I have always liked learning languages and after several trips to Korea to visit my girlfriend's family I decided that I'd like to learn the language. After studying mandarin on and off for the last eight years I'm hoping that the switch to Korean will not be as difficult as starting from scratch. When I was learning Chinese I really enjoyed speaking in class, but struggled with reading and writing the characters. Over the course of this class I want to achieve a basic understanding of the language and be at a conversational speaking level. I have found that I am more of an insightful learner and that I learn better through experience than through studying a textbook. I feel like I learned more during the month I spent in ShangHai and the month I spent in Argentina than I had during the years I'd spent in classrooms. Alongside the normal studying that goes into learning a language I want to practice a lot with my girlfriend and experience some of Korea's culture by eating Korean food and watching Korean TV shows.
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I am interested in Portugese because my favorite soccer player, Ronaldo, is Portugese. I hope to one day be able to converse with him about his accomplishments in soccer in his native tongue. In this semester I hope to be able to address people, and freely converse with people in Portugese about soccer.
My interest in the Czech language and the Czech Republic in general arose when I went abroad last semester. I did not know much about the Czech Republic before I went, but I had heard amazing things about it. When I was abroad, I was in awe of the people, the food, the buildings, and especially the language. I quickly realized that not many people spoke English and so I took a Czech class and it was very enjoyable. My professor went very fast, but made sure we were all on track. I was extremely happy with my performance in the class, a little less so about my inability to speak in the right accent, so I decided to continue with the language.
This semester, I hope to learn more about the culture as well as learn more advanced Czech. I want to focus on the future tense, specific vocabulary for business and politics, and about daily life conversations. This year, I hope to gain proficiency in Czech, focusing on my listening skills and reading skills. My writing I hope to gain along with my reading and my speaking skills should be fine as long as I remember the vocabulary and the grammar. In the future, I hope to go back to Prague and the Czech Republic and hopefully, work with a company that will allow me to interact with Czech people and/or Czech culture.
What kind of learner am I?
I currently know four languages: English, Korean, Spanish, and now Czech. I would say my Spanish is probably the lowest even thought I have studied it for six years. I realized that I learn best when I am extremely interested in the culture and country. Because Korean and English are part of my identity, they come naturally to me. With Czech, I loved my time there and really connected to the people which is why I find it more interesting than Spanish. Whenever I learn a new language, I like the fact I can communicate with someone and flip between languages. To me, it represents who I am as a person; someone who cannot be categorized by one identity or one ethnicity. One thing I dislike is the lack of resources. For well-known languages, such as spanish, french, and german, there is a plethora of resources, but for less-used languages such as central European languages, there is not. For my learning activities, I need to be able to look at an object or an action and think the word or phrase in my head using my knowledge of English, Korean, and Czech. For the FIRE model, I learn best by memorizing facts and words, then applying it to real-life situations. I like to be in a safe environment where I can make mistakes and ask a lot of questions. I also value What-If questions heavily. In the future, after gaining proficiency in my three languages, I hope to pick up Mandarin Chinese as many of my friends are Chinese and I relate a lot to Chinese culture.
In my life I have learned 3 languages. I began with English, which I learned through my life experience and growing up around a English speaking environment. I am now fluent in English The second language I learned was Mandirin. I learned Mandirin by speaking it with my babysitter between the ages of 1 and 5. By regularly speaking Mandirin I have become a fluent speaker of Mandirin, but I do not have the ability to read or write the language. My final language is Spanish, which I learned starting in middle school. I carried on to learn Spanish for another 4 years in high school. I also furthered my Spanish speaking ability during a 2 month service trip in Nicaragua. I am at an intermediate level of familiarity with the language. I really don't remember learning English or Mandirin, as I was too young to remember. However, I can clearly remember how I have grown to learn Spanish, I enjoy being able to use the actually use the language. After having learned it for 6 years, I truly enjoyed going to Nicaragua, and speaking to people with language I had spent to much time learning. On the other hand, I did not enjoy learning conjugation and everything in the language in such a structured way. I found I learned much more in my 2 months in Nicaragua than I did during my 6 years in the classroom, because the learning was more natural, it wasn't forced upon me. I am an insightful learner. Activities that suit my learning style, are role playing, and case studies. I think in order to expand my language learning activities, I should go out and really try to use the language I am learning. Maybe try and meet someone who will converse with me in Portugese.
Q. What is your interest in 'your' language and what do you hope to accomplish this semester?
I am interested in learning Turkish so that I can communicate with Turkish speakers in some occasions. I am currently in a Novice Low level, and I want to be Novice High at the end of the semester. I want to learn about Turkish culture including festivals, tourist attractions, and holidays in Turkey. While I am learning about those cultural backgrounds, I want to be able to explain my feelings, and lead conversation like figuring out where the bathroom is and where a theater is. I will be able to ask questions and answer on familiar topics in Turkish. I also want to read and write short messages and notes on familiar topics related to everyday life. I will finish learning at least 8 Chapters on Manggo website during the semester and review what I learned every week. I hope that I can be influential to my friends and family and encourage them to learn new languages like Turkish.
As a language learner, I have enjoyed pushing myself and my brain to think in ways that I could not before. I think the concept of grammar is especially something that I am fascinated by because of the ways that it varies in different languages. I have studied Spanish for 10 years and Mandarin Chinese for 5 years, so beginning Turkish as a self-directed language has given me the opportunity to reflect on what has worked for me in the past and what has not.
I enjoy being able to speak openly and practice with my classmates in a collaborative environment as opposed to a lecture-style class. I have had trouble doing speaking exercises by myself outside of class, so finding someone I can talk to is a key to learning for me. I believe that based on the FIRE model and my past experiences, I am a combination of an evaluative learner and a rational learner.
One way that I can expand my learning activities would be to use real world experiences to supplement my classroom time such as Turkish restaurants or cafes, being around native speakers, etc.
I decided to study Korean last year after seeing how many awards Korean advertising agencies had won in a few global advertising competitions. As an advertising major, I often check on award results to see what agencies I should keep tabs on and apply to in the future. I was shocked to see how many Korean agencies had beat American agencies for awards this past year. After learning more about the advertisements, I thought that I would want to work at a Korean agency. In order to do that, I would need to learn Korean. I met with Korean students studying abroad at Richmond to learn more about the culture and get their opinions on how to go about learning Korean. I then decided to go abroad in Korea, where I was part of a daily intensive Korean course, and fell in love with Seoul. I am continuing to study Korean so that I can apply to jobs in Korea and live a more comfortable life there than when I went abroad. Also, I plan to take TOPIK at some point and use that score to obtain a work visa.
This semester I hope to get my level of Korean to Intermediate 2 and I think by taking this class, it will be easier for me to commit time every day to studying and create a regimented schedule for language learning.
After reviewing the Levels of Competency resource, I found myself to be either beginning 2 or developing 1 depending on the topic. For example, my listening is developing 1 while my speaking is beginning 2. I find great difficulty in creating compound sentences while speaking so I often have to rely on multiple short sentences or phrases that were completely memorized. Since I am currently looking for work in Korea, my goals are many and varied. I want to improve my Korean in every department: listening, speaking, reading comprehension, and writing. If I were to summarize my goals in one statement, I would say that I want to be able to connect with people. I want to be able to express my true self and personality in Korean while also being able to recognize nuances about other people. I often felt that my Korean friends were nervous while speaking to me since they wanted to pick words and phrases I could comprehend. I would like people to feel more comfortable when speaking with me in Korean.
Coming from a multi-national family, which speaks 3 languages, I've always considered myself as a fairly good language learner. However, I do find it challenging to achieve fluency in my family's 2 other languages since I don't use them in wide variety of ways like I do English. My use of those languages is almost always conversational so my vocabulary and understanding of grammar is limited. Because of this experience, I believe it was easier for me to pinpoint my weaknesses and areas that need extra attention when I began studying Korean. I agree with one of the articles that Korean was the most fun when I was beginning because everything seemed fresh and exciting. Now that I am in the low-intermediate level I feel less motivated and stuck because it is much harder to go from low-intermediate to high-intermediate than it is to go from low-beginner to high-beginner. There is so much to learn that it is easy to feel overwhelmed. From the FIRE model, I prefer learning in factual way because it is most comfortable for me. However, learning in the Evaluative style might be better for me since it is the most uncomfortable and will push me to speak aloud in Korean (which I find challenging). I enjoy worksheets, quizzes and tests since they keep me in-line and help me set deadlines for myself. I think I could expand my learning activities by also doing reading comprehension activities (read a newspaper and summarize it) and translating text to learn more about the feeling and intent behind Korean sentences.
I am interested in learning Korean because I would like to be able to communicate better with my family members. I would like to improve in speaking Korean so that I can better express myself and understand others. This semester, I hope to reach a level where I am able to hold a conversation in Korean without adding any English words. I also would like to reach a point where I can comfortably watch a Korean show/drama without looking down at the subtitles. I would like to understand which phrases to use with elders and which to use with my peers.
I am currently in the Developing 1 level of the Intermediate stage. I would like to reach Developing 2 of the Intermediate Stage by the end of the semester.
I would like to be able to understand the news and read articles in Korean. Furthermore, I'd like to develop my Korean so that I am able to speak and listen in extended conversations about current events.
I plan to achieve this by speaking only Korean on the phone when I call my parents. I also plan to turn off the subtitles of Korean shows and challenge myself to listen more carefully. Lastly, with an app that helps me practice Korean vocabulary words, I hope to build up my Korean word bank.
When I learned Korean as a child, I enjoyed reading stories out loud. Though some words didn’t seem to make sense, I was always able to figure out the main point through piecing them together. I also enjoyed writing diary entries because it challenged me to think of how to arrange the words I knew to articulate what I did that day. According to the FIRE model, I am, for the most part, rational and evaluative. I thrive in situations where I am recognized personally, encouraged to ask questions, and challenged to think outside of the box. In the Basic Multiple Intelligences Test, I scored highest in Verbal/Linguistic, Intrapersonal, and Naturalist. My scores in this test indicated that I am good at reading, writing, self-reflecting, and appreciating nature. In the Learning Styles Test, I scored highest in Read/Write, Aural, and Visual. From this test, I concluded that I learn best when I read/write the material down. I also learn best when I directly hear the material. The language learning activities that suit my learning style best are reading stories and listening to people speak in Korean. I think that I can expand my learning activities by incorporating opportunities that suit my learning styles, such as writing journal entries, reading short stories, and watching Korean dramas without subtitles.
I am evaluative as well as rational according to FIRE Model for integrative thinking. It means I like to learn best in a comfortable environment where there are supports from teachers and classmates. When I was learning English in my middle school and high school, I liked to collaborate with classmates by peer editing our essays in English, and engage in small group discussions. I also improved my English by participating in lots of forums that require me to speak in English. At Asia Pacific Youth Environmental Forum, I discussed environmental issues like soil pollution in a group with Japanese students in English and performed a presentation in front of people from 9 different countries including Australia, India, and China. I learn best when I begin learning with the big picture, concepts or theories and work toward the particular applications. According to the survey from My Personality.info, top three multiple intelligences of mine were musical, visual/spatial, and interpersonal. I have relatively low percent of logical and mathematical intelligence. Keeping those in mind, I think working in a group or communicating with a language partner frequently will increase efficiency of my Turkish learning. I will study Turkish culture and learn more about the country while I am learning basic vocabularies that are found in the contents. By researching about famous festivals, holidays, traditions, and education in Turkey, I will expand my learning activities.
This post includes my draft of learning plan. My goal of this semester is learning Turkish alphabets and vocabularies to write my thoughts and to explain my feeling. I want to learn how to communicate in certain situations like going on a movie and looking for a restroom. Since my level of Turkish is Novice Low now, by the end of the semester, I will be reaching level of Novice High that I can communicate and exchange information about familiar topics using phrases and simple sentences, and can write short messages and notes on familiar topics related to everyday life.
To achieve my goals, I will not only complete the home works in SDLC 105 and 110, but also meet my language partner twice a week and spend time to review what I learned online (Turkish Leaners group in Diggo and Mango languages). I will do simple dialogues in Turkish with the language partner. There are ten chapters on Mango website. I will learn one chapter per a week at the designated time. I will record dialogues with my language partner as artifacts and attach transcripts.
Today, I learned how to say "Hi, my name is Joora", "bye", "me", "you", "thank you", and "sorry" in Turkish using an Youtube page called Learn Turkish with TurkishClass101.com and Manggo webpage (Chapter 1). I also learned Turkish has formal and informal languages as Korean does. My language partner can correct my pronunciation and help my further understanding.
I have recorded myself talking about my daily routine. I talk about my morning routine, going to school and work, where I live and who I live with, and my nightime routine.
I have recorded myself conjugating the verb 'to go' in the present continuous tense.
Turkish 111 Assessment
This semester, I have learned more than I expected. I achieved each one of my learning goals, improving on my conjugation and building a larger vocabulary. My accent and conversation skills improved. I no longer struggle with the couple of vowels I used to have difficulty with. I have also learned how to understand Turkish when someone is speaking to me by using context. Last semester I didn’t have a big enough vocabulary to practice context skills, but this semester I have found that I am able to get the general idea, even if I don’t know all the words.
Not only did I learn more vocabulary and grammar, I learned a lot more about the culture this semester. This semester I actually had my fortune told. I discovered there was an app for that. I learned about more Turkish customs as well as the social and political state of Turkey. Last semester I was more interested in the language, but this semester I have embraced just how important it is to really get to know the culture. And having a bubbly tutor doesn’t hurt.
This semester was the busiest semester so far for me so I struggled with my time management. Finding time to study was a challenge. Next semester I want to do more learning on my own and not just rely on my tutor. Because next semester is my last, I want to have a solid grasp on the language before graduation.
Turkish 111 Cultural post
Turkey is an Islamic country, but is Westernized. I have always found this dichotomy interesting and even more so with what is going on in the country now. In the large cities there are nightclubs and bars. Turkey is not completely opposed to alcohol like some countries. But unfortunately, not everyone agrees with this policy. The recent shooting at the nightclub in Istanbul was a tragedy. That crime was committed by ISIS, who is completely intolerant of drinking and places like nightclubs where women wear short dresses. While the government of Turkey has worked hard to balance their religion and desire to be more European, there is a very powerful shift amongst the everyday citizens that do not agree with their government’s choices. But now, with their new president who is more conservative, the future of Turkey’s culture is unknown.
Turkish 111 Cultural post
I recently watched a Turkish film Mustang. I enjoyed it greatly because I could understand about 15-20 percent of the words and I also learned a lot about modern Turkish culture. The film is about four sisters who live with their very conservative uncle in a rural area of Turkey. The movie nicely portrayed just how complex being a girl in a Islamic (while at the same time Western) country. The girls did not have to cover, but they were expected to stay virgins until marriage. Many of the sisters were married off young despite their wishes. So before they had to grow up and get married, they savored their last bits of childhood with their sisters. One thing I learned is that they still practice virginity checks in Turkey. Medicine has shown that this is not an accurate way of proving a woman’s virginity. I thought the movie accurately represented the lives of young women in a modern Islamic country.
