SDLC110 - Learning Journal #3
As I’ve come to reflect on my third learning journal, I’ve had decent improvement in my speaking and conversational skills. I think that intentionality is a huge aspect of learning or wanting to develop in a language. Pushing my limits and using Korean as frequently as I can whether it be with my language partner or someone I can speak Korean with has been challenging but helpful significantly. Furthermore, the more consistent I am, this helps reinforce my conversational skills.
A great method of conversational skills that I have been practicing with my language partner is switching on and off between using honorifics. I think that this skill is so important to have as Korean culture is based largely around respect for elders. Knowing how and when to use honorifics versus casual talk is an important distinction. I also think that it was very helpful as this is an intersection with SDLC 105 in which we examine linguistic properties and rules. Using honorifics allows me as a Korean speaker to navigate when to use it based on factors such as social status, age, and more. A lot of honorifics in Korean revolve around adding a “요” after a statement or sentence. This is a very simplified way to look at it. There are more variations such as adding “니다” as well.
When speaking with adults especially, I found this tool to be useful. Bridging the gap and communicating with those who are unable to speak english and communicating in their respective native language can be a fulfilling experience. The way I approached learning honorifics and honing down on my skills is by first observing the micro contents of it. This includes gender based separation with regards to the language. For example, 씨 will typically refer to the female gender while 님 refers to the male gender and can be interpreted as “sir”. Small differences such as these I found helped in later expanding my further understanding of how the honorific system works.
Lastly, within my study of honorifics, I found that there is a spectrum in terms of formality. Understanding that there can also be a semi-formal version of honorifics was very intriguing. I used to often think in terms of a binary where you either use honorifics or you don’t but semi-honorifics was a thing that I learned later existed. This is often used in the context of meeting someone new who you may not know yet and want to be polite. This can even be someone who is younger than you but who you are unfamiliar with or a peer. You still want to show respect, hence using a level of honorifics but not to the fullest extent.
Understanding the micro differences that exist in honorifics overall has been extremely helpful in improving my conversational skills as well as contextualizing my understanding of the social dynamics within Korean culture.
As I’ve come to reflect on my third learning journal, I’ve had decent improvement in my speaking and conversational skills. I think that intentionality is a huge aspect of learning or wanting to develop in a language. Pushing my limits and using Korean as frequently as I can whether it be with my language partner or someone I can speak Korean with has been challenging but helpful significantly. Furthermore, the more consistent I am, this helps reinforce my conversational skills.
A great method of conversational skills that I have been practicing with my language partner is switching on and off between using honorifics. I think that this skill is so important to have as Korean culture is based largely around respect for elders. Knowing how and when to use honorifics versus casual talk is an important distinction. I also think that it was very helpful as this is an intersection with SDLC 105 in which we examine linguistic properties and rules. Using honorifics allows me as a Korean speaker to navigate when to use it based on factors such as social status, age, and more. A lot of honorifics in Korean revolve around adding a “요” after a statement or sentence. This is a very simplified way to look at it. There are more variations such as adding “니다” as well.
When speaking with adults especially, I found this tool to be useful. Bridging the gap and communicating with those who are unable to speak english and communicating in their respective native language can be a fulfilling experience. The way I approached learning honorifics and honing down on my skills is by first observing the micro contents of it. This includes gender based separation with regards to the language. For example, 씨 will typically refer to the female gender while 님 refers to the male gender and can be interpreted as “sir”. Small differences such as these I found helped in later expanding my further understanding of how the honorific system works.
Lastly, within my study of honorifics, I found that there is a spectrum in terms of formality. Understanding that there can also be a semi-formal version of honorifics was very intriguing. I used to often think in terms of a binary where you either use honorifics or you don’t but semi-honorifics was a thing that I learned later existed. This is often used in the context of meeting someone new who you may not know yet and want to be polite. This can even be someone who is younger than you but who you are unfamiliar with or a peer. You still want to show respect, hence using a level of honorifics but not to the fullest extent.
Understanding the micro differences that exist in honorifics overall has been extremely helpful in improving my conversational skills as well as contextualizing my understanding of the social dynamics within Korean culture.
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