us know that weddings in India are major events and usually last a full week and involve 500-1000 guests. The family is heavily involved in the entire process. 

Krystin explained to us that the actual ceremony is immersed in symbolism and ritual. For example, I did not know that the bride is often given a necklace (instead of a wedding ring), and the scarf of the woman is tied to the man’s headpiece. Therefore the bride and groom “tie the knot” in both a literal and figurative manner.

I especially appreciated how Krystin illuminated both the good and bad sides to Indian Hindu weddings. They are beautiful and grand affairs involving family and loved ones. Yet statistics have shown that, "Every 90 minutes a bride is burned in India. 107,000 brides are killed each year in dowry violence." Therefore it is important to note how gendercide continues to be a prevalent issue in India and other parts of the world. This was a great distinction to make for the thesis of her presentation.