I first learned that my strongest suit is still pronunciation. I guess it just comes from often listening to the language within natural contexts i.e. films. I also definitely would not consider learning languages as something I am skilled at. In fact, I think I am slower than most, but that is just how I feel, mainly because concrete memorization is difficult for me, and I would say about 90% of learning a language is memorization. Also the fact that I am learning an Asian language factors in. I have never learned any other language that uses English characters. It is highly possible that I struggle with languages like Korean because they have no basis in my native language or any language I grew up hearing. I can confidently say I definitely enjoy the cultural aspect more than the language. I wish the two were not so intimately intertwined. It is far easier to become ‘fluent’ in a culture as opposed to a language. I certainly enjoy Korean culture, mostly for historical reasons. I do not know why I have an affinity for the history as opposed to modern day culture. Perhaps it is because I find it more appealing in the sense of how unique it was. Because of globalization a lot of cultures are taking on certain aspects of globalized culture that simply were not present before, which gives the appearance of homogeny. People are very quick to praise globalization but I am far more hesitant. It’s message is quite nice but the consequences are not some of the time, as it is with all things, I suppose.
The readings I enjoyed the most to my own surprise were the earlier ones about the language learning process. I enjoy picking apart the components of a language to see exactly how it works. It is kind of like building a computer. The final product, when bought whole, can be taken for granted but when you painstakingly get piece by piece and understand how one part connects to another, its all the more enjoyable and offers both a better understanding and control of the language in general because you know how it works not just what it looks and sounds like.
I would like to learn more about the intercultural communicative aspects of Korean culture. I mentioned earlier how in Japan the inability to form deep relationships because of ‘unspoken rules, etc.” gave me more culture shock than the actual culture itself. I think I would benefit from scholarly essays that examine the psychological aspects of the culture, how they play out, and why they play out in such a manner. I’ve talked about how fascination with Korea stems from its history (the same goes for Japan), but I did not say that I typically end up having far less interest in the people of the culture, which is what always happens. In learning another language I am reminded of how important both the people and the language of the culture are.
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