105 Post Learning Journal #8

[Carlos Diaz]

For my target language (Korean), I have learned over 75 words and phrases in topics ranging from family to dates. From greetings, farewells, and introductions to family, numbers, and questions, I am able to say important Korean words and phrases for day to day conversation. I have been able to learn two numbering systems, members of the family, simple expressions of emotions, basic questions in order to obtain important information, simple responses to questions, forms of identification, expression of time, months, and etc. The strategies I have used to learn these Korean words and phrases encompass repetition and practice. I write the phrases repeatedly on the board and my notebook, and then I record myself to practice pronunciation. Having other languages in my arsenal (Spanish, English and French), I am able to make connections with the Korean words and phrases that help me learn it rather than memorizing them. I think I have realistic goals for acquiring vocabulary in my target language (Korean). Weekly, I pace myself to learn about 6-9 words or phrases. The key trick is to learn the connections and find the pattern on phrasing and use of the Korean words and phrases. For example, I learned the word “I” for Korean is “j/chun” which is used repeatedly when saying “I am sad, I am mad, I am happy, I am American”. Another example is the repeated used of the word “day” (yo-il) or “month” (wull) when saying the days of the week or months in the year. I do not try to learn more than my limit of 6-9 words and phrases per week as well as practice multiple times a week.