SDLC 110 Post: March 30
Over the past few weeks, I’ve continued my focus on basic vocabulary development and reviewing essential greetings, primarily using Duolingo and support from my language learning assistant. I’ve found this combination of app-based learning and one-on-one guidance especially helpful at this stage, as it allows me to move at my own pace while still getting real-time correction and feedback when needed. This month, I returned to foundational material—common greetings and expressions like 안녕하세요 (annyeonghaseyo) for “hello,” and 감사합니다 (gamsahamnida) for “thank you,” to make sure I’ve internalized their proper usage and pronunciation. While these phrases were familiar to me, going back and practicing them again revealed pronunciation subtleties I hadn’t noticed before. For example, my language assistant pointed out that although I was saying 감사합니다 correctly in terms of syllables, the natural intonation and emphasis in the word still sounded slightly foreign. These types of minor but meaningful corrections have made me more aware of rhythm and tone, which are things Duolingo or other automated tools can’t fully replicate. One word that I unexpectedly struggled with was 괜찮아요 (gwaenchanayo), which means “It’s okay” or “I’m okay.” After struggling initially, my assistant helped me break it down into syllables, 괜-찮-아-요, and emphasized that the "gwaen" part should flow smoothly, almost like a single sound rather than two distinct ones. I think practicing this with a native speaker was crucial, as I doubt I would have developed confidence in saying it correctly through an app alone. Our sessions have mostly focused on pronunciation drills, conversational repetition, and cultural practice. Often, I’ll try to respond to prompts or recreate sentences I’ve learned in Duolingo, and Isaac will listen, offer corrections, or model a more natural way to say something. Sometimes, even when I get a phrase technically “right,” he’ll offer subtle refinements to sound more native-like. These moments remind me that language learning is not just about correctness but about fluency and flow. In terms of strategy, I’ve been balancing daily practice with Duolingo, where I focus on new vocabulary sets, and weekly sessions with my tutor, where I reinforce pronunciation and apply what I’ve learned in a more realistic context. Looking ahead, I’d like to expand my vocabulary into daily-use expressions and sentence starters, like “I like...,” “I want to...,” and “I’m going to...,” as this will make my spoken Korean more functional in real-life scenarios. So in general I am very happy with where I am at and how the course is progressing.
Over the past few weeks, I’ve continued my focus on basic vocabulary development and reviewing essential greetings, primarily using Duolingo and support from my language learning assistant. I’ve found this combination of app-based learning and one-on-one guidance especially helpful at this stage, as it allows me to move at my own pace while still getting real-time correction and feedback when needed. This month, I returned to foundational material—common greetings and expressions like 안녕하세요 (annyeonghaseyo) for “hello,” and 감사합니다 (gamsahamnida) for “thank you,” to make sure I’ve internalized their proper usage and pronunciation. While these phrases were familiar to me, going back and practicing them again revealed pronunciation subtleties I hadn’t noticed before. For example, my language assistant pointed out that although I was saying 감사합니다 correctly in terms of syllables, the natural intonation and emphasis in the word still sounded slightly foreign. These types of minor but meaningful corrections have made me more aware of rhythm and tone, which are things Duolingo or other automated tools can’t fully replicate. One word that I unexpectedly struggled with was 괜찮아요 (gwaenchanayo), which means “It’s okay” or “I’m okay.” After struggling initially, my assistant helped me break it down into syllables, 괜-찮-아-요, and emphasized that the "gwaen" part should flow smoothly, almost like a single sound rather than two distinct ones. I think practicing this with a native speaker was crucial, as I doubt I would have developed confidence in saying it correctly through an app alone. Our sessions have mostly focused on pronunciation drills, conversational repetition, and cultural practice. Often, I’ll try to respond to prompts or recreate sentences I’ve learned in Duolingo, and Isaac will listen, offer corrections, or model a more natural way to say something. Sometimes, even when I get a phrase technically “right,” he’ll offer subtle refinements to sound more native-like. These moments remind me that language learning is not just about correctness but about fluency and flow. In terms of strategy, I’ve been balancing daily practice with Duolingo, where I focus on new vocabulary sets, and weekly sessions with my tutor, where I reinforce pronunciation and apply what I’ve learned in a more realistic context. Looking ahead, I’d like to expand my vocabulary into daily-use expressions and sentence starters, like “I like...,” “I want to...,” and “I’m going to...,” as this will make my spoken Korean more functional in real-life scenarios. So in general I am very happy with where I am at and how the course is progressing.
Comments
It’s awesome how combining app learning with real conversation practice has helped you. I think focusing next on daily-use expressions will really help you feel even more natural when speaking Korean, and maybe we can work on this together.
Josh, I am happy to see you also utilize Duolingo. Isaac had me use Duolingo for most of the summer to work on my vocabulary, and I feel it helped me a lot before entering the class. I'm glad it helped you, too. Will you continue using it after we graduate?