105 Learning Journal #6

[David Lee]

The history of Korean can help me learn the language better because it would provide me with some historical context that can perhaps answer some questions on the origin and structure of the language. Learning a language is more than just learning the alphabet or how to write words, but rather the knowledge of the culture is what helps one become fluent. Knowing the origin of the Korean language can help me understand the Korean culture on another level. To understand Korean better, one must know the culture of formal/informal speech for instance, which has a significant impact on the language. The form of speech differs when one is speaking to somebody older or somebody younger, and knowing why that is would help one understand the language much better. Being able to identify when to use formal and informal speech relates to the culture, and therefore plays a crucial role in understanding the language. When learning multiple languages, it is nice to know the histories to see if there is any link between them as well. For Korean, one can acknowledge the heavy influence Chinese characters had on the origin, and therefore see the similarities between Chinese languages and Korean.