My first task, getting better at writing in Korean relates to the ability to memorize spelling. The most obvious way to improve spelling is to keep practicing writing. I have started texting my friends and relatives in Korean to practice utilizing words. I also use Google, Naver, and Duolingo to help me get the correct spelling. Whenever I search a word up, I jot it down in the notes app on my phone to refer back to. Studying the words list on my phone helps me remember the spelling of words I use often, improving my Korean writing and texting ability.
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Formality and informality in Korean is probably one of the very first cultural aspects one would learn about Korea. Since formality is extremely important in Korean culture, it is important to be able to distinguish between formal and informal speech.
Formality is a way of showing respect through speech. When speaking to somebody older or somebody you are not familiar with, you are expected to use formal speech (honorifics). Formal speech differs from informal speech based on special nouns or verb endings. In formal speech, one would usually add 요 ("yo") at the end of a sentence. Special pronouns such as 누나 (older sister- from male), 언니 (older sister-from female), 형 (older brother- from male) , 오빠 (older brother- from female) are expected as well. Honorifics are often used towards relatives, an older person, customer, employer, teacher, or the like.
Informality is a more casual and friendly way of speaking. One uses informal speech when speaking to a friend or somebody they are comfortable with. Dropping honorifics is a good way to become closer and friendlier with somebody, but that should be agreed upon by both parties.
My interest in my language is definitely the culture. Being born in the United States and growing up in Canada, I have always been distant from my Korean heritage. Because my parents never really forced Korean culture upon me, I was never truly taught on the Korean culture. I am just starting to discover all these cultural differences between the United States/Canada and Korea, and would like to learn more about the differences. It is fascinating being a part of two different cultures, and since I grew up in the American culture, I have become curious about the Korean culture as well.
I hope to just continue my progression in writing, reading, and speaking Korean. I just recently began learning Korean, and through SDLC I a hoping to speed up my learning process. Because I am thinking about studying abroad in Korea, I aim to be proficient enough in Korean to get the best out of a semester there. If I do end up in Korea, I intend to involve myself with the local Koreans as well as other study abroad students.
By the end of this semester, I hope to be able to read Korean articles, books, and texts much faster, but these are more personal goals outside of SDLC. The gradual pauses in between words are something I’d like to focus on overcoming, as well as avoiding having to actually think about what it is I just read. Also related to my reading skills, I'd like to improve on my general pronunciation. As far as writing goes, I would like to be able to utilize more difficult words and expand my vocabulary beyond the basics. Improving my spelling (memorizing the spelling) is also be a goal of mine. In the near future, I hope to hone my skills enough to get the best out of a possible study abroad trip to Korea. It has been a goal of mine to surround myself with more native Koreans and get accustomed to the culture. But more specifically, for SDLC, I would like to focus on the understanding and comprehension of a conversation in Korean better. Whether it be watching a movie or just engaging in a conversation, I hope to grab the main ideas of the conversations. Since movies or native Koreans tend to utilize more difficult words or expressions, I sometimes have a hard time understanding what is being said. While I don’t expect to know what every particular saying or word means, I hope to at least be able to get an idea of what is being said.
The articles focused on the scientific and anatomical areas of learning and speaking a language. The first chapter was a brief explanation of how the brain contributes when reading, speaking, and writing. It was interesting to see the process behind the fundamentals of speaking a language, something that we generally do without putting much thought into it. The second chapter focused on the meaning of words, and emphasized on the different meanings a single word can hold. Depending on the context, a word can be appropriately or inappropriately used in a sentence, forcing us to be more aware of the meaning behind words. This relates to my learning in Korean, because many Korean words have different meanings as well. For me to be able to distinguish between the meanings and be aware of the context behind the words is something that will be crucial during my learning process. The final chapter focused on the analysis of words, as well as lexemes. A family of similar words, or lexemes, all hold different meanings. Relating back to the previous chapter, the perception of a word can be similar to another word, leading to expansion of one's vocabulary. This is something to remind myself about during my learning process because one of my biggest goals is to expand my vocabulary.
Growing up in Montreal, Quebec for my elementary school years, I originally spoke French before learning English. Throughout the process of learning English, I enjoyed finding how similar English words were to French words. The close resemblance between the two languages made the learning process much more swift and effortless. However, there were some downsides of learning a similar language. Although English and French seem identical in writing, the pronunciation and the grammar structure differ. The similarity and differences led to confusions when pronouncing or forming sentences in each languages.
Upon completing the surveys, I found out I am mostly a visual learner. It didn't come as a surprise as I always knew I learned best when I can see what I am being taught. The results emphasized that keeping my notes organized and clean would help me learn most efficiently. I believe I can take something away from this survey by color coding my notes and start utilizing more flash cards into my studying.
In Korea, politeness and respect are crucial aspects of society. When speaking to somebody older, one must use formal speech (honorifics) by utilizing special nouns or verb endings. Honorifics are often used towards relatives, an older person, customer, employer, teacher, or the like. While formal speech is an aspect I highly admire about Hangeul, I find it difficult to get "closer" and more comfortable to somebody of higher status because of it. Using honorifics automatically places a barrier between people and dictates the kind of relationship they will have (at least initially).
It seems that body language isn't widely used when speaking Korean. However, one must obviously still consider their body language or body motions when speaking to another individual. Some acts I was taught to avoid are crossing my legs, leaning against something, pointing at somebody, and waving somebody over with my palm facing up. While the language structures might differ between Korean and English, I believe the appropriate body languages are quite similar between the two cultures.
The article states that being bilingual "can have a profound effect on your brain, improving cognitive skills not related to language and even shielding against dementia in old age," and "seem to be more adept than monolinguals at solving certain kinds of mental puzzles." Although I see where this claim is coming from, I don't truly believe that being bilingual can directly make an individual more intelligent. I do believe however, that being bilingual can help an individual develop habits that can improve his/her performance in school. When learning a new language, one must experience different ways of learning and discover what works best for them. This new way of learning or studying can roll over to the school books and improve one's academic performance.
Looking back to the beginning of the semester, I have noticed that my writing/typing in Korean has become faster. A big aspect that contributes to my development in speed is my ability to memorize the spelling of more and more words. I have now memorized the spelling of most of the words I use on a daily basis, allowing me to type and write much faster. The same can be said about my reading, as I have noticed that I am starting to read faster without the pauses in between (which I have mentioned in my learning plan). My progress has been a pretty good regarding reading and writing, but I still hope to memorize the spellings of the more uncommon words that I use here and there.
I am currently learning about two to four new words every week. Whether it be from the SDLC language partner meetings or just personally learning words outside of class, I include new words in the note app on my phone. Having this personal dictionary allows me to keep that list of words in mind as I begin utilizing them in conversations. I learn new words when my language partner uses an unfamiliar word or when I hear one in a movie, and follow it with a quick search on google and then jotting it down on my phone. I think continuing this method and adding two to four words a week is definitely a realistic goal as I am currently doing it and learning from it.
When a language dies, cultural identities and the diversity of the world's linguistics diminishes as well. The article mentions that English, Spanish, and Mandarin are the top languages in the world. One can initially guess why those three languages are the top three: because of the large communities that speak English, Spanish, and Mandarin. Although the most obvious secret to success is the large mass of speakers, the article challenges this belief by disclosing that Siletz Dee-ni (which has about five speakers left in the entire world) was once the dominant language in the west. English, Spanish, and Mandarin don't seem like they are going extinct any time soon, but it is quite possible that one day those languages will vanish as well. Kirk Johnson reveals that English speakers tried to wipe out the Siletz culture and language by forcing children to speak English and banning their native language. I am pretty familiar with this because the Siletz tribes were settled around Canada's west coast, where I am from. I learned about the Siletz and other tribes who were forced to give up their native culture and language, and I remember that we also learned about how those Siletz children grew up. The majority of those children who were forced to live a western life and speak English committed suicide, failing to live past their late 20s or 30s, if I remember correctly. When a language dies, the culture and lifestyle disappears with it, as seen with the Siletz people. Languages around the world consistently evolve, forever shifting the diversity of the world's linguistics.
The history of Korean can help me learn the language better because it would provide me with some historical context that can perhaps answer some questions on the origin and structure of the language. Learning a language is more than just learning the alphabet or how to write words, but rather the knowledge of the culture is what helps one become fluent. Knowing the origin of the Korean language can help me understand the Korean culture on another level. To understand Korean better, one must know the culture of formal/informal speech for instance, which has a significant impact on the language. The form of speech differs when one is speaking to somebody older or somebody younger, and knowing why that is would help one understand the language much better. Being able to identify when to use formal and informal speech relates to the culture, and therefore plays a crucial role in understanding the language. When learning multiple languages, it is nice to know the histories to see if there is any link between them as well. For Korean, one can acknowledge the heavy influence Chinese characters had on the origin, and therefore see the similarities between Chinese languages and Korean.
- Reflect on your experiences of (trying to) read and write in your target language.
As I mentioned in some of my previous posts, reading in Turkish is not a challenge for me because of being previously familiar with most of the sounds of the language. I have tried to read sentences and some short texts online. I also practiced reading while playing Monopoly and reading some of the cards. Writing in my target language is also easy, since the alphabet is very similar to the English alphabet. I write on my notecards and my notebook. I also type in Turkish when I need to write a message or translate a word. I enjoy the process of being able to read and somewhat understand words, expressions and texts. Writing is also essential in maintaining a good grammar, so I often take notes in my notebook. I prefer taking notes with a pen in a notebook, rather than a laptop, since writing helps me memorize the words and expressions better. I have also used many digital resources for reading and found those very helpful.
Are Bilinguals Really Smarter?
One of the NYT articles I read had an interesting statement saying: "There is ample evidence that in a bilingual’s brain both language systems are active even when he is using only one language, thus creating situations in which one system obstructs the other." I agree with some of the ideas that Bilingual people may be mentally more capable of learning other subjects or solving puzzles, but I also think that these cases are very individual. I have met bilingual people who had much worse mental abilities than my monolingual American friends and vice versa, therefore one claim may apply to a portion of people but not necessarily to all. The second article I read said: " Bilingual brains differ in their use of executive function- a system that helps the brain access particular regions or memories when prompted, like a neurological Dewey Decimal System." Another question that was raised was whether later language learners are also considered bilingual and smarter. Some claim that multilingualism gives a person "a heightened ability to monitor the environment." They also say that multilinguals are more resistant to dementia and other Alzheimer's symptoms. Others still claim that teaching another language to a child does nothing but complicate their thoughts. I personally think that whether bilingualism makes someone smarter or not is very individual. However, the fact of being able to understand different mindsets, cultures and viewpoints is undeniably one ramification of multilingualism and more and more people value languages these days, although a portion of them believes digital technologies will replace the difficult process of language learning.
- How many new words have you learned in your target language? How did you learn them? Do you have realistic goals for your acquisition of vocabulary?
I have had a vocabulary heavy learning goal this semester and I have learnt lots of Turkish vocabulary. So far, I have learnt numbers, months, days of the week, some animals and food, questions, seasons, professions, places, describing words, colors, some verbs and adverbs etc. It is a little challenging to memorize all of these, but I am trying to use notecards and Quizlet to make sure I remember at least 80% of what I am learning with a goal of accomplishing 100% later. My goals are realistic if I work hard. Learning vocabulary is essential to being able to create sentences and engage in simple conversations, therefore me and my language partners have paid close attention to vocabulary acquisition. We do have occasional review sessions as we try to maintain our goals and improve our vocabulary skills. I have found quizlet and notecards really helpful in vocabulary learning process and will stick to this method next semester as well.
Respond to the reading, reflecting on what is lost when languages die.
Siletz Dee-ni is on the verge of extinction with just 5 speakers left. They were told "...(their) language was moribund and heading off a cliff." It turned out to be from the Athabascan family of languages, related to Navajo. I believe each language is unique with all of its cultural attributes and distinctive sounds, therefore losing a language means losing a certain linguistic and traditional culture of the nation overall. With the modern communications and with the exceeding use of English, Spanish, Mandarine and a few other languages, a lot of much older languages are threatened. Another example is Matukar Panau, an Oceanic language of Papua New Guinea, with around 600 speakers remaining. With the death of these unique languages, some sounds that do not exist in the English language or other Roman languages, also die. This is not a big issue for many people, but realizing that losing small parts of the cultural heritage that world has given us, is very essential. I think by using digital resources and fundings to create dictionaries of dying languages will be one step toward maintaining the rich linguistic heritage of the world. Federally recognizing the tribes that are trying to survive is also a significant step for allowing once dominating languages and cultures not be wiped out because of English of Spanish.
Watching the presentations of my classmates gave me a better insight on the overall history of Korea, as well as other interesting aspects of Turkey and India. While obviously learning about Turkey and India was completely new to me, I actually learned a whole lot from the presentations on Korea as well. While I come from a Korean home and somewhat speak the language, my knowledge in the history is where I have been lacking. Apart from the basic history, I knew little on the Korean War or the Japanese colonization. While I presented on the cool delivery service in Korea, my classmates presented on more useful and important topics which I ended up appreciating.
- Reflect on how knowing a language's history can help you learn the language.
I personally do not think the history of any language has helped me in learning the languages that I am fluent in, therefore I do not think history will help me learning Turkish either. However, I find it increasingly important to have some knowledge of where the origins of the language are. I know the modern Turkish has gone through numerous changes, so it is not anything like what it was years ago. It has had the influence of Arabic, French, German, Armenian and other languages that people have interacted with. My language partner said Turkish has lots of French words since it used to be considered elegant and high-class thing to use French words in communication, so those words eventually became everyday words(gillete-razor), for instance, would be one example. Arabic culture has also greatly influenced Turkey, so there are some Arabic words in the language too. In authentic Turkish words, consonant always follows a vowel or vice versa, so if a word has two consonants next to each other, there is a high likelihood that it is not authentic Turkish word. History of the language, thus, has helped me understand some linguistic features of Turkish, which I find very helpful, but I do not give the history as much importance as I give to the current day language itself.
