Since the learning plan that I made at the very beginning of the semester was heavily dependent on a language partner, I was unable to complete several of the tasks so I had to adjust accordingly. I also needed to change my main goal of improving my speaking skills to one more focused on reading and writing since I was unable to practice oral communication and conversations.  

Adjusted%20Learning%20Plan.docx

   Based on a lot of goals I had in this learning plan, I honestly believe I did not achieve many of the goals as successfully as I would have liked. This is primarily because I was not provided a language partner which I heavily based my language learning and improving on. My main goal was to improve my speaking abilities by practicing with a fluent Korean speaker but since I was never able to, I could not really apply what I learned through oral practice and conversation. Thus, the lack of a language partner was the greatest stumbling block for me, and also the main reason why I had to adjust my goals to be more focused on reading and writing. Practicing my reading skills was fairly simple since there were many resources I found online that helped me practice correcting my pronunciation and accent. It was more difficult for me to practice my writing, especially writing in a formal manner since I relied heavily on messaging and texting through the HelloTalk app that I used to communicate with native Korean speakers. While the app was definitely helpful and challenged me to practice my grammar and spelling skills, I could not improve my formal writing skills as much as I would have liked to since the friends I made through HelloTalk preferred to communicate in an informal manner. This is because formality between friends creates a barrier from becoming closer in Korean culture.

   The most interesting aspect of 110 that I enjoyed the most was researching about cultural topics and presenting them to the class as well as learning aspects of Korean culture that I never knew through other people’s research and presentations. For example, one of the presentations was about the architecture of traditional Korean houses which was very fascinating to me since there was so much history and intelligence behind the design that I always overlooked when I saw these houses in pictures and in real life. As for the  least interesting aspect, the assigned readings were the least enjoyable to me. Though they were helpful in learning the components that make a language and made me more aware of what could be difficult to learn in a language, I do not think I actually applied this knowledge when improving my Korean. 

   I will continue my learning by not only continuing my use of the resources that I have found by taking this course but also by going to Korea and experiencing the language and culture firsthand. This summer I will be spending three weeks in Korea taking an intensive Korean language learning program at Yonsei University. There, I hope to improve even more in not just my ability to speak, read, and write, but also gain greater understanding of how Koreans my age interact, since the use of language often differs between generations.

     In the future, I would like to learn more about the connections between culture and language, and go more in depth in the reasons why some words, phrases, or expressions are so difficult to convey in another language. I think it is intriguing how translations are often not as simple as they seem, and how in many cases understanding a certain aspect of a language has to come from one’s own intuition.

• I can introduce myself by describing my age, grade, home, school, and hobbies.

• I can describe my family in detail such as my parents’ background

• I can read at an elementary pace

• I can comprehend the majority of a typical Korean drama

• I can order a meal at a restaurant on my own

• I can hold a casual conversation regarding time, days of the week, days of the month, and months, and seasons.

Here I practice my fluency in reading. I specifically chose to improve my reading since it was difficult to improve speaking without a language partner. The recording linked below is a reciting of part of a short story that I found online.

Artifact #4 Recording

The English translation is also listed below.

TITLE: "First Date"

When I entered University, I met a man. That man was a tall and beautiful man (/person). When I first saw him, I fell in love at first sight. However, because he was very popular, it was difficult to talk to him. Time went by like that, and then summer vacation came/approached. Before vacation started, I decided that, no matter what, I must try to talk to him once. I summoned up the courage, and waited at the classroom where he has class. One. Two Three! I saw him finish class and come walking. My heart/chest started to pound/race. ‘Okay today I must have the courage/be brave. If it is not this time, I won’t be able to talk to him for my whole life.

Me: “Excuse me… I was wondering... do you know me? I am Eun-su Lee, we are studying the same major.”

Minho: “Ah, of course! Hi! Finally we talk (like this) for the first time. But… for what reason are you introducing yourself to me? (What’s up? What’s on your mind?)

Me: “ah… no reason… I wanted to talk with you before vacation started. I was wondering… if the time is okay; would you like to have lunch with me?

Minho: “Uh? Ah… okay. But, what should we do? I have a class right after this one… so, if it is okay, would you be able to eat later?

Me: “Okay. I didn’t know that you had class. Listen (study) hard in class, and have a good vacation...”

My heart was sore/ached (I was heartbroken). Him saying that he had to go because he had a class was probably/likely an excuse. Of course, even though it is possible that he actually had class, my heart still ached for some reason. Disappointed and crying, I returned home. I just lay on my bed because I didn’t want to do anything.But, at that instant. My phone vibrated/rang. ‘Who could it be?’ I checked my phone, and it was (none other than) Minho who the message came from. 

Here I practice talking about my family and myself using proper grammar and formal speech. 

Recording 1

Recording 1 English Translation:

Hello, I am Esther Kwon. As for my family, I have my mother, father, and one older brother. As of now, my brother is studying at a college in Missouri. He is a third year. My father is now working in California. He is working at Toyota. My mother is working at a hospital in Washington. As for myself, I am studying at the University of Richmond in Virginia. 

Recording 2

Recording 2 English Translation:

As for my family, we are all currently living far away from each other but our home is in Washington. So, my mother is living in Washington but my father is living in California because of his job. Since my brother are I are college students, we are both living at our colleges. Also, our family has a dog. Our family's dog's name is Cocoa and she is very cute. 

Artifact #2 Recording

Here are the questions translated in English that I asked and answered in Korean.

What is your name?

My name is Jinree is Korean. My English name is Esther.

How old are you?

I am 18 years old.

When is your birthday?

My birthday is May 1st.

Where were you born?

I was born in America.I live in Washington state.

Are you a student?

Yes, I am studying at the University of Richmond in Virginia.

What grade are you?

I am just ending my first year.

What do you do in your free time?

I like to dance and play piano. I like to play tennis and ping pong with my friends.

What kind of food do you like to eat?

I like Korean food the most but I also like sushi and bread

Over the course of this semester, I was able to expand my Korean vocabulary while also increasing my proficiency in reading and writing. My main goal, which was to improve my speaking, was very minimally improved due to the absence of a language partner. I believe this was the greatest difficulty that I faced since I was unable to practice communicating in a formal manner with someone who would be able to correct my pronunciation, intonation, and grammar. However, through the many resources I was provided with from this course such as voki, vocaroo, and diigo, I was able to utilize many new tools in helping me improve my Korean. Furthermore, I believe I was able to improve my reading and informal writing abilities through the use of the HelloTalk app. Through HelloTalk I was able to meet many native Korean speakers who helped me understand the way younger Koreans communicate. This included learning the younger generation's "style" of messaging with the use of aegyo, jargon, and etc. The presentations that we did for class were also very helpful and enjoyable since I got to learn many different aspects of Korean culture in greater depth such as plastic surgery, traditional Korean architecture, school violence, blood types, and much more.

Overall, I believe my knowledge of Korean culture improved vastly from the cultural posts, presentations, and final cultural project. My improvement in the Korean language itself however, consisted mainly of increased vocabulary knowledge and a better understanding of informal communication which will both be very helpful for my travel to Korea this summer. 

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1k93ZqfYJoeSfN5F1Gn7nWwC84WQYOGDXJjFTgD29-Ek/edit#slide=id.p4

Notes:

• Rapid increase in the number of North Korean refugees entering South Korea after 1998, when several years of famine killed thousands, if not millions.
  • Lethal nature of the famine and estimate the number of deaths as low as 580,000 and as high as three million.
  • This famine occurred while the North Korean regime maintained an army of over one million under the infamous “son-gun” (military-first) policy.
• Women comprise over 65% of the number of North Korean defectors to South Korea.
  • Wider array of economic opportunities available to women in China such as waitress positions and babysitter jobs.
  • Darker explanation: Chinese or Korean-Chinese bride-brokers, or matchmakers, attempt to secure North Korean brides for Chinese men, often through trickery.                Also sold into prostitution.
• Physical differences in height and weight
  • 2010 study: The growth status of 1,406 North Korean refugee children aged 6 to 20 were compared to the same age group of South Korean children. North Korean boys and girls were significantly shorter and weighed less than their South Korean peers. Average height differences between the two groups were 10.1cm (~4 inches) for boys and 7.2cm (~3 inches) for girls. In case of body weights the differences were 11.1kg (~24.5 lbs) for boys and 3.8kg (~8.4 lbs) for girls. 
• PTSD:  North Korean refugees have typically been exposed to traumatic events, since many of them either witnessed or experienced violence within North Korea (Kang, 2011). Some were tortured or forcefully repatriated to North Korea from China while attempting to reach the south (Byun et al., 2006; Kim, 2010). 
  • 70% of North Korean refugees are female, and North Korean women are at high risk of being victims of sexual violence and exploitation as well as human trafficking either in North Korea or China
• According to a survey conducted by the Database Center for North Korean Human rights (NKDB) in 2012, 290 sexual violence cases were reported out of 8,703 witnesses.
  • In a recent study on the effects of PTSD (Choi et al., 2012), two thirds of 301 North Korean refugees surveyed showed PTSD symptoms such as insomnia and feeling of helplessness that made it difficult for those with the symptoms to hold steady jobs or perform well academically.
• North Korean refugee students often displayed PTSD symptoms (e.g., anxiety) that made their adjustment to school environment challenging (Jung et al., 2002).
  • Some teachers in the study also reported that North Korean students tended to display more aggressive and violent behaviors compared to South Korean students, again indicating high levels of anxiety among young North Korean refugees.
  • Same study found that some of the participants from the study mentioned loneliness from living without the family members indicating that there was little social support to alleviate their PTSD symptoms.
• Education gap: Almost all North Korean refugees are placed in lower grades with students who are younger than them, yet they find it difficult to catch up academically with their younger peers (Jung et al., 2002; Kim and Lee, 2013). 
  • These difficulties that young North Korean refugees experience translate to relatively high rates of school dropouts. The school dropout rate for North Korean students in middle and high schools combined ranged between 4.2% and 7.5% in the three years prior to 2014, compared to 1.2-1.3% among South Korean students in the same period. 
• A North Korean college student, Kim Seong-cheol, said in an interview with the New York Times, “I felt like someone from the 1970s who was put on a time machine and dropped in the 21st century”⁷. In fact, more than half of North Korean refugee students in college eventually drop out of college, increasing concerns that North Korean refugees will remain as “permanent underclass” in the South Korean society (Fackler, 2012).
• Socializing:
  • Refugees faced difficulties in abiding by the rules in the office, the amount of work, and difficulties in completing given tasks due to the inability to use the computer.
  • North Korean refugees regard their South Korean colleagues’ indirect way of communicating as ‘hypocritical’ because they were used to openly talking about their own and others’ wrongdoings through mutual- and self- criticism sessions that are deeply embedded in North Korean society.
  • Moreover, North Korean refugees in the workplace are cautious not to speak in their North Korean accent as not to reveal their background and identity to their South Korean colleagues (Choi and Park, 2011).
• A cursory reading of the public attitude towards the North Korean refugees shows a deteriorating trend.
  • In 2005, a poll survey conducted by the East Asia Institute (EAI) showed 75% of the participants expressed some degree of closeness towards the North Korean people, but the proportion dropped to 55.2% in the same EAI poll taken in 2010. Lee and Son (2011)’s study showed that South Koreans in their 20s as a whole had the most negative attitude towards North Korean refugees, in contrast to the sixty-or-older group.
  • This generational difference is likely due to the fact that the younger generation of South Koreans no longer consider North Koreans as part of the same nation, as the two Koreas have been separated for more than half a century. As the result, many North Korean refugees experience mistrust, unfair treatment, ostracism, and discrimination, even outright hostility, creating serious challenges to the prospect of successful resettlement (Choi and Kim, 2013).

My project focused on what it is like for North Korean defectors and refugees to live in South Korea and the hardships they focus due to mental trauma, physical deficiencies, and social pressures. I also focused on the growing trend of defectors coming from North Korea as well as the public attitude towards defectors which is sadly becoming more and more negative among the younger generations. The general conclusion of my presentation is that even though there is much ridicule and mockery of North Korea due to Kim Jong-Un's reign, it should still be recognized that many North Koreans are still starving and suffering and that defectors should be helped rather than rejected when escaping.  

This week I focused on learning how to properly order or ask for things at a restaurant as well as vocabulary words relating to food. Since I am going to Korea this summer, I wanted to focus on daily question or phrases that I will most likely and often use when I am there. Here are a few Korean phrases I learned that are useful in a restaurant:

Give me.

= 주세요. [ju-se-yo.]

Give us some water.

= 물 좀 주세요.[mul jom ju-se-yo.]

Give us the menu.

= 메뉴판 좀 주세요. [me-nyu-pan jom ju-se-yo.]

Give us wet towels.

= 물수건 좀 주세요. [mul-su-geon jom ju-se-yo.]

Give me this.

= 이거 주세요. [i-geo ju-se-yo.]

Give me this, this and this.

= 이거하고 이거하고 이거 주세요. [i-geo-ha-go i-geo-ha-go i-geo ju-se-yo.]

Give me one more of this.

= 이거 하나 더 주세요. [i-geo ha-na deo ju-se-yo.]

= 이거 일인분 더 주세요. [i-geo i-rin-bun deo ju-se-yo.]

Give us two people's serving of Samgyeopsal.

= 삼겹살 이인분 주세요. [sam-gyeop-sal i-in-bun ju-se-yo.]

Do you have something that doesn't have meat in it?

= 고기 안 들어간 거 있어요? [go-gi an deu-reo gan geo i-sseo-yo?]

What's the most delicious?

= 뭐가 제일 맛있어요? [mwo-ga je-il ma-si-sseo-yo?]

What do people order the most?

= 제일 많이 시키는 게 뭐예요? [je-il ma-ni si-ki-neun ge mwo-ye-yo?]

What's the spiciest?

= 제일 매운 게 뭐예요? [je-il mae-un ge mwo-ye-yo?]

Where's the bathroom?

= 화장실이 어디예요? [hwa-jang-si-ri eo-di-ye-yo?]

Can I take this to go?

= 이거 포장 돼요? [i-geo po-jang dwae-yo?]

Please get this ready for take out.

= 포장해 주세요. [po-jang-hae ju-se-yo.]

Give me the bill.

= 계산서 좀 주세요. [gye-san-seo jom ju-se-yo.]

How much is it over here?

= 여기 얼마예요? [yeo-gi eol-ma-ye-yo?]

Where do I pay?

= 어디에서 계산해요? [eo-di-e-seo gye-san-hae-yo?]

= 계산 어디서 해요? [gye-san eo-di-seo hae-yo?]

Do you accept credit cards?

= 여기 카드 돼요? [yeo-gi ca-deu dwae-yo?]

Please split the bill.

= 각자 계산할게요. [gak-ja gye-san-hal-ge-yo.]

= 따로따로 계산할게요. [tta-ro-tta-ro gye-san-hal-ge-yo.]

I also watched several helpful YouTube videos which I have linked below.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vA9xsQ4PMiE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EctwqSt7-rs

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FXVBYdUefQk

This week I focused on improving my pronunciation of certain sounds in Korean. I am aware that when I talk in Korean I tend to have an American accent since I have difficulty properly pronouncing words with “gwi” or “ryo” and generally sounds that have the consonant ㄹ. One example, would be the days of the week since the combination of (요일) “yo-il” is slightly difficult for me to pronounce correctly. I have specific trouble with Monday (월요일) due to the first syllable being “wol” as well as Sunday (일요일) which uses the sound “il” twice. Other words I have practiced pronouncing included my own Korean name which is 진리 “jinli”, cute 귀여운 “gwiyeoun”, plan 계획 “gyehoek”, and more. I have attached a recording of me practicing below.

Pronunciation Recording

This week I practiced my reading skills by reading aloud short Korean news articles I found online. I selected three short news articles to continuously practice throughout the week. I spent more time focusing on improving my reading speed rather than actually comprehending the material I was reading. The articles I practiced are linked below as well as voice recordings of me practicing.

Articles: http://www.talktomeinkorean.com/newsinkorean/

Recordings: 

Article 1: Article 1

Article 2: Article 2 Recording

Article 3: Article 3 Recording

This week I focused on more basic but necessary vocabulary such as weather and family. I already know the vocabulary for close family members such as 아빠, 엄마, 오빠, 할머니, 할아버지 which mean dad, mom, older brother, grandma, and grandpa in the informal style. I learned the vocabulary terms for extended family members and other family terms such as cousin (사촌), mother-in-law (시어머니), father-in-law (시아버지), nephew (조카), niece (조카딸), sibling who are brothers(형제), siblings who are sisters (자매), younger brother (남동생), younger sister (여동생), and more. As for weather, I expanded my vocabulary by watching Youtube videos and practicing through a helpful Quizlet I found that had more specific weather terms such as sleet, drizzle, and etc. The videos and quizlet I used are linked below.

Family Phrases: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vy0Hk7zNouI

Weather: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bjMf6r4KI80

Quizlet for weather: https://quizlet.com/21134045/korean-weatherseasons-flash-cards/

This week I focused on improving my proficiency with basic vocabulary related to dates and seasons. While I am familiar with the numbering system and how to properly say the month and days of the months, I practiced by translating the dates throughout this week in Korean while also trying to think of important future dates in my schedule in Korean. As for seasons, I simply practiced with the vocabulary repetitively. Effective methods of practicing that I implemented included going on Quizlet and finding electronic flashcards of the months and seasons in Korean which helped me improve my speed in translating. The quizlets and videos I used and watched are linked below.

Quizlets:

https://quizlet.com/29789514/korean-months-and-seasons-flash-cards/

https://quizlet.com/87190635/pure-korean-monthsdays-flash-cards/

YouTube video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lddlrWPwajw

This week I focused on improving my proficiency in telling time. Though I know how to properly tell and ask time in Korean, I have always had trouble telling time proficiently since the hour and minutes are distinguished by two different numbering systems. The numbering system for the minutes is relatively easy for me to say since the words for the numbers 1-10 are only one syllable words and the pattern after 10 is repetitive and easy to follow. But the numbering system for the hours has always been difficult for me to remember since it is based off of the native Korean numbering system, which consists of some two syllable words for some numbers and also similar sounding numbers.For example, 5, 6, and 8 sound relatively similar since 5 is “daseot”, 6 is “yeoseot”, and 8 is “yeodol” and I often still get confused. I worked on my proficiency by first reviewing through YouTube videos such as the one linked below, and then I practiced throughout the week by simply thinking of the time in Korean whenever I looked at my watch.

The different numbering systems: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2IJ_r--02hs&index=6&list=PLABF2F59A4530A359

Telling time in Korean: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m0kC1Pf763s

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1vj2Mx87s9DnnlxNy7gC0iT0QXmxV7tRyEvZi0RCVE4s/edit#slide=id.p

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1cLjX8cZJJncTSFHiMgZhSDPKP9_hTt7T0VRqCdbQoSE/edit#slide=id.p

Esther Kwon

SLDAP 105

Learning Journal #1

These readings are helpful in the sense that they have made me more aware of what I should emphasize learning within a language. For example, vocabulary is of course a vital and necessary aspect of language that must be continuously learned and expanded, but I should be careful of what words to use specifically because even though some words may seem like synonyms to me based on English translation, they can cause sentences to mean things that I did not intend. Furthermore, proper intonation is extremely important for me to learn and recognize, since in a language like Korean intonation can in some situations be the sole determining factor of whether you are stating or asking something. Also understanding the differences between the sense and reference of words is necessary since I should understand how the word is used within the Korean language and culture compared to just a general reference stemming from a global generalization. Furthermore, I think learning the use of lexemes and putting them into fields of meaning is a helpful tool for me to use in my process of learning Korean. 

    Through my experience taking this class, I have definitely gained a greater understanding of the uniqueness of languages as well as knowing how important the origins of languages are and the deep history that is rooted within each language. I also realized just how much culture is embedded in language and how it is impossible for a language’s culture to be exactly conveyed in any other language. For example, there are several things in Korean that I cannot translate or express quite accurately in English simply because some of these words and phrases often have to do with how an individual expresses it when speaking or simply due to the cultural influences in such words. For example, adding “cuteness” or “aegyo” in Korean speech is something very unique in the language that cannot be accurately translated and used in the English language since aegyo originates from the cultural influences of displaying femininity in a socially acceptable manner. Furthermore, aegyo is very present and commonly used in informal Korean conversation, so even though it has a strong presence in the language, it is difficult for individuals learning Korean to understand how to properly use or understand this unique aspect of the Korean language.

            I found it most difficult to improve my speaking skills simply because I had planned on consistently meeting with a language partner to practice. Though I do have international friends who are from Korea, it is difficult for me to learn the formalities of the Korean language by speaking with them since speaking in such a manner to my close friends would be awkward and unfitting. I did enjoy however, learning aspects of Korean culture that I never knew through other people’s research and presentations during class. For example, one of the presentations was about the architecture of traditional Korean houses which was very fascinating since there was so much history and intelligence behind the design that I always overlooked when I saw these houses in pictures and in real life.
            I will continue my learning by not only continuing my use of the resources that I have found by taking this course but also by going to Korea and experiencing the language and culture firsthand. This summer I will be spending three weeks in Korea taking an intensive Korean language learning program at Yonsei University. There, I hope to improve even more in not just my ability to speak, read, and write, but also gain greater understanding of how Koreans my age interact, since the use of language often differs between generations.
            Watching the video about culture shock was the most impactful to me, since I was really able to gain a better perception of how difficult it is for many international students when they come to the U.S. to study. I also found the video relatable in a sense, since I personally dealt with some culture shock coming from the west coast and living in the east coast for the first time. I also enjoyed reading about the revival of the Siletz language, since it helped me see the fragility of a language’s existence, and how much effort and work is needed in order to keep a language from going extinct when its community begins to diminish.
            In the future, I would like to learn more about the connections between culture and language, and go more in depth in the reasons why some words, phrases, or expressions are so difficult to convey in another language. I think it is intriguing how translations are often not as simple as they seem, and how in many cases understanding a certain aspect of a language has to come from one’s own intuition. 

Reading and especially writing has always been a challenge for me since those were skills I failed to continue to practice as I got older. However, I believe my reading and writing skills have improved by a little mainly from reading and writing messages to friends on the app HelloTalk. Though text messaging included lots of jargon and shortening of words and sentences, it really helped me practice my comprehension skills as well, since I had to practice translating Korean from reading messages in Korean into English. My writing skills were also utilized since I had to practice constructing my own words which was extremely challenging for me since I still find it difficult when to use certain grammatical structures or even how to properly structure a sentence so that I can clearly convey what I want to say. Though I do not think I improved a significant amount in reading and writing, I can see I have improved because I am now able to communicate with my parents better since I am more capable of texting to them in just Korean which I now do more often.

I highly agree with both readings in the fact that there are many advantages and benefits from being bilingual, even though it may be difficult at first since an individual needs to create two distinct sets of vocabulary, grammatical structure, and etc. Though I am only partially fluent in Korean, I think it was tremendously beneficial for me to have grown up hearing and using English and Korean since it made me learn the unique process of understanding the different sounds and structures between the two languages as well as learn how to differentiate and interpret them. I think learning languages is an extremely unique skill for the brain to learn since it is really unlike any other type of learning. Learning a language requires not just memorization but also the ability to pronounce sounds correctly, understand and interpret what you hear, and the most challenging part: creating your own sentences. Because of all the functions the brain must adapt and use, I strongly believe that there are major mental health benefits in the long term for knowing more than one language.