learning journal #3

Korean is a language that has much to offer when viewed through the lens of language structure, especially when its original intent as a language is considered. Since it was a language constructed with the lower-class or uneducated population of Korea in mind, phonetics play an enormous role as a structure. The sounds that many of the consonants and vowels make, were then transcribed to the written letter; so the form that vocal cords or mouth would make when the sound was produced, was factored into what shape the actual written letter would take. This fact makes the idea that D. Crystal mentions, of separating or "selectively focusing" on certain parts of the language, both an enormously helpful method of language learning, and a nearly impossible task.

While it would be helpful to approach a completely new and foreign language by compartmentalizing and separating it into smaller, more approachable sections, this act of separation also takes away vital components of the language. Since I'm currently approaching the Korean language with some form of education already, I think it would be useful to understand that the existence of these structures in the language, and to try and incorporate the sections that I've learned about separately up until now. In the Korean school I attended when I was younger, they put an enormous focus on grammar and vocabulary, clearly differentiating the different levels of language and almost making them seem separate if not unrelated. However, while this approach did make it easier for me to learn the language in the beginning, by acknowledging that there are levels, and by combining them, it would allow me to dive a bit deeper than the superficial level I'm currently at.  

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