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What is your interest in 'your' language and what do you hope to accomplish this semester?

My interest in studying Turkish began when I was in Spain this past summer. Someone in my research lab was from Turkey and he would teach me a few random words whenever I would ask him. Jokingly, I told him that I would learn how to speak Turkish and communicate with him the next time that I encounter him in the future. I am excited about this class because it will allow me to turn this into an actual possibility. I know that it will require a lot of effort because the language is less connected to other languages that I have studied. However, I am still striving to reach a B2 level in the language. 

Reflect on your experiences as a language learner. What did you enjoy? What did you dislike? Think about the FIRE model and surveys you have just completed. What kind of learner are you? What kinds of language learning activities suite your learning style? How do you think you should expand your learning activities?

My interest language learning developed at the age of 14 on a trip to New York City. Before going, I distinctly remember being excited about seeing all of the famous attractions like the Statue of Liberty and Times Square. Aside from those, I knew nothing about the city. Throughout the duration of my entire trip, one thing kept piquing my interest… SO MANY PEOPLE SPOKE LANGUAGES OTHER THAN ENGLISH. I was so jealous because I could only speak English. At the time, I was in my third year of taking Spanish, but I could not speak it or understand a native speaker whatsoever. From this observation, I decided to actually take my Spanish class more seriously. However, I became incredibly discouraged at the pace of the course upon return to my school. I realized that the class structure did not align with my goals of proficiency in the language.

            Thus, I decided to take my studies outside of the classroom, in which I would use all of the possible resources that I could find. YouTube, especially, became one of my best friends. I would search for videos of other learners (in English and Spanish) talk about how they learned Spanish. It was a nice start for me to practice my listening skills because they spoke nice and slow. Every now and then, I would encounter videos that I could not understand, but that only motivated me more. In addition to watching YouTube videos, I used to listen to podcasts, distinctly one named Coffee Break Spanish and Showtime Spanish. These two podcasts helped a lot because they helped me develop a stronger foundation of material that I already knew. After a while, I began to get more comfortable with my listening skills. In terms of speaking, I often would chat with my native Spanish-speaking friends in high school. I believe that this was one of the most challenging aspects of independent study for me. I wanted to speak Spanish as much as possible but I only had limited access to my friends’ patience to my broken oral skills. Consequently, I believe that  my speaking skills were the last to develop.      

            The most enjoyable part about the learning process was when I began to observe results from my hard work. I mostly sought for results in my comprehension of television shows and movies. This excitement began with Mexican shows because it was the easiest to understand. When I felt more comfortable with the Mexican accent, I slowly made my way over to the Peninsular accent from Spain, which proved to be one of the most difficult accents for me to understand. In this stage of the learning process, I had a fairly good understanding of the language, but I needed to sharpen my auditory skills. Thus, I began to watch several movies with subtitles to develop a better ear for comprehension. I would also take note of the new words that I would learn in the movies and shows. It was very frustrating at times because I could not see the end result of my hard work. However, I am now pleased with the fruits of my labor.

            The results from the surveys aligned with my previously observations about my preferred learning style. They revealed that I am 40% auditory, 45% visual, and 15% tactile. While studying Spanish independently, I noticed that I preferred to write out words and visualize them to learn better instead of just hearing them. At the same time, I was surprised to find out that my auditory skills were as high as they are. I intend to employ some of the same approaches of study from Spanish in my learning of Turkish. I am going to start by studying grammar and pronunciation, because I am a very straight forward and factual person. I believe a very structured start to learning the language would be the most beneficial for me. I intend to expand my language learning by using new language learning websites and programs like Duolingo and Memrise. I will adopt more methods along the way. 

• Reflect on the readings.  How does this knowledge help you shape your language learning process?.

After reading the articles, I can see the deeper connection of the brain’s involvement in the language learning process, and how the learning process is made out of building blocks of association and meanings. In the first article, I read that the left hemisphere controls the movement of the right side of the body, and it is dominant in language for right handed people. The left hemisphere is also dominant in analytical tasks, categorization, calculation, logical calculation, information sequencing, complex motor functions and language. As a right handed person, I often use my hand to make gestures when I try to describe something, or a word. I can see the connections between using my right hand for language and using my left hemisphere for analytical tasks and calculations. I often fidget with my right fingers when I try to remember something or try to study for tests. I am also more of a left hemisphere person, as I am an Accounting major, and as an Accounting major I do many calculations and analytical work everyday. I see that I can use this knowledge to my advantage by trying to using my right side of my body to awaken my left hemisphere connections. I can make gestures when I say different words in Korean, for example say the word for ‘run’ in Korean and make a running gesture with the right side of my body-- hopefully this type of learning will help my remember words better.

I also have to say that I agree with both the naturalist view and conventionalist view. When I was learning Spanish, there were certain words that I learned and could guess the meaning from without knowing the definition. It would have to do with the way the word sounded, and the way the word was spoken. Take the word “emocionado.” Obviously from the context of the English word “emotional” you can tell it has something to do with emotion. I didn't know the word before I studied in Spain, but when people would use the word they would say it with such feeling, that I knew what it meant, without connecting the word to the English word. However, I also agree with the conventionalist view that words need to be put into sentences so we can gather the meaning of them. There are many English words that I need a dictionary for in order to transcribe the meanings of the word. I imagine that when I learn Korean I will have to draw from both disciplines. I will have to learn to associate some words with their natural meaning, and simply have to memorize the definitions of other words. I believe being open to a mix of the two disciplines will help me accelerate my Korean learning process.

• Reflect on the readings.  How does this knowledge help you shape your language learning process?.

After reading the articles, I can see the deeper connection of the brain’s involvement in the language learning process, and how the learning process is made out of building blocks of association and meanings. In the first article, I read that the left hemisphere controls the movement of the right side of the body, and it is dominant in language for right handed people. The left hemisphere is also dominant in analytical tasks, categorization, calculation, logical calculation, information sequencing, complex motor functions and language. As a right handed person, I often use my hand to make gestures when I try to describe something, or a word. I can see the connections between using my right hand for language and using my left hemisphere for analytical tasks and calculations. I often fidget with my right fingers when I try to remember something or try to study for tests. I am also more of a left hemisphere person, as I am an Accounting major, and as an Accounting major I do many calculations and analytical work everyday. I see that I can use this knowledge to my advantage by trying to using my right side of my body to awaken my left hemisphere connections. I can make gestures when I say different words in Korean, for example say the word for ‘run’ in Korean and make a running gesture with the right side of my body-- hopefully this type of learning will help my remember words better.

I also have to say that I agree with both the naturalist view and conventionalist view. When I was learning Spanish, there were certain words that I learned and could guess the meaning from without knowing the definition. It would have to do with the way the word sounded, and the way the word was spoken. Take the word “emocionado.” Obviously from the context of the English word “emotional” you can tell it has something to do with emotion. I didn't know the word before I studied in Spain, but when people would use the word they would say it with such feeling, that I knew what it meant, without connecting the word to the English word. However, I also agree with the conventionalist view that words need to be put into sentences so we can gather the meaning of them. There are many English words that I need a dictionary for in order to transcribe the meanings of the word. I imagine that when I learn Korean I will have to draw from both disciplines. I will have to learn to associate some words with their natural meaning, and simply have to memorize the definitions of other words. I believe being open to a mix of the two disciplines will help me accelerate my Korean learning process.

As I’m currently learning Mandarin through the University of Richmond, one aspect of learning a new language that I enjoy is finding words and phrases that are non-existent in other languages. For example, in Mandarin, it is difficult to find a word that directly translates to “hate” in English. These kinds of cultural differences that appear within the language are extremely fascinating.

What I didn’t like about learning new languages, however, was the difficulty of acquiring new grammar styles dependent on the language. For example, when I translate an English phrase into Korean, I get my grammar mixed up and make it sound convoluted for Korean grammar. Although it is inevitable and is part of the process in learning a new language, the translation into grammar makes it difficult, and I don’t enjoy it.

Through the survey, I discovered that I’m a visual learner. As a visual learner, I need to reinforce visual cues that will help me remember aspects of what I’m learning. This means I should take notes of certain keywords or phrases, as well as utilizing flashcards to reinforce my visual cues of the words that I learn. However, it was also encouraged that I draw pictures and color coordinate to help my studying habits, but I’m not sure this is the best way for me to study, as I do not like drawing for my studying habits. Flashcards, however, have been proven effective for me, and I will like to utilize them in the future as I learn more Korean.

When I had to learn English when I was young, I remember I was frustrated when I couldn’t express my ideas or articulate myself correctly when I knew in my head what to say. Another struggle was when I was able to read and understand written information in English but couldn’t understand if someone verbally said it to me. To fix that problem, I watched various American TV shows in English with English subtitles at first and gradually took out the subtitles as my listening skills got better. I enjoyed doing this since I could pick up on conversational language or culture as well. I still remember that excitement when I was finally able to watch something without the subtitles and understood most of the content.

When I was learning Spanish, I enjoyed practicing by talking to friends about my day or my interests in Spanish but I disliked taking quizzes on vocabulary because I just memorized a bunch of words in short term and easily forgot most of them in the long run.

Through the assessments I took, I had already known that I’m a visual learner, but I was surprised to see that I learn best from interacting with people. Being more introverted than extroverted, I would have thought that I would learn best by myself but the results showed me that social interactions enhance my learning skills. It was also interesting though to see how FIRE model revealed that I’m factual when it comes to integrative thinking which means I like learning step by step in a thoroughly thought-out plan.

Based on the assessments and past experiences of language learning, I think I would learn advanced Korean best by watching shows or reading books and articles that use such level of vocabulary and language. I also think it would be very helpful for me to talk to someone using the advanced vocabulary or phrases that I plan on learning. One area that is out of my comfort zone and something I didn’t do much especially in learning Korean is practicing writing in Korean more often. This could be something that I can expand on in my learning experience of Korean.

Reflect on your experiences as a language learner.  What did you enjoy?  What did you dislike?  Think about the FIRE model and the surveys you have just completed.  What kind of learner are you?  What kinds of language learning activities suit your learning style?  How do you think you should expand your learning activities?

Growing up I learned English and Vietnamese concurrently. During school I learned and spoke mainly in English; however, whenever I was at home, I spoke Vietnamese and took classes on the weekends. I started taking French in middle school, but it was also during this time that I was very interested in learning Korean. My middle school did not offer a Korean language course, so that was when I started my self-directed study in Korean.

One thing I enjoy as a language learner was not only learning the language, but also the country's culture. It was also nice to learn at my own pace. There weren't mandatory assignments or tests, it was a pleasurable hobby.

One thing that I dislike as a language learner is that I often use words or phrases from one language that makes no sense in another language. For example, if I were to say an English-translated Vietnamese proverb, it would make little to no sense to someone who doesn't know Vietnamese. There are also times when I am speaking in English, but suddenly I would switch to another language mid-sentence.

I am a tactile learner. This means that experiencing or doing hands-on activities are most effective for me to learn. Obviously, this means that the best way for me to learn Korean is to go to South Korea. I do plan on study abroad next year in South Korea, but for the time being, there are other local activities for me to do to learn the language.

For now, I think some activities that will suit me best is speaking in Korean to native speakers on campus, getting involved with the Korean-community in the Richmond area, playing Korean games/activities, and connecting with the other students also learning Korean. 

I was exposed to a second language, English, at a very early age. Despite the fact that I grew up in Korea, I started to learn English when I was 5, starting with alphabets and simple words. As English is the most spoken language in the world, many people in my nation start English education very early. Some children even start to learn Korean and English at the same time in extreme cases, and it is starting to become a trend. Even though I begin to learn English relatively early, I do not consider myself as a fluent English speaker. I still stutter when I speak, have accents, and can't find an appropriate words at a right timing. Mastering and developing language skills in second language has been very tough for me.

Before I moved to the states, English education has been always focused on the grammar structure of the language. However, as soon as I moved to the states, I realized that the grammar rules and sentence structures would not get me out of the situation where I was trapped in the airport for several hours. This made me realize that I did not learn how to speak in English for past ten years, but only focused on perfunctory facts. I struggled with understanding the lectures in classes, keeping track of important announcements and socializing with friends outside of classes. However, I was able to adjust to a new environment quite quickly and change the whole paradigm of my thoughts. Still, I get self conscious about speaking English in front of many native speakers, but I'm trying to overcome this aspect through being more confident and participating more actively.

In Sophomore year of high school, I challenged myself by learning a third language, Spanish. I thought it would be easy to begin a new language, but it wasn't. Learning conjugation rules and new sentence structure seemed like a whole new world. I tried to connect this situation to a point when I started to learn English, but it was harder than I expected. There were more rules, more vocabularies, more structures to learn as I got more deeply into it, and I stopped acquiring it as soon as I got to a college. If I ever get to travel or live in Spanish speaking countries, acquisition of language would come more naturally; however, I noticed taking Spanish classes would not get me out of the airport if I ever get trapped in a Spanish speaking country unless I make more effort in order to achieve a professional level.

Through these experiences, I learned that achieving a certain level at a language is a difficult and time consuming task. Moreover, it made me realize that taking a class and getting fluent in a certain language is a totally different experience. From the surveys, I learned that I am an auditory and kinesthetic learner. I hope to engage these skills with my further interactions with languages, and to make my learning experience more effective and interesting. 

As a Spanish learner during my high school years, I really enjoyed being able to communicate with native Spanish speakers who were not able to speak English. During college, I was able to visit my sister, who was studying abroad in the Dominican Republic, and have basic conversations with the residents. Of course I was not able to speak fluently and understand the speakers completely, but I was able to go by without an issue. 

What I disliked about learning another language was having to make sense of the sentence structures and learning to conjugate verbs. To this day, it still confuses me and I feel like I know many words, but do not know how to piece them together. 

Overall, I am a tactile learner who wants to obtain information with facts. I have known this by what I disliked and liked about my past classes and what I did to study for the classes. I disliked all of my classes that had to do with applying different theories instead of working with straight up facts. The best way for me to study for my classes was by making index cards, repeating things over and over out loud, and writing on whiteboards. I was able to memorize information a lot better when I was physically doing something.

To expand my learning activities, I feel like I have to work with people and go over information to see whether what I thought is wrong or right. I also think that watching videos of people speaking in different languages would really help me understand how to speak the language.   

Hi All, 

This is an interactive site for you to preview the various sounds in the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA). Understanding these principles will be helpful when you encounter phonetic transcription in your studies. The speaker adds an unfortunate suprasegmentals in between his renderings of each sound, but the initial recordings in each clip still provide solid approximations of each sound.

http://www.ipachart.com/

Michael

Reflect on your experiences as a language learner.  What did you enjoy?  What did you dislike?  Think about the FIRE model and the surveys you have just completed.  What kind of learner are you?  What kinds of language learning activities suit your learning style?  How do you think you should expand your learning activities?

I learned Spanish for four years in high school, and my favorite part of using the language was being able to piece together sentences from words that I had learned in class. Though I often cannot say a whole sentence that is grammatically correct, being able to use words together in Spanish and have others understand what I was trying to say was very satisfying for me, and a motivator for me to try harder to become more fluent. I am a visual learner, and I often rely on using flashcards and pictures to memorize words and objects. I find that rereading the same word or seeing the same picture 20 times in a row almost burns a permanently memory of that word/object into my brain. I have tried other methods in my four years of Spanish, but it is this particular type of visual aid that works best for me. I want to start working on my auditory skills, I am pretty bad on picking up what others say to me in foreign languages, especially if they are fluent. I heard that watching Netflix in a different language really helps, and I think watching fun Korean dramas would be both interesting and a fun activity for me to do this semester, something that I am really looking forward to!

Interestingly, my learning style is auditory by 40% while my visual and tactile is each at 30%. I think I can relate that I am a auditory learner. Sometimes, I would record my lectures notes then review them by listening to them again and writing notes down. However, I also think that I would do well if I physically do problems and keep practicing through drilling will help me learn. This relates to my other survey that I am a body movement type of intelligence. When I physically write things down then I find it easier to recall the information. My second intelligence is nature. I can relate new words and phrases I learn to nature and the environment. Reading about nature and animals would aid in my learning experience. 

Reflect on your experiences as a language learner.  What did you enjoy?  What did you dislike?  Think about the FIRE model and the surveys you have just completed.  What kind of learner are you?  What kinds of language learning activities suit your learning style?  How do you think you should expand your learning activities?

Much of my experience with studying language, namely foreign language, has been done through school. I’ve studied a fairly wide array of languages, each to varying degrees of success. It is when I began to study Asian languages that I really began to enjoy the study of language. Through languages such as Japanese, the world of non-western culture was opened up to me, and I felt as though I could create a genuine connection to the other side of the world. I enjoy learning and becoming better, but I have never liked memorizing obscure words just for the sake of a quiz. I want to focus on common, frequently used vocabulary that I can use to describe more complex concepts or words I don’t know.

As for the surveys, I learned that I am predominantly a visual and auditory learner. This means that it would be helpful for me to focus on visualization and connect language to sound when possible. I’ll mostly likely use a lot of visual aids such as flash cards, and I’ll speak aloud or listen to things in Korean. When it comes to expanding my learning activities, I know I need to practice with native speakers whenever possible. This will be a challenge because I know I won’t feel very confident or comfortable speaking a new language, but speaking as much as possible will definitely help with grammar, vocabulary, and fluency.