Culture #2

The LIttle Prince is one of my favorite tale of all time. The Korean musical adaptation of The Little Prince (어린 왕자), based on the original novella by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry and performed in South Korea with Korean lyrics and dialogue.The Korean musical version of The Little Prince (어린 왕자) transforms a globally familiar story into something emotionally and linguistically distinct. While the narrative framework remains rooted in Saint-Exupéry’s philosophical tale, the Korean adaptation places strong emphasis on lyrical expression, emotional nuance, and relational sensitivity. Watching selected musical numbers and dialogue scenes, I was struck by how the Korean language reshapes the tone of the story.One of my strongest impressions was the musical’s use of poetic and metaphorical language. Korean allows for elliptical constructions and subject omission, which creates an atmosphere of emotional openness. In several songs, pronouns are dropped entirely, leaving listeners to interpret…

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Journal Reflection #2

                My experience learning Korean has been going well, but I have noticed that it is going slightly slower than priorly anticipated. With that said, I have truly been enjoying everything that I have been learning. I have realized that the most helpful and beneficial practice that I have been participating in is when I am with Emily. I feel like I have been getting the most benefit when I work with her on the alphabet and pronunciation. My lessons with Emily have also been the most enjoyable.               During my first lesson with Emily, we first focused on the basics of Hangeul. I became familiar with the basic vowels, progressed to the combined vowels, and then learned the consonants. During this lesson, I also learned the strong consonants that change the aggressiveness or the tenses of the basic consonants. Two of the basic vowels sound very similar to me, but other than that, the lesson was quite easy. She also taught me about the ending consonants and how some of…

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Language Learning Journal #2

During this period, my primary tasks focused on improving my pronunciation of Korean tense and aspirated consonants, learning the changes in the consonants, and engaging more actively with reading content. My goal was to strengthen both my speaking, reading and writing skills, also expand my vocabulary. I hoped to become more confident in communicating with others and to gain greater control over switching between formal and informal speech styles.In my interactions with my language partner, we set up goals. During our sessions, we first talked about the rules of different consonants changes, and then have a few practices to see if I can acutally see the change and pronounce the vocabulary right. In addition, I practiced reading short stories and read them aloud and then attempting to restate them in English. My partner will read them again and ask me to try again. She provided corrective feedback, particularly on pronounciations. I noticed that when I concentrated too much on…

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Discussion #5

One topic that particularly interests me in Korean target culture is contemporary Korean popular culture, especially K-POP music and K-musical. I am interested not only in its global influence but also in how popular culture reflects generational identity, shifting social norms, and evolving language practices within Korean society. Through preliminary research and observation, I have come to understand that pop culture is not merely entertainment; it functions as a space where language change, identity construction, and cultural negotiation are actively performed.This topic is deeply connected to language because Korean popular media showcases a wide range of speech levels, dialects, slang expressions, and generational vocabulary. For example, dramas often depict hierarchical relationships in workplaces or families, requiring careful shifts between formal deferential endings such as –습니다 /–sɯmnida/ and more casual forms like -요, or even –아/어. In addition, contemporary media…

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