Some insights that I’ve gained as a language learner is that I should never be afraid. One thing I realized when I was speaking Korean in Korea was that I was very anxious about saying the wrong thing or my pronunciation was not accurate. There were actually a lot of times where I attempted to say something in Korean but they weren’t able to understand it. But I learned that I will never grow if I am always so conscious about my Korean language because I will never know if I try. During the last several weeks, I felt that I had really improved and developed my Korean skills. My initial objectives for this class were to increase my vocabulary, improve my grammar (particularly in terms of subject markers and verb conjugations), and engage in daily conversation. I was pleasantly pleased at how much I was able to learn, particularly in terms of vocabulary, when I utilized and practiced them on a regular basis. In contrast to my Korean lesson, I only had to memorize them for a week before forgetting about them. However, every week with Vivan, we went over all of the vocabulary we rehearsed and revisited the terms from the previous week. Same thing with grammar, reviewing the previous concepts helped me grasp the new concepts. And in the long term, helps me actually learn the language better
Something I found difficult was definitely the sentence structures of the Korean lanauge because they are in SOV form. An example would be 나는 피자 먹어요 (I eat pizza). From Korean, it would literally translate to “I pizza eat”. This sentence structure was very hard for me to get familiar with because when I learn languages, I usually link the English to Korean, but it was more difficult with Korean just because I had to think ahead about what the object was before.
Something that I have enjoyed was learning about the culture along with the language. We were able to get some cultural immersion experience by going to get Korean BBQ at Korea Garden in Richmond. During this experience, I could use my Korean skills to order in a restaurant. I remember being in Korea I was a bit uncomfortable speaking the language because I didn’t have anyone there to check or correct me. But getting to go to Korean BBQ with Vivian was as helpful as she was in our classes. If I used a wrong measure word, she would correct me right away on the spot, which I feel is the most useful way to learn something.
I will continue my learning by continuing to seek out free resources, such as Youtube. There are some good videos that I could invest in that are ideal for speaking, engaging, and pronunciation. Also, I hope to be able to watch K-dramas and understand everything without subtitles. There is a feature in Netflix called Netflix Language Learning, which offers translated subtitles in two languages. In this case, I could do it in English and Korean at the same time so I can actively be studying the subtitles while watching.
I was able to reflect on my learning styles and find out what kind works best for me. I was always a visual learner, but I realized that my learning styles may be different from the way I learn in my business classes vs. Korean classes. I also found out that I learn best through repetition, as many others may, with languages. I found out about an app called Drops, which is a vocabulary builder game. Everyday, you can play matching games but the special thing about Drops is how repetitive it is. Unlike Quizlet, everytime you click on a word or match a word, it says it. Hearing it along with thinking about it really helps it stick in my brain. It also repeats it over and over many times even if you get it the first time. I still remember the first word I learned from that app because it stuck with me. Something also really helpful that Vivian did was create weekly tests for me. Although no one likes to take tests, I think they were really useful in helping me study and retain the information that I learned.
Something I would like to learn more about is Korean Pop Culture. Specifically, the history, and how it grew to be a global phenomenon that has garnered millions of fans throughout the world. Overall, this class has been very interesting to me because I have always found the growth of Korean culture and its effects in music, movies, dramas, brands, and many more aspects around the world very compelling. One of the most prime examples is K-pop, K-dramas, and movies in the United States: BTS thriving in America, Korean dramas taking over American Netflix, and the movie Parasite making history by being the first non-English film to win best picture at the 2020 Oscars. These factors push me to explore how and why Korean culture grew all around the world and how it has impacted other cultures as well.
Comments
Aliya,
It's awesome to see that you were able to increase your vocabulary and grammar even after your study abroad experience. And yes, Youtube is one of the best resources to learn a language as there are so many different videos like Korean variety shows and dramas. Plus it's free! Anyways, thanks for a great post!