June Choi
Dr. Soloway
SDLC 113
April 12, 2020
SDLC 113 Biweekly Language Learning Journal Post #7
As the ways that I can interact with my language learning tutor, Jimin, are limited due to the remote learning situation, I have tried to find new, creative ways to improve my language learning. Some of the methods that I have incorporated include facetiming Jimin a couple times a week outside of our tutoring sessions just for casual conversations in Korean to help my Korean speaking become more like second nature. As Jimin is currently in Korea, she seems like even more of a native Korean speaker than she was before and has been keeping me up to date with the latest Korean trends and slang. Some of the new terms I’ve learned so far include “극혐” (extreme disgust), “갑이다” (the boss), “움짤” (GIF), and “금사빠” (person who falls in love easily). I feel like there’s a neverending influx of new slang that makes it hard for me to keep up, but I am thankful to have a tutor who is in the midst of it all. Learning these “hip” terms makes me feel more inclusive to Korean culture.
Some of our facetime sessions have also involved watching youtube videos or dramas simultaneously in order to recreate the feel of viewing something together in person. Lately, we’ve been watching a very popular Netflix K-drama called “Kingdom,” or “킹덤” in Korean. It’s a horror series that has a historical background set in Korea’s Joseon period after the Japanese invasions of Korea. The plot revolves around the Crown Prince Lee Chang who digs deep into political conspiracy to learn more about the spread of a mysterious plague that has affected the current king. This plague ultimately turns people into horrifying zombies, and I thought that the first episode was pretty terrifying that I was hesitant to continue. However, the intricate plot and the historical background of the drama kept me wanting to watch more. Jimin helped me decipher between what was historically accurate and what was not, which I thought was very useful. Overall, the new historically-based K-drama has been helping me learn more about the formalities in royalty, along with the different style of speech and language that was used back then. I also find the traditional clothing to be very interesting.
Lastly, I have also been keeping up with the Korean news, and recently I came upon an article that sparked my interest. The article appraised a live, virtual concert that is to include many famous American artists including Lady Gaga, Billy Eilish, Elton John, Charlie Puth, and last but not least, SuperM. This concert is to be hosted by Lady Gaga and is titled “One World: Together At Home,” or “투게더 앳 홈.” It is an effort to fundraise money for the healthcare providers helping people fight COVID19, as well as to appreciate and give thanks to the hardworking healthcare providers. I thought this concept was spectacular in the midst of this crisis, and was pleasantly surprised that SuperM (슈퍼엠) is joining. It is a Korean boyband that is part of the SM group. The article itself was not difficult to understand except for a few words that I had to look up online. It also included a lot of “Konglish” because of the American content that it was covering. Overall, I am pleased to have continued improving especially upon my Korean speaking as well as reading comprehension. I do, however, believe I need to improve my grammar more.
Comments
Hi June,
Thank you for the interesting and relatable post! I also watched both seasons of Kingdom and really enjoyed the cinematography as well as being able to see the level of formality in the Korean language. Although zombies are not my cup of tea, this series is an exception. I found your comment "neverending influx of new slang" extremely relatable. I also find it difficult to keep up with the new ones when I don't even have the older ones down.
Hi June, This post was fun to read and be able to learn more 속담s. It truly is never-ending and Korean slang keeps growing which makes it a little hard to keep up with. I actually had watched kingdom as well and it was an interesting concept of history and zombies. And all those virtual concerts were also cool as I watched one for a korean group on youtube for a little bit on the weekend out of boredom a few weeks ago.
Hi June!
Sometimes, I find it so difficult to learn slangs for two different languages constantly. It's ever-changing and lasts only for a hot second, so I agree with you that it is very hard to keep up with both Korean and English slangs. Also, I watched "Kingdom" too and I absolutely loved it. I think it was very interesting and unique to combine imperial South Korea with the concept of hungry peasant zombies. I think it was symbolic of how the peasants were always under poverty and hungry, and ironically now, they will always be hungry- but now for blood. Thanks for posting!
Hey June! This biweekly journal was fun to read. I like how you included some of the words learned and the dramas you have been watching. I actually watched kingdom too, and I really enjoyed it. I thought the actors did a good job of portraying the emotions that people in a zombie apocalypse would feel.