Currently, I am working on learning how to say what the weather is like and continuing to learn how to say the date and time for basic conversation (like being able to tell time, date, day of the week, and integrating that with how to tell what the weather is like in, using simple sentences). Next on my agenda is learning vocabulary for food items so if I am going out to eat at a Korean restaurant with my language partner, I will be able to order food and ask questions about items on the menu. I hope I will be able to accurately understand the format of how the sentences are formed and be able to purse that. Through learning Korean, I have been a little frustrated with memorizing the vocabulary and speaking it the proper way when pronouncing the words. I did find songs on Youtube for learning Korean have really helped me get a better grasp on memorizing which I will continue to use as it made me a more hopeful in my language journey. I think I should really use Korean music more often to learn vocabulary as it keeps me more engaged, and also, I can become more and more familiar with translating the words as I listen to the songs. And I also think that using Quizlet will be of great help to me as well which I will start doing now on forward, for vocabulary and phrases that I am still having difficulty with. A not-so-successful experience in my learning would be me not allotting enough time needed to Korean and having to spend more time on topics than initially planned for. Part of the reason for this was having to take some time off from class due to illness but also balancing work from other classes, but I will find a way to better manage time for homework. Something that I would like to do as a long-term goal is to focus more on understanding the basic format of Korean sentences for word order to preserve a sentence’s meaning and also learn conjunction words and use them properly in Korean so in the future, I will be able to make a sentence more complex and diverse. I think another goal I would like to accomplish is using what I’ve learned so far to have a short dialogue with my partner to see how far I am. I think in the beginning the strategies used were effective and they have helped me improve. But as I am learning more, I think by integrating quizlet, learning Korean songs, and managing my time better I will do even better.
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Languages often become extinct when the speakers of that language no longer use it anymore or pass it on. This could be caused by a culture that slowly dies out because of natural disasters, invasion and the integration and influence of other languages which can change it to something new. Linguists can help preserve a language by making resources for the language available in the form of texts, sound recordings, promoting the language. A dead language can be studied but it may be hard to bring it back. It would have to be collectively agreed upon to be spoken. Efforts that are currently underway to document linguistic diversity include transcribing the language IPA and collecting texts that display the language.
Going back and looking at the video to see what I planned out my language journey of Korean has changed slightly. I have mostly been using the Oxford Picture Dictionary Second Edition (English/Korean) for my language journey as it contains lots of terms and vocabulary that has been beneficial to my progress. Some learning strategies that have been incorporated that I have found helpful is using music to learn the learn the language. I believe that learning vocabulary through songs helps me to better retain news word and their meaning. I think to improve my communication competence, I should listen to the Korean language more often and since I’ve learned a little more vocabulary, I can begin to learn rules of grammar to improve my grammatical competence. Building on sociolinguistic competence will be very important for Korean when using honorifics for those that are older or have high status. I most definitely would like to learn how to navigate the language while having a limited vocabulary to improve my strategic competence.
Our standard lesson structure is as follows. We review vocabulary. I practice signing sentences that use this and previous vocab privately before presenting it to her. She has me sign a short story, then we discuss a new grammar concept in ASL. Last week, for example, I watched a video on noun-verb pairs which is how to differentiate the noun form of a verb from its verb form (ex. A rake vs to rake). Nouns use a smaller, quicker movement whereas verbs use longer and slower moves.
I have made two playlists on Youtube of videos by Chris Gorges, Signed with the Heart, Take Lessons, and ASL Meridith to study vocabulary for food, animals, nationalities, school supplies, and body parts. This helps me build my skills independently and quicker than just doing vocab on calls with my instructor.
One thing that I am still struggling with is my facial expressions. I am an expressive person, generally speaking. However, there are specific movements that you have to make with your eyebrows when asking questions. Yes/No questions have eyebrows up while more open ended questions have eyebrows down. When speaking to one person in a group, it is also recommended to keep your eyebrows up to denote specificity.
I need to get better about scheduling times outside of class to study. Last year, during my in person classes, I watched a lot of vocabulary videos on Youtube to pick up more ASL. It is a very easy task since I’m just sitting down with my computer to essentially watch tv for 20 minutes. Still, I cannot bring myself to do it. I think that this has to do with ASL being my only online class now that we are finally getting off Zoom. None of my classes this semester or last semester were virtual which is very different to how things were set up a year ago. This makes me think of the larger context with pandemic era learning environments. I feel that they need to be all or nothing when it comes to virtual education. Either all classes should be online or they should all be in person masking. If you have a mix, then it deprioritizes the class in the setting that you dislike.
Korean language in itself is in its own category and is its own family language. It was found that it may or may not have distant ties to the Altaic Language Family which consists of languages such as Turkish, and Mongolian, but historically although Chinese is a part of a different language family, there are some influences that it has made on the Korean language. Because Korean is in its own language family, I am unable to relate or connect it to other languages as much except for the fact that it is a character-based language when written like Chinese and Japanese. And possibly there are vocabulary words that may be similar between Korean and Chinese (Hanja). Languages change over time because of culture, historical events, and more connection with the world and more interactions with cultures that have differing languages. Linguists track and predict the changes in languages change over time by recording and comparing how language has evolved from past to present.
What I found of interest to me specifically about Korean Culture is the history, the music and food. I would say this would relate to the topic of language as these aspects of Korean culture as they are a reflection of each other and intertwine in many areas. The Korean Language itself has historical influence and development to it throughout history, and music itself is a form of language in its own way. The way sentences are formed and the types of words that may exist in Korean but not in another language can provide a new way to express emotion and communication, in a way that may be different from English. With the topic of food, building relationships and bonding over Korean food and traditional dishes can be a way to use the language and build vocabulary by learning new ingredients and new dishes. With these topics, I would need special vocabulary in order to discuss them in Korean Language. These topics (food) have been included in my learning plan so I will be able to engage with the topic soon.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QlwnBy16W0E
After arriving in Korea for the first time after 12 years, our family headed straight for my maternal grandparents’ house in the countryside north of Seoul. When we arrived, I saw beautiful fields, an old storage building, and many odd-looking jars that were so big that I could probably fit in them. I asked my parents about the interesting containers and they responded by telling me that the onggi (옹기) were traditional Korean earthenware mainly used as storage for fermentation processes. I was able to open a couple of them with my grandparents and saw kimchi and some soybean paste. My parents mentioned that we could also call these jars hangari (항아리) which reminded me about an old Korean tale called Kongjwi and Patjwi where a hangari was used as part of a chore.
As I was looking back at some old pictures, I came across the picture above and decided to do some more research on onggi and how they’re made. I also found a video that goes through the making process of onggi which is also included at the top.
Although the origin of onggi can be traced back to 4000-5000 BC, the current form’s popularity rose in the 18th century. Since the materials to make the vessels (clay and sand) could be conveniently found near the mountains, onggi was affordable and was not limited to just the upperclass. There are four types of onggi which are classified due to the different firing and finishing processes. The oji onggi is the preferred style that is glazed after the molding of the onggi. A jil onggi is one that is unglazed which helps with air flow and can be used to store water. The ban onggi is salt-glazed before baking at a high temperature. The reaction with the salt creates a lighter yellow-brown color. Finally, the phu-rae onggi is one that is salt-glazed and involves a reduction-cooling process. (Who know there would be so much chemistry involved!) This style creates an even more durable vessel but was not commonly produced do to the long, tiring process. Due to the porous material, all onggi are cleaned with just water. Other factors such as soap could get into the microscopic holes and affect the next material placed inside. Furthermore, onggi are traditionally kept outside together in a common area called a jangdokdae. In the picture above, one can see that inside of being scattered around, they are on top of a mini underground storage room. The kimchi is usually located in an onggi that’s underground to prevent it from freezing. Onggi can still be bought today, but due to the advances of technology, the traditional ways that require physical labor of creating an onggi is slowly disappearing. According to the video linked above, there are only about 20 people in Korea who are certified to create a Korean onggi that follows the traditional, proper guidelines.
Now that I understand the history and process of making an onggi, I’m excited to check them out again once I visit Korea… hopefully in the next 3 years!
Last semester I was in the class Introduction to Contemporary Dance as my art general education requirement. We learned about a range of dancers, dance forms, and schools of thought that have developed across the world. One of the dance forms that we particularly focused on was capoeira, a dance created in Brazil by African enslaved peoples and Indigenous Brazilians. They were not allowed to learn how to fight, so they created capoeira as a ‘game.’ If they disguised strength training and fighting practice as dance and play, then it could not be taken away. It was a form of discrete empowerment and community strengthening. Everyone gathers in a circle and creates a common rhythm. This can be supplemented by instruments such as the berimbau. Then, they sing with two people playing the game (dancing) in the middle. Capoeira involves Portuguese language because there are specific songs that are sang in a capoeira circle. One that we learned in dance was just variations of “ohhh sim, sim, sim, oohhh, nau, nau, nau,” which means “oh yes, yes, yes, oh no, no, no.” However, I think that was for simplicity. There are more complex songs in which people tell stories as well. There is also language to describe specific moves, such as an esquiva (‘dodge’) and meia lua (‘half moon’). There is an extensive language component to capoeira because it was developed as a covert language communicated through bodily movements, meaningful phrases, and song. Capoeira continues to evolve from its historical roots and still thrives in Brazil as an art form.
