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https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1lHAjLjX0HDQKP5yM7V5A9Rv0rra50Ib-Q0uY4GsBWI4/edit?usp=sharing

Above is my learning plan ^^^^ Click on the link or copy and paste the link into the search bar to view it. If anyone has a hard time viewing reach out to me or comment on this post. 

Provide brief commentary describing how you have organized your self-directed learning plan - I spoke with Isaac, who is my teacher for 110 and formed a rough guide of what we will be aiming to get done this semester. We focused on what my personal goals were as far as accomplishing tasks. 

What have you learned so far? - I have learned basic words, parts of the alphabet, and also how to pronounce those letters along with some grammar. 

Have you identified resources and textbooks to promote your task-based objectives? - We have looked at some podcasts and YouTube channels in order to enhance my learning. 

How will your studies allow you to investigate your target language and culture more deeply? - I will be engaging with cultural events; Isaac and I are planning trips to genuine cultural places in order to expand my knowledge. 

What first prompted your interest and motivated you to start learning? - As I have mentioned before, I am really involved with League of Legends; the professional scene is mostly dominated by Korean athletes and broadcasts, which prompted my interest, along with Isaac saying that it would be super fun because he has also taken the class!

What feedback have you received from your classmates? - Focusing on phones rather than phonemes, starting small and letting it compound, and not rushing through the process. 

Goals (cumulative):

1. Reestablish my understanding of the basics of the Korean alphabet, grammar, and syntax.

Topics:

• Vowels and consonants
• Grammar for words and sentences
• Syntax of sentences in speaking and writing

Materials:

• Poster of Korean alphabet
• Writing exercises and prompts
• Direct conversations with language partner

1. Be able to speak and write proficiently with smooth fluidity.

Topics:

• Knowing when to pause/break speech and writing
• Expanding vocabulary 
• Knowing when to use formal and informal speech/writing

Materials:

• Videos of interviews, podcasts, tv shows, etc.
• Direct conversations with language partner using different scenarios
• Writing exercises and prompts

1. Learn different Korean dialects.

Topics:

• Going over different dialects
• Learning phonetics, semantics, and words of different dialects
• Comparing and contrasting different dialects

Materials:

• Researching different dialects
• Videos of tv shows and specific podcast/radio stations that use different dialects
• Practice speaking and writing different dialects

1. Grow knowledge on current trends.

Topics:

• Slang
• News/topics
• Music
• Clothes
• Etc.

Materials

• Videos of music, interviews, tv shows, etc.
• News articles/channels
• Researching current trends
• Using common slang words and talking about trending topics with language partner in Korean

In my quest to unravel the intricacies of Korean culture, I've found myself drawn to a profound and ancient aspect of their heritage—Korean traditional medicine. This holistic approach to health, seamlessly blending natural remedies, acupuncture, and herbal treatments, embodies a rich tapestry of cultural values and centuries-old wisdom. In this cultural post, I'll share my reactions, impressions, and interpretive understandings of Korean medicine, exploring its role in the cultural and healthcare landscape.

My initial encounters with Korean traditional medicine sparked a sense of fascination and curiosity. The holistic philosophy, emphasizing the balance of energies within the body, resonated deeply. The incorporation of natural elements, such as herbs and acupuncture, reflected an intimate connection to the environment. The first glimpse into this world painted a picture of wellness not merely as the absence of illness but as a harmonious state of being.

Korean medicine, often referred to as "Hanbang," is rooted in the principles of Yin and Yang and the concept of Qi (energy flow). Herbal remedies, acupuncture, and cupping therapy are integral components. Herbal medicine, known as "Hanyak," involves the use of specific combinations of roots, leaves, and seeds to restore balance within the body.

At the core of Korean medicine is the belief that the body is a microcosm of the universe, interconnected and influenced by natural forces. The emphasis on preventive care and the understanding that physical ailments may have emotional or spiritual origins distinguish Korean medicine from Western approaches. It's a holistic system that seeks to address the root causes of illness rather than merely alleviating symptoms.

Exploring Korean traditional medicine instilled a sense of admiration for the respect it pays to the body's innate ability to heal. The emphasis on balance and the interconnectedness of physical and spiritual well-being align with my own beliefs about holistic health. It's more than a medical practice; it's a philosophy that resonates with the profound connection between nature and humanity.

On the flip side, there were instances where the complexity of medical terminology posed a challenge. Understanding the intricacies of herbal combinations and their therapeutic effects required additional research and clarification.

Korean traditional medicine serves as a cultural compass, guiding individuals on a journey towards holistic well-being. The profound connection between nature, body, and spirit embedded in this ancient practice has enriched my understanding of Korean culture. As I continue my language learning journey, the threads of Korean medicine weave into my linguistic repertoire, creating a tapestry that reflects the interconnectedness of language, culture, and the pursuit of wellness.

This week, my primary focus was on reviewing the Korean alphabet and reinforcing my grasp of consonants. Simultaneously, I continued my journey into mastering Korean grammar rules within sentences, specifically honing my skills in sentence structure and particle usage.

In reviewing the alphabet and consonants, I aimed to solidify my foundation, ensuring fluency in reading and recognizing characters. Regarding grammar, my goal was to enhance my proficiency in constructing grammatically correct sentences and incorporating particles effectively.

Engaging with language partners became an integral part of my review. Reciprocal goals included mutual support in reinforcing the alphabet's intricacies and collaborating on sentence construction exercises. These interactions provided a space for immediate feedback and cultural insights.

1. I revisited basic alphabet drills, focusing on correct pronunciation and character recognition. Flashcards and mnemonic devices were employed to reinforce memory.

2. Building on the alphabet review, I dedicated specific sessions to consonant pronunciation and variations. Tongue twisters and repetitive pronunciation exercises were key strategies.

3. For grammar mastery, I engaged in constructing sentences on various topics. This involved creating sentences based on given prompts and gradually progressing to more complex structures.

4. Utilizing language learning apps that incorporate interactive exercises helped reinforce the alphabet and provided immediate feedback on pronunciation and character recognition.

Building on my alphabet review, I plan to incorporate more diverse reading materials, such as short stories and articles, to expose myself to varied vocabulary and sentence structures. Regarding grammar, I aim to delve into more complex sentence patterns and explore the nuances of using particles in different contexts.

This week brought a sense of accomplishment as I revisited the alphabet and noted the progress made since my initial learning phase. Frustration surfaced briefly during challenging consonant drills, but the enthusiasm to conquer these linguistic hurdles prevailed.

In light of my experiences, I plan to integrate more reading exercises into my routine, with a focus on diverse materials. I also intend to participate in more language exchange sessions centered around complex sentence constructions.

Over the past couple of weeks, I’ve been focusing on the following language goals:

- increase my speed of fingerspelling and comprehension of fast fingerspelling

- express more complex ideas by learning directional and spatial modifiers, as well as learning more complex syntax

- communicating with my language partner only using sign, and using fingerspelling to ask about words I don’t know 

- learn vocabulary about interests and personal attributes

- learn general patterns in ASL morphology

These goals have allowed me quite a bit of breadth in communication as a beginner. Fingerspelling especially gives me agency to learn vocabulary without switching into English or Spanish. Because there are so many patterns, there’s often opposite meanings that I am able to deduce through learning one sign. If I learn boyfriend, I already know girlfriend will be the same sign from the chin. If I know driving, I know how to sign backing up by adding a spatial modifier.

This intuitive quality has also helped with my comprehension of sign. My language partner saw my dog acting hyper in the background and signed YOUR DOG PLAY with an excited gesture. The way he signed PLAY was different than I had seen before, and it perfectly matched her energetic demeanor.

Outside of meetings with my language partner, I’ve been using SLAIT and Lingvano for vocabulary building. SLAIT uses AI to detect correct signage, which has been helpful feedback. Lingvano, I feel, does a great job at teaching nuance in sign, such as facial expressions and modifiers. I’ve also been making an effort to follow Deaf creators to both watch how they sign and hear more about their experiences 

This past month, I’ve been exploring Deaf experiences in the US, both in the context of individual lived experiences and Deaf culture as a whole. Genetically and linguistically, signed languages, including ASL, are a bit of an anomaly as deaf children are more than half of the time born into hearing families. This means that many deaf children are not learning sign as a first language, and are often asked to adapt to the hearing world while being distant from a sense of belonging in Deaf communities.

This theme is explored in Gallaudet University’s documentary, Through Deaf Eyes, as well as the book Deaf in America: Voices from a Culture by Carol Padden and Tom Humpries. In both the documentary and the book, we hear first hand accounts of Deaf adults coming into their Deaf culture with a particular emphasis on the complex relationships to residential schools of the Deaf. These schools have been funded in all 50 states and Canada and often prohibit sign in classrooms, teaching students speech and lip reading instead. In the documentary, we hear students discouraged and frustrated by their academic performance being equated to how well they could present as “hearing.”

It was in the dorms of these schools, however, where students stayed Monday through Friday, that many interviewed described having their first senses of belonging in a Deaf culture. It was here, from one another, that they learned to sign, gave each other sign names, and had the freedom of communication without barriers. Many described a conflicted feeling around returning home for the weekends, often to homes that were not willing to learn sign.

Padden and Humphries also go on to describe an irony around the familial aspect of deafness in that hearing CODAs (children of Deaf adults) often have a more immediate exposure to Deaf culture and learn sign as an L1, which is not the case for many Deaf children.

Moving forward in my cultural studies, I want to explore best practices in language acquisition and schooling for Deaf children, as well as learn more about other ways in which Deaf people come into community.

The part of the chapter "How the Brain Handles Language" by D. Crystal on Dominance was super interesting to me. In class we had mentioned how the learning types were pseudoscientific and that made me think about other ways that people describe themselves; whether it was personality tests like MBTI or how people described themselves as left-brained or right-brained. And it may be the case that one isn’t more dominant than the other but it is surprising to me that the science reflects the split of the right and left hemispheres as having different fields of use. Although the literature mentioned that this was different for left-handed individuals. It is also interesting that language is generally a left-brain dominant, but that this isn’t universal and there are individuals where language is a right-brain dominant activity. I am curious however if this left or right brain dominance changes how an individual learns or expresses language because the left hemisphere is more analytical and the right hemisphere is generally considered to be more pattern focused and creative. It would be interesting to see if left handed individuals who are right brain dominant for language if they acquire languages more often or they can acquire them more easily or whether they struggle more. 

For the first meeting, I believe it went pretty well. Korean is a language I am not used to considering it uses characters instead of the typical alphabet that I am accustomed to. Which is why for the first meeting I wanted to learn the korean writing system called hangul. 

Gajin, who is my assigned language partner, explained to me what exactly hangul is. She explained how one of the Korean kings, King Sejong, had created this system of writing so that it was simple enough for everyone to learn. She stated how the system is based on the common sounds that these people would speak, which is why Korean is one of those languages where the words are written just like they are pronounced. Knowing this made me feel much better because as we learned in class, languages such as English are difficult to learn due to the numerous complicated sounds that make up a word where the letters do not match at all. 

During the lesson, Gajin also explained how there are 14 consonants and 10 vowels. She also explained that there is a certain when writing out words using the individual characters. If we are just using two characters, depending on what vowel is being used, the consonants would go on top while the vowel will be placed at the bottom or the consonant would be written first with the vowel right next to it. For example the word that Gajin had used for reference was for the first example was the word for please. As you can see the word is written as 주세요, with the vowels written below the consonants. As for the second example, Gajin used 이거, the word for here, and we can see how the two different characters are placed next to each other, with the consonants being at the front. 

To start learning how to memorize the characters, I tried to associate a sound or letter that sounded close enough to the pronunciation. For example, for me, the character ㄱ sounds like the letter G, therefore I made a little note stating that. It was the same for the rest of the characters. This part turned out to be pretty difficult. That is because there were certain characters I could not pronounce correctly. The two that were most difficult was ㅈ and ㅊ. These two characters sound pretty much the same to my ear while Gajin kept repeating that it was not true. Koreans grew up knowing the small differences between the characters while I need to learn to hear those differences. For example, Gajin would say some words so we can see if I am able to write them down and one of them was 주세요. Despite the fact that I had not learned more about the vowels as seen in the second character, I also wrote the first part wrong. To me, 주 had sounded like 추, so when Gajin told I was wrong I tried to hear the differences between the two but it was difficult. Therefore I know I would have to learn to become more attentive of the pronunciation and make sure to revise hangul.

Last week, I met up with my language partner, Hannah, and we discussed the goals I wanted to achieve this semester and the areas of Korean on which we want to focus on. We set up a rough schedule of the different topics we’re going to focus on. Since I grew up speaking Korean at home, I already have my foundations set. Given that this is my final semester before graduating, we decided to concentrate on improving my fluency in the professional and job-related aspects.

After graduation, I hope to work in the marketing and analytics industry, so Hannah will assign me business-related articles relevant to the industry to familiarize myself with the industry in Korea. Before our weekly meetings, I will read through the assigned articles, identifying and highlighting words that I am not familiar with. Then, we will delve into the articles, discussing its content to evaluate my comprehension and addressing any unfamiliar words and vocabulary.  I have never read or watched any business related news or articles in Korean, so this will definitely challenge me to move forward from the conversational Korean that I am used to. This will help me improve my reading and comprehension skills while also teaching me about the business world of Korea, allowing me to stay connected with what’s happening in the industries in Korea. 

Additionally, I will learn about the various positions within the business industry. Korea's hierarchical structure introduces numerous distinct words and positions in Korean that may differ from American companies. Learning about these different positions will help my understanding of Korean company work culture. Looking ahead, I do intend to work in a Korean company for a couple of years in the future, and these lessons will definitely help prepare me for navigating the cultural differences in the workplace.

In addition to delving into business articles, news, and vocabulary, I will explore the intricacies of Korean food and drinking culture, with a particular focus on the tradition of 회식, also known as company dinners. 회식s hold a crucial role in many company cultures in Korea, along with numerous social rules that employees should socially adhere to. Our lessons will consist of going through the various social rules, guiding me on the dos and don'ts when participating in these significant company dinners.

Beyond focusing solely on business etiquette, Hannah suggested that I watch "영국남자" to gain further insights into Korean food culture. "영국남자," also known as Korean Englishman, are YouTubers who produce content in both Korean and English, centering around Korean culture and food. To actually experience some of the food culture in real life, Hannah and I will also learn how to cook some Korean dishes from Paik Jong Won, who is one of the most famous chefs in South Korea. 

Finally, I still want to improve my writing and grammar skills, so I will also use 서강한국어 쓰기 1, which is a Sogang Korean Writing Book from Yonsei University’s Beginning Writing Class. The book has numerous college-related sections designed to teach Korean vocabulary related to university life, classes, majors, schools, small talk, and more. These sections will help me learn how to talk about my college life when I go visit my family again this summer in Korea. Last time I visited,I struggled to talk about my college life with them as I did not learn the proper terms. If time allows, we will also explore the entertainment industry of Korea and learn about how the entertainment industry has shifted from TV to youtube video contents, shorts, and reels.

Thus far, Jason and I have met twice for roughly two hours each, and these meetings have been more than helpful. We try to establish a Korean-only environment to help with my immersion, and this environment is pivotal in terms of  “switching a gear” of sorts in terms of what language I am speaking. We typically reserve English for words/phrases that I do not know or cannot circumlocute, and from there, I start a running list of these words; in special circumstances, I learn the Hanja for these words––or the ancient Mandarin form––and employing Hanja gives me a chance to apply these root words to other compound words resulting in realizing valuable connections in the language. I try to memorize the novel words/phrases prior to our next class meeting, creating example sentences for Jason to review and give feedback due to nuances that require elucidation. A metric to asses this goal is the ratio between my English to Korean use during conversation. I hope to eventually have a 100% Korean session by the end of the semester, so I’ve also tried to listen to more Korean throughout the day in order to immerse myself even further, and I’ve done this by watching Talk To Me In Korean podcasts between native speakers having conversations entirely in Korean on various topics.  This goal is paired with my main goal of learning some of the more advanced Korean grammar rules that can be quite challenging to learn, and it’s been terrific to have Jason explain them to me, and if unable to precisely describe them, we address the issue by doubling down on example sentences to give me a sense of use cases. 

This has been the most challenging aspect thus far, as, most of my Korean background stems from speaking with family at home, where colloquial speech naturally dominates, and since I am interested in growing my proficiency at a more advanced level, I cannot simply rely on some sort of intuitive understanding. Though I can intuit some of it, I actually am intentionally trying to avoid doing so in order to have a robust understanding of Korean grammar, and perhaps this can encapsulate a statement of what I hoped to accomplish for this past week: understand Korean grammar rules (and new vocabulary, in general) vis-à-vis thorough explanation and using it meaningfully in conversation with Jason. 

Some strategies that we have used are finding blogs and other online resources for Korean learners who are actually learning English, rather than the other way around. This is due to not only the plethora of Korean-speaking English learners resulting in much information but also the explanations seeing it from the “other side” per se gives me ways to connect, since, the best way to learn something is to teach something, and reading through these blogs of Korean’s learning English gives me a chance to ‘teach’ this new information. Jason is able to find these resources as he was once a Korean learning English, so locating helpful information hasn’t been difficult yet. We will continue to build on these strategies, and I think continuing to immerse myself completely will be the most efficacious in terms of reaching my goals.

For this month, me and my language partner decided that we would watch some popular Korean movies together. Because my skills in Korean are sufficiently fluent, we watched movies that would be somewhat difficult for a beginner to watch without subtitles. The movies we watched were 외계+인 1부 (Alienoid 2022) and the much more popular 기생충 (Parasite 2019). Watching movies to learn Korean not only made learning entertaining, but it also exposed me to some of the culture, history, and atmosphere in South Korea.

For starters, Alienoid had a fairly confusing plot that required me to pay attention very closely. The movie took place over 2 different time periods: The 고려시대 (Goryeo Dynasty, 1380 AD) and “modern” Korea (2012 AD). At first, the movie revolves around two aliens from a far away planet that capture “demonic” aliens from there that possess human bodies. As they complete a mission in the Goryeo Dynasty, they capture one but the host gives them her infant girl, asking them to take care of her. Reluctantly, they take her in back to the modern world and raise her with the given name 이안 (Yi-an). However, soon things go south as the 2 aliens learn about the Controller (the top-dog demon alien) and his plans to take over the Earth so that his race of aliens can live there. While fighting the Controller, they go back in time where the rest of the movie takes place. Explaining the rest of the plot would take a while so if you want to know I would recommend watching it :) . 

On the complete opposite spectrum is the movie Parasite. This movie revolves around the Kim family, who, through deception, infiltrate the wealthy Park family's household, each securing a job there. The narrative takes unexpected twists as class tensions, social commentary, and dark humor unfold, ultimately leading to a dramatic and impactful conclusion. Once again, if you want to know the plot I HIGHLY recommend watching this one in particular. This movie received widespread acclaim, winning several awards, including the Palme d'Or at the 2019 Cannes Film Festival and Best Picture at the 92nd Academy Awards.

Alienoid provided a strong look into life during the Goryeo dynasty. The movie had a lot of fantasy elements, mainly magic, which of course is fake. But it provided an overview of the things the people during the Goryeo dynasty believed in. The supernatural, objects of magical powers, spirits, etc. It also showed how society was structured; for example a key part for some of the movie revolved around a 사또 (magistrate) who was sort of like a sheriff/mayor of a small area of the kingdom. Conversely, Parasite was a satirical portrayal of the social class disparities in Korean society. The film explores the extreme contrast between the wealthy and the poor, illustrating the challenges and complexities of social mobility. Both films provide a good insight to how Korean society flowed and continue to flow and the differences and evolution between the two.

              This semester my main goal is to be able to hold a 5-10 minute basic, everyday conversation in Korean with minimal hesitation and reduced reliance on English. I know that my understanding of spoken Korean is more than enough to achieve this, however my speaking fluency is what needs to be brough up to speed. I feel optimistic about this semester after all the trial and error and learning experiences of last semester, that I will apply to make my learning more efficient this time around. Last semester I had many different learning goals that included everyday culture, Korean history, writing, reading, and speaking. This semester I will focus most of my efforts on speaking and everyday conversation, while also exploring Korean history for my monthly cultural posts.

              I recently met with my language partner and planned our learning strategies for this semester. We agreed to speak in as much Korean as possible. My partner will ease into speaking to me exclusively in Korean. I agreed to interrupt if I ever do not understand anything. Our lessons will be a combination of small, everyday banter. During our first lesson I also tried implementing everyday Korean filler words and slang that my partner said are important for having a more natural conversation. This was encouraging because one thing that I am tying to avoid is to speak in awkward, ‘school textbook’ style Korean.

              My partner and I also agreed that it was important for my to build my vocabulary, my understanding of Korean sentence formulation, and to work on these independently throughout the week. During our lessons we make a list of words I should know. I then make some sentences using those words. At the end of our lesson the plan is to have a sheet of vocabulary terms and sentences. Before my next meeting, I then must memorize these words and understand and be able to comfortably repeat our sentence examples.

              I think that this is a good starting point for my semester. I am curious to see how my learning plan will evolve in the coming weeks and months.

            Korea has a long history of excellence in pottery and ceramics, dating back to the Neolithic period. Korean pottery had many different styles that often reflected the culture and beliefs of the different dynasties. It is also important to note during the Japanese invasions of Korea at the end of the 16^th century, many prominent Korean potters were captured and brought back to Japan. The Japanese porcelain styles of Arita Ware and Satsuma Ware were founded by Korean potters.

The earlies known pieces of Korean pottery date back to 8000 BCE during the Neolithic Period. These earlier pieces were simpler and more basic in design compared to what was to come. Pottery at this time was usually in the form of brown bowls decorated with zigzag or comb like incisions. There is a strong link at this time between Chinese and Korean pottery.

The Goryeo ware period (10^th to 14^th century) marked a highpoint in Korean pottery, specifically for its Celadon pieces. Celadon, also known as green ware, is a type of pottery found in East Asia characterized by its light green hue and lightly cracked glaze. Celadon pottery was highly valued, and as such has been found in many royal tombs. Celadon production emerged in the 10^th century and ceased in the 13^th century following the Mongol invasions and the detruction of pottery workshops. Celadon wares could be of many different shapes and sizes. Vases, jugs, and bowls were the most popular. The most common was the maebyong, a tall vase with a narrow base and bulbous neck. Celadon wares were also incense burner, tea pots, and pitchers.

The intricacy and complexity of the Goryeo Celadon Wares was in complete contrast to the white porcelain of the later Joseon period (14^th to 20^th century).  Joseon white porcelain is also know as Joseon Baekja. These minimalist wares represented Korean Confucian ethics of frugality and pragmatism, which was followed by the Joseon elite. White porcelain was often decorated with blue or brown patterns of nature such as flowers, plants, or animals.

Korean Pottery - World History Encyclopedia

Korean pottery and porcelain - Wikipedia

Celadon - Wikipedia

Korean pottery and porcelain - Wikipedia

This week marked the beginning of my language-learning Journey with my instructor Isaac. We began going over very simple topics, which started with reviewing my understanding of the alphabet. Before starting the course, Isaac instructed me to learn Hangul, which is essentially the Korean alphabet. We then moved on and worked on the double consonants; in the beginning, this was hard for me to understand how you had to emphasize and change the pronunciation of the letter, but Isaac was very good at breaking it down and helping me through it. I felt very proud and almost prideful when I was able to conquer the tasks from the beginning of class that I had such a hard time pronouncing. We then moved to basic words; Isaac pulled up a YouTube channel that he uses with his students to explain the basics of pronunciation, we dove in and learned words like “bread” “hello” and “teacher”. Surprisingly I was able to get the pronunciation pretty quickly; Isaac told me I was doing what some people take weeks to understand in one session, which I was very happy about. In this session we hope to accomplish a basic understanding of the alphabet, which we were able to do and also work towards some basic conversational words. One of my goals was to be able to watch Korean Esports and have a basic understanding of the commentary presented. That being said after we reviewed the alphabet, Isaac pulled up a short commentary about 5 minutes of the most popular game played in Korea, League of Legends. We were able to turn on captions and bit by bit we went through the video, dissecting each of the words and their meaning. This was honestly so fun for me because I enjoy watching these videos but I don't understand what they are saying because they are obviously commentating in Korean. By watching these videos and reciting back what they were saying I was able to work on my pronunciation along with understanding intricate letter positioning within Hangul. We plan on referring back to these commentaries frequently because as discussed at the beginning of the session, Isaac wants to gear this toward my learning goals and what I deem interesting while keeping the class professional and rigorous. After watching this 5-minute clip, we then moved to reviewing some specific words. We went over words like breakfast, lunch, and dinner and also how to ask if someone had eaten. This first lesson was a bit daunting because it was a whole lot of Korean thrown at me at once, but the key about this technique is the immersion aspect. Isaac wants me to be immersed in the language, the more I am exposed to it the more my brain will pick up on these words and begin to hear the differences between them. I would say overall our first session was a huge success; we laid the grounding for a great semester and what we will be working towards, And I am more than excited to continue next week. Isaac also instructed me to practice the new words that I learned in the meantime, while talking to him and while talking to my other Korean-speaking friends to reinforce these specific words.

Webtoons (웹툰, wɛbtˈuːn) are a form of graphics novels, akin to comics and mangas, but specified to Korea. Whilst the popularity of Webtoons have expanded overseas in the past years, another form of webtoons are emerging - Instatoons (인스타툰, ɪnstætˈuːn). A majority of these webtoons are uploaded on a handful of accredited platforms - e.g. Naver, Kakako, but of course, these are monitored for licensing and monetization. This makes sense, but sometimes the consumer wants easy-to-access material coupled with good user interface and less commitment. On the flipside, authors may want to release their work with less liability, not having to worry about publishers or platform logistics. The solution for both sides are the mentioned Instatoons, where some authors have begun releasing short webtoons on Instagram. The barrier for reading such toons is low; users can alternate from their daily Instagram actions to reading webtoons. As these are often short (Instagram only offers 10 slides), these webtoons are short-term/story content, which parallels with the small dopamine hits reels apps give nowadays. According to the article I read on Instatoons, the social interface of Instagram also helps with the popularity of Instatoons: sharability, comments, clear connections between authors.

I've linked the article on this phenomena - interesting read. An example of an account that does Instatoon is @tyeodya.

This week, meeting with my language partner was a great time of reviewing the basics of Korean grammar and syntax. I got to say, I am proud of myself for at least remembering the basics of Korean writing. Our meeting began with a comprehensive review of foundational grammar principles. My language partner guided me through a series of exercises designed to reinforce my understanding of the Korean alphabet, word and sentence structure, and basic verb conjugations. This review served as a solid foundation for me to start potentially working on building more complex words and sentences. A large portion of our meeting was dedicated to hands-on writing exercises. I was given words that allowed me to apply the basics of grammar and syntax. From putting together short narratives to writing formal emails, each writing task challenged me to not only demonstrate my understanding of grammar but also to convey my ideas coherently and effectively. I think that this first meeting was a very good refresher for me to continue learning Korean writing.

Despite growing up in Washington, a predominantly white and English speaking state I was surrounded by non-English influences. My grandmother, who I lived with for most of my childhood immigrated to the US from the Philippines and was followed soon by most of her immediate and extended family. This close relationship has meant that I have been raised in a mixed Filipino-American household where Tagalog was often present. Despite this I failed to pick up more than a few phrases and a little profanity. It wasn’t until tenth grade that I enrolled in my first language course, French. I performed pretty well in French, and after one year I continued taking courses in community college during my dual enrollment program. My college French class was a large step up in engagement and teaching as the environment was full of students actively trying to learn French as opposed to the high school population fulfilling their mandatory one year. Unfortunately the Covid pandemic hit and my French courses moved online which incentivized me to rely on google for assistance, and the weekly skype calls with the professor did little to keep my oral skills sharp. Once I got the UR I picked French back up and the 221 course helped jump me back into the study. However as I was taking the 301 and 305 courses I didn’t feel like I was improving very significantly. The classes involved a lot of writing and the limited speaking felt like I was just falling back on repeated phrases and according to my French roommate Henry I still sounded super American when I spoke. 

However, Things turned around during my study abroad at Yonsei in South Korea. Before flying out I spent the summer trying to learn basic phrases and the alphabet which wasn’t great, but it made my arrival a little easier. Arriving in Korea I realized that learning Korean was going to be a necessity in my survival and ability to thrive during my experience abroad. I got regular practice outside of the classroom, and during my classes there was a stronger focus on speaking than in my prior French courses. We would repeat each word and sound that was shown on screen, which was tiring but did the trick as far as making us comfortable speaking. I do regret not making a stronger attempt to have friendships with Koreans who weren’t perfectly fluent in English because it meant that my learning outside the classroom became limited after the first month because I was just regurgitating the same phrases I needed at restaurants, shops and other contact with strangers. After coming back and reflecting on the whole experience I think that I need exposure to new words and uses of the language in order to grow my skills. I definitely find value in classroom learning, but I think that once I get to an upper intermediate level then it requires some further level of immersion. For French I try to get that through setting my phone to French and listening to French videos and reading articles, but I get lazy often and default to English media. Korean shows and movies have been a big help for me, but really only for reminding me of the words I already know and the common conversational phrases. I think I should expand my learning by putting the subtitles in Korean so that I am forced to stretch my knowledge to its limit, and take in new knowledge. In the future I plan to live in Korea, so I’ll take what I learn in this course to help me engage with Korean more, and hopefully be able to achieve fluency. 

            Last weekend, I watched a Korean drama called Welcome to Samdal-ri. It was about a woman who ran a photography company in Seoul, but suddenly had to return back to her hometown in Samdal-ri in Jeju due to her company going out of business. Back in her hometown, she reconnects with all of her family, friends, and her ex-boyfriend whom she tries very hard to avoid due to their nasty breakup years ago. However, she ends up rebuilding a strong bond with her ex-boyfriend which leads to a heartwarming love story between the two.

            I enjoyed watching this drama because it allowed me to explore my interest in the Korean language and culture. It showed a very good representation of how people in the countryside and islands live in Korea as I have been to Busan and Jeju, which are in those environments. However, what really piqued my interest was the Korean language in the drama. Most people only know Korean to be spoken in one dialect. However, there are nine dialects spoken in North and South Korea. The standard dialect spoken is Seoul’s dialect, which most Koreans speak. The drama I watched not only incorporated Seoul’s dialect, but also Jeju’s dialect which is the hardest dialect to speak in the Korean language. I was fascinated to see that the actors who speak Seoul’s dialect spoke Jeju’s dialect so well. The dialects are very different from each other in terms of wording and sound. As someone who is almost fluent in Korean, it was very difficult following along with what the actors were saying. Thankfully with the advancement of technology nowadays, I was able to turn on subtitles to understand everything that was being said in Jeju’s dialect.

            From watching this drama, I realized that there can be more languages than I thought where there are multiple dialects. Before watching the drama, I only knew that Spanish and Chinese had different dialects. I did know that Korean had different dialects, but I only knew of three. This made me question how much I actually know the Korean language since I’ve only been surrounded by Seoul’s dialect my entire life. Also, I personally thought that Jeju’s dialect sounded a lot cooler than Seoul’s dialect. Maybe it’s because I’ve only heard and spoken in that dialect so I’m unamused by it. What’s interesting is that Jeju’s dialect and Seoul’s dialect are so different that some people are starting to consider it as a completely separate language from Korean. I did some research and found that Jeju’s dialect uses certain words that would be said differently in Seoul’s dialect. For example, the words dog, potato, and grass are said completely differently in each dialect. Many people think that the reasoning is due to Jeju’s dialect being influenced by Mongolian as the dialects had some loanwords, which makes sense because Jeju’s dialect has been existing for some time. Also, it could just be due to the isolation of the Jeju people from the mainland since Jeju is an island. Perhaps overtime, the Jeju people slowly started to speak differently from mainland Koreans? Now, I am very eager to learn more about these nine dialects in the Korean language and boost my knowledge of it.

Luke Orris

SDLC 105

Reflection Paper #1

I have previously learned three languages in class and had experiences in a few others at work and while traveling. I took many years of Latin and French growing up and attended a school which was nominally bilingual (with French) during the first years of my life. I began Latin in 3rd grade and continued it to 8th, somehow using only one short textbook for all these years. I began Spanish in 7th grade and through studying abroad and classes in high school and university I have obtained a solid conversational level that probably hovers around the borderline of B1/B2. As a kid I spoke Bahasa with my godmother, who raised me for many years while my parents worked constantly, and I learned maybe 200-300 words of Bulgarian while working in Alaska with several J1 workers. Across my time learning these languages it is clear to me that the manner in which I learned them and my prior interests greatly affected my ability to make gains. 

Connecting language to my interests has been key. History has always been something that I am fascinated by and has offered a lot of material for my learning. During my gap year in 2022, I traveled a lot around North Africa and parts of the Near East. At the Roman sites I visited I could still read a fair amount of the columns and grave markers because I still had some important historical words memorized. Any conversational Latin had long gone but words relating to career accomplishments, conflicts, religion and similar topics remained. 

In Mexico I also focused my learning around history and politics. I found that just having conversations helped me learn the fastest and talking about these topics was a great way to have long interesting talks. Although I came to Mexico with the purpose of learning Spanish, I left with a lot of knowledge about the Revolution, socialism in Mexico, indigenous identity and the legacy of the Spanish conquest.

During my time learning French (and Spanish until university) the memorization and focus upon grammar took all of the novelty out of learning language. I have always been good at memorizing conjugations and implementing them when I use them and class became boring review rather than an exciting learning experience. I hope to avoid this in all of my future language acquisitions. 

I plan to incorporate a lot of conversation into my Portuguese classes. At this point of my Portuguese journey my ability to communicate is greatly restricted by my lack of basic vocabulary, but as the semester goes on I hope to increasingly have academic conversations with my language partner. As the tests I took affirmed, I am primarily a visual and auditory learner so zoom lessons can be quite helpful for me. Although I expect to begin with the basics, I know my background in Spanish will aid me considerably in getting to a conversational level in a short time (even if I am mixing a lot of Spanish into my speech). I also plan to buy some basic books on the history of Portugal’s empire to begin learning more about the history and culture at the height of Portugal’s power. From there I can begin to look at the evolution and differences between various Portuguese-speaking regions like Mozambique, Brazil, Timor, and Portugal itself.

I am taking LAIS 390 concurrently with this SDLC, so I am hoping to gain an accelerated introduction to the Portuguese language, so that I might have a more authentic and interesting experience during my study abroad in either Brazil or Portugal. My language partner will give me opportunities to use the Portuguese that I learn in my class and my studying outside of this will allow me to pick up greater vocabulary. My goal by the end of the semester is to have reached a solid A2 foundation in the language.

Excluding my first language, I studied three languages: English, Spanish, and Japanese. I learned English in elementary school, Spanish in high school, and self-studied Japanese by watching movies. I did not enjoy the overall learning process of each language, but I liked to see how much I improved compared to the past.

When I learned other languages, I enjoyed when I could feel my language skills developing. For instance, when there are announcements in another language I recently learned, I feel satisfied when I understand what they say. There was one time when I fully understood what the subway announcement announced in Japanese when it was my third year of learning the language. Also, I liked it when I could understand Spanish series without subtitles. The most satisfying moment was when I could help someone else with the language I learned. When someone was lost in a subway station in Korea, I could help him in a language that I knew. However, I disliked how I needed to go through pressure to show my development. When I took Spanish as my high school second language, the expectations people had towards me regarding Spanish gave me pressure. When we watched Spanish movies, they expected me to understand and explain to them fully. Also, I was the only senior student taking Spanish 4 class in high school. Thus, there were expectations from other students that I should be better than them as I learned for a longer period of time. 

As a person who knows four languages, I can confidently say that I am a slow but hard-working and ambitious learner. I usually take more time than others to learn one language. As previously mentioned, I was the only student in the Spanish 4 class in high school. The majority of the high school students finished their second language course in their junior year, but I needed an extra year. It took me a longer time than others to be satisfied with my Spanish skills. I not only take more time to learn but also I have high standards and expectations for myself in terms of learning a language. When I start learning a new language, I know that I will take more time and time compared to others, so I try to learn and have the best outcome by the end. 

Based on my past language learning experiences, I learn the best when I utilize it in real life. After learning a phrase from the classes or by myself, I need to either hear what I learned or I need to utilize the phrase with someone else. In that way, I can fully understand when and where to use the phrase. Therefore, I believe I should expand my learning activities by continuously reaching out to people for the language. By continuously speaking, writing, reading, and hearing the language with someone else, I would be able to improve my skills quickly. Especially with native speakers who know the culture, slang, and idioms of the country, I would be able to improve my learning.