The reading on cultural competence was interesting and the ideas were similar to my approach to the Korean language. It is important to learn the vocabulary, but it is also important to be educated in the "social, culture, and cognitive characteristics of communication."
Grammatical competence, discourse competence, sociolinguistic competence, and strategic competence are all important to the functional aspects of communication. The last two, sociolinguistic and strategic competence, I believe , should have more emphasis. This way, we will better understand the "rules" that govern our conversations. The section discussing conversation analysis brings up questions such as the rules to initiate, terminate, and avoid topics -- interrupt, correct, and seek clarification.
If one learns social cues, this may come in handy, especially because Korean is a contextual language. Words are understood based on the situation, so sometimes it may be unwise to take words literally. Misinterpretation and miscommunication may result.
For example, when an elder offers a gift of food, denying the gift should not be taken lightly. When you deny a gift, it is seen more as a rejection and act of disrespect. These cues pass on to the language. Koreans may not always be direct in their language. "Yes" is not necessarily "yes," and Koreans try to avoid saying "no." Therefore, it is important to try and avoid asking "yes" or "no" questions. When asking if someone can meet at the start of the week, it is better to ask, "When is the earliest you can meet?" rather than, "Can you meet on Monday?"
It is important to learn the ins and outs of the Korean language culture in order to avoid awkward encounters with others.
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