During the past two weeks, I improved my vocabulary by watching Korean television shows. I’m very proud of how far I’ve come as I can watch shows without the use of subtitles. I understand a majority of the words and phrases that are used in Korean media and make note of the words that I have not learned yet. However, I do not believe that this method will be as beneficial as it is currently because I am starting to look for only specific words that I do not understand. When I first used this method, I was able to improve my vocabulary, listening, and speaking skills exponentially because I knew very few words in Korean.
I am currently considering several options such as learning Korean songs to improve my use of Korean. I think that I will see many improvements through this method for several reasons. First, I will not only learn the lyrics, but also repeat them several times. Second, I will learn to pronounce the words flexibly. Since there are a myriad of artists who sing with varying degrees of clear pronunciation, this is inevitable. I think I will enjoy this process because I will not only understand the nuances of Korean pronunciation, but also learn to sing some of my favorite songs. Since I’m already somewhat advanced in speaking Korean, I will try to learn one song every week.
I am also giving some of my friends some advice on basic Korean vocabulary, grammar rules, and culture. Although I am not learning anything new through this process, I am reminding myself of the fundamental principles. So far, I have given advice on honorifics, holidays, passive and active voice rules, and usage of vocabulary in sentences. The fact that I could spread knowledge and insights about the Korean language and culture made me so proud of my language and culture.
In the future, I plan on reading articles that help me to connect Hangul and Korean culture. One of the articles that I plan on reading involves the trade war between South Korea and Japan. Although this conflict in itself doesn’t reflect upon culture, it is deeply rooted during the colonization of Korea by Japan. This historical event is significant as Koreans almost lost not only their citizenship, but also their language. In addition, Korea and Japan had ongoing disputes about ownership of Dokdo Island and the bodies of water surrounding the island. Exploring topics like this will immerse me into the culture and language significantly.
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