It has been over a year since I took SDLC 110. During the Fall 2019 semester, I studied Korean with Professor Sumi Kim from the Lord Jesus Korean Church and Jenna, my UR language partner. That was the first time I formally learned Korean. Before that, I knew only a few words and phrases. The most important thing that Professor Kim and Jenna taught me was how to read and write using the Korean alphabet. Since then, I have read Korean whenever I had the chance – whether it was on a poster, a card, a cooking ingredient, subtitles, et cetera. I have become much faster at reading Korean. When I first learned the alphabet, it would take me a few seconds to sound out each individual character, let alone one word. Now, it has become more second-nature to me to read in Korean. I am still not a fast reader, but I am happy with how my reading level has progressed. This was a good strategy for me to develop my reading skills because in my daily life (especially at home), I am surrounded by Korean words. Stopping to read whatever Korean words were around me was an effective strategy in advancing my reading level because it was a constant way for me to practice. Now that it has been over a year since I have studied Korean with a teacher, I am glad I continually read in Korean so that I did not forget the alphabet.
This past week, I met with Jannette, my language partner this semester. We briefly reviewed the Korean alphabet so that she could assess my reading and speaking level. I was able to say most of the letters correctly. I was unsure of how to say some of the complex vowels. I remember learning them, but I do not see them often in Korean words. Jannette and I also developed a learning plan for this semester. I want to focus on listening and speaking, particularly practicing proper pronunciation. During the past year, I read and wrote in Korean more often than I listened and spoke because I did not have a formal teacher or language partner. Now, I hope to speak often in Korean so that I sound understandable.
One way I will develop my Korean speaking skills is by reading out loud. I have already checked out Korean children’s books, which I look forward to reading. This will also teach me more vocabulary words and simple grammar rules. Another exercise which I learned from Talk To Me In Korean is listening to a Korean word and then writing it out. This will help me improve my listening and writing skills. I also plan on using other Talk To Me In Korean resources. They have many courses on their website, such as “How Korean Sentences Work,” “Korean Pronunciation Guide,” “Must-Know Words In Korean,” and “Short & Useful Korean Phrases for Beginners.”
Overall, I am very excited to formally study Korean again this semester. I am meeting with Jannette individually and as a group with her other students. I am particularly looking forward to our group meetings, which will hopefully give me a chance to communicate in Korean with people with a similar language level.
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