I find it a lot easier to read the Korean language compared to writing and speaking. If I had to rank these three skills in terms of difficulty level it would be:

1)   Reading

2)   Speaking

3)   Writing

Writing is the most difficult skill for me to master. This is because of spelling—although I may know how to say a word and what it means, it is hard for me to find the characters that match the sound of the word. I can easily recognize the word when I see it, but writing it requires an active participation (as opposed to passive participation of reading) and thus requires more work.

I find speaking to be moderately difficult- if someone asks me a question, I can respond well by pulling out key words and reflecting them back. However, I find it more difficult to speak first. Sometimes, it is hard to express my ideas completely, and I feel I am better at answering questions as opposed to asking spontaneous ones.

 With reading, even if I do not find some words familiar, I can use context clues (ie words I do recognize) to guess what the other words mean. Sometimes, I read a word and repeat it out loud, recognizing that I have seen it somewhere before, and test my memory to see if I am correct. Then, I check to see if I am right using my English/Korean dictionary. 

Many people argue that bilingualism can make you smarter, because it improves some cognitive skills that are not related to languages and also may improve against dementia. This article was interesting to read, because it contained a lot of descriptive statistics, citing research studies that have looked at this phenomenon. However, I think this argument is a very broad claim. What does it mean to be smart? People who are bilingual are smarter in what, exactly? The New York Times article cites a lot of studies that have done puzzles on participants, but there are many factors that can influence these results. How was the sampling done? The 2009 study led by Kovac claims that the babies who were raised on two languages where quicker to anticipate the appearance of the puppet. But, it is possible that there are other (extraneous) variables and influenced this reaction from the baby, and not language. As a student who has taken many statistics and social science research courses, I have become weary of articles that make broad claims!

In the beginning of my language-learning journey, I made flash cards and regularly tested myself with them. The best way to learn vocabulary is to match the word with a picture to work both the left and right side of the brain. I would create sample sentences with the vocabulary word, so that instead of merely remember the sound of the word and it’s corresponding meaning in English, I would be more likely to remember it in context. For example, one of the words I had trouble learning at first was the word for library (dosogwan). By pairing it with the word study (gonbu-hada) I remembered both of them.

What helps to remember vocabulary is not whether or not you make flashcards, but rather your exposure to the language. I can estimate that I know at least 300 vocabulary words.

In the future, my goal is to continue making flashcards (I have stopped due to a number of reasons and because of this, I have stagnated in my progress) and sample sentences. I hope to learn 100 more words this winter break. 

The New York Times article about the verge of extinction of a Native American language called Siletz Dee-ni reminded me of my own tribal language that is spoken by my parents. Languages die when the speakers of the language are very few, and when there is no written record of the language. It is much more common for oral languages to die permanently, because there is no proof that it once existed. For this reason the Siletz tribe, like many other tribes with oral languages, is trying to create a dictionary to preserve it. When a language is only spoken by a handful of people (or even more than a handful) and is not seen as useful, it easy for it to get lost generation after generation. This is especially common in children who have immigrant parents. If the language is not spoken at home, it will most likely not be part of their vocabulary and as the family line continues, the language will no longer be a part of the norm. 

The culture shock video demonstrated the feelings of international students when they come to study in America. For a lot of international students, university is their first exposure to American culture, and a lot of times it is their first time stepping foot in the United States. I feel as though I can relate to a lot of how they feel. Being a third culture kid, I often have to ask myself where I fit in. My parents were born and raised in Ethiopia, but I consider myself more of an American than I am an Ethiopian. In this case, the “third culture” is the gap between the two different worlds that I am thrusted in- I find it hard to figure out where I really belong, and to meld the two cultures and norms together.

I have personally experienced culture shock when I went to Ethiopia. Even my parents, who have immigrated to America only 20 years ago, are still faced with culture shock when they go back to where they were raised. They ask themselves how they were ever raised in these conditions, and are in awe. I expect to face some culture shock when I go abroad to South Korea next semester. Living in a homogenous country is going to be a lot different than what I am used to. 

I started my Korean language-learning journey during winter break of my sophomore year. I feel as though I have made a lot of progress. While I could not even string a simple sentence together last year, I now am able to speak coherently and also understand what native speakers are saying. Throughout this journey, I have learned a lot about myself. For one thing, I learned that I have an innate ability for languages. Not only that, but I also learned that through motivation and persistence, anything is possible. A lot of people say that they want to learn a language, but they rarely follow the steps that make it possible. I am glad I participated in the self-directed learning language program at University of Richmond because it taught me that language learning is something that should be a life long skill, because one can never learn enough languages.

What I found the most difficult, was finding time to practice my speaking. The only time I had to practice my speaking skills was twice a week with my language partner. I discovered that language learning is not a passive process like we students are so used to, but rather an active one that requires both giving and taking. It is impossible to learn a language by simply watching a video, reading a grammar book, or listening to a lecture. It is necessary to have hands on, face-to-face speaking practice so that one can gain confidence in their accent and mannerisms. Language is not only about the words that are spoken, but is also about culture. It means nothing if you can speak a language but have not had contact with native speakers.

I enjoyed seeing myself grow and learning that I have an intrinsic motivation to learn Korean. This could possibly be because I am going abroad to South Korea next semester and wanted to get the best out of my experience, but it could also be because of my general interest in Korean culture and my desire to learn a second language. I wanted to impress my family and friends, and also impress myself. I have enjoyed pushing myself outside my boundaries and my limits; typically, I do not like uncertainty. During the beginning stages of learning, I felt myself being very tense because I was ashamed of making mistakes. However, throughout this experience I realized that it is impossible to learn a language without making mistakes and feeling embarrassed. In fact, making mistakes is one of the best ways to learn.

 I will continue my learning my watching Cyber University’s Korean lectures online and practicing during my own time. I will also purchase Talk to Me in Korean’s workbooks, as a lot of foreigners said it has helped them. I have learned from other friends that increased exposure is the most effective way of learning. Whether it be through dramas, conversations I over hear, or other methods, I will make a conscious effort to be exposed to the language (which will not be difficult when I am abroad) so that I do not stagnate.

 I found it very useful when we had to design a learning activity for the rest of the class. Through designing the activity, I was able to learn myself. They say that teaching is one of the best indicators of knowing that you have mastered a skill. I definitely feel more confident knowing the days of the week now, because of that activity. I recommend you keep this activity for future language learners as well, as it will force them to know something well enough to teach the class, and thus learn it themselves! 

Person 1: Hello!

Person 2: Hi!

Person 1: Where are you going?

Person 2: I am going to the library to study for Korean. Where are you going?
Person 1: I am going to my dorm!
Person 2: What are you going to do in your dorm?
Person 1: I am going to sleep!

Person 2: See you later.

Person 1: Goodbye!

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Monologue: Hi, my name is Timaj. I am a student. Next year I will be going to Yonsei University. Let me introduce my family. My mom is a really hard working, she is usually in the kitchen cooking food for the family. She loves to cook. My dad usually watches the news after work, and my brother plays computer games after school. My sister studies after she comes home from school. Artifact%203.wav

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Person 1: Where did you buy that bag?

Person 2: I bought it at F21.

Person 1: It's really pretty! I want to buy it.

Person 2: Really? Yeah, it's pretty.

Person 1: Yesterday I went shopping and bought a lot of clothes.

Person 2: Really? I really like shopping too. 

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Joora: Timaj, where are you from?

Timaj: I am from Washington, DC.

Joora: What does DC look like?

Timaj: DC is very beautiful..it has many parks and museums. Where are you from?

Joora: My hometown is Yangju, and there are lots of mountains. 

Timaj: How is the weather like?

Joora: Yangju has 4 clear seasons.

Timaj: How is public transportation in Yangju?

Joora: It's not good. It takes one hour to get to Seoul by subway.

Timaj: Do you often go to Seoul?

Joora: Yes, I go to Seoul often. What do you do when you hang out in D.C?

Timaj: I go to see movies with my friends. What do you do in Yangju? 

Joora: I sing karaoke with my friends.

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My culture project explored the dating culture in South Korea. Compared to America, dating culture in South Korea is vastly different. To begin, South Koreans are a lot more connected to their significant others, and they constantly talk through social media and texting. Contrastingly, in America, independence is more valued and couples tend to focus more on themselves when they are away from each other. When looking solely at South Korea, one can see that notions of dating have changed over time, and it is more common to see women who are single in modern day. While traditional norms required that the partner be chosen and approved by the family, there is more freedom in contemporary times in choosing a partner, and for many Koreans, their first time dating is in college, where they have more freedom away from parents. Korean%20Dating%20Culture.pptx

I week I wanted to challenge myself and see how far I can go watching a Korean drama before getting lost and not understanding anything that was said. Surprisingly enough, I was able to watch for two minutes and understand at least 60% of what was being said (more than half!) Even if I did not catch on to every word, I was proud of myself for catching words and phrases and making predictions based on the body languages of the actors. However, the language used in dramas is very different than conversation (actors speak more formally, lines are rehearsed and thus less authentic) and my next goal is to be able to understand when natives speak in their day-to-day- lives. 

This week I learned the different words to say “to someone” and “from someone.” The word “han-te” can be used when saying something is from someone or to someone (ie: I am going to give this present to my friend). However, I learned that when used in the passive voice, “han-te” and “han-te-so” can also mean “by” instead of “from” or “to.” 

This week I focused on how to construct sentences using “but” and “however.” There are two words that I learned: “ku-ro-ji-man” and “ku-run-de.” Ku-ro-ji-man means “however” or “but” and can be used to contrast two facts. Usually, this word demonstrates that the speaker is disagreeing with the first fact. On the other hand, one can use “ku-run-de” to also contrast a previous statement, but it can also mean “and.” This means that the different between the two words is that the speaker can use this word to simply add another fact that matches the previous fact. 

This week I learned how to use the phrase “ha-go” to connect two terms together. Instead of saying “kuh-ri-go” (which means and), it is a lot easier and smoother to say “ha-go.” Just like how a child in elementary school sounds silly continuously using “and” and stringing a run on sentence, foreigners who are learning Korean may sound less sophisticated continuously using “kuh-ri-go.” Learning “ha-go” has helped me because a more advanced learner.

My goal for this week is to learn the days of the week. There is no way to learn the days of the week other than memorizing. I broke down the stem of each word, since that is the only aspect of the word that changes. For example, Monday is “wol-yo-il” and Tuesday is hwa-yo-il. The ending of the word (yo-il) stays the same, while the stem changes. Tia and I created a learning activity for the class and through that activity, I learned myself! I realize that I learn best when teaching someone else. Teaching someone a skill is one of the best ways to know if you have mastered that skill.

My learning goal for this week is to increase vocabulary. I realized I hit a stagnant point after I stopped making flashcards, and wanted to make sure the number of vocabulary terms I was learning kept increasing. I exposed myself to a lot more by speaking with a pen pal online, and asking about words I did not know. When I came across unfamiliar words, I used context clues and the words that I did know to make a prediction about what it could possibly mean. After words, I used my Korean dictionary to look up the word. The more exposure I had with the word, the quicker it stuck in my mind. I also made it a point to use it a lot more in the practice sentences that I made. 

I have been progressing really well after changing language partners. Since Joora is not a certified teacher, learning was a lot more casual and more conversational as opposed to being structured, which helped a lot in some ways. I was faced with questions that I would be asked day to day in Korea. Some of the questions Joora asked me was “What are you going to do during winter break?” or “What is your favorite k-drama?” I was able to answer these questions reflecting the way she asked them. I also realized my listening skills have greatly improved.

My learning goals for this week is to talk about things I will do in the future. Learning future tense in Korean is not that hard, and I managed to learn it after watching one video lesson and constructing practice sentences. There are two general rules when speaking in future tense, and it depends on whether the ending sound is consonant or a vowel. After practicing with a few verbs, it became natural for me to know when to use which rule.