Dean and Crush have been some of my favorite Korean artists to listen as I try to learn more Korean. Both are R&B singers with unique vocals and catchy melodies. In particular, Dean creates a more futuristic, unconventional twist on his music. Below are links to playlists of their music that I listen to a lot.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gja6xTWls44&list=LLBzZHVCqYkmw_Z21PKiUhCA&index=25&t=1521s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9HufNkEVJ6s&list=LLBzZHVCqYkmw_Z21PKiUhCA&index=25
For Easter weekend, I had a meal with my family- rice(밥), side dishes(반찬) of kimchi(김치) and kim(김), and meat(고기). We made wraps(쌈) with lettuce and rice, meat, and soybean paste(된장) inside.
As I’ve been learning more Korean, I’ve been trying to use what I’ve learned by practicing when I’m talking with my parents including text. Texting is harder for me since I’m not as able to sound out the subtleties of words. In my conversation with my parents, my dad actually corrects my spelling. However, it has helped me to become more comfortable with phrases that I use more often and incorporate them more into my daily conversations.
In talking about my plans for the summer with my learning partner, I was reminded of my trip to Korea two years ago. I visited Korea for the first time since I was 5 years old. There, we visited my relatives in Gwang-ju(광주) where my parents are originally from. Since I was in Korea, everytime I greeted someone older than me I bowed. I got to experience a lot of the food culture there with the open grills and stoves where you can watch your food be made as well as the street food. In the picture below, we were at one of the beaches in Jeju Island(제주도). Jeju Island is one the most popular tourist places as a vacation place with its unique food and beautiful scenery.
I’ve been watching Healer(힐러) which is a Korean drama about a night time “errand boy” called Healer, a tabloid reporter, and a famous journalist from a major broadcast station who all come together to learn the truth about a past incident that connects them all. It is an action packed drama with its fast paced scenes revealing the secret corrupt doings of many politicians and influential people through the work of news reporters, Young-shin and Moon-ho, and Healer. Through this drama, I’ve been able to pick up common everyday phrases as well as slang that people use today by repeating what they say.
As I enjoy singing, I’ve been watching Korean singing contest shows like The Masked Singer, SuperStark, and I can see your Voice. The Masked Singer is a contest where eight disguised guest singers are judged solely on their singing skills. SuperStark is contest for upcoming young singers and who want to join some of the most popular singer companies such as JYP and SM. I can see your voice a contest that brings random upcoming singers as well as tone deaf people with celebrity guests who have to guess which are which. Korean variety and entertainment shows are a big part of Korean culture. I’ve come to enjoy watching these shows in listening to many amazing singers and learning popular Korean songs.
I’ve come to learn a lot of the many differences between Korean culture in talking with my parents and Seonghye(성헤 선생님). In Korea, people are very sensitive to how people think about them. For this reason, people, especially girls, make sure that they look their best when they go out. Last week, Seonghye was saying how she wouldn’t be able to go out without makeup in Korea because people would assume that something was wrong with her. Because of this, she says that she wakes up two hours earlier so that she can put on her makeup and get ready for the day. It is socially expected to always look your best while in America that is of less importance. Many American college students would be described casual in sweatpants and a sweatshirt. Korea’s obsession with outward appearance I’ve been told is fed by the large amount of competition to get in the best schools and jobs. In order to get the best jobs, especially in a small country, there is a pressure to look your best all the time.
Recently, I’ve been watching a lot more Korean YouTubers to help me in my Korean especially in casual conversation as they use more informal speech. I’ve been watching Pony who is a Korean makeup artist and 영국 남자(Korean Englishman) where Josh, an Englishman who speaks Korean, introduces Korean culture to his fellow friends and family in England. I’ve been using english subtitles to help me understand but have been trying to look at them less to see if I am able to understand what they are saying. Watching these YouTubers have helped me a lot in understanding what context to use certain phrases and words in a casual conversation as well as my pronunciation as I practice saying certain phrases out loud. It has been easier to learn Korean through these channels as I’m more engaged with the content.
We learned the names of various foods like 불고기(beef) and 초밥(sushi). We then learned descriptive words of taste such as 맵다(spicy), 시다(sour), or 싱겁다(bland). We then learned how to say something is not (descriptive word) or are not doing something. We use the structure of a verb with an ending of -지 않아요 or we can use 안(not) with the verb or descriptive word. For example, 김치를 먹지 않아요/ 김치를 안 먹어요(I’m not eating the kimchi). Then, just as we learned earlier, we learned the honorific form of some irregular verbs, specifically “ㄹ” verbs, for basic sentences and suggestions. For example, informal 놉니다 versus formal 노십니다(to play). 노시다 is a suggestion to play. In our last class, we learned body parts such as forehead(이마), knee(무릎), and leg(다리). We also learned and practiced some common idioms that Korean use a lot. If your 눈이 높다, you have high expectations. If your 발이 넓다, you know a lot of people.
This week we learned the different variations of 가다(to go) and 오다(to come) based on the different positions of where you are and your relation to the person going and coming. Some examples are 나가요 which means someone is leaving your house,room, etc. whereas 나와요 is when someone is coming outside to meet you. 올라가요 is when someone is leaving up the stairs. 내려와요 is when someone is coming down the stairs towards you. We also learned the different ethnic restaurants such as 한식집(Korean restaurant), 일식집(Japanese restaurant), 양식집(Western food restaurant), and 중국집(Chinese restaurant). The next week we learned the sentence structure where we suggest something. You first have the verb and then the subsequent ending of -ㄹ/을까요? You could say 식당에 갈까요?(Shall we go to the dining hall?) If you are talking more informally with someone you can use the structure of the verb used and the ending of -ㅂ/읍시다. This asks the listener to perform some action together and is a stronger way of suggesting something. For example, 영화를 봅시다(Let’s watch a movie together).
This week we learned vocabulary relating to family(가족). We learned family members such as great uncle(큰 아빠), uncle(삼촌), and aunt(고모). You would use these same terms for the mother’s side of the family but would also insert 외 to indicate it is the mother’s side. Some family members that are called differently on the mother’s side is aunt(이모). We then learned the irregular forms of verbs when using honorific speech with elders. When talking with someone older than you, you would first add -께서 to their title and then add the irregular or regular form of the verb you are using. Some irregular verbs in the honorific speech are 주무시다 versus informal 자다(to sleep) or 드시다 versus informal 먹다(to eat). Other than a few of these formal forms of verbs, the rest are used in the standard structure of using the verb and adding -으시다/시다. The next week we learned descriptive words such as 더럽니다(to be dirty), 춥다(to be cold), and 복잡하다(to be busy). 시원하다(to be cool) can be used to describe a person as well. A person who is called 시원해요 is considered a relaxed or “cool” person. We then used these descriptive words with the ending particle -고 which means “and” and links two words together. For example, 우체국이 좁고 복잡합니다(The post office is small and busy).
We learned some of the basic verbs used in Korean- 자다(to sleep), 가다(to go), and 만나다(to meet)- and then learned the basic structure of a simple sentence in which we could use them. In a simple sentence you first have the subject with a 은/는 particle depending if the subject ends in a consonant or vowel. Next is the object with 을/를 and then the verb with 습니다/ㅂ니다. The endings with the verb are said to be more formal in use. A sample sentence would be 저는 친구를 만납십니다(I met my friend). You can also change a sentence into a question by adding the ending -습니까/ㅂ니까? 읽습니까?(Have you read this?). We then learned common things that we have such as school supplies and necessities- 열쇠(keys), 신분증(photo ID), and 공책(notebook). We learned other ending particles such as 이/가 which are attached to the subject depending if it ends in a consonant or vowel. These endings can be used with 이것(this), 그것(that), and 저것(that one over there). These words are used to describe objects or people based on position. 이것 would be used for something that is in front of you while 그것 would be used for something that you are talking about that is in front of someone else. 저것 would be used for something that is far away from the both of you. An example sentence would be 이것이 책입니다(This is a book). I then did an exercise of labeling all of the things in my room.
This week’s session we practiced speaking and our pronunciation with our greeting and introductions. We reviewed the two different korean number systems- counting numbers versus order numbers. We also reviewed the 한글(hangul) character layouts as well as double consonants. The next week we learned several place names such as bookstore(서점), clothing store(옷가게) and department store(백화점). We then learned how to say where we are going using the new places we learned combined with 으러/러 가요. For homework, we wrote out our daily routine in Korean.
For our first class meeting, we took a personality quiz and then discussed the Korean creature characters that we got that described our personalities. My character was a 몾찌떡 who was described as someone who likes to be in bed and read books. They also like to think a lot and are okay with being alone. They are a calm person or 차분한 사람. We then learned useful everyday vocabulary such as 오랜만(after a long time) or 같이(together). We then practiced using them in sentences for homework. The next class, we practiced our spelling by transcribing the shark song. We then learned specific descriptive verbs for different personalities and how to use them in describing people. Sharon는 활발해요(Sharon is extroverted).
As I'm trying to mainly learn how to hold a casual conversation in Korean, I've been writing down the things that I've learned to say. I've also begun texting in Korean with my family. In general, I prefer to type as it's faster and also gives me suggestions for words I'm unsure of the spelling. However, writing it freehand has allowed me to practice more intentionally and really be able to focus on memorizing words and phrases. As a beginner, I've been building short sentences that start with the subject and then the verb or the subject, then the object and then the verb. Although, I haven't learned more complex sentences the structure is the same structure of simple sentences with simply more filler words.
My knowledge of the English language of course affects my understanding of Korean. While English by nature is very specific such as using possessive adjectives to specify what or who they are talking about, Korean is a language that needs a lot of context to understand a sentence. You must listen to the very end of a sentence to see if someone is talking in the past or future or a specific thing. It is sometimes difficult to understand what something means in different context. However, in the writing perspective, Korean has been a little bit easier in the more simple way it is written.
The weather is nice today.- 오늘 날씨가 좋다.
I am Korean- 저는 한국사람이에요
Eric eats an apple - 에릭이 사과를 먹어요
Languages go extinct when people cease to speak it in daily life whether by the replacement or domination of another more universal language or in combination with the lack of rising generations learning and speaking the language. In the interview with David Harrison, we learned of one of the endangered Native American languages to actually be one of the more common languages. This particular language had previously driven out other Native American languages when several Native American tribes were forced to live in the same space by colonists and due to the advantage of their larger quantity of people that language became the main way of communication between the people. We see languages go extinct due to the convenience of being able to communicate with more people, becoming more obsolete in the fast paced modern world. More universal languages as well as the reluctance or indifference of the next generations to preserve the language and teach it to the next generations also contribute to dying languages. This indifference is aided by social constructs such as school for Native Americans that were intended to stamp out their Native American ways.
Although universal languages provide more convenience, the death of a language results in the death of a culture full of different perspectives of the world and different ways to describe it. We lose one more way to connect with people on a different level. To prevent this from happening, linguists can help preserve a language by documenting and recording the language. Although, the oral speakers of a language may one day die the written and verbal transcripts can be kept to teach later generations who may revive it. Linguists can also encourage oral speakers of a language to teach the younger generations as well as share the database of language over the internet to those across the world to learn as well.
In conclusion, although a 'dead' language may never regain the life it once had, there are certainly some parts of it that can be revived through the teaching and sharing of it to the younger generation everywhere.
Korean is thought to belong to a variety of families. The Northern theory links Korean to Altaic languages of central Asia which includes Turkish and Mongolian. Another theory includes Uralic languages of Hungarian and Finnish as well as Japanese. This theoretical family is believed by most Korean and Western linguists to be the most likely. Another suggests an association with the Dravidian languages of southern India or Austronesian languages. This range of theories appears due to Korea's long history of contact with Japanese and Chinese languages in which it shares linguistic features with each language.
Before the creation of its modern writing system, Hangul, Korea used a series of Chinese characters to represent the sounds of Korean. However, due to the inability of Chinese characters to adequately produce Korean speech and the inaccessibility of the language except elites who studied, a more efficient and accessible phonetic system was made(Hangul). We still see China's influence in Korean in how it borrows half of its vocabulary derived from Chinese in Confucian classics. Today, Koreans write words derived from Chinese with Chinese characters. However, other than vocabulary, Korean is distinct in its sound and sentence structure from Chinese. Although Japan occupied Korea for a time period, few influences are existent in Korean.
In understanding Korea's great influence from Chinese, I see how Korean is a much more simple version of the Chinese phonetic system and the genius of its efficiency. Korean stands to be one of the easier languages to learn. However, just as in Chinese there are tones and sounds that are very hard to distinguish and reproduce for English speakers there are a few sounds in Korean that give some similar trouble for me.
Korean is a great example of the mixture and meeting of different languages(Chinese, Japanese, etc) to create one unique language. After the conquest or habitation of the Chinese and Japanese, whether forced to speak the certain language or exposed it frequently, Korean is created after being left alone from these countries being able to cultivate it on their own and being isolated by physical geographical barriers.
So far into my learning plan, although I am not where I necessarily want to be, I'm surprised of the things that I've learned in the casual way that I've approached it. That said, I've realized how important and convenient having a learning partner would have been in terms of keeping me accountable in continually practicing my Korean and giving me more structure in my learning. With my schedule, I've been mostly learning Korean through language apps that practice writing and vocabulary and listening to Korean songs. These apps have been very convenient in their repetition as well as the verbal exercises. I feel that I'm gradually building my basic vocabulary such as days of the week, food, and people as well as pronunciation. In practicing, I've found myself trying more intentionally in my mind to think of Korean words in my conversations. However, this practice has been very scattered and not consistent. Because of this I will be signing up for a Korean course online and use a Korean textbook to give more structure to my learning plan.
As I try to learn Korean, understanding and immersing myself in Korean culture has shown me the great importance of it in order to learn Korean. As I listen to more Korean songs and watch more Korean shows, I find myself more interested and motivated to learn the language. You want to understand more of this culture in which language is a huge part in understanding it. It is an interconnected relationship.
Growing up, I always assumed the Korean that my parents spoke to me in was the Korean that everyone spoke. However, after many confused stares from family friends' kids and soft chuckles from their parents I soon learned that there are many different dialects of Korean in which there are many unique phrases and pronunciations of words- hence, the stares and laughter.
Due to Korea's mountainous terrain, Korean is split into small local dialects. There is the Seoul dialect which is spoken in Gyeonggi, Incheon, Seoul, and Kaesŏng (North Korea). This is the basis of the standard language. Others are Yeongseo and Chungcheong dialects. The Gyeongsang dialects also called Southeastern dialects are spoken in cities such as Busan, Daegu, and Ulsan and are easily distinguishable from the Seoul dialect due to their varied pitch. The Jeolla dialects or Southwestern dialects are spoken in Gwangju(where my parents are from). The Jeju dialect is spoken on Jeju Island which sometimes considered a separate Korean language.
Dialects are the different ways in which sound is produced within the same language. These dialects may stem from the different uses of primary and secondary manners such as complete obstruction to no obstruction of the production of sounds and voicing, length, stress and pitch.
Not only are dialects fun and interesting to listen to but they also create a smaller culture of that region within the culture of Korea just like in the United States. In researching, I would need to learn some unique common phrases of some of the dialects as well as the linguistic differences in how they pronounce different words whether that be lengthening vowels or emphasizing different parts of words. I plan on speaking with my parents and learning more words of Jeolla dialect as well as seeking out videos and movies that feature dialect in their dialogue. I would also like to find the history of how these dialects came to be depending on social, environmental or foreign influences.
