All Posts (173)

Sort by

105 learning journal #9

The subject of this readings is about intelligent of bilinguals. Some people may think that bilinguals are smarter than normal people, but I don't think so. They just have good skills to learn how to speak in different language which is not related about their intelligent or smartness. Language learning or speaking about several languages is like having good skills and the most important part of it is the experience. Things that decide the capacity of speaking some language is up to their experience, not the intelligent. Of course, some really super smart people could learn some language really easily, but the most factor is not the intelligent I think. They just have lot of experience and already know how to speak for that language. If anybody just get used to learning and using it, then it will be much easier.  

Read more…

SDLC 111 Learning Journal #5/Learning activity

I am going to teach everyone how to introduce their family members in Korean.  Here are some basic words for the members of the family and I am going to make them as cards with Korean and English meaning on both sides so that others can practice more efficiently.

Father: appa (아빠) or abeoji (아버지)

Mother: eomma (엄마) or eomoni (어머니)

Older brother: hyeong (형) if you’re a boy, oppa (오빠) if you’re a girl

Older sister: noona (누나) if you’re a boy, eonni (언니) if you’re a girl

Younger brother: namdongsaeng (남동생)

Younger sister: yeodongsaeng (여동생)

Brothers: hyungje (형제)

Sisters: jamae (자매)



I am first going to ask people to try to use the above words in English sentences, and then teach how to use the words form sentences in Korean.


Example:
 

                       I am living with my (sister). 

저는 여동생과 함께 살고 있습니다. 
I have two (sisters). 
저는 (여동생)이 두 명 있습니다. 

A few rules in addressing your relatives:

  1. When your father has several older brothers, the order is according to their age: the eldest will be keun abeoji (큰아버지), followed by duljje abeoji (둘째 아버지), setjje abeoji (셋째 아버지), etc. The same pattern applies to their wives. The pattern is also used to address you father’s uncles (your grandfather’s siblings) and their spouses, like keun harabeoji (큰할아버지) and keun halmeoni (큰할머니). However, this depends on the family.
  2. For the aunts, the keun (큰) and jageun (작은) prefixes are added according to their order in the family: the older one will be keun gomo (큰고모) or keun eemo (큰이모), and the younger one jageun gomo (작은 고모) or jageun eemo (작은 이모), regardless on whether they’re older or younger than your parents.
  3. Same goes for your older brothers and sisters, the keun (큰) and jageun (작은) prefixes are added when there are several of them.
  4. The oe/weh (외) part is dropped when you’re directly addressing your maternal family members.

Reference:

https://www.koreanclass101.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=98

https://thetalkingcupboard.com/2013/05/11/korean-family-and-kinship-terms/

Read more…

SDLC 111 Self Assessment

         After learning Korean all by myself last semester, it is so nice to have a language partner who can actually teach and guide me during the learning process. I didn’t need to find learning resources bymyseff, but MInkyun would prepare for the teaching material that best fit our needs. It is also great to have two other students who are in the similar level as me so that we can learn from each other and make progress together. Throughout the semester, not only have I studied the daily conversations, the Hangu system, as well as the grammar in class, but I also have I gained more knowledge in Korean culture and political environment through watching Korean videos and articles online. In this reflection paper, I am going to first talk about the good things that I really enjoyed during the semester including my favorite learning sources, my good ways of learning the language, as well as the some amazing moments in the learning process. Then I will reflect on the problems I met and the limitations of learning plan. Finally I will conclude this paper with a summary of my learning results and some advice for my future self-learning either in Korean or other new areas.

        My favorite part of this class is definitely having Minkyun as a language partner. She is a very outgoing and accommodating person. Not only did she teach us a lot of knowledge in Korean language, but she also told us many Korean cultural related stories to help us develop a better understanding of the Korean society as a whole. Although I can watch Korean culture videos or articles online, her stories are more vivid and close to life. In order to help us study Hangu system better, she even took the learning tools to class so that we could see the structure of Korean characters more clearly. I think learning Hangu in class this semester has been much more effective than watching videos and exploring by myself last semester. Another thing I want to mention is the YouTube called “Korean Englishman” which I started watching last semester. It is about the daily life and family culture which has clipped garnering hundreds of thousands of views since 2013. I like this video and think this is a great source for Korean learners because Josh, the director of this show is also a Korean learner and he had all the cultural shock and he is trying to present Korean cultural from a foreigner’s perspective, in a way that resonates with us and easier for us to remember. Also the video is very funny, and I can use it as a way to relax while learning so much about Korean culture.

       However, there are also some difficulties and goals that I did not achieve. First of all, although have classes twice a week, the time for actual practicing is still very limited. Therefore we spent only a little time on each topic instead of digging into it. For example, we only studied the basic etiquette and polite way of saying before and after meals instead of the actual description about food or our preferences. This broad way of learning Korean seems have broaden my knowledge of Korean vocabulary in different fields, yet failed to give me a deep understanding on each of the area.

       In conclusion, through further learning a semester of Korean with language partner, I have developed a deeper understanding of Korean culture and customs, from people's daily life to the history and development of the country in a wider level. After knowing that Chinese culture had had a big influence on Korean culture and language, I did a comparison in the similarities and differences between these two cultures, and reflecting on how a culture develops based on the country's geographical location and historical impacts. Also, I now have a command of basic conversations of Korean and I could start talking to my Korean friends in their language. And one of my proudest things is that when somebody asks me about Korea, I could introduce the culture and history to them instead of only talking about pop songs and TV dramas.

 

Read more…

Learning Journal 9

While Bilinguals may be more able to communicate and deal with issues in a wide variety of ways. I found through the reading that an important aspect of bilingualism refers to the confusion inherent in the language. Bilinguals tend to find it harder to wrestle with issues and so can be affected negatively during their development. I believe that there is a trade off between bilingualism and smooth development, and that the more languages a child is exposed to the harder it will be for him to be decisive.

Read more…

Learning Journal 8

This semester I have enhanced my vocabulary with the feminine aspects of the Hindi language. My main focus was to use political speeches to learn better words, as well as Skype interactions with Indians to enhance communication skills. Mostly my goals are to use informal communication between friends to enhance the way in which I engage with Hindi speakers and using speeches to increase my vocabulary. I believe I have been quite realistic by only wrestling with a specific portion of my target language.

Read more…

Learning Journal 7

Languages tend to die due to a wide variety of cultural and national reasons. When they do the civilization which shaped the language may not die out, but a large portion of its cultural significance is lost. Languages are key in shaping communicative traditions between individuals of the region, while these individuals would not cease to exist their national spirit and historical roots tend to become less apparent and eventually die out.

Read more…

Learning Journal 6

Knowing a languages's history tends to be key in understanding a language. WIth respect to English or Hindi, understanding the root nature of certain words becomes imperative to knowing the language. English tends to be better understood once latin meanings are learned, similarly Sanskrit forms the root for Hindi. WIthout a working knowledge of the historical roots of the language, it becomes difficult to understand the context of the language.

Read more…

Learning Journal 5

I found that the culture shock video resounded with many aspects of my life. Coming from India although their were linguistic barriers, it was interesting to see the manner in which culture and tradition extends from the language to the people in America. The level of independence and privacy was an aspect which took me by surprise, as Americans tended to live more solitary and independent lives as compared to Indians. 

Read more…

Learning Journal 4

I found the Korean presentations regarding the food phenomenon extremely interesting. I found that it helped give me information about the Korean culture in a wide variety of ways. It exposed the audience to the way Koreans have isolated themselves and the importance of a social meal. I thought that the manner in which it had contextual links to aspect of Korean society was especially relevant to our discussion on linguistics and culture.

Read more…

Learning Journal 3

Structure of my target language will be key to shaping the manner with which I approach the language. WIth respect to Hindi as it has gender nuances , it will be important to learn the language from an object orientation as well as a cultural viewpoint. Using a reference grammar might be useful, but rather a form of reference to the way in which Hindi formulates around objects would be more useful.

Read more…

Reflection Paper 2

My target language is Hindi, which is based of linguistic paradigms that are deeply entrenched within the the cultural norms of the country. As Hindi has multifaceted aspects comprising of gender and tense based attribution to objects, learning it has been extremely complicated. So far my approach has been to engage with family and friends from India, as well as new acquaintances from Middle Eastern countries made in the University of Richmond. This format of engagement has been extremely helpful due to the opportune nature of my association with the country. Since I grew up in India, I have always been affiliated with Hindi and have become accustomed to it. However, I never knew the nuanced nature of the language and so approaching the feminine aspect of the language has been key to my furthering of knowledge. As I am at an intermediate level, the cultural aspects were more relevant to me a the nuances were becoming more apparent as the language became more complex. Dealing with aspects of how Indians have historically dealt with females and feminism throughout the past centuries, enables one to understand the deeper aspects of the linguistics related to the formulation of words. Particularly, what has been confusing is understanding the difference between cultural and traditional differences. While tradition tends to dictate a respect for females, with female Gods, seeking one's mother's blessings and ascribing a general respect for knowledge, which has female connotations. Conversely, cultural aspects show that Indians have historically been patriarchal with lack of education for females, disrespect to wive's and the practice of Sati. 

When dealing with the language what becomes apparent, is the manner with which this confusion applies to objects. Illustratively, while books which are considered sacred have female linguistics, money which has deep practical aspects has male ascriptions. This especially relates to the current paradigm, wherein the nature of females are changing. Culturally, the issue has led to a controversial argument into the role of females, through history. As Hindi has a complex and largely mythologically based history, gauging the role of females has become especially difficult. 

To understand how female and the feminine gender extends further within Hindi, I have chosen to observe political speeches. These speeches, in particular, are complex but also have cultural connotations both for the present and the future of India. With the changing role of gender within the current era, the manner in which this effects linguistics of languages that have gender based aspects, becomes especially interesting.

Read more…

Learning Journal 2

Culturally Hindi has some important aspects with the manner with which individuals behave with respect to elders. A key aspect relates to the form of respect given to certain words and even tone changes when speaking with respect. Although in English tone affects respect, in Hindi it is also affected by certain mannerisms. For example due to religious connotations, books are given religious respect, and so are treated differently. When making these considerations, the manner with which these objects are treated are significant as they shape the language due to the importance of these words.

Read more…

Learning Journal 1

AN important aspect of how the brain deals with languages relates to the manner with which it relates words and meanings to objects. Significantly as Hindi diverges from English in the manner in which we use gender and syntax to consider objects, the manner in which I will have to learn my language will be altered, to accommodate such nuances. Particularly, as the brain develops an understanding through meanings it will be important for me to understand the contextual value of certain objects or words to learn them.

Read more…

Blog Topics by Tags

Monthly Archives