Journal #5

[Sarah Kwon]

What interests me most about Korea is their music. Music is related to language because lyrics are essential to many songs. Many songs can also tell you more about the culture of Korea. Many times traditional music in Korea also tell you a lot about their history. Big events in history are often shared through music and remembered that way. Contemporary music may also be reflective of the trends in Korea. You do need some special vocabulary for this topic since you would want to understand the lyrics. Unlike a show you do not have much context that would help you understand the meaning of the song. Therefore, you should know some basic vocabulary of everyday life activities. I did include objectives in my learning plan that relate to this topic. By watching Korean shows and songs, but also by learning new vocabulary words in almost every class, I am able to understand more of the lyrics in the songs that I listen to.

[Kevin Kim]

I too think music is a core part of the current Korean culture. The industry there is growing so quickly that it is hard to keep up sometimes. I really like that you are listening to music to learn the vocabulary associated with contemporary music in Korea. I think casual speech is just as important as formal speech in any language. Good work!