This semester I learned so much about the ways we can use language to gain insights about the customs and lifestyles of different cultures around the world. I had so much fun learning about different components of language since I was never taught about linguistics while learning a language in my previous school experiences, and I think it made my language learning more effective and sparked new curiosities for me as a language learner. Having the opportunity to self-direct my language learning helped me learn more about my learning styles and how previous language learning courses did not suit my goals and interests in the most effective way. Through this experience, I didn’t realize how beneficial it was to have a language partner to meet with each week to help me reach my goals. The one-on-one time with a native speaker helped me to gain more confidence as I learned Hangul and Korean grammar and syntax, especially since the alphabet was entirely unfamiliar to me so I really appreciated being able to learn at my own pace. I also enjoyed having an abundance of resources available to us through the Global Studio to enhance our language learning. I honestly wish I would have taken more advantage of the many different resources, but I really benefited most from watching videos to learn Korean pronunciation as well as informational videos about Korean culture and history, and websites such as 90daykorean.com and koreanclass101.com had very informative blog posts, learning guides, and interactive lessons which were extremely helpful outside my weekly meetings with my language partner. I think my biggest challenge this semester was learning correct pronunciation and memorizing grammar rules and vocabulary words, but with time I know these kinds of challenges will lessen in my future language learning experiences. This semester diminished my fears of getting out of my comfort zone to learn languages that seem completely different and more complex than what I’m used to, but the linguistic information I learned during class really gave me the confidence to believe in my language learning abilities and now I’m excited to challenge myself to learn even more! Over the summer, I plan to continue to study Korean in my free time and hopefully maybe next summer I can apply my skills with a trip to South Korea to visit a family friend!
I also really enjoyed many readings and activities in class that really helped improve my understanding of language and how it connects with culture. One of my favorite readings from this semester was Figuring Foreigners Out because it’s so important to understand the culture of the native speakers for the target language that one is trying to learn. This chapter simplified the different characteristics that cultures may differ on that impact their communication and interactions with others, so understanding the values of that culture are crucial to culturally competent communication with native speakers. I also really enjoyed the Atchinson’s readings about linguistics, in particular the diagram depicting the scope of linguistics and the different disciplines that one can examine through linguistics. The diagram really gave me an idea of the foundational aspects of language to focus on in my language learning and guided me in the order I should focus on certain language goals. For example, I found it helpful to start with the phonetics of Korean as the foundation by learning the alphabet and the sounds, and with that basis I could move on to more complex concepts like morphology and syntax to be able to speak conversationally. Learning the different disciplines made me realize that language is interconnected with so many topics that I’ve been interested in, such as sociology, anthropology, health/medicine, psychology, and of course literature (stylistics), so this really sparked my curiosity of learning more about different cultures and how language shapes these different topics within their society and culture. I also really enjoyed class activities that gave us a look into the culture and communication of other language speakers. I remember the video we watched in class about a tribe that didn’t have many distinct colors in the way we recognize them, but they distinguish by different shades that to our eyes, we couldn’t recognize any difference at all! I just find it so interesting the many different ways we all see the same things in the world and how language shapes and reveals to us our values and way of life. In addition, I enjoyed the morphology activity where we had to try to interpret the meaning of Swahili words by recognizing patterns in the words we were provided. This lesson probably stood out the most to me because I began to understand how language works as a system so we are able to search for patterns to interpret meaning. Through this approach to language learning, I began to really appreciate the structure of language as it made it much easier to try to understand different words and sentences in Korean. Overall, this semester has been such an incredible language learning experience and I’m particularly excited to learn more about morphology so I can identify different grammatical structures in other languages!
Comments
The inclusion of cultural studies as part of language learning is so important! I’m glad to hear that your self-directed experience was enriched by learning about Korean culture. I agree that cultural knowledge and awareness is essential, especially when speaking to native speakers, because there are all sorts of social hierarchies and values attached to language. Also, as a linguistics minor, I’m so happy to hear about your insight on language and how it connects to other disciplines!