Discussion Post #8

[Isaac Choe]

I’ve written Korean since I was about 8 years old. This is when I was first taught it in a Korean Saturday school, and have written it occasionally ever since. Korean as a language is quite straightforward to read and write, as many linguists know. Currently, I prefer to write in free hand, as my handwriting (even in English), is quite atrocious, and can use a bit of work, especially when it comes to certain characters such as ㄹ. The quick succession of straight lines makes it a difficult character to write neatly, however, I have seen a bit of progress in terms of not having to make such a concerted effort to even begin writing it out, maintaining a sense of flow as I write. Continuing, I’ve noticed that in writing, Korean ends sentences with 다 quite frequently–– something you don’t really hear in the vernacular as it sounds a bit robotic. In written contexts, spelling is something that haunts me to this day. Even words I spell semi-frequently have occasional errors, as I’m more comfortable with how they are pronounced when spoken, rather than accurately spelled. An aid for this that I’ve discovered is learning Hanja, as these roots see themselves consistent, and it’s more a matter of combining Hanja roots that I’ve memorized how to spell where I’m most accurate in my writing. Finally, an example of a phrase I use frequently is 한국말 잘 못해요, which means, “I’m not very good at Korean.” Quite applicable to my current situation, and it also has several ㄹ to help me in that regard. 

[Joseph Lee]

I was also a victim of Korean Saturday school, and I remember how I got scolded for writing the characters in the wrong order. For example, the character ㅁ is literally just a square, but the fact that there was a convention in writing such character blew my mind back then. My handwriting is pretty bad as well - it definitely doesn't help that Korean's written structure also implements vertical writing, and for me I find my 받침s often really compressed.

[Ethan Han]

I also like writing in Korean. As you said, it helps my flow of thinking better than if I were typing. It also helps me develop my "Korean Brain". Something about physically writing establishes a better connection in my brain and helps me learn better. I think this is true for most people and that is why note-taking is key when learning.

[Anna Liu]

Hi Isaac,

I definitely think writing in Korean is easier to do than some other languages like Chinese because there is an alphabet system in Korean. If you forget how to write the character, you can mostly sound it out. Chinese characters are the complete opposite. There is no alphabet system, and the only way to know how to write the characters is through memorization and practice. I know how to write very little Chinese characters, luckily, there is the pinyin system, which is the romanization of Chinese characters. It makes it so much easier to "write"!