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Do some preliminary research on what most interests you about the target culture, and describe how this topic relates to language. Do you need any special vocabulary or linguistic knowledge to engage this topic? If so, have you included objectives in your learning plan to engage this topic? 

Three of my interests in my target culture are: food culture, Korean weddings, and social hierarchies based on age. As I was doing some research on these topics, I found various online sources that provided some insights regarding each respective subject.

With respect to food culture, https://www.sbs.com.au/food/article/2008/07/01/about-korean-foodprovides an overview of Korean food in terms of history, natural resources, and style of cooking whereas http://www.sweetandtastytv.com/blog/korean-phrases-ordering-food-at-a-restaurantand https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hRmDn9I7zAwprovide informative videos demonstrating the proper way to place an order at a restaurant in Korea. For this area of interest, it is imperative to learn the vocabulary one uses at a restaurant (when speaking to a server or when ordering food). This is particularly important because there are particular words that are used when addressing servers or the restaurant’s owner; therefore, it is important to know these words to ensure one shows proper respect to whomever one speaks to. Furthermore, it would also be beneficial to learn of various Korean foods and to better familiarize oneself with Korean cuisine. Moreover, the topic of food culture (as well as everything mentioned thus far) is included in my learning plan under task #5.

With respect to Korean weddings, a few websites that I found are: https://www.linandjirsa.com/korean-wedding-traditions/(which provides an overview of the wedding traditions and the ceremony), https://www.soompi.com/2015/06/02/korean-weddings-101-a-basic-guide-to-wedding-customs-in-korea/(which talks about the logistics of Korean weddings while also debunking what pop culture portrays Korean weddings to be like), and https://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2014/07/04/korean-wedding_n_5558653.html#gallery/553586/3(which seeks to answer some commonly asked questions regarding Korean weddings). To learn about Korean weddings, it is important to know which traditions or customs are done before, during, and after the proceeding. One should also know of terminology used to describe particular aspects of the weddings (i.e. the bride, the groom, and the traditional wedding dress). I have included Korean weddings into my task #8. This task is centered all around Korean weddings and I did this to become familiar with topic in case I go to Korea for a friend’s wedding.

Moreover, the following are websites that I found on the subject of social hierarchies based on age: http://www.eatyourkimchi.com/age-differences-in-korea/(a video which talk about the influence Confucianism has had and continues to have on Korean society) and https://berkleycenter.georgetown.edu/posts/confucian-hierarchy-in-modern-day-korea(which is an article that continues the discussion about Confucianism in present-day institutions and customs, particularly in the workplace and in social gatherings. Furthermore, to engage this topic, it is important to know the ways in which language is used to show respect to elders or people whom one cares about. There are particular words in Korean that show this but there are also honorifics that can be used at the end of a name or pronoun to express respect or admiration. Aside from linguistics, it is also important to know gestures used to show respect, like bowing when meeting someone new or someone who is older than oneself. Moreover, subtopics regarding social hierarchies can be found throughout my learning plan. For example, in task #2 and #3, I learned how to properly address family, friends, and strangers along. Here, I also learned of the honorifics and the gestures (i.e. bowing/handshake) that may be used in various social settings. In task #5, I learned how to respectfully address people who work at restaurants: I also learned to make use of the appropriate gestures used when handing something to another person, like when handing a server/cashier money to pay for food.

While preparing my last cultural presentation for SDLC105, I “fell in the hole” that research assignments usually become for me…

The PowerPoint slides are a piece of cake – I love making them, and I do it fast. Now, deciding what to cover when you have spent hours and hours reading and learning about a subject, that is a challenge!

I learned so much about Spain’s and Catalunya’s history, politics and economy– all aspects of culture that helped me make sense of what was happening there currently. I also found many interesting points from scholars regarding nationalist feelings and the separatism issue.

Ultimately, I stumbled during my presentation in class. Partly because I got nervous¹, but mostly, because I relied too much on the words of experts… I had many quotes and insights from linguists and social scientists that I felt/thought brought out the point much better than I could state it.

… That was my personal pitfall studying culture with a big C. I can tell because I was much more comfortable addressing the little C aspects – i.e.: my interviews with the exchange students.

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¹honestly, I think was better prepared to give it the week before…

Describe the phonetic inventory of your target language. Are there sounds in your language that don’t exist in English? Provide several phonetic transcriptions of important words. What do you need to know about the structure of your target language? How will you acquire the knowledge you need? Have you identified resources and textbooks to promote your task-based objectives? Why or why not?

          When comparing the respective phonetic inventories of English and Korean, one notices that there are more sounds in English than in Korean (Cho and Park; American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, “English Phonemic Inventory”; Pronouncer; American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, “Korean Phonemic Inventory”). Nevertheless, there are sounds in Korean that do not exist in English. The consonants that do not exist in English but exist in Korean are all plosive: p^h, like in 프랑스 (Phonetic Transcription: p^hɯlaŋsɯ; English: France); t^h, like in 태양 (Phonetic Transcription: t^hɛjaŋ; English, sun); c or ʣʲ, like in 저기요 (Phonetic Transcription: cʌɡijo or ʣʲʌɡijo; English: Excuse me); c^h, like in 차 (Phonetic Transcription:c^ha; English: car) ; and k^h, like in 코 (Phonetic Transcription: k^ho; English: nose). The vowels that are found in Korean but not in English are: ɯ, like in 그(Phonetic Transcription: gɯ; English: he); o, like in 오후(Phonetic Transcription: ohu; English: p.m.); and ɣ, like in 음악(Phonetic Transcription: ɣmag; English: music).

           During my studies of the Korean language, I have come to know that the sentence structures of English and Korean are very different. I had some difficulty with this concept as it required me to restructure the way in which I would form sentences regularly. In English, a simple sentence is made from an independent clause that has a subject followed by a verb. Nevertheless, in Korean the common sentence structure is: subject + verb or subject + object + verb. Since the verb ends the sentence, my learning partner (Joora) said that many argue that when listening/reading in Korean, it is important to read/listen up until the sentence is complete, otherwise one is unable to tell what exactly the subject of the sentence is doing.
            To acquire all the knowledge I need to complete the tasks outlined in my learning plan, I have been using resources such as my learning partner, Naver.com, YouTube, a Korean-English dictionary, and an online textbook found through UR website (Basic Korean: A Grammar and Workbook by Andrew Sangpil Byon). I have been relying a lot on this textbook because although many of the textbooks in the Global Studios are very useful, they are unavailable to be checked-out. As such, I use Byon’s textbook more often because it is very informative, portable and convenient.

Bibliography

American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. “English Phonemic Inventory.” ASHA.Org,                       https://www.asha.org/uploadedFiles/practice/multicultural/EnglishPhonemicInventory.pdf. Accessed 12 Feb. 2018.

---. “Korean Phonemic Inventory.” ASHA.Org, https://www.asha.org/uploadedFiles/practice/multicultural/KoreanPhonemicInventory.pdf. Accessed 12 Feb. 2018.

Cho, Junmo, and Hae-Kyeong Park. “A Comparative Analysis of Korean-English Phonological   Structures and Processes for Pronunciation Pedagogy in Interpretation Training.” Meta : Journal Des Traducteurs / Meta : Translators’ Journal, vol. 51, no. 2, 2006, pp. 229–46.www.erudit.org, doi:10.7202/013253ar.

Pronouncer. “IPA Transcription of Korean.” Pronouncer, 8 Feb. 2015,https://pronouncer.org/guide-to-ipa-transcriptions/ipa-transcription-of-korean/.

How would you qualify and describe different aspects of your target culture? Reflect on your own experiences and expectations of the culture in question. How does your culture reflect various qualitative Hofstede dimensions of culture explored in class, e.g. body language, how people talk about time, etc. Also have you ever experienced culture shock? If so, describe.

In watching Korean variety shows and particularly Korean dramas, I have noticed that age is central to Korean hierarchical structures. While watching these shows (with a grain of salt, because they may exaggerate or distort aspects of real life in Korea) and during my studies of Korean language and culture, I came to find out that South Korea has a particular structure in which age can be seen as a determining factor when deciding how someone should be addressed. This is clearly evident in language: when addressing someone who is older than oneself, one uses formal speech (존덋말) whereas informal/casual speech (반말) is typically used with friends or when the older one of the two desires to drop honorifics. Additionally, I have noticed that there may be blurred lines where experience (or time in an industry) may place a younger person at a socially higher place in business hierarchical structures, despite age dynamics. Furthermore, the use of proper language (dependent on who speaks and who listens) is important as it projects varying levels of respect through language that if done incorrectly, may provoke misunderstandings and/or conflict. Moreover, before studying Korean culture, I thought that South Korea would have a collectivist society, particularly because throughout much of my education experience while growing up, teachers would use East Asia as an example of a region with collectivist societies while Western societies were largely characterized as individualistic.

According to Hofstede Insights (https://www.hofstede-insights.com/country-comparison/south-korea,the-usa/), South Korean society is accepting of hierarchies without questioning its basis. This may explain why particular body language is used to show respect to elders (bowing to elders, bowing when meeting new people, or bowing during particular holidays). Furthermore, Hofstede Insightsclaims that South Koreans keep busy and work diligently, particularly because society places a great emphasis on effectiveness and punctuality with respect to perception of time. Moreover, the website claims that South Korean society places an emphasis on long-term investments, whether it be in economic security or in social investments for future generations. Hofstede Insightsclaims that South Korea favors collectivist mentalities in which the actions of one also falls onto the responsibility of others of the in-group: as such, equality and resolution through diplomacy are preferential. The website also claims that behavior that does not adhere to the norm is viewed unfavorably and may be characterized as unconventional; as such, some may feel constrained by social factors from participating in self-gratifying activities.

While Hofstede Insights provides an overview of South Korean society, I have taken the information it has provided cautiously as my own experience with Korean society (in the future, after greater exposure) may develop a different outlook of the culture than what the website has presented. Furthermore, as of now and as a result from my distant proximity to my target culture, I have not yet experienced culture shock. I say this while reflecting on the moments in my life in which I have experienced culture shock, whether it was while trying to understand grocery shopping customs in Paris during my study abroad experience or while I tried managing daily life in the Ecuadorian Amazon during a summer of internship there. During both my French- and Amazonian-related culture shocks, I was placed directly in the center of the cultures that I had read about in textbooks or of which I heard and read about through new outlets. I was forced to adapt quickly to each respective culture, learning quickly the ins and outs of what quotidian life meant for the locals: these are topics that can only be described in writing but cannot be fully understood without complete exposure and immersion. For this very reason, I have yet to experience culture shock during my Korean studies: I have not been to South Korea nor have I had the opportunity for total immersion into the culture. While I may obtain a glimpse into Korean culture by visiting Korean restaurants (as discussed in my learning plan), such experiences may, to some degree, differ from an experience I would have if I were to visit and order food at a restaurant in South Korea. Regardless, one day I hope to visit South Korea: I would take that opportunity to immerse myself in the culture and language as much as possible to turn it all into an unforgettable learning experience.

Reflect on the readings. What parts of the brain are most important for the production and comprehension of speech? How do you conceptualize or process meaning? Do these readings bring to mind any questions or motivations that could promote your foreign-language abilities, retention, and recollection?

In the chapter “How the brain handles language”, Crystal (2005) claims that while previous scholars believed in the theory of cerebral localization in which each area of the brain was argued to be responsible for a particular behavioral ability (174), present-day scholars generally take “a multifunctional view” (176) as they argue that the production and comprehension of speech is dependent on several areas of the brain. Nevertheless, it is important to recognize that some areas of the brain are more dominant (than others) in particular aspects of the production and comprehension of speech. For instance, the part of the brain in front of the fissure of Rolando is associated with motor functioning and, thus, speaking; the Wernicke’s area is largely responsible for the comprehension of speech; the Broca’s area is associated with the encoding of speech; and the Heschl’sgyriis involved in auditory reception (175). Understanding how areas of the brain function interdependently (with some areas specializing in particular functions) is important to acknowledge, particularly among language learners because this information provides insight into how our brains are structured to learn, acquire, and use what we learn during our autonomous learning experiences.

While reading the “How we mean” chapter, I compared my mode of conceptualizing aspects of language to what Crystal suggested. For instance, I would typically attach a new word to a reference point and occasionally mix it up to other objects. An example of this would be if someone is taught the word “van” and is then shown a van as a reference point. Improper deduction may stem from this as one may mistakenly assume all vehicles are vans. I have made similar mistakes when learning some French words and expressions. Crystal (189) argues that a more effective way to learn a new word or concept from a foreign language is to attach that word to a definition that would help one distinguish objects/situations in which the given word may or may not be applicable. I plan to incorporate Crystal’s method of how to conceptualize new words in my own Korean-language learning experience to limit instances in which I incorrectly use terminology. Overall, this would better my foreign-language abilities as it would require that I associate new words to previously-learned words (and some other new words), making my conceptualization of new vocabulary dependent on other words that I keep in my arsenal of terminology. Therefore, when needed, I would be able to retain and recollect the essence of words without making avoidable errors.

For one of the weeks, we were assigned to create the cultural project presentation. Youngmin gave a book filled with different cultural aspects of Korea and the topic of Tae Kwon Do piqued my interest. I decided to do my presentation on Tae Kwon Do out of nostalgia and my own curiosity. When I was younger, I used to practice Tae Kwon Do and really enjoyed my time learning the martial arts, so I wanted to go more in depth in how it came to be what it is today. The following class, Youngmin gave each of the students notecards so that we can provide feedback for everyone's cultural project. After I gave my presentation on Tae Kwon Do, Younngmin asked me some questions to follow up on some of the information I gave and provided me feedback to improve my project.

For the second week, we have been reviewing everything we learned so far using the workbook and textbook. She also explained to us the format of the exam, so that we can come prepared. I noticed that I had forgotten some of the important lessons, so I'm thankful that we have been going over everything we learned or else I would be terribly unprepared during the assessment.  

How have you organized your self-directed learning plan, and what have you learned so far? How will your studies allow you to investigate your target language and culture more deeply? What first prompted your interest, and motivated you to start learning? After receiving feedback from your classmates and Dr. Marsh-Soloway, what changes do you anticipate making?

I used the Levels of Competence document and the LinguaFolio checklists to determine which level of Korean I am in and then I used them to help me form some of my objectives set out in my learning plan. Since I am a novice learner, I also consulted the tasks suggested on the SDLAP Wiki page when making my learning plan. I noticed that much of what all three documents characterized as the skills novice learners should have overlapped (like learning the alphabet and the phonetic sounds used in the target language). While I recognized that I was able to understand some spoken Korean words, I did not have a strong basis on the language as a whole, particularly with respect to communicating in Korean and being literate in Hangul. Therefore, I began forming my learning plan as a curriculum for people who just started learning Korean from scratch because I wanted to better my understanding of spoken Korean while not neglecting any other aspect of language (i.e. interpretive reading, presentational speaking, presentational writing, and interpersonal communication). I took this mentality to heart, so much that some, if not all, of the tasks I set out for myself cover all communicative modes. For instance, one of the tasks I set for myself is: Introducing myself with basic information about myself and asking others to introduce themselves to me with similar information. For this task (and other similar ones), I make sure to understand how to read words or phrases soliciting information from me, how to conceptualize (verbal) questions about me, how to write down responses if necessary, and how to respond to questions if in a conversation while also understanding how to ask others for similar information; like, “어디서왔어요?” (Where are you from?), “플로리다어ㅣ서왔어요.” (I am from Florida.).

For each task that I aim to complete, I also included tools that would help me while I study Korean. Throughout the learning plan, I mention picture dictionaries and textbooks that I plan on using to help me enrich my Korean vocabulary and grammar. Another tool that I will consult in my studies is YouTube and Korean television (with subtitles), primarily to further enrich my Korean vocabulary and grammar with an auditory reference to know how sounds, words, and phrases should be pronounced. Furthermore, each task has its own artifact or is connected to an artifact along with other tasks to show how I have improved in corresponding areas of the Korean language. Some of these tasks are interpersonal, therefore, they require that I put what I learn to practice, typically by having a conversation with a Korean speaker. Moreover, for each task, I stated what may be the most difficult aspect of mastering that particular task so that I may place greater focus on aspects needing greater attention. Additionally, learning about culture is an important aspect attached the tasks that I have outlined in my learning plan. For example, one of my tasks involves going to a Korean restaurant and ordering food in Korean. To complete this task, I must learn some cultural aspects including the manner in which a server should be addressed, the way one orders food, and the way one pays/hands money to the server/cashier. I will then have to complete the task and go practice what I learned in terms of language and culture at a Korean restaurant.

Also, to keep myself organized in a timely manner, I created a weekly schedule for myself (that is framed from the objectives in my learning plan). This is one way I hope to keep myself accountable with my learning plan and other assignments for SDLC 105/110. As of now, I have covered material corresponding to my first five tasks. Such material/concepts include: Hangeul, the history of Hangul, the sounds associated with each letter and letter combinations, numbers, how to write by sounding words out, how to write particular words down, how to read, formatting words (informal vs. formal) and sentences (subject – object – verb) with correct structure, introductions, identity (college student, Ecuadorian-American, etc.), Lunar New Year’s (and traditional food), bowing culture, family (aunt, uncle, mom, dad, brother, sister, etc.), time, number systems, dates, and ordering food.

Overall, my learning plan and studies place a great emphasis on application, which allows me to investigate Korean language and culture in depth. For instance, I have established particular exercises for myself (like, creating and following a Korean-language scheduling calendar) that require that I practice what I have learned of time, dates, and how Koreans conceptualize time. Also, I have prepared excursions for myself like going to a Korean restaurant where I would read the menu in Korean and I would place my order in Korean: like stated earlier in this journal entry, this will require that I know the cultural components of ordering food just as much as the linguistic aspects of reading/understanding a menu and placing my order in Korean. My learning plan, in general, is very task-based, therefore things are meant to be learned and then practiced, ensuring greater retention and comprehension. Moreover, some lesson place a greater emphasis on parts of Korean culture that interest me: for instance, I have created a Korean wedding task and lesson for myself which will enable me to delve into this part of Korean culture and learn about relevant language/vocabulary.

Much of what I have learned about Korean culture before taking this course came from listening to my friends speaking in Korean and from watching Korean variety shows and dramas, all of which spurred my interest in learning Korean language and culture. This also ties into what motivated me to begin my Korean studies: I wanted to be able to communicate with my closest friends in Korean and I aspired to be able to watch Korean shows and listen to Korean songs without having to rely solely on subtitles (or translated lyrics) to understand what characters/artists were talking/singing about or doing.

After speaking about my learning plan with two classmates, I received commentary regarding timelines and the tasks I have planned for myself. My first partner said that covering all of the material I set out for myself may be difficult, but it is doable, particularly since I have set a strict timeline for myself to complete various lessons and tasks. My second partner was impressed with how I was about to cover most, if not all, modes of communication in each task. As such, I did not make any changes to my learning plan until I met with Dr. Marsh-Soloway. After our discussion, I took out my weather/forecast lesson and replaced it with a wedding-related task and lesson, as it would bring more cultural components to my learning plan and it would also make my studies more personal as I plan to attend a friend’s Korean wedding in the future.  

This week in my meeting with my language partner I learned about the landscape of Brazil. Of course a big part of Brazil's landscape is the Amazon. It is the largest sub region of Brazil, and a big stimulus for its economy. Aside from being the largest river in the world it also funnels the most water into the Atlantic. I also learned about the other subregions of Brazil such as the highlands, which contain the highest point in Brazil. In my opinion from what I have examined the landscape of Brazil has had very little affect on the Brazilian Portuguese language. There has been no isolation that has caused a difference in the ways the language is spoken or influences from the environment that cause an emphasis on any specific vocabulary or grammar structure.

During the Turkish class, I had Turkish coffee and desserts, which Ğökhan brought, with other Turkish learner, Manya. The Turkish desserts looked similar to those of traditional Korean. They were fruits or nuts based. I really enjoyed the taste of them because they were like jello, which is my favorite. Ğökhan told me these are good and common gifts when you visit people's houses in Turkey. They are a bit expensive, but Ğökhan brought the brand with highest quality, because he wanted us to experience the best Turkish desserts. While we are eating the desserts, we had coffee as well. It was really thick and heavy, although the coffee glass was really small. Turkish people drink the same kind of coffee everyday several times. People "must" drink coffee in the morning culturally. It is shown in the ward breakfast (kahvaltı) which means "before coffee (kahve)". It was interesting to see how the language implies the culture and people still follow the tradition of drinking coffee after breakfast. We also tried a fortune telling on our phones by using application called Kaave. I have tried this before with Sezqi, who was my previous Turkish language partner. It was interesting to do it again. I got a good luck for this time and the fortune teller was telling me hopeful messages that everything will go well (attached below). I heard if there are lumps of coffee left in the cup, it means that I have a lots of worries stuck in my mind. I thought it was interesting to study how interpret the coffee stained in the cup. I also remembered that I have to say "Neyse halım, çıksın falım", which means "whatever my destiny is, should it be revealed in my fortune." when you flip the cup. Here are some ways to interpret the coffee cup.

• If a big chunk of grounds falls on the saucer it’s the first positive sign of your reading. “Trouble and worries are leaving you”.
  
• If the fallen ground forms a pile means “Money will come to you”.
  
• If cup-saucer are tight and the reader can lift them up as one unit, it’s a“Prophet’s cup”. (Meaning: You don’t need to proceed with reading. “All your wishes will come true!” Most of the readers though will proceed with the reading regardless of that…).

I learned cases and read some story books today. I read Çağlar’ın Süt Dişi, which was about taking out youth teeth, and another storybook about a proud lion. Reading storybooks made me to increase my ability to understand and break down the words in Turkish. I liked how the books have pictures so that I was able to understand the stories easier. My language partner corrected my pronunciation while I am reading the books. I took turns reading the books with my classmate Manya and the language partner. After reading books, I went over the dative, ablative, locative, and  accusative case. Dative case, which is "e" indicates a direction (to), and ablative case (an) means "from". Locative (de) means "at". Accusative case "i" indicates "the" in English. I also learned how to differentiate if the object belongs to someone or not by using "ne/ye". If I use "ye" at the end of the word, it means that the object does not belong to specific person. But it was a bit confusing because the language partner used an example of a museum, and explained it does not belong to a specific person, when it can always belong to somebody.    

Fourth Artifact: Storybook Reading

My progress to date has been smooth and steady. In the main, I have been on schedule. My learning plan has been effective if a bit too ambitious. (Historically, my learning plans have been too ambitious. I think that I do this intentionally at the beginning of the semester so as to push me throughout the semester.) My learning plan has been quite effective because it is contained. It revolves around completing the level 3 Bahasa Indonesia book. For each chapter, I have completed activities that are tantamount to language artifacts.  It is an excellent source for activities -- be they written, oral, and listening. For this reason, I chose to stick closely with the book and not be adventurous with other sources. However, the volume of the material could be deceiving for someone who is learning independent of a classroom environment. I used the same bock (Level 2) for my studies at the University of Melbourne last semester, and I found the pace of my learning and the volume of the material to be more manageable. 

I have met with my language learning partner consistently every week. In our meetings, we cover reading, speaking, and writing activities. 

I will stay the course for now. I do not anticipate any changes I will make to finish the semester. I look forward to taking SDLC 113 next semester!

I have paid a great deal of attention on Turkish history this semester, therefore this cultural post will be related to some of the famous Turkish archeological sites and monuments. I will speak briefly about Historical Blue Mosque, Underground Basilica Cistern, Gobeklitepe(The Man-mad Landmark of Rocks) and Statue Heads of Mount Nemrut. I will talk more on this topic later on my final cultural presentation, since knowing the touristic attractions and the history of the country whose language one is learning is very important.

"Gobeklitepe is the oldest manmade structure in the world, dating from the Neolithic era and beating Stonehenge by thousands of years." It is said to be around 10.000 years old and is speculated to have been an ancient religious center for locals. 

The Blue Mosque in most famous mosque in Turkey. It dates back to 1616 and still operated daily for muslim prayers. It has 6 minarets and 260 windows and is considered one of the best historical places in capital Istanbul. It also attract a wide number of tourists each year.

James Bond fans will recognize this cistern from the movie "From Russia with Love". Historical texts claim that 7,000 slaves were involved in the construction of the cistern."Designed to service the Great Palace and surrounding buildings, it was able to store up to 80,000 cu metres of water delivered via 20km of aqueducts from a reservoir near the Black Sea."

The giant statue heads that are featured on many holiday postcards of Turkey is a UNESCO World Heritage site, dating back to the 1st century BC. It was built in honour of Greek, Armenian, and Persian gods but "at some point, the heads fell from the main body structure." The statues attract a vast number of tourists even now.

• Teach someone using the activity you created in Week 9; reflect upon the effectiveness of the activity.

During my 9th week I revised a lot of vocabulary of polite phrases in Turkish in order to be able to order something in the restaurant. I also learnt how to ask where the bathroom is or whether someone speaks English. In order to teach someone some of these phrases, I will use an activity I created for myself. This includes learning a number of expressions and words as well as watching short youtube videos for practice. I believe this activity is effective in terms of developing listening skills and being able to understand Turkish as well as being able to read and speak(and possibly write).

Below is the youtube link of the short video of how to order lunch as well as a fun video of beginners ordering food in a Turkish restaurant. I will also add an artifact of the essential expressions to know and memorize. This activity can be done through Quzlet or through speaking practice between two people, which is more convenient for a beginner. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kupCNl-G6Fs

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n-DD-xaVeYo

For the past 2 weeks I intended to do a lot of revision of what I have learnt not only this semester but also the past semester. I also aimed to create sentences using transitional words as well as go over the most useful expressions in Turkish(bless you, congratulations etc.) Additionally I would go over some time and date words (tomorrow, today, next summer etc.) and make sentences in different tenses as well as speak about my summer plans and do a throw back to my spring break. 

I thought these strategies would be helpful in wrapping up what I've learnt in Turkish. Creating full sentences and being able to use common phrases would definitely improve my language skills. 

As planned I did a lot of revision and asked lots of questions to my language partner. I revisited a lot of vocabulary these weeks and made a lot of sentences using different grammatical structures. I also learnt some transitional words and common phrases. I did speaking and writing practice about my spring break and summer break, thus also revising the 3 tenses learnt so far. It was a challenging week in terms of the amount of the material. Overall, we managed to revise most of the content and add up some new suffix uses(such as ki) used with times and other cases. 

My past week's goals included creating sentences describing my room and other rooms( how many chairs, tables etc there are); learning how to shop and asking for prices, express opinions and even bargain. Although these sounded extremely hard, I wanted to give it a try, since as a tourist, knowing how to shop and behave at shops is essentially important. I decided to ask questions and figure this out with my language partner along with my online resources. 

With my language partner and classmate we created sentences, described surroundings and completed a few paper exercises. The rest of the time we put an emphasize on how to shop or bargain. Since shopping in Turkey is different from shopping in the US(I talked about this in my cultural posts), there is a lot to learn in terms of price negotiation. I learnt to ask prices, say that something is expensive or cheap or that I don't want it anymore etc. We obviously had to also use food and question vocabulary along with other words. This was an effective exercise in terms of combining what I've learnt so far and getting ready to wrap up the semester. I also liked to learn vocabulary and sentences related to a cultural post that I wrote previously. My language partner was of a great help with his native linguistic and cultural perspectives. Overall, although challenging, this week was very productive!

Throughout the semester I've attempted to learn more about Korean culture by talking to Isla, learning from Youngmin, exposing myself to Korean music and watching Korean television. Overall it was really interesting to look at both the many similarities and differences between the culture I'm used to in the states and Korean culture. Some of the big differences I have found are that people in America tend to be more individualistic, while I would say people in Korea seem to be more community and family centric. In the states it is not uncommon for people to place their elderly relatives in retirement homes and pretty much forget about them, but in Korea people give their elders much more respect. The whole language and culture has an age based hierarchy of formality and customs for honoring and respecting those older than you. Isla's grandmother lives with her parents and she is just the sweetest most amazing woman. She was one of the first female doctors in Korea and she worked in the emergency room for much of her life. Isla's grandfather was an aeronautics engineering professor at Waseda university. Whenever Isla talks about her grandparents she is always so filled with love and respect, and you can tell that she is really proud of their accomplishments. 

As the semester comes to an end I've been taking time to review what we've learned over the semester as we continue to learn new things. Youngmin and I have been reviewing vocabulary from introductions through dining and transportation, and even though I've been forgetting throughout the semester I'm making a real effort to remember the large sino-korean numbers and when to use each number system. While there are still many more things that I can't talk about than things I can, it is very exciting to be able to come up with a sentence or grammatical structure that hasn't been taught to me simply by recombining parts that I have learned. I feel like over the semester I've been learning different pieces of the Korean language but as the Semester comes to and end I'm surprised with how much those parts have come together to form an, albeit patchwork, whole language. From my discussions with Michael I have realized that I'm more of a feeling or sense based language learner, and I feel like I've started to develop a slight intuition about the language. While I still have a long way to go I'm proud of the step forward I've taken this semester. 

This is an email I wrote in Indonesian to my roommate. 

     This week, we did some review of what we have learned thus far. Personally, I did not realize how much Indonesian I have actually learned this past semester. Although I realize that each week we are working little by little to achieve some beginner level in Indonesian, it is remarkable how much I have been able to learn and retain thus far. While I am not by any means fluent in Indonesian, after the review session I felt somewhat surprised by how much I was able to understand, even at a beginner level. So far, I have slightly changed the methods by which I have tried to memorize and retain Indonesian words. 

     An effective method I have found that has helped me the most is trying to have a conversation in Indonesian and reading the dialogues that are found in the text book, with a partner. Using this method has helped me with my pronunciation, grammar and syntax, and my ability to create longer sentences. Having a convention in Indonesian has also helped me feel more comfortable making mistakes all while practicing what I already know. 

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