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In the past two weeks, we began to learn Turkish grammar but only simple tenses. We just learnt the present tense and a little bit about past tense, and they are basically adding different suffix to the verb to show the tense, such as “d” or “yor”, which is similar to English grammar structure. But besides that, I did some exploration about simple tenses in Turkish and some of that are very different from English.
- The present tense. Used to represent an action in the current state, an ongoing action, or an upcoming action.
For example: Ben televizyon izlemek çok istiyorum.
(I want to watch TV very much [now]. Action in the current state.)
Çocuklar şarkı söylüyor.
(The children are singing. Action in progress.)
Bu akşam babamın evine gidiyorum.
(I'm going to Dad's home tonight. The action is happening soon.)
- Broad tense. Used to express habitual, regular actions or requests, blessings and other tone. (broad literal meaning: actions done in the past, now and in the future are still likely to be done.)
For example: Her sabah parka gider.
He goes to the park every morning. Habitual action.)
İlkbaharda çiçerler açar.
(Flowers bloom in spring. Regular action.)
Kapı açar mısınız?
(Could you please open the door? The tone of the request.)
- Long-term tense. Represents a continuous action from the past to the present. There are overlaps with broadness, but the difference is that there is no clear explanation for whether the action will last in the future. It is mostly used for official speeches.
Çin ve Türkiye gibi gelişmekte olan ülkeler hızlı ilerlemektedir.
(Developing countries like China and Turkey are developing rapidly. The past development has continued to the present.)
- Past tense. As the name implies, it represents the past action, and the action has ended when speaking. Like yo hice algo in Spanish or J'ai fait qqch in French
Üç gün önce sinemaya gittim.
I went to the cinema three days ago
However, unlike English, there are two other cases of Turkish past tense:
(1) past reporting. Emphasize that past actions are not personal experiences, because this tense is widely used in biography.
Dün gece şehrin doğusunda kar yağmış.
（It's said that it snowed in the east of the city yesterday.）
(2) emphasis in the past. Emphasize that the past actions are not personal experiences, but is truth.
Dün gece şehrin doğusunda kar yağmıştır.
(it snowed in the east of the city yesterday! ——I didn't see it with my own eyes, but maybe according to the snowman I saw today, I'm sure it really snowed in the east of the city yesterday.)
- Future tense. As the name suggests, what happens in the future.
Onlar birkaç ay sonra Amerika’ya yerleşecek.
(They will immigrate to the United States in a few months.)
This week we learned tourism in Korea and some basic conversation that we can use when we visit there. The most commonly used is to ask road and ask others help to take pictures. When we want to ask: “where is the museum?” we can say: “박물관이 어디에 있어요?” 박물관 means museum and we can replace it with any other places we want to ask, such as 미술관 which means art museum, and 동물원 which means zoo. Besides these, Brenda also introduced many Korean famous scenic spot to us. In남산골 한옥 마을, also known as "A Village of Traditional Houses in the Namsan Valley", we can take part in cultural programs including wearing hanbok (traditional Korean costumes), calligraphy, making traditional paper (hanji), kites and masks, and sipping traditional teas. It is such an impressive trip to experience the life of ancient Korean surround by the modern buildings.
The second spot is 서울 타워(Seoul Tower), an observation tower at 236 meters which is the second highest point in Seoul. Some other attractions are 광화 멘 (Gwanghwa men), 양화 대교 (yanghwa Bridge), 반포 대교 (Banpo Bridge), and 경복궁 (gyeongboggung).
Once we arrived the attractions, we can say:
여기서 사진 찍어도 돼요?
Can I take a picture here?
실례합니다. 사진 좀 찍어 주시겠어요?
Excuse me. Do you mind taking a picture of me/us?
한 장 더 찍어주세요.
Please taken one more picture
네. 찍습니다. 하나, 둘, 셋, 김치.
Are you ready? One, two, three, cheese!
"Say cheese" is an instruction used by photographers to smile. By saying "cheese", most people form their mouths into what appears to be a smile-like shape. Most time, we simply use "say cheese" as a cue to enter their final pose and to smile, and now "say" is almost always dropped from phrase, resulting in simply being "Cheese." However, in Korean, they use 김치(kimchi) which is a famous traditional side dish of salted and fermented vegetables, instead of cheese. When we pronounce ‘ -chi ’, as you know, our mouth is usually like smiling. Usually, in China people do not say “chesse”, because in Chinese it is called “nai lao” and the word could not produce the same mouth shape, so the Chinese version is to shout out “茄子” (qie zi) which means “eggplant”.
Some words we need to remember after class:
박물관 museum/ 화장실 toilet / 미술관 Gallery or art museum/ 식당 restaurant/ 백화점department store / 지하철역subway station
I read an article about some important cultural aspects I found very interesting. Here are some of them:
- Shake hands or kiss the cheek
In Turkey, hugs are for close friends and family. If it is the first time to meet, a handshake is perfectly acceptable. Turkish people also like to kiss their cheeks, which is suitable for any occasion when people greet each other. If you know each other and if you want to kiss, men would like women to do it first.
- Prepare to drink a lot of tea
Tea is not just a hot drink. In Turkey, it's a sign of a warm welcome in the homes of enthusiastic hosts; drink tea and make more friends. You usually have tea, fresh fruit and candy after dinner. In addition, you might find someone is bargaining in the Turkish market while drinking teas together.
- Don't worry if you are late
If you're late for a social event, people won't think you're rude. On the contrary, if you are the host, you may meet some laggards. In Turkey, time is considered to be relatively volatile, and unless it's a business meeting, you should be on time.
- Be respectful to the elders
If you want to see a friend's parents, add "teyze" or "AMCA" after their name. These terms are meant to show respect. You can also try to pay homage with "ABI" or "abla" (brother or sister). When you travel, you may hear men call each other "ABI", which is a bit like saying "brother" in the context of friendship.
- Gold means a lot in Turkish wedding
If you are going to Turkey for a wedding, please pay attention to the special significance of gold in the wedding. Guests will present gold coins to the bride and groom, as well as gold bracelets for family gifts. Gold is attached to a silk belt around the necks of the bride and groom. There is a simple and fairly common reason: gold is considered a reserve currency and will never depreciate.
- In the mosque
Although Turkey is secular and modern, most of its population is Muslim. You must show respect wherever you worship. A woman should cover her head, arms and legs. Men should also make sure their legs are covered.
- Do not shoes at homes
Never wear shoes at home. Put your shoes at the door. The owner may even offer some slippers.
- Bring gifts
Turkish people are very hospitable. If you want to make friends with them, you will definitely be invited to their home. When you do this, it's important to bring a small gift: food or flowers are the most appropriate, and it's best to avoid alcohol, because many Turkish people don't drink for religious reasons.
- The owner always pays
If you go out to dinner with your Turkish friends, it's important to remember that! Generally speaking, whoever treats pays. Sharing the bill is almost unheard of: it is understood that the guest will return it in the future.
Generally speaking, hospitality is a sign of welcoming Turkish friends and family. Surprisingly, mass tourism has not reduced the desire of Turkish people to welcome tourists. In the 21st century, Turkish people are keen to show foreign tourists their homes and countries and learn their cultures and ways just as tourists do.
In the first meet up with Jenna two weeks ago, we went over formal conversation in Korean. I practiced talking about myself and my hobbies. I also practiced talking about what I want to do in the future and what I am currently doing in school (chemistry major and pre-med track). Jenna also gave me a worksheet with new vocab words about Sino-Korean. I learned about the influence of Chinese characters on Korean. Sino-Korean is used for dates, money, time and addresses/numbers over 100. On the other hand, Korean numbers are used for age, # of times something occurs, and different counters for objects. It was interesting that Korean uses different counting numbers for specific topics and subjects. This is different from English and it was kind of confusing at first. Furthermore, Jenna taught me how to count in Korean numbers up to 100. During the session, Jenna also taught me how to pronounce each number in both Korean and Sin-Korean. Away from the lessons, I have continued using radio garden to listen to Korean broadcasts and music. I spent around 10-15 minutes a day to just listen to random news stations or music stations. I also have been practicing speaking in Korean with my parents and my grandmother over the phone. I have called them multiple times every week and limited my English vocabulary. I can see an improvement in my ability to speak in Korean. Furthermore, my friend and I went out to eat at a Korean restaurant and I ordered the food in Korean. I will discuss this further in my cultural posts for this week.
For my second meet up with Jenna, we reviewed the Sino-Korean and Korean counting. I got quizzed on some of the numbers and practiced saying specific numbers like 43 or 124. Jenna also gave me more numerical vocab words in Korean, such as currency. She taught me the currency in Korean and how to count currency. Something interesting that I learned was that any won (dollar) amount larger than 10,000 is counted based on a certain base suffix, similar to how Americans use thousands to count dollars up until one million. Jenna also introduced me to times and dates in Korean. She taught me how to say the time in Korean. Something interesting about time in Korean is that the hour uses the Korean counting system while the minutes use the Sino-Korean counting system. Just as we say “half past 2” in English, Korean also uses a shortcut phrase for halfway of an hour. Korean also utilizes AM and PM, except that place them in the beginning of the time compared to English. For the dates, we use a mix of Sino-Korean and Korean counting for the months. Jenna also taught me the days of the week in Korean and how to pronounce it. Similar to English, Korean uses a common suffix like “day” in MonDAY, TuesDAY, WednesDAY, etc. Overall, I think I am proud and excited about the amount of Korean I learned in the past two weeks. I have learned numerical counting systems in Korean, as well as increasing my skills in speaking and writing Korean. I am excited to continue improving in Korean.
If I got a research grant to conduct a linguistic study of Korean, I would first create a financial plan. I would create a budget for what I should do with the money and find the most efficient uses of funding. I think the biggest thing would be traveling to Korea to immerse myself in the culture and language. Just as we learned in the beginning of the semester, immersing yourself in a culture is the best way to learn a new language. I would find a place to stay in Korea in order to learn all about the culture. Culture and language have a strong correlation between one another, so learning about the history and culture of Korea would help me significantly in understanding and learning the language. My main topic I would be most interested in studying would be the music industry in Korea. I would go to as many different concerts in Korea across many different genres of Korean music. It would allow me to learn about the different fan bases, genres of music, and the culture of Korean music. I would want to study the differences and similarities between the Korean music industry and the American music industry. How has history impacted and influenced the music industry in Korea? For example, Jazz began in New Orleans by the African American communities in the early 20th century. I would try to find any historical influence in Korean music and how it has impacted and shaped the music industry. Learning about different musical genres in Korea would definitely show structural components from class such as syntax, grammar, mood, voice, etc. Music is more complicated then spoken language across different cultures because of the artistic creativity and flexibility that music allows. A singer can change the pronunciation of a word or structure of a sentence to fit the flow of a song. Investigating words in songs that I learned to speak and write would be a very fascinating topic to research on.
추석
추석 (chuseok) is the Korean Thanksgiving day. The day of Korean Thanksgiving is on the fifteenth of August in the lunar calendar. The word 추석 means autumn eve literally, and there are many traditional activities for the celebration of the day.
The first thing is wearing 한복 (hanbok). 한복 is traditional Korean clothing that Koreans wear for important days of their life or traditional holidays. It is a long one-piece for girls, usually with long sleeves. The dress part of 한복is usually puffy and long enough to cover girls’ feet. For boys, they wear a long shirt as well, but with white pants under it.
On the day of Korean Thanksgiving, people will prepare a good meal at home with families and bring a good portion of the food to the graveyard of their ancestors. The food has a large portion of fresh fruits, which are relatively expensive in Korea. After displaying the food in front of the grave, they will pour some 소주 (soju), a traditional Korean drink, onto the grave. This is a way of telling their ancestors that the whole family is living a good life now. By serving the food and soju, they are also hoping that the ancestors are having a good life now, hearing their messages, and bringing blessings to the family for the coming year.
Since the day of 추석 is chosen based on the lunar calendar, it is always a day with a full moon. At night, people would look at the full moon with their family and make wishes for the next year. Many other traditional activities in Korea may vary based on regions, but even in modern society, the core of this holiday is for a family reunion. Nowadays, more and more young people move to Seoul to work, away from their families. Thus, over the Korean Thanksgiving break, most young people would make time to go back home and spend some time with their families.
Reference:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GrnzOZ8FpPk&list=WL&index=7&t=0s
SDLC%20112%20Biweekly%20Language%20Learing%20Journal%20Post%20%236.docx
I have been learning about more abstract and complicated topics lately, which has been challenging yet rewarding in pushing me to improve my Bahasa Melayu confidence and capabilities. I started off learning about feelings and emotions, first in basic forms from the workbook and then with additional guidance from Melisa. I was surprised to learn that, for one, the Malay word for 'to feel' - "rasa" - is also the word for 'to taste,' and can be used in a number of different contexts. As part of my independent learning, I wrote a paragraph that told a story of me losing my car keys and the emotions that I felt during this struggle. It was useful to see the holes in my knowledge, given storytelling can be difficult, and the act of writing this out and going over it with Melisa allowed me to understand the sentence structures of the language and how to use connectors and conjunctions better. I even recorded my voice when reading the passage and noted which spots I struggled with or pronounced incorrectly in order to improve my oral language skills as well.
Another topic I delved into was location and direction. In addition to avocet, besides, under, etc., I learned how to change my sentence depending on which noun I wanted to place emphasis on, e.g. saya kehilangan buku saya vs. buku saya hilang (I lost the book vs. the book of mine was lost). This aspect of my lessons was especially conducive to using my prior knowledge to build upon my foundations and understandings and, simply put, offered many opportunities to test out new sentences. I am learning how to express myself more easily and even smaller things such as knowing how to use passive voice can be immensely beneficial to this end. Certain longer words can still be confusing to pronounce and I am still trying to get a more solid grip on affixes (especially the circumfix), however these two topics have been some of the most interesting and immediately enriching ones thus far.
This is undoubtedly an exceptionally busy time in the semester, so it is important that I stay on track with my language learning efforts and goals. This could be the perfect opportunity to try completely new approaches that keep learning fresh and engaging for me, especially video and audio ones that can be entertaining as well. My strategies are only effective if I am fully invested in them and willing to make the changes necessary to continue to see improvements - I will work with Melisa to build new strategies for busier times like these. One idea that seems worthwhile and intriguing that came up in class on Friday is asking Melisa to connect me with a digital 'pen pal' of sorts who I can speak with in Malay or exchange short messages (or perhaps even a physical letter). I have had the opportunity to experiment with this in Chinese, and it always yields fascinating insights into the host culture. Modifying my existing strategies will ultimately allow me to fine-tune my learning style and approaches in different ways, depending on a number of factors, and can benefit my independent study of the language immensely.
I thought for my third cultural artifact, I would introduce a fascinating subject that relates to Borneo and East Malaysia (both of which I have yet to touch upon in these cultural artifact posts): the Bajau/Samo-Bajau tribe. The Bajau are an ethnic group that come from the Philippines (with a large portion of the community still living there) that have settled in and around the eastern side of Malaysian Borneo in Sabah, as well as in Indonesia. I first learned about the Bajau, sometimes colloquially (and perhaps disparagingly) referred to as the "Sea Gypsies," from my language partner, Melisa after I told her I had visited Borneo before in Kota Kinabalu and the neighboring region.
The most immediately intriguing distinction of the Bajau living on the water is the design of their homes and the interconnectedness of their communities. Each home is built on stilts above the shallow water and is connected to other homes via bridges. The water is truly part and parcel of these communities, and as such many Bajau have become skilled in spearfishing and can hold their breath for upwards of five minutes at a time - a possibility that is made possible from larger spleen sizes, as studies suggest. They also rely heavily on small sailboats called teba-teba (I am not sure if this is an instance of reduplication in their native language) to get around and to go on fishing trips. This adaptation to and control over the environment in which they live yields many positive results, but also places them in a precarious position elsewhere. It is important to shed light on this other side of the story as well to more fully understand their place in Malaysian society.
Living under the aforementioned conditions in water presents serious problems for the Bajau in terms of interacting with the modern Malaysian state. Some villages have been referred to as "water slums" because of the presence of trash and the cramming of homes into tight quarters within them. Moreover, not every village has access to schoolteachers, healthcare, or other basic amenities and as such disadvantage the communities tremendously in their development and possibilities. Those that interact with the communities in-shore, especially Kota Kinabalu, are often exploited for cheap later or, worse yet, at risk of facing legal issues purely based on their citizenship (or complete lack thereof in the case of many stateless Bajau). Poverty is rampant and incidents of crime involving Bajau are not unheard of. That said, centuries of living in isolation in such a distinct environment cannot be undone overnight, and local and state governments in Malaysia are trying to create policies to accommodate and integrate these populations into Malaysian society more fluidly. Though the numbers of those living in water is decreasing, there are still hundreds of thousands of Bajau living across the Sulu Archipelago in the Philippines and into East Malaysia and Indonesia.
(Image: https://loveandroad.com/bajo-tribe-sea-gypsy-wakatobi-indonesia/)
While I have focused mostly on those Bajau living in communities in the sea offshore coastal cities and towns, there are also several communities that live on land in Sabah. These communities are renowned for having extraordinary skill on horseback and for dressing horses in traditional cultural attire. They also live in homes raised by stilts, but will often build two floors - one for their horses, and the above one for them to live in. It appears as if this community is more integrated with surrounding communities (Malaysian and indigenous alike), which is likely due to increased exposure and proximity.
All things considered, I really enjoyed delving into Malaysian culture more deeply through this cultural artifact and focusing on Borneo. The Bajau raise many interesting questions regarding the place of indigenous groups in the modern nation state. To learn more about them, see this interesting Youtube video and refer to the sources listed below.
(Image: https://hiveminer.com/Tags/bajau%2Ctamubesar)
Sources (and Further Reading Material):
https://www.atlasofhumanity.com/bajau
https://www.thevintagenews.com/2018/12/11/bajau-people/
https://www.straitstimes.com/asia/sabahs-water-villages-living-on-the-fringe
https://loveandroad.com/bajo-tribe-sea-gypsy-wakatobi-indonesia/
Link to Parasite trailer:
I am very passionate about food and the ways that it connects people. Each dish has a different flavor, evoking all spectrums of emotions like excitement and disgust. When I am on Youtube, I frequently watch videos of people tasting food that is nonexistent in their culture. One Youtuber that I watch pretty often is DigitalsojuTV, who frequently invites Koreans to try foods such as American BBQ. One particular episode, in which the youtuber invites North Korean refugees to taste American dishes, caught my attention because North Koreans and Americans are polar opposites of one another culturally.
This video was very informative for numerous reasons. First, I learned the preference of North Koreans when it comes to food. Second, I learned about North Korean table manners and other cultural norms that were influenced by propaganda. Third, I learned about the different sauces that I can incorporate when eating dishes such as pulled pork sandwiches.
I wasn’t very surprised when I learned about North Korean preference for meat. When these refugees were still in North Korea, they had to eat pork, dog, and rabbit. Many people may shudder at the thought of eating dogs as Americans raise dogs as companions, but eating dogs was a means for survival. The North Korean refugees talk about how it wasn’t normal in North Korea to view dogs as companions as these animals were eaten after months of care. After eating the dogs, they would sell the fur back to the government. North Koreans were also not allowed to eat beef due to the limited supply of oxen. Oxen were precious to the country because it was the main means of farm work. If caught, North Koreans would be shamed and executed by the government.
This video also touched upon lifestyle differences between North and South Koreans. According to some of the refugees, they thought they had “traveled 40 years into the future” upon landing in South Korea. Compared to their former country, South Korea had so much technology, sanitized facilities, and freedom to speak and act in ways that the refugees could not in the past. Unlike South Koreans, the refugees would never abandon leftovers from a restaurant. Rather, they would take the leftovers home because the amount of food is “something to die for” back in North Korea.
This Youtube video reminded me that people with vastly different views, lifestyles, and culture exist even though we speak the same language. It reminds me that the two Korean governments have long ways to go to bridge the cultural and national chasm that was caused by the Korean War. Despite knowing all these differences, I am relived and glad to know that these two countries share a common language that can help pave the path to peace. It is hangul that allows us to press forwards towards unification and to compromise so that future generations in both nations can thrive.
K-pop is one of the biggest culture exports from Korea. It is a huge industry in Korea and many teenagers in Korea and other countries have the dream of becoming a K-pop star. However, the candy-colored sheen coats a sinister underbelly with ugly truths about K-pop. Sulli was a famous k-pop star in Korea who recently committed suicide. The death of Sulli turned the spotlight on the darkest corners of the highly pressurized industry. Sulli was a former member of the group f(x). She had spoken publicly about her mental health problems. Authorities said she was suffering from severe depression and are investigating suicide as a possible cause of death. Sulli had been targeted by online abusers, often from anonymous male fans enraged because Sulli refused to conform to social norms. Her “crimes” had included live-streaming a drinking session with friends and her decision not to wear a bra in public. She expressed her views about what was intrinsically wrong in our society about how female stars are supposed to behave. She broke other taboos including hosting a TV show about how online abuse had contributed to her anxiety disorder and social phobia, in a country with a strong cultural resistance to discussing mental illness.
Almost all k-pop stars are put through a gruesome training schedule as they pass along the procedure of debuting in new girl and boy bands. Younger stars and trainees are subjected to strict controls over their private lives, including bans on dating, restrictions on mobile phone use and expectation that they will be willing to sacrifice their health to achieve the desired image set by the company.
Sulli was 11 when she began her career as an actor, before making her K-pop debut in 2009 for f(x), who quickly became one of the country’s most popular girl-bands.
Many k-pop stars who debuted at young ages suffer from depression and anxiety because they go through adolescence without experiencing genuine friendships and stability with peer groups.
A number of k-pop stars and Korean actors/actresses have killed themselves in the last decade. Jang Ja-yeon took her own life in 2009, leaving a seven-page letter in which she claimed she had been the victim of sexual abuse and exploitation by influential politicians, business and newspaper executives, and industry figures.
The K-pop star Jonghyun, whose real name was Kim Jong-hyun, killed himself in December 2017; the singer and actor Goo Hara, once part of the girl band Kara, apologized to fans after being found unconscious at her home earlier this year.
Sulli’s death has intensified demands for government action against bullying on popular internet portals where users are able to comment anonymously.
Freedom of expression is a vital value in a democratic society, but insulting and hurting someone else’s dignity is beyond that limit. I believe that there should be harsher penalties for those who violate that law.
