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When I was in Istanbul, I noticed a lot of Syrian children and street performers in tourist areas such as Taksim. I ended up having a discussion with a new Turkish friend in my time there about the refugees. At the time, I had commented on how unfortunate it was that there were so many homeless Syrian refugees in the streets we saw and what policies Turkey had about them. I was taken aback by how irritated she seemed at the situation- she had responded with a frustrated, "the Turkish government has done a lot for them, there are camps, but they don't stay there. They should stay inside their camps and not come out." She then went on to talk about the crime rates in the cities and how the "astray" Syrians were the culprits. She had an especially unfavorable opinion of Syrian men and said women were less safe because of it. I don't know how true her perceptions were, but it made me wonder about the general Turkish public's opinion of Syrian refugees. I want to learn about Turkey's past and current policies, the pros and cons, what is being done to improve the negative aspects of those policies, and discover the public's sentiment towards the government's reaction to all of this. 

Vowel harmony is a crucial part of Turkish grammar. When attaching personal pronoun suffixes to nouns or adjectives, the vowel of the suffix changes to agree with the preceding vowel. This is the vowel composition: 

e, i takes i

o, u takes u

a, ı takes ı

ö, ü takes ü

EXAMPLES:

I am a doctor = Ben doktorum 

You are a doctor = Sen doktorsun

You (formal) are a doctor = Siz doktorsunuz

He/she is a doctor = O doktor

We are doctors = Biz doktoruz

They are doctors = Onlar doktor 

I struggle with vowel pronounciation, so in speaking I have a difficult time figuring out which vowel to use. The vowels 'e', 'i', 'o', 'u' are easy to remember since I don't struggle with them, but I do with the rest of the vowels. Despite that, I've definitely gotten better at vowel pronunciations! I got 'ı' down from listening to various videos until it finally clicked. Visualizing where the sound is supposed to come from helped and when I related it to some guttural Arabic sounds and cut short those sounds I already knew how to make, I got better with it. Doesn't mean I can necessarily pronounce it correct, but it's in my head and I know with practice it'll get there as my throat gets used to making those sounds. 

This is a resource that I use to see more examples of the vowel harmony. I'm going to keep it here for reference if I need to review vowel harmony again:

http://www.turkishlanguage.co.uk/vh1.htm

I recorded myself practicing introduction conversation with myself from reading my notes. I began with a normal conversation- neither formal nor informal. And then I did informal and informal for intimate friends. I think my pronunciation in this is fine, but I should have done an impromptu conversation with Arzu to really force myself to grapple with speaking spontaneously and thinking on the spot. 

Artifact 2- Conversation

• In your learning journal, reflect upon your progress to date, consider the effectiveness of your learning plan and activities, and discuss what changes--if any--you will make to finish the semester.

So this morning, was the last tutoring session Suyeon and I had for this semester.  And I am so happy to say that we finished all my learning goals!!! HOW EXCITING!!! I'm so proud that we kept on track with everything and was able to execute my whole learning plan.  The progress has been tremendous!!! From knowing nothing of speaking, reading, and writing to being able to do the basics in one semester is awesome!!! 

The learning plan was really effective, it kept us in place week to week.  I would say that the activities were less effective because Suyeon and I found a way of learning (handouts, practice, videos) that really was able to capture the way I learned.  So that's how each tutoring session ended up being and it was super helpful and easy to learn Korean.  

We did review today and I am so surprised and happy with how much I am able to communicate! 

Fourth Artifact:  Document a learning task that you have completed that meets a personal goal.

Food

• Third Artifact:  Introduce yourself and your family

Family

• Second Artifact:  Show that you can ask and answer questions about identity

Formal

Informal

Fourth Artifact: Ordering Food at Restaurant

Third Artifact: Introduce yourself and your family

• Reflect on your experiences of (trying to) read and write in your target language.   

My experience of (trying to) read and write in Korean has been a struggle.  It was easy to learn the alphabet but I just forgot how hard it was to learn from the beginning again, sounding out words and being totally frustrated in the whole process.  It's kind of amazing though, that when I am able to read out sentences, I just said something in Korean.  There's no case ending or anything so it makes my life easier as well when I am writing and reading Korean.  

I'm still a low-level learner, but I would say that speaking Korean comes more comfortably for me.  Which is odd cause usually it's the other way around.  But I think since I've been exposed to Korean since middle school, I've accumulated a lot of conversational phrases that I'm able to put into sentences or know how to build upon the vocabulary I've got.  So that part is really exciting because I know that I won't be too bad off when I go study in Korea!!! Yay!!! 

Respond to the Readings

After reading both "Are Bilinguals Smarter?" and "Bilinguals are Smarter" I'm still in the same space of agreeing with my first reactional 'yes' to the titles of the articles.  I've grown up in the US being told that knowing more than one language is a great benefit to one's life.  Although, it wasn't so much in a context of a higher "executive function" ability nor "an effect of bilingualism on the twilight years" but more of a reward for future possibilities in the workforce.  The articles talk about the more intrinisic value of bilingualism while I've always considered bilingualism as an extrinsic value to maybe turning into intrinsic value depending on the likeness of the language.  So that's one thing which really interested me, the difference of valuing languages.  I do agree on both articles, that knowing and learning more than one language works the brain in different ways and people who do so engage in life differently.  I guess it was a nice reminder that there's more to languages than just another job opening.  The long-term benefits, especially in a place such as the US, where I am told to "brush up on my English" when I have an accent or am confused, vary in different ways and it's nice to see some mind and body positive results to knowing more than one language.  

ASL%20Cultural%20Presentation.pptx

Summary: 

Audism is the belief that you are superior to someone simply because you can hear and they cannot. This causes a lot of people to have negative ideas about the deaf and hard-of-hearing. Audism occurs between the deaf and the hearing and also between groups of deaf people.

Not all deaf and hard-of-hearing people know sign language and participate in deaf culture. It is completely based on personal preference. Most deaf people do not lip-read well. Deaf people can absolutely drive and sometimes drive better than hearing people because they are not as easily distracted. Deaf people do not read Braille. The deaf can get married and have children, but it is possible that they pass their deafness onto their children. Most deaf people are not mute, but many of them just choose not to speak. Hearing aids don't completely restore hearing, they just amplify sound, and that is also a personal preference: some deaf people like them and some don't.

The deaf community is typically very distrusting of the hearing community. A hearing person can definitely become part of the deaf community, but if you do not try, they will notice and they will not try either. You have to be able to express yourself, especially if you are communicating using sign language.

Sometimes the deaf have a hard time understanding more theoretical or religious ideas, because they grew up bilingually. They sometimes need to see something signed and see it written in English before they really understand it. The deaf are also able to "whisper" by signing very quickly and moving their hands very little or by moving their hands lower down on their body, instead of up near their face. 

Jobs

Learn how to ask what they do, where they work at, how do they like their jobs. I will learn at least ten job names. Learn what I would like to do, and where I would like to work at.

Useful Vocabularies:

Teacher: son sang nim仓桑尼

Police: kyung 菜

Cook: yo ri sa

Cashier: kae si e

Banker: bang ke

Accountant: hwae gae sa

Driver: when jeon sa文综擦

Manager: ma ni je

Doctor: e-yi sa 饿一撒

Lawyer: byun ho sa  piaoong hu sa

Job: jik up, jik jang

What is your job? Jik up (yi) mo yae yo? （qik up）

Where do you work? Jik up (yi) e di yae yo?

How to you like your jobs? Jik up cou a ha sae yo?

Jo nen jik up Cou ha (hey) yo-- I like my job

Weather

 How is the weather like today?

날씨가 어때요?

어때요: how is?: eo ddae yo

날씨: weather :Nal ssi

Nal ssi ga eo ddae yo? 那了细噶哦得哟

It is…………….

오늘 날씨는 …………..

o nuel（today） nal ssi nen…….. 哦嫩 那了细嫩＋…

sunny: 화창해요 hwa chang hae yo

rainy: 비 내려요 pi nae leo yo 皮内累哦哟

rain: 비  皮

pouring: 내려요  内李哦哟

windy: 바람 불어요. Ba lam bull eo yo.  怕狼普咯哟

바람: wind  怕狼

불어요: blow: chui

Foggy: cloudy are the same in Korean

흐려요 (he) leo yo.

Snowing

눈: snow: noon

feelings:

sad: 슬퍼요 suel po yo

happy: 행복해요 hang bok hae yo   hing

annoyed: 짜증나요 cha jeung na yo  炸京那哟

mad(angry): 화나요 hwa na yo  花那哟

Looking back at the semester, I feel I have come along way. I started off not knowing anything about the language. However, now I can understand two individuals speak. However, I was not able to make much progress on the reading and writing front. This was evident from my conversations with my reading partner. Siraiki is increasingly becoming an oral tradition. There are not many Siraiki magazines or newspapers in circulation. This has been due to the fact that Urdu was made the official language in 1947. This move sidelined all the other four dozen languages of Pakistan.

However, as all the languages of Pakistan use the Persian script. Urdu, my mother language, is also written using Persian script. This means that if I were to ever come in contact with the Siraiki literature in the coming years, I will be able to read the material. Even though I imagine it will be a struggle.

This also true for my Siraiki writing abilities. I can vaguely spell and write out words in Siriaki using the Persian script. However, because my language partner has not been taught to write Siraiki, I imagine we won’t much progress.

ASL is not a written language, so I have had no challenges trying to read or write in ASL. However, I have learned that the deaf often have a hard time understanding certain ideas, because they speak ASL, but they read and write English. Sometimes they cannot truly understand something until they both see it written in English and signed in ASL. This tends to be true with more theoretical or religious ideas. This may also stem from the fact that they are many English words that just do not have signs, so they need to be spelled whenever they are used. Probably the reason those words don't have signs is because they are just not used that often, so there is not necessarily a need for a sign. Whatever the reason, it can be difficult for those born deaf, because they are raised bilingually, out of necessity and they can never choose to speak just one language or the other. 

헤더는 전공이 뭐예요?

he-deo-neun jeon-gong-i mweo-ye-yo?

Heather, what is your major?

저는 복수 전공이에요. 중국어와 수학경제를 공부해요.

jeo-neun bok-soo jeon-gong-i-e-yo. joong-gook-eo-wa soo-hak-gyeong-je-reul gong-boo-hae-yo.

I'm doing a double major. I'm studying Chinese and Mathematical Economics.

다음 학기에 무슨 수업을 들을 예정이에요?

da-eum hak-ki-e moo-seun soo-eub-eul deul-eul ye-jeong-i-e-yo?

What classes do you plan to take next semester?

중급 거시 경제학, 통계, 언어학, 중국어, 그리고 한국어 공부를 계속할거예요.

joong-geub geo-si gyeong-je-hak, tong-gye, eon-eo-hak, joong-gook-eo, keu-ri-go han-gook-eo gong-boo-reul gye-sok-hal-geo-ye-yo.

Intermediate macroeconomics, statistics, linguistics, Chinese, and I'm going to continue studying Korean.

중국어 수업은 얼마나 자주 해요?

joong-gook-eo soo-eob-eun eol-ma-na ja-joo hae-yo?

How long do you usually have Chinese class?

일주일에 세번, 오십분 씩 해요.

il-joo-il-e se-beon, o-sib-boon ssik hae-yo.

I have it three times a week, fifty minutes each.

중국어 공부를 하는데 시간이 많이 드나요?

joong-gook-eo gong-boo-reul ha-neun-de si-gan-i manh-i deu-na-yo?

Does studying Chinese take up a lot of time.

별로 시간이 안 걸려요.

byeol-lo si-gan-i an geol-ryeo-yo.

It doesn't really take up a lot of time.

Korean Artifact 2.m4a

가을 방학에 무엇을 했나요?

ga-eul bang-hak-e moo-eos-eul haet-na-yo?

What did you do during fall break?

저는 머리를 빨간색으로 염색했어요.

jeo-neun meo-ri-reul bbal-gan-saek-eu-ro yeom-saek-haess-eo-yo.

I dyed my hair red.

어디서 염색했어요?

eo-di-seo yeom-saek-haess-eo-yo?

Where did you dye it?

미용실에서 했어요.

mi-yong-sil-e-seo haess-eo-yo.

I did it at a salon.

미용실이 편의점보다 비싸지 않아요?

mi-yong-sil-i pyeon-e-jeom-bo-da bi-ssa-ji anh-a-yo?

Isn't a salon more expensive than a convenience store?

더 비싸지만 미용실의 질이 좋아서.

deo bi-ssa-ji-man mi-yong-sil-e jil-i joh-a-seo.

It's more expensive, but it's because a salon's quality is good.

또 다른 색으로 염색하고 싶어요?

ddo da-reun saek-eu-ro yeom-saek-ha-go sip-eo-yo?

Do you want to dye your hair any other colors?

저는 내년에 교환학생으로 중국에 가면 머리를 금발로 염색하려고 고려하고 있어요.

jeo-neun nae-nyeon-e gyo-hwan-hak-saeng-eu-ro joong-gook-e ga-myeon meo-ri-reul geum-bal-lo yeom-saek-ha-ryeo-go go-ryeo-ha-go iss-eo-yo.

Next year when I go study abroad in China, I'm considering dyeing my hair blonde.

예쁠 것 같아요.

ye-bbeul geot gat-a-yo.

I think that will be pretty.

Korean%20Artifact%201.m4a

The discussion for this week was more relaxed. I clarified how to put things in time order, since that is something that is harder for me. In this case, I wanted to say I had started doing something three weeks earlier. After that, we started talking about different cultures, with the main question being why I chose to study Korean and Chinese instead of other Asian languages, such as Japanese. I clarified how to say I have/do not have an interest in something, since that is a phrase that I had learned but never used. We then discussed Korean pop culture and what makes it so distinct in English, which broadened my knowledge of Korean cultural norms and expectations. 

I developed my vocabulary related to school more. The topic of this week was classes that I was taking next semester, including the ones that are specifically for my major. I learned how to make the distinction between elementary/intermediate/advanced classes, and the distinction between using the word "or" when asking a question and when making a declarative statement, since Korean uses a different word for each case. I clarified the Korean words I would use for each class that I'm taking. The most useful thing we worked on was when I was talking about being unsure about continuing taking a class. I clarified how to use the structure for saying "whether or not" and then built on that sentence later in the conversation to say, "Regarding ___, what do you think?"