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Right now, I'm learning vocabulary in certain categories. I have learned the categories of school, seasons, weekdays, and other basic elementary topics. I am able to practice and improve upon my reading skills and recognize the syllables. After I have learned a sufficient amount of vocabulary words that I can recite, recognize, and translate in my head, I hope to be able to make sentences with the already obtained vocabulary by adding verbs and verb conjugations, subjects, objects, nouns, proper nouns, etc. I hope to be making simple sentences very soon with my vocabulary. My reciprocal goal right now is to become more comfortable being around Korean speakers on campus and not fearing judgment if I want to practice my Korean with them. Even though I know very little korean and mainly just vocab words aside from greetings and simple common phrases like 입니다 which means my name is…, I acknowledge that there is much room for growth. So far, I'm still cooked up with the same tasks I was using initially. by using workbooks,  listening to Korean bilingual kid shows with subtitles, and pointing out every day objects that I know that Korean vocabulary for to keep my mind active. So far, I think that they work. when I meet with my language partner we review the vocab words and I am able to recognize and recite them on command. However, I feel stuck sometimes that I will be at this level for a bit until I have a larger Korean vocabulary and I have more confidence in my Korean. I will maintain my current learning strategies, but at this point, I think I am in a stump for building on this language.

At this point in my learning, I do not have any negative feelings toward it like I used to in the beginning of my journey into Korean. Since I have progressed and improved in my reciting, memorization, pronunciation, etc. I feel pride that I have gotten this far in my studying with Korean and for their pride that I am learning a new language connected to my Asian roots. Even though I am majority Chinese, it still feels wholesome to be able to learn part of my Korean heritage through this class and that I'm not the only one on my journey as well. It brings me comfort knowing that I’m not alone and there is no shame in wanting to learn Korean. In my studies I have learned that Korean is dissimilar from English. It is just broken words that make sense together. It reminds of that one “Office” episode where Kevin speaks broken English yet we can still understand his message. So far I have only implemented one learning strategy which is where I practice my reading and speaking by having my partner write it and then I recite the word or phrase that I understand it as. I do not have any goal changes, I choose to remain on my slower pace that I established in my last learning journal.

At this point in my studies, I'm learning to memorize the consonant and vowel characters for hangul as well as what sounds they make when put together. By next week, I hope to be able to correctly read simple korean sentences out loud with the correct sounds even though I may not yet have a grasp on the understanding of it in the context. With my community language partner he has taught me helpful methods of learning which Korean consonants have more emphasis than other consonants and tricks to learn the difference between ㅜ  and ㅗ which I confuse often. When I have practiced my Korean with other community speaker on campus, they are impressed with my pronunciation, yet I am aware that I need to improve and build upon my vocabulary in sentence formation. Activities I've used include the Korean children books in the global Studio closet. I have also been watching some kids shows on YouTube that have Korean and English subtitles for activities outside of my lessons. I plan to build upon my Korean learning strategies by further setting time aside for myself to look into Korean media. I also attempt to learn more about Korean history and its significant events. What I think will be particularly interesting to me is learning about the rise and globalization of popular culture: K-dramas, K-pop, the Korean Beauty standards, and how fast the economy has advanced.

So far, I remain enthusiastic about learning Korean. At first I was a little hesitant since I was not enthusiastic about learning a whole new character system. Initially, I  considered switching languages so that I would not have to learn a whole new character system and almost considered another language shortly starting. In the beginning, I was frustrated since I have not learned a language that did not have the english alphabet and only have experience with french and spanish learning as second languages. However I also felt excited since I would be taking myself out of my comfort zone by learning an Asian language that  would not be as difficult as chinese, vietnamese, Japanese, etc. So far, I have carried on the learning strategies that I've taken from learning French and Spanish in my previous education of foreign language.  I have mostly worked on reading syllables and words out loud and what sounds certain characters make. I said before, I've also started to watch juvenile shows that contain simple Korean sentences so that I will be able to identify words that I have picked up so far in my studies. In my opinion, these past techniques have been successful when I have learned Spanish or french. therefore, I believe that this will help me enhance my Korean listening and reading skills  with korean subtitles and audio. However, looking at the speed of my syllabus I created in the beginning of the semester, I believe that I will have to slow down my goals since my Korean has not progressed accordingly to my syllabus that I created.

Back during the first presentation I said that I would focus on the improvement of my speaking, writing, and reading skills for Korean. Although that hasn’t changed, the way I approached it has changed slightly. I said that I would focus on speaking or texting Korean as often as possible with my Korean friends and parents. I also said that I would read a lot of children’s fables since they teach valuable lessons but also contain a lot of beginner vocabulary and grammar. Surprisingly though, the amount of Korean that I knew was much greater than I expected. Although it takes approximately an entire lifetime to text, write, or read, I can still make full sentences and read properly although I may not understand all the words. 

What I didn’t include was that I would listen to Korean songs as well. Although I did this passively before I never looked up lyrics or made an attempt to understand them. But now i find myself getting curious by default as to what the lyrics are for many of these songs. This helps me learn a lot of new words quickly since following the lyrics out loud or in my head is a good way to practice by myself and retain new information. 

I also intend to learn the history and evolution of the Korean language throughout history. Everything from its origins, creation of the written language, and up to the modern world’s uses of slang and whatnot. What would help with this is the etymology of Korean, which seems very interesting with some very brief research (a lot of conflicting information about its origin saying Altaic or Japonic). 

So far from what I’ve learned about Korean and its culture is that the language essentially evolved along side its culture. Of course traditional aspects such as food, holidays, history haven’t changed much. But as Korea became more open to the rest of the world (specifically western world), a lot of the language also began to change. Many words are essentially extracted directly from English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, etc. Also much of the words became “contractions”. Not in the sense in English such as cannot becoming can’t, but as in words becoming just shorter versions of themselves. Sort of like AC coming from air conditioner and TV from television. There are many instances of this in modern Korean speaking, and learning this should come passively as I interact with other Korean speakers to increase communication skills. 

Following up on my previous language learning journal, the main focus my meetings with my language partner have been on my writing. We've selected a few topics/articles to be the focus of several papers, and I came across an issue off the start - writing on a computer vs writing on paper. The idea is to be coherent with my writing skills, but both physical and digital mediums are important to practice on. We decided on paper, as it forces you to rely solely on memory, perhaps later I will focus on typing. So far, all my writing practices have been on paper, which also has forced my Korean handwriting to improve(?). 

As to the actual quality/effectiveness of the writing itself, it has definitely helped a lot. There are obviously a lot of room for improvement, but some of the more common words/conjugations that I had issues with spelling before are now a given, and most of the struggles I face are the introduction of new vocabulary. Another issue I'm still working on is the grammatical structure in the written aspect - while some parts are intuitive, I find that written Korean is a lot more different that spoken Korean - this is something I'm going to dive into more throughout the semester.

My personal goals for the past few weeks have been to continue to improve my written and spoken Korean while also learning about Korean culture by consuming various forms of Korean media.

I wanted to develop my basic Korean vocabulary as well as my speaking and writing fluency with my language partner. We have been working toward this goal during our weekly meetings. My partner dictates various English words and phrases that I will first translate out loud. I will then write these words in my notebook in Hangeul. Following this, my partner will correct any written mistakes I make. During the end of our sessions, my partner has me write a small paragraph of two to three sentences using the words and phrases we just practiced.

My writing has improved the most using this learning strategy, and I plan to continue to do this. In order to take full advantage of these sessions, I should periodically go back and review notes from previous sessions in order to maintain my vocabulary knowledge. I also should have more conversational, back and forth interactions with my partner instead of only translating and transcribing.

One revision I would like to make is increasing my consumption of Korean media. I have watched episodes of Moving, a popular Korean drama that recently came out. I would like to watch more episodes of this show. I would also like to watch more YouTube videos about Korean history and culture, as well as keep up with Korean news.

I have tried to speak more often in Korean with my Korean and Korean-American friends around me on campus. It is still very difficult for me to have a continuous dialogue in Korean, but I have been told that my Korean is better than I let on. This has been very encouraging.

Overall, I have been satisfied with my progress, and with a few changes I think I will be on track to achieve all of my goals from the beginning of the semester.

Before reading Figuring Foreigners Out, I was never unable to pinpoint formal terminology when it comes to talking about the concept of time.  I think that the monochronic concept of time is problematic, not because I disagree with it, but because as a capitalistic society we often fail to reflect on our everyday understanding of time. We do tend to treat time as a commodity that can be used or wasted. School is one of the first places that we are immersed in a place where time is taught as a commodity. "Use your time wisely" or "don't waste time" is something that we throw around in pretty much every environment. It would be interesting to spend a few weeks in a society or culture that has a polychronic perspective. I think that it would come off as leisurely and infinite. It constantly feels like the clock is ticking in a monochronic society, so it would interesting to learn if this pressure is removed in a polychronic society. 

I think that language is inevitable as humans. I am not surprised that at one point in time our brains decided to process phones and put them together to form different modes of communication, both verbal and non-verbal. I think that language is an important aspect of understanding culture and how culture is formed. It is hard for me to make the argument that language is purely biological because that would mean that culture is purely biological. It is also important to understand the difference between natural and conventional. Originally, I interpreted language as a natural process that just happens. I think that in reality I have always interpreted language as conventional, I just use the word "natural" to explain what my viewpoint. There is an arbitrary relationship between words and things, not a natural relationship. If there was a natural relationship, this implies that there is an intrinsic relationship between word and thing, not an arbitrary one. This definitely challenges how I have spoken about language in the past and goes beyond the day-to-day conversation about language acquisition. 

Before taking this course, I never gave semantics much thought, just because they are so complicated. These readings gave me a new perspective on semantics in the sense that they can help point us to how language was developed. Considering that French is my second language and Spanish is my third, my retention strategy is a little different between the two. For French, I was able to go from French to English, English to French. For Spanish, things get a little more complicated. I speak/read Spanish with a French accent, but will associate Spanish grammar with French grammar and vice versa. Retention is definitely different the third time around. 

During this month I have been continuing my journey in learning more business professional terms and concepts used in Korea. While reading multiple articles that are business related, I have learned a lot of methods that are very different from American companies. Jason provided me with a variety of different articles that were entertaining and on point with the emerging marketing trends. An example includes this article: https://m.blog.naver.com/jeu0312/222730787495 

This specific article is called “디지털 마케팅 트렌드 가치 투자" which means Digital Marketing Trend Value Investment. The first time I read the article, I went through all the vocabulary terms that I am not familiar with. Here is a list of terms for this article that Jason helped me understand and translate:

가치 투자 마켓팅: value invest marketing

유의미: meaningful

염두에 두시고: in your heart, keep it to heart, keep it in your mind

성과: achievement

정의: justice/define

재화: goods/products

각광: spotlighted/highlighted

중시: 중요하게 여기다

OTT 서비스: streaming services

비롯하다: be originated from

상승세:rise

메체: medium/ platforms/ mass media

구축:construct a system

꼽히다:considered

관점: perspective (관람)

테크: technique

공모전: contest

공모작: product that you portray during the contest

출간된: publicate

매각:sale in a business format

창출: created

Then I would read it again with Jason, paragraph by paragraph and work on translating and understanding the article as a whole. I learned these new platforms that are currently trending when it comes to digital marketing. Those platforms are 뮤직 카우, 테사, and 요기페스 where companies use these platforms or promote in similar patterns to reach their audience and make investments. 

Apart from these business articles, I have been continuously watching Korean YouTube videos that are short clips from entertainment channels or famous YouTubers. Topics I enjoy to watch are travel vlogs, mukbangs, recommendation videos, and workout videos. I tend to watch YouTube videos because I feel like it is the easiest way to reach current trends in Korea. I am also able to learn about the trends on specific content within the topics listed above. Relating back to my business skills, I learned a lot of ideas for marketing tactics if my audience were to be Koreans. 

It is interesting to see how I can really learn deeper knowledge and content as my skills are improving. I am able to read and watch more complex videos, although there are numerous terms I am not familiar with. I think I will continue to read more articles, communicate with Jason with more advanced terminologies, and watch entertainment videos to learn more about the trends and casual conversations.

In this language learning journal, I want to reflect on last month’s effort to learn basic Korean vocabulary related to food. Learning a new language is an exciting as well as challenging endeavor, and my focus on food-related vocabulary is a fundamental part of my journey into Korean culture and language.

My primary task has been to expand my Korean food vocabulary. This involves learning the names of various Korean dishes, ingredients, and common food-related expressions.

Here is the list of vocabulary that I tried to remember:

• 비빔밥 (Bibimbap) - Mixed Rice with Vegetables and Beef
• 불고기 (Bulgogi) - Marinated Grilled Beef
• 김치 (Kimchi) - Fermented Spicy Cabbage
• 된장찌개 (Doenjang Jjigae) - Soybean Paste Stew
• 떡볶이 (Tteokbokki) - Spicy Rice Cake
• 김밥 (Gimbap) - Rice Rolls with Vegetables and Meat
• 삼겹살 (Samgyeopsal) - Grilled Pork Belly
• 만두 (Mandu) - Korean Dumplings
• 짜장면 (Jjajangmyeon) - Black Bean Noodles
• 해물파전 (Haemul Pajeon) - Seafood Pancake

I aimed to build a solid foundation of Korean food-related vocabulary so that I can navigate Korean menus whenever I visit it again in the future, engage in conversations about food, and achive a deeper understanding of Korean food culture. 

I am connecting with native Korean speakers who helped me a lot in expanding my vocabulary. Interacting with them has provided me with the opportunity to practice pronunciation. I also learned cultural nuances about food and received immediate feedback on my choices of words.

Flashcards: I've created digital flashcards with Korean food terms on one side and English translations on the other. This has been a valuable resource for active recall and retention. I nearly used it for every learning process, not only in language learning. And I would recommend this to my peers since it’s so helpful.

Regular conversations with native Korean speakers have allowed me to apply my vocabulary in daily situations. And these interactions have been invaluable in improving my speaking and listening skills.

To make the learning experience more immersive, I've tried cooking some Korean dishes. It deepens my understanding of the vocabulary. Also,  I feel more connected with the cultural aspect of food as I am exchanging food with my friends while using Korean. 

I've explored language learning apps that provide lessons specifically tailored to food-related vocabulary. These apps have quizzes, pronunciation exercises, and interactive lessons that reinforce my learning. They are recommended by my instructor. 

I plan to continue expanding my food-related vocabulary and dive deeper into the cultural aspects of Korean cuisine. I definitely want to learn more about traditional dishes with regional specialties and dining etiquette. I'll also explore recipes and try my hand at preparing more Korean dishes.

Reflecting on my learning methods,, I've realized the importance of making learning fun and practical. Cooking Korean dishes, for example, not only enhances my vocabulary but also immerses me in the culture. I'll continue to incorporate real-life experiences and interactive methods into my language-learning journey.

One of my most successful experiences was ordering food in a Korean restaurant and engaging in a brief conversation with the waiter entirely in Korean. This small achievement boosted my confidence and validated my efforts.

There have been times when I struggled to remember basic food-related terms during conversations. These moments have reminded me of the importance of consistent practice and revision.

As I progress, I've adjusted my goals to include more complex food-related terms and a deeper exploration of regional cuisine. I've also set long-term goals to become more conversational in Korean and explore Korean food culture on a broader scale.

As I dig deeper into my extensive knowledge of Korean culture and tradition, I find myself drawn to all the aspects that make it so unique and fascinating. One of the most visually appealing aspects of Korean culture is the traditional clothing, known as "Hanbok". The costume is common in Korea even today, and as a piece of historical heritage, I find it interesting to explore. In this cultural essay, I will delve into hanbok, sharing my reactions, impressions, and explanations of this authentic craft through my native friends and online sources.

South Korea's traditional costume, the Hanbok, is a masterpiece of beauty and history. It is a vivid symbol of Korean identity, a reflection of the country's deep-rooted traditions, and a testament to an enduring appreciation for aesthetics and elegance. When I first saw a photo of Hanbok, I was struck by its elegant and colorful design. The intricate patterns, bright colors, and flowing silhouettes took me back in time and I could not help but be drawn to this symbol of Korean culture.

To truly appreciate hanbok, one must understand its various components. Hanbok consists of a jacket called "jeogori" and a long, high-waisted female dress called "chima," while men usually wear "jeogori" and "baji" (baggy pants). The most striking feature of the Hanbok is that it reflects Confucian ideas of modesty and modesty. Hanbok's lines and shapes are simple, yet they exude an understated elegance that emphasizes the wearer's natural beauty.

The first time I saw anyone wearing Hanbok was in North China, where Koreans live. I was struck by the nobility and elegance with which it radiated. Clothes have a certain aura, a timeless beauty that transcends the boundaries of time and fashion. The workmanship of each hanbok is meticulous. The use of silk and other high-quality fabrics, intricate embroidery, and elaborate accessories all contribute to the overall brilliance of this traditional craft.

Hanbok is more than just clothes; It is a symbol of Korean culture and heritage. Each element of the Hanbok has its own symbolic meaning. Bright colors often indicate the age and social status of the wearer. Young girls, for example, usually wear muted hanbok, while married women opt for more muted shades. This symbolism also extends to ornaments, with "norigae" (a decorative hanging ornament) representing wishes for good luck and happiness.

One of the most attractive features of Hanbok is the "ribbon" tied around the chest. Not only does it add a touch of elegance, but it also carries a deeper meaning. The way a tie is tied can indicate the marital status of the wearer and is often used to express personal feelings or wishes.

Despite its deep historical roots, hanbok has enjoyed a modern revival in recent years. The hanbok is not only a symbol of tradition but also of fashion. Designers have incorporated elements of hanbok into modern clothing, creating a fusion of the old and the new. I find this blend of tradition and modernity a testament to the enduring relevance and adaptability of Korean culture.

As I reflect on my exploration of hanbok and Korean culture, I draw parallels with my own cultural experience. Each culture has its own form of traditional clothing, which is a powerful way to connect with the past and celebrate your heritage. Whether it's the kimono in Japan, the sari in India, or the hanbok in South Korea, these garments are a link to our cultural roots, allowing us to express our identity and connect with our history.

When I began learning French in the eighth grade, I knew that I wanted to learn a language that is less-understood. Everyone told me that French is not useful, so I knew that I wanted to challenge that idea but also learn a language to see how it is. I think that based off of Aitchinson's linguistics diagram, language learning on the surface level consists of learning about sentence structure and pronouncing words. At least that's what it felt like to me. I was walking into a class to learn about different words, how to say them, and form sentences using these words. Middle School Charlie eventually got into it much more because my French teacher pushed us to incorporate Francophone culture in what we were learning. I never knew that French was spoken in Africa and in the Caribbean. That took me by surprise as a 14 year old. 

I have always enjoyed learning about different countries, and I think that one of the best ways to learn about a country is the languages that are spoken within them. I think that Francophone countries in Africa and the Caribbean present an interesting case because of the sociological changes that have occurred over time. Colonization makes language acquisition interesting because different dialects form, and the struggle to keep indigenous languages alive prove to be a struggle as well. This is when a sociological perspective is incredibly important. 

From an anthropological perspective, the co-existence among other languages is super interesting in the French language. I feel like pretty much every country and nation has some sort of co-existence with another language whether it is a dialect, creole form, or just a completely different language. A lot of Francophone islands have developed different dialects like in Dominica and La Réunion. The culture of the French language is different everywhere you go. My language partner, Sara, speaks Arabic, French, and English. A lot of educated people in Morocco tend to speak French, but Sara claims that almost everybody does because of Morocco's colonial ties to France. It is interesting to see how different colonized francophone countries adapt their indigenous cultures to a colonial one. 

For me, I give preference to disciplines that are more humanistic and based around social sciences. Psycholinguistics and computational linguistics are not the first things that come to mind when I think about learning a language. My language learning plan centers itself around speaking French with someone from Africa, in this case Sara, and learning more about her culture through French conversation. I truly have enjoyed our conversations thus far, and look forward to the remaining part of the semester. 

   The past few weeks have been very productive, and successful in terms of my learning of the Hungarian language. My community partner and I were able to stay on track with our meetings even though our schedules are very tight this semester. We still meet twice a week to go over some grammar stuff, new vocabulary, exercises from both of the books, and sometimes we also meet for the third time, during the weekend when we devote the whole class to impromptu conversations, drills, and small dialogues. I try to complete the weekly assigned tasks and exercises from the book on my own, in my own free time because I believe that it is much more useful to go over the harder topics during the actual meeting time with my community partner. So far we have covered the following topics:

-word order in negative sentences and questions;

-various articles and their usage within the sentence;

-adverbs of time and place;

-irregular verbs;

-plural forms;

-ordinal numbers;

-verbs ending with -s, -sz, -z;

-plural forms of adjectives;

-new vocabulary from the modules such as ‘in the office’, ‘human qualities’, ‘city’, ‘means of transport’, ‘greetings’, ‘restaurant’, ‘food’, ‘shopping’, ‘colors’, ‘hobbies’, ‘jobs and professions’.

This is not to complete the list of topics and the things we have done because each section of the book also includes the review of the previous chapters and concepts. However, these are the main things we have been focusing on. 

   A couple of weeks ago I was a little frustrated with my process of learning Hungarian. I have this notebook where I write all the new words by sections - verbs, adjectives, and nouns. When I looked at these words, I was confident that I knew and remembered them. However, every single time I had to make up sentences and use them in speech, they just vanished and I could not remember them anymore. My community partner, who is also one of my friends right now, was always trying to calm me down and help me out. Day by day, class by class I became more confident in myself and the idea of me coming up with sentences even though their grammar structure or the pronunciation were not necessarily completely right. At some point I just let myself speak, and used any new vocabulary I remembered at that point from the particular unit/topic. In the meantime, I developed a habit of coming up with the Hungarian word for almost every single object I was holding in my hands. For example, during class when I have a pen in my hand, I tell myself ‘toll’ (‘pen’ in Hungarian). Also, I believe watching short youtube videos and kids cartoons helps me a lot during my learning process. 

French belongs to the Indo-European language family. It is in the Romance Language sub-set. Something I did not know: "culture" is a French word used in so many other languages. I feel like that in itself shows the significance of the language in Europe and its ability to spread to other parts of the world.

The earliest known text containing the French language is dated back to 842. There are only a dozen manuscripts with French texts through the 11th century. French was mainly found in old Latin manuscripts; but mind you, the language at the time was nowhere near what we know today. It was originally called "old French" or langue d'oïl. Oïl was used for the word "yes" in Northern France. Old French terms continuously showed up in Latin manuscripts, mainly in short phrases and verbs like rabere (to go mad) which is now rauger.

England eventually developed a multilingual society because Old French became a learned literary language. Old French was not widely used in a conversational manner, but more so in written documents. It's interesting how French is derived from Latin, but founds its way into English society across the channel. Beyond the English channel, French moved through the Caribbean and parts of Northern and Western Africa. I think that even in colonization, French was spread more for formal indoctrination which is why it is the official language of so many countries. I think that the main asset of French culture spread to these regions of the world was the language itself. Each country still developed their own culture apart from their "mother country."

Languages change over time as some words and phrases rise to prominence and/or completely fall off-the-grid. Words also change in meanings as their significance shifts as well. Movement of people is also a huge part of how languages change. It is interesting to see the rise of Spanish in the US as more Latin Americans migrate here. The US does not have an official language contrary to other colonized regions of the worlds, so it is interesting to see two prominent languages co-exist. I don't see English changing a lot in my everyday, but Spanish is becoming more widely used. 

Once there was a time when Korea had no written language for the Korean spoken language. For centuries, the official writing system for Korea was known as 한자 (Hanja). It’s sort of like the Korean version of Chinese characters. But there was a huge downside to having this as the writing system. Back in the day, only high ranking officials or royalties were allowed to learn to read and write 한자. Which means that the commoner, when presented with a piece of text in 한자 had no idea what it said, meaning that notices that were put out for the public were essentially not interpreted for anyone.

Fortunately, a certain great king realized this issue. King Sejong saw that his people people could not interact with any high-ranking officials, causing a problem of communication. Nothing productive could be done within the state. So for a couple years, King Sejong developed a whole new writing system that was entirely phonetic. Characters in 한글 (Hangul) had fixed sounds (some have 2), but they never change when combined with other characters. This made the introduction of 한글 one of the greatest accomplishments throughout the country’s entire history. The language is in fact still used today.

But the way 한글 was first presented to the people is an extremely important relic of the language’s history. The 훈민정음 (Hunminjeongeum), was the historical script/document that was read to King Sejong’s people during the Joseon Dynasty in the 15th century. In this document, is a message to his people that proclaims the invention of a new writing system for the people. He describes that because Joseon is an independent nation from China, a writing system from China does not fit the needs of the Joseon people. His wish was “that all the people may easily learn these letters and that [they] be convenient for daily use”.

But what is the actual significance of this document? Well, as mentioned before, the 훈민정음 promoted literacy for commoners. Because of King Sejong and this document, education about the ordinary folk, brings power to the country by bringing together a cultural unity. The [modern] alphabet system of 14 consonants and 10 vowels still remains one of the simplest and logical writing systems in the world to learn, from people of all backgrounds. 훈민정음 also serves as a symbol of national pride and independence. Its creation signified the Joseon (Korean) people's ability to assert their cultural and linguistic identity, distinct from Chinese influences. In modern South Korea, 한글 날 (Hangul Day) is celebrated annually, highlighting the script's importance and its role in preserving the nation's heritage. This document is of course the first recorded moment in Korea’s history with the use of 한글, which is still used today (with of course many changes). The original, official document is still well preserved at a museum in Korea. In 1962, the 훈민정음 was declared a national treasure by Korea and in 1997, it was registered by UNESCO in its Memory of the World Programme.

K-pop, shortened to Korean pop, is now a well known genre of music that people worldwide love and follow. The video that I have attached is actually a foreign YouTuber who makes videos on what typical Kpop fandoms look like. It is fun and interesting to see how these foreign fans are sometimes more knowledgeable about the K-pop culture than actual Koreans. This YouTuber shows highly detailed fandom activities and habits by targeting specific K-pop groups. K-pop has now reached its fourth generation with more groups and supporting companies coming up. I personally am more knowledgeable about the groups that appeared during the first and second generation and have lost track of the newly trending Korean pop culture. However, I can definitely tell that K-pop has evolved over the years. K-pop has been known for its catchy melodies, stunning visuals, and captivating choreographies as these companies make their potential idols go through rigorous training. I also would say that the help of the developing technologies have upgraded K-pop with their music videos, sound tracks, and auto tunes. Also, the members of the K-pop groups started becoming more diverse with members coming from different countries like China, Japan, America and many more. 

I personally had a phase when I was a huge K-pop fan back in middle school. I always grew up listening to K-pop and was a fan of the second generation groups such as BIGBANG, 2NE1, and many more. My love for K-pop peaked in 6th grade when I encountered the group called EXO. At the time, EXO had # members and was known for their one-take dance choreography video and a diverse group of people. I used to collect their posters, CD albums, photo cards, stickers, and many more with their faces on them. When I think back at this behavior, I am a little freaked out on how obsessed I was with them. However, it is very normalized in Korea. The fandom these Kpop groups hold are enormous and somewhat creepy. For generations, K-pop idols have encountered numerous problematic situations where stalking and obsessions were out of their control. It is quite interesting how these idols have to hide their personal lives, especially when it comes to dating someone. The fans treated the idols as if they were their own significant other and would follow them around wherever they performed, did a meet and greet, or wherever they visited during their leisure time. Although there are some downsides within these K-pop fandoms, it is great to see improvements and the increase in popularity of the K-pop culture and the influence it has on the overall attraction towards Korean culture. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vM2S8zKmNVw

The Korean alphabet, Hangul (한글), was developed in the 15^th century by King Sejong the Great. Until that point, Korean wrote and read using Chinese characters, or hanja ( 한자). However, only male aristocrats could afford the necessary education to learn hanja, leaving the majority of the Korean population illiterate. King Sejong was aware of this issue and intentionally designed Hangul to be as intuitive and easy to learn as possible. He is recorded to have said the following about Hangul: “A wise man can acquaint himself with them before the morning is over; a stupid man can learn them in the space of ten days.”

Hangul was introduced with the Hunminjeongeum (훈민정음). The Hunminjeongeum was made available to the Korean public and introduced the new Hangul alphabet. The document describes King Sejong’s motivation for creating the alphabet: “Because the speech of this country is different from that of China, it [the spoken language] does not match the [Chinese] letters. Therefore, even if the ignorant want to communicate, many of them, in the end, cannot successfully express themselves. Saddened by this, I have [had] 28 letters newly made. It is my wish that all the people may easily learn these letters and that [they] be convenient for daily use.”

In the above image, we can see that document introduced Korean letters individually, with explanations in Chinese hanja.

Hangul day is an official government holiday celebrated on October 9 in Korea to commemorate the publication of the Hunminjeongeum on October 9, 1446. In 1962 the document was designated a National Treasure and in 1997, it was registered by UNESCO in the Memory of the World Programme.

The Yongbieocheonga was the first text written in Hangul. It translates into Songs of the Dragons Flying to Heaven. The epic poem describes the founding of the Joseon dynasty as well as the history of neighboring peoples.

   Watching short youtube videos, cartoons, short netflix shows, and others is a big part of my process of learning Hungarian. I do not necessarily watch just national Hungarian movies, shows, but recently I have been very interested in those in particular because it does not just provide me with language learning but also enriches my knowledge about national Hungarian culture, customs, traditions. Most of the people do not know much about Hungarian film-making, however, I believe it is very underestimated. Surprisingly for a lot of these peopl, Budapest has long been Hollywood’s go-to location because of its dreamy atmosphere, timeless beauty, stunning attractions, rich history, and unique architecture. Hollywood stars such Anthony Hopkins, Ryan Gosling, Matt Damon, and Brad Pittsuch Many have fallen in love with the city during filming. Also, Budapest has also inspired some of the most unique movie directors such Wes Anderson and his film The Grand Budapest Hotel. Although the film itself was set in the fictional country of Zubrowka, it creates such a picture that it makes the spectator think that they are in Hungary. There are a lot of other magnificent films that were shot in Hungary, but in this cultural post I would like to talk about short film called Mindenki (Engl.: Sing) and present my movie review which I produced in Hungarian together with my community partner. 

   Sing is a childhood drama with a lot of music set in 1990s post-socialist Budapest, Hungary. Based on a true story, it follows an award-winning school choir and it tells the evolves around the life of a new girl in class who faces a tough choice: to stand up against a corrupt system - or to fit quietly into it. Sing was directed by a famous national Hungarian producer and screenwriter - Kristof Deák. The film won following awards:

- Best Live Action Short / Academy Awards OSCAR, 2017;

- Audience Award / 32ème Festival du Cinema Européen Lille;

- Audience Award / Festival International de Cine Lanzarote;

- People’s Choice Award / TIFF Kids Toronto;

- Daazo.com Special Award / Friss Hús Fesztivál Budapest Grand Prix &  Best International Short;

- Audience Award / Short Shorts Film Festival & Asia, Tokyo (OSCAR® Qualifying);

- Best Child Actress (for Dorka Gáspárfalvi and Dorottya Hais) & Audience Award / Sapporo Shortsfest;

- Best Live Action Short Film / Chicago International Children’s Film Festival (OSCAR® Qualifying);

- 2nd Prize / Interfilm KUKI + TeenScreen Berlin.

I really enjoyed watching Sing, and discussing it with my community partner. I think the movie is very easy to follow, and the language is pretty comprehensible. Below I am going to include the part of my review of Sing in Hungarian. 

   A Mindenki Budapest egyik ének-zene szakos általános iskolájában játszódik 1991-ben. A tízéves Zsófi új tanulóként érkezik az iskolába, amit elöször kicsit furcsának talál, és ahol ot is kicsit furcsanak találják, de hamarosan összebarátkozik Lizával, az osztály legnépszerúbb diákjával. Zsófi érkezésekor az iskola híres kórusa éppen próbál. Az igazgató megígéri az anyukának, hogy Zsófi is bekerülhet a kórusba, ami az igazgató számára a legfontosabb ér-ték az iskolában. 

   Zsófi első alkalommal vesz részt a próbán, amikor Erika néni, a karnagy bejelenti, ha meg-nyerik a országos kórusverseny, Svédországba utazhatnak egy újabb versenyre. A próba végén a karnagy csokival jutalmazza a kórustagokat, és szeretne még Zsófival beszélni. A próba véget ér, Zsófi marad. Azt kéri, énekelje el a Pál, Kata, Péter-t. Zsófi elkezdi, de nem fejezheti be, mert Erika néni arra kéri a lányt, a következo kóruspróbától o már csak ,táti-kázzon", azaz, a fejében énekelje a múveket. Zsófi nem érti, miért kéri ezt tóle Erika néni, aki elmagyarázza, hogy azért, mert nem olyan jó, mint a többiek. De erröl a kérésról a töb-bieknek nem beszélhet. Zsófi és Erika néni közös titka kiderül, amikor Lizának, nehezen bár, de sikerül kiszednie barátnójéból az igazságot, miután Liza rájon, hogy Zsófi a próbán nem énekel. A következó próbán ó is „tátikázik”. Liza kedvenc tanárnője, Erika néni azonnal észreveszi, leállítja a kórust, és felszólítja Lizát, hogy énekeljen. Liza szembeszáll a tanárnővel barátnője és még néhány elnémított társa miatt, ám Erika néni elmagyarázza, hogy az élet olykor igazságtalan, és job némán részese lenni egy híres kórusnak, mint se-hogy. Erika néni eddig nem akarta megnevezni a „tátikázó” kórus tagokat, de ha ez kell, hát tessék. Két-három gyerek, köztük Zsófi, bátortalanul jelentkezik. A próba után Liza és Zsófi megbeszélik a próbán történteket…

   I am still working on finsihing up my review because it is a very continious and complex work, however, I very much enjoy it. This movie contributed to my knowledge about Hungarian culture, as well as new vocabulary, and language structures. I defenitely recommend watching it!

Korean has a very interesting history as the origins of its language are debated. Many people believe that it belongs to the Altaic family. Other languages under this family include Turkish, Mongolian, and the Tungusic. However, it’s without a doubt that there were strong influences from China. In fact, at one point the writing system was very strongly influenced by Chinese (Hanja). While Hanja was being used in writing, the speaking was still a separate system. Because of this, speaking was not a problem throughout ancient Korea. However, communication through writing was still very limited and only the elite members of society were able to write. That is until Sejong of Joseon came along.

In 1443, King Sejong was able to create an entirely new system of writing so that all his people could understand. Centuries later that exact language (although changed through time of course) is still being used by the people of Korea. Many events happened within Korea to cause the evolution of its language, such as the introduction of the western world and the colonization by Japan. Because of this many words are taken from those languages and directly incorporated into the Korean language. The word Arbeit from Germany meaning labor is directly incorporated into the Korean word “아르바이트” (ah-reu-ba-ee-teu) meaning part-time job. The word for bag in Korean is 가방 (kabang) which came from the word for bag in Japanese (kaban). 배낭 is another word for bag, but this comes from Hanja. In fact, there is no pure Korean word for bag. Much of the modern language has evolved from external countries and languages.

But the biggest influence in modern Korean language is without a doubt English. Words such as chocolate, cola, juice, wine, sandwich, vitamin, ice cream, and many many many many more essentially have the same pronunciation in Korean. From what I’ve seen online, many people say that 5-10% of the modern Korean vocabulary is derived from English.

Whenever I visit Korea, one of the most unique and distinctive things I notice are the standard, typical rectangle apartment and store buildings of the city mixed in with traditional Korean architecture often called “Hanok” or “Joseon” houses after the Joseon dynasty where this style flourished. Notably, the Joseon dynasty was under the reign of King Sejong who is best known for creating Hangul, the Korean script used today. This dynasty was the pinnacle of Korean culture and was considered a “Golden Era” under King Sejong. 

As seen in the picture, there are often small villages of these hanok houses within the city or in the countryside which enables people to experience both modern and traditional Korea at the same time. The city villages especially stand out because big Korean cities like Seoul are densely populated and buildings are built narrow and tall to accommodate as many people and stores as possible. However, the wide Hanok villages occupy their own space in the city.

Some of these hanok villages, like Namsangol Hanok Village in Seoul are just recreations and models of these houses made for tourism and educational purposes. However, many of the villages, like Bukchon Hanok Village in Seoul are traditional houses that have been restored and function as an actual neighborhood with people living within the houses. These real residential  hanok villages are also open to tourism, but there are signs posted advising tourists to walk quietly so as to not disturb the residents. 

Korean architecture contains many influences from Chinese architecture. During the era of the three kingdoms Goguryeo, Baekje, and Silla, (around 50 B.C.) temples and palaces were built based upon Chinese buddhist temples and pagodas which set the foundation for this style of architecture. However, the architecture has evolved over the years by blending different cultures, aesthetics, and aspects of Korea’s rich history. A notable distinction of Korean architecture from other styles is the use of roofs called “dancheong” which are made of wood, clay, or stone tiles and curved upwards at the edges. This distinctive architecture was most prominent in the Joseon Dynasty where elegant dancheong roofs were seen on most residential houses and clay was used to produce a unique style that was more earthy and naturalistic.

When I visited Korea, I got to go to the Bukcheon Hanok Village in Jongno. Since it is open to tourism, many foreigners and tourists are seen walking around the village in Korean traditional clothes called “hanbok,” which are available for rent all around the village. These renting shops also provide hair and makeup services to create complete and authentic outfits and provide an enriching experience while viewing the traditional houses. There are also retro candy stores around that gave my grandparents a sense of nostalgia from their childhood. 

Although Korea is one of the most quickly urbanizing and technologically advanced countries in the world, the preservation of historical architecture shows that there are many efforts being made to preserve the rich traditional history of the nation. I also think that opening the space up for tourism and providing tourists with planned tours, pamphlets, and authentic traditional clothes is very informative for those who are being introduced to Korean culture.

Since my focus for this semester is to become a fluent, native speaker, I have been doing activities that grow my communication skills. First, I started with studying common spoken  phrases that relate to topics that I am interested in like school and business. When meeting with my language partner, we worked on having conversations related to school and business as well, such as what classes we are taking and what business projects we have to complete. I also changed the structure of these conversations often so that sometimes it is like two friends are talking, a student and a professor, or an interview for a job. From this, I hoped to accomplish a more holistic spoken fluency outside of just conversational speech between two students.

I also wanted to incorporate differences in formal and informal speech and learn more vocabulary from my language partner. Whenever she would say something that I did not know, I would immediately ask what it meant and she would explain in Korean what it meant. This strategy of asking immediately what a word means allowed for the conversation to still flow naturally while also learning the new word. Having my language partner explain the word in Korean instead of English also helped me stay within the flow of the conversation and learn the word within context  instead of ending abruptly to look through a dictionary. Using different conversation structures like the interview was also very effective in throwing me into a scenario and forcing me to adapt. This made the learning process much quicker than learning phrases from a textbook because if I said something wrong, I had immediate feedback from my language partner so I could fix it. I also attend a Korean church in the community and I have attended the Korean service a couple of times to get more exposure to the language. 

I will build upon these strategies by supplementing my conversations with an upper level Korean vocabulary textbook, which is an addition to what I had on my schedule. I hope this will elevate and add more depth to my current conversations, since as of now I’ve been using elementary words and phrases. I will also study the Korean phonetic chart to improve my pronunciation because I want to train myself to make sounds in Korean that don’t exist in the English phonetic inventory.

Something I have not been very successful with is committing to speaking Korean often enough since I only meet my language partner once or twice a week. I may try to speak with Korean relatives on the phone more often to increase exposure. I also want to increase my exposure to listening to Korean by listening to podcasts or news reports that will both give me more insight into Korean culture and current events and also sentence structure, vocabulary, and quicker auditory translation speed. So far, I am feeling excited about language learning and my planned schedule because it feels like I have improved a lot since I first started even though all I did was meet with a language partner and speak for a couple of hours. I am looking forward to experimenting with new strategies and asking other learners for their strategies to see what works best for me.