So for my final project I decided to look into depth about Sweden and how swedes interact with nature. This post I will be focusing on the festival of midsummer. So the origins of Swedish midsummer came from agrarian times in which Swedes would welcome summertime and the season of fertility. People would dress up as 'green men; and decorated their houses and farm tools with foliage and would raise maypoles to dance around. The festival being their five-week holiday by heading out to their summer homes in the country. During Midsummer eve is always between a Friday between June 19th and 25th.Midsummer night (eve) is the lightest night of the year so it was and is considered to be a magical night and the best time to tell people's future. As usual there is a typical meal that follows in suite with a midsummer menu. Such as pickled herring, boiled new potatoes with fresh dill, sour cream and chives with some meat such as spare ribs or salmon. For desert there would be the first strawberries of summer with cream. There are many little traditions that go along with midsummer such as how young women are supposed to pick seven species of flower and lay them under their pillow and at night they will dream of their future husband. Overall it seems like a very fun time and a holiday that depends on the beauty of Swedish nature.
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I finally finished the Speak Confident CDS, but now I have over 300 hundred new words to learn.. I think the thing that was most unusual but kind of helpful was that I met one on one with Louise. I really wanted to work on my speaking and it takes me a little longer to process things. I think one of the things I have figured out about me is I don't at all retain things when I just saying things in passing, I have to write it down for me to remember. For example when Louise and I were speaking I couldn't remember the world "then", and she would tell me what it was and for two seconds I would remember it. But then two seconds later I had no idea again. I think I need to take more notes during the sessions when we meet up. Im not very good at understanding quick conversations or even regular speed conversation for that matter. But slow basic conversations Im getting good at. Its kinda cool.
While I was preparing for next week's language history presentations, I stumbled upon some articles that were discussing a current problem that Urdu is facing that is very similar to what the Arabic language is facing too.Urdu is traditionally written in a Perso-Arabic script called nastaliq, a flowy and ornate and hanging script. But when rendered on the web and on smartphones and the entire gamut of digital devices at our disposal, Urdu is getting depicted in naskh, an angular and rather stodgy script that comes from Arabic. And those that don’t like it can go write in Western letters.
This kind of information is important to know. It shows how much Urdu speakers respect their language and try hard to preserve it. It's also important to know for non-native speakers. Making sure I write in Nastaliq shows my appreciation and respect for the language as well.
After reading Kirk Johnson’s article “Tribe Revives Language on Verge of Extinction,” I couldn't help but think about the history of the Hebrew language. Both Siletz Dee-ni and Hebrew have experienced a near death of the language and both have been brought back to life. The difference between the two stories, however, is the time periods in which the revitalization took place and the resources available during those times. One of the most powerful tools in bringing back a language is to spread it through the Internet and that is what Bud Lane, a tribe member, was working on. Through his work on the online dictionary, Lane was able to make more connections with those worldwide who speak the language. I think that it is important to recognize how useful the Internet is and the ability to use it to find others who speak such an unusual language is key. I also believe that the ability for a small tribe to revitalize their language shows their cultural strength and pride. Something I found interesting in this article is how governmental boarding schools play a big role in killing the tribal languages. I’m disappointed to know that administrators at these schools do not find it important to keep these languages alive. In conclusion, I think this article really shows the importance of using one’s resources to spread ideas.
Knowing the history of Hebrew has been helpful for me to learn the language in a few ways. Through doing research and talking to my language partner, I found out that the Hebrew language once was dead and came back to life around 1881. This is extremely impressive and very motivating for me as a Jew to want to learn the language to make sure that it never dies off again. It is hard for me to imagine or even to understand how a language can “die” and then come back to life. This has taught me how strong the culture is in Israel and the sacredness of the language. After learning more about the language’s history, I now can better understand its origins and the vast differences between male and female words. Today, Yiddish is dying out and I think that is important for the people of Israel to try and keep it alive. Learning the history of Hebrew has helped me to have a greater appreciation for the language.
This is recording of the vocabulary I learned for my cultural project on Hannukah.
Hannukah
Holiday
Tradition
Candles
Mannorah
Shamash
Latkes
Food
Dreidel
Blessing
Light
History plays a major role in learning the language of a given country and culture. In Korean history, its language system went through many changes to get to the state it is in now (as in all countries basically). It began with Hanja in which the Koreans borrowed many Chinese words. This progressed into Hangeul which is the current Korean alphabet. One can see how geography and cultural exchanges greatly impacted the Korean language in this way. A country’s history is literally telling you a story of what that country has undergone-wars, famine, disease, natural disasters, etc. It tells how these events shaped the people which in turn shaped the language. Having this idea in mind helps me to learn the Korean language because I need to understand the culture and customs along with the language itself. It is an all-inclusive package; it does not make sense to learn the language without understanding the cultural context of the words and expressions. Korean history can assuredly depict why formality and respect have such a great presence in the Korean language. One only needs to do some research to see the big research and not just focus on the small details.
It was interesting to read about new terminology such as communicative competence in the given article by H.D. Brown. Communicative competence relates to competence that enables us to convey and interpret messages and to negotiate meanings interpersonally within specific contexts. This can only be seen by observing two or more individuals communicate. This definition led to many sub-divisions and definitions and I also learned about cognitive/academic language proficiency (CALP) as well as basic interpersonal communicative skills (BICS). It was amazing to learn of all of these terms which I never knew existed. I am a visual learner so having a chart that encapsulated all of these different types of competencies under the large umbrella of language competence was great on pg. 271. I appreciated learning the difference between the forms/functions of language and discourse as well. It may seem like a small detail but it struck me that discourse really is language beyond the sentence. It can entail so much more in relation to kinesics (body language) and cultural context. Essentially, saying yes in a given culture could really mean saying no, funnily enough.
In relation to cultural competence, I learned about this term in my Medical Anthropology class from last semester. It relates to one having an understanding and openness to other cultures. In my class, we learned how it is essential for health practitioners to have cultural competence as they need to be understanding of the customs and practices of other cultures. One patient may not understand what a doctor says and say OK when the doctor asks if he/she understood how much medicine he/she needs to take. Some cultures do not pay as much attention to instructions and simply may not be used to a hospital environment. Therefore there needs to be a certain level of patience and guidance in this matter.
I found the “Culture Shock” video to be very illuminating in the way that international students and faculty perceive the reaction and transition of international students into the University of Richmond to be. This was a great way to really delve into the minds of the international students especially so that students from various universities around the world could voice their opinion on how their stay at UR was, from beginning to end.
I personally connected this video for a few reasons. First of all, I am the offspring of two immigrants-my mother was born in Mahebourg, Mauritius and my father was born in Bangkok, Thailand. Through my interactions with them, I have seen firsthand how difficult it can be to deal with issues relating to differing cultural customs and practices. Culture shock is not always an easy or simple process. Oftentimes there is a period of feeling lost or confused when one is in a completely new environment without any familiar faces. Some can adapt but some honestly do not cope well with this overall feeling of the foreign and unfamiliar.
Secondly, I am a multi-cultural pre-orientation advisor at UR. Therefore I do not interact with international students specifically but incoming first years who have multi-cultural backgrounds. They may have been born or lived in other countries but have lived in the U.S. for the majority of their lives. The advisors provide guidance for them because they also need help in their transition from high school into university life. Every student has some type of worry when they are starting this new journey into university life. Some have an idea of what to expect but international students can only learn from the media and stereotypes of Americans and the U.S. I have noticed that the international students at UR can be open as well as exclusive. It honestly depends on the students themselves. During my junior year, I made many great, international friends from Brazil, and China who I still keep in contact with. Yet this year I see more international students clumping together and not interacting as much with the UR students from the U.S. This was an interesting and informative video that was engaging. I would like for this video to be expanded upon even more-a sequel should definitely be in the works!
Post Learning Journal Entry # 5:
How many new words have you learned? Do you have realistic goals?
I have learned about 30 words fairly well, I would say. This list also includes common phrases.
Here are some of the words/phrases I have learned thus far and have memorized.
1) Hello=an nyong ha sae yo (formal) &anyoung (informal)
2) Goodbye=an nyong hee gah sae yo (formal) & anyoung (informal)
3) Nice to meet you=Man na seo ban gab seub ni da
4) Good morning (informal)=Joh ohn ah chim
5) Older brother (for guy, to older guy)=hyung
6) Older sister (for guy, to older girl)=nuna
7) Older brother (for girl, to older guy)=oppa
8) Older sister (for girl, to older girl)=unni
9) Younger person= dongseng
10) I am sorry=Jwai song hap nee da
I have also learned the basics of how to order food with my language partner. I would like to create an artifact on how to order food with another peer who is learning Korean. I believe that my goals are realistic. My goals relate to common situations that a tourist would be in when going to another country: greeting others, getting directions, ordering food, etc. My vocabulary preferences will relate to these kinds of situations. Therefore I am not necessarily looking for a specific number to learn by the end of semester. I would just like to know the words necessary for specific occasions.
In this artifact, Azmain and I present a conversation that includes greetings and introduction.
I have thoroughly enjoyed learning Hindi this semester. Although it has proven to be a challenging experience, it has been an enjoyable one. When I first started the semester off, I could barely say a single word in Hindi. I had often listened to Bollywood songs in Hindi but could never understand the meaning.
I think creating a learning plan during the first few weeks of the semester really helped me to structure my learning sessions well. I decided what it was that I wanted to learn in these next few weeks and what would be the most useful to me. There was so much that I wanted to learn, but then I realized I had a time constraint. So, I narrowed down the topics I really wanted to focus on, and what I would be able to utilize after this semester. Also, creating a list of goals allowed me to be aware of what I learned and what I still needed to learn.
During my meetings with my language partner, I usually start by reviewing information I learned the previous week, and then start learning a new topic. I started the semester off by learning the sounds of letters. I then learned how to introduce myself and talk about my family. Later, I learned to describe my interests and myself. So, if I were to meet someone or have small talk I would be able to say my name, where I am from, how many siblings I have, and my interests. Recently I have learned how to order food if I go to a restaurant. There is a distinction between formal and informal language. If we are speaking to our siblings or friends, we can use the pronoun “tum.” However, if we are speaking to elders, new people, etc, we use the pronoun “aap,” which is more formal. Body language is also important when communicating with people from India. For example, Indians tend to bob their head a lot in response to a yes or no question. Learning about body language and culture from my language partner allowed me to better understand communication.
Whenever I learn new vocabulary, I sound out the letters and repeat the word several times. This helps me practice the pronunciation as well as help store the word in my memory. I try to make flashcards as well for new words. In addition, I downloaded an app. on my phone for learning Hindi words. It’s a quick way for me to practice learning words when I don’t always have my notes on me. I also practice speaking with my friends who know Hindi. In addition, I watch Bollywood movies as well as listen to Bollywood music to help my speaking and comprehension skills. Sometimes, I am able to pick up random words in the songs or movies that I have previously learned. During one of my language lessons, when I was learning body parts, my language partner would play a popular Bollywood song, and have me point out words that I recognized. It was a very fun and effective way for me to review the vocabulary. Recently, I have been learning how to structure sentences. For example, in Hindi, the verb always comes at the end.
I realize I tend to forget words or concepts I learned if I do not practice them in someway a day or so after my language session. Also, setting a time to practice Hindi everyday has helped me stick to a routine and proved to be quite effective. Earlier in the semester, I would not study on my own as much. Later, I realized I need to be more self-motivated if I want to learn everything on my learning plan. I have found watching mini YouTube tutorial lessons has helped me review material I learn during my sessions. It is also a fun, interactive way to learn, as there are many children’s videos. For the remainder of the semester, I want to continue to learn the rest of what I anticipated on my learning plan as well as achieve all my goals. I want to be able to practice speaking a few phrases at a time. I want to try more discussion back-and-forth with my language partner and actually practice having conversations. After this class is over, I hope to continue practicing Hindi, by interacting with my peers, watching movies, etc. This class has allowed me to further explore my language learning abilities and has provided me helpful techniques that I will continue to utilize.
Christy Buranaamorn
Dr. Grove
SDLC 105
April 1, 2014
SDLC Reflection Paper #2
As of April 1, 2014, it has been about 11 weeks since I started my project of learning Korean back in mid-January. I believe that my progress in learning the Korean language has evolved and developed a great deal. When I first began this journey with my peers and teachers, I was a blank slate completely. My previous background knowledge was solely comprised of the random Korean dramas I had seen and my newfound interest in Korean pop music. I had never tried to learn how to read or write in the Korean language. Therefore I knew right away that I desired a solid strategy or game plan on how to learn all of this in a consistent and efficient manner. This is where the Learning Plan really came into play. Creating a Learning Plan was a fantastic way for me to narrow down the topics and concepts that I wished to learn. As of February 5, 2014, I had learned the basics of being able to read the Korean alphabet (hangul), how to create small and basic words, and solidified my knowledge of common Korean phrases from dramas and TV shows. I created my list of goals and tasks which I have been trying to check off one-by-one. Of course, this is a lengthy process and I am not expecting to learn how to speak Korean like a native in a few months. But my thoughts truly feel more organized with this learning plan in mind.
In learning my target language, I naturally gravitated towards learning about cultural concepts in South Korea firstly. This relates to the importance of understanding Korean traditions, customs, and general way of life. It was also significant to learn about the norm in Korea in relation to the volume of speaking, tonation, pronunciation, and enunciation. Being able to recognize direct and indirect communication is key in order to understand what yes and what no means based on the cultural context. Also, the idea of personal space is another major cultural concept, which I wanted to delve into and learn more about. The last thing that I would want to do is unintentionally disrespect someone in Korea when this slip-up could have been prevented through careful research and simply practicing! After looking at these concepts, I wanted to focus more on the details and facts. I began to practice everyday conversations with my language partner Sun and my fellow Korean-learners. We have learned how to order food, how to say hello/goodbye, and how to count from one to ten, to name a few examples. We have also looked at how to create more complex words, phrases, and sentences.
I am a very interactive as well as visual learner. Therefore Sun was the perfect language partner. She would create practice sheets for class and have the students practice how to write and speak in Korean. She even gave us a challenge to translate specific Korean sentences into romanized Korean in order to see if we can read hangul. There was also a prize for whoever finished the challenge the quickest and had the most accurate responses. This was an educational as well as fun way to learn Korean. Practicing with my peers outside of class has also been very helpful. In regards to what has not worked, I find that my attempts to create order and discipline in my Korean language had failed immensely in the beginning. At first, I thought that I would spontaneously want to study and practice Korean at sporadic times during the day. Yet I have realized that I need to set aside a specific time to practice or else I will completely skip my learning time. This would only set me a step back on my journey to learn Korean. Studying can also involve watching YouTube videos or watching a Korean drama. I do not need to limit myself in the ways in which I can study. People learn languages in different ways and this course has helped me to see that I need interaction with others to learn as well as discipline in myself. For the future, I want to continue my learning plan and learn how to tell time and learn more numbers. After graduation, I want to try the 30-day challenge, as we spoke about in our last class, to see if I can stick to my goals and continue to learn more Korean. One does not necessarily need other people to learn something new; I want to progress even when this self-directed learning course will unfortunately end. This course has provided great tools for me to continue on my Korean learning journey.
The reading on cultural competence was interesting and the ideas were similar to my approach to the Korean language. It is important to learn the vocabulary, but it is also important to be educated in the "social, culture, and cognitive characteristics of communication."
Grammatical competence, discourse competence, sociolinguistic competence, and strategic competence are all important to the functional aspects of communication. The last two, sociolinguistic and strategic competence, I believe , should have more emphasis. This way, we will better understand the "rules" that govern our conversations. The section discussing conversation analysis brings up questions such as the rules to initiate, terminate, and avoid topics -- interrupt, correct, and seek clarification.
If one learns social cues, this may come in handy, especially because Korean is a contextual language. Words are understood based on the situation, so sometimes it may be unwise to take words literally. Misinterpretation and miscommunication may result.
For example, when an elder offers a gift of food, denying the gift should not be taken lightly. When you deny a gift, it is seen more as a rejection and act of disrespect. These cues pass on to the language. Koreans may not always be direct in their language. "Yes" is not necessarily "yes," and Koreans try to avoid saying "no." Therefore, it is important to try and avoid asking "yes" or "no" questions. When asking if someone can meet at the start of the week, it is better to ask, "When is the earliest you can meet?" rather than, "Can you meet on Monday?"
It is important to learn the ins and outs of the Korean language culture in order to avoid awkward encounters with others.
Attached is Reflection Paper #2.
After meeting with Dr. Scinicariello, I have worked to review my lesson plan and tailored it to be more specific and hopefully attainable given where I am and want to be by the end of the semester. It was extremely helpful to have Gabbie with me at that meeting because since we are basically at the same point we could talk about things that we both wanted to accomplish so that our lesson plans could be similar and we would both benefit from our time spent with Emily. I have switched my focus from speaking to reading and writing given that is where I feel I am progressing the fastest. During our meeting we discussed topics of interest that we would go over with Emily and they are:
1. Greetings
2. Family
3. Food/meals/how to order in a restaurant
5. Weather
Task: know how to greet people and introduce myself
Activity: I will learn from Emily how to properly greet people and introduce myself and will practice using the YouTalk App
Task: know how to describe my family
Activity: I will draw a picture of my family tree and use the vocabulary to label each person on the tree.
Task: know how to describe parts of a meal/what goes on the dinner table
Activity: I will learn the appropriate vocabulary from Emily and draw a dinner plate and describe the various objects. I will also use flashcards to practice the new vocabulary
Task: learn how to describe the weather
Activity: I will watch YouTube clips of weather reports from Israel. I will also ask Emily to teach me some common words/phrases about weather. I will draw and describe some weather from a scene
So far I have found most enjoyment in reading hebrew and writing hebrew. In terms of speaking, I am having trouble speaking confidently. I know this will come with practice, but right now that is a frustration of mine. I have enjoyed learning the vocabulary of my choosing and have enjoyed practicing this on my own and also with Michelle. I have found that we are at a similar level of speaking and understanding and it has been nice working with her.
We recently learned the vocabulary of questions words. Although this would be helpful for an artifact about questions on identity, I have decided to chose an artifact of my family vocabulary instead. I think it is important for me to know the questions words, so we learned them from Emily. That being said, I think I would use my family vocabulary more so I am focusing on mastering that.
I have found Rosetta Stone and YouTube to be the most helpful when trying to learn the question words and learn more about asking about identity. I have relied on these resources to master my pronunciation of these questions. I am finding myself a bit behind in terms of what I have learned so far this semester and so I am continuously adjusting my learning plan.
