One of the main things that got me interested in learning about Korean culture and language is Kpop without a doubt. With large production music videos and engaging television shows to back them up, the Korean music/entertainment industry is one of the most fascinating cultural phenomena in the world. One intriguing aspect of this is that the music seems to transcend language barriers. Even people like me who can not understand Korean and Hangul are still drawn to the flashy musical experience. Music as a medium of expression seems to be universal in this case; there is no need for any special vocabulary or linguistic knowledge to engage in Korean music initially. However, if one wants to get more than just musical beats from these pieces, one must be able to understand Korean at a masterful degree since the fast paced action and singing accelerate the necessary degree of understanding. Thus, one of the main things that comes with learning Korean is the ability to understand Korean quickly. Though this is difficult to quantify since speed is facilitated by practice. I have not explicitly put down any practice related to Korean music in my learning plan yet since I am still at the elementary level of Hangul. One place that may be worth considering for these musical pieces is the authentic cultural artifacts for SDLC 110. After all, music is a representation of some part of a culture. In the case of Kpop, music is an expression of how this industry was created as a commercial revenue source and may also signify a differentiation between the areas of the Korean peninsula. That is just speculation however.
Another area of Korean culture that intrigued me greatly was the television shows. Korean variety shows and drama shows illustrate core features of the Korean culture and definitely tie in language. One example of this is that many slang terms in the Korean language will be derived from jokes in Korean variety shows. These slang terms are a part of linguistic studies that focus on less formal and structural vocabulary and are more functional and are often inside jokes for Korean people who understand their language well and also share interest in a popular show. A similar occurrence can happen in Korean dramas. Understanding special vocabulary and linguistic knowledge is often very useful in this area of the culture since many slang terms utilize aspects of the language that fly over the head of a novice learner. Although not immediately necessary, understanding niche details is quite fun and in some cases has been added to my learning plan.
Both the music and television industries are interconnected in Korean, which is not always the case in other cultures. Many times, the artists will join Korean variety shows as guests or act in Korean dramas. This multifaceted web of Korean culture is often what traps unsuspecting viewers like me into deeply enjoying the journey through Korean culture and is what motivated me to study the language itself to have a better understanding of the language that much of the entertainment builds on.
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