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Learning Journal #3

There are many layers when studying languages. Some of the basic structures are phonology, syntax and semantics. Phonology is the actual sound the words make, syntax looks at grammar and the sentence structure, and semantics focuses on the meaning of words -- both literally and contextual. When linguistics is paired with other disciplines, we can understand certain of a language and a culture more easily. For example, sociolinguistics will me understand the social implications of certain phrases in my target language. 

Initially as I learn Korean, I will use the basic structure of linguistics to become more comfortable in speaking the language. I will focus on phonology to make sure I pronounce words proper. Then I will delve into syntax as I learn to construct sentences on my own. Once I am learned basic vocabulary and have learned grammar rules, I want to focus on sociolinguistics which entails the semantics of the language. By focusing on sociolinguistic method, I will be able to better understand the Korean cultures, and will be able to efficiently converse with native speakers.

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Learning Journal #4

The study of linguistics has many layers to it, each of which contributes greatly to the meanings and functioning of a language. Phonology, the sounds a language employs, plays a huge role in the understanding of a language. Verbal language depends heavily on the sounds one makes in order to convey a certain word and, thus, meaning. A simple mispronunciation of a word can lead to a completely unintended meaning.

Turkish uses a lot of similar phonetics to English in some regard, especially considering that Turkish now uses a Latin script. However, there are many letters, with corresponding sounds, that exist in Turkish that do not explicitly exist in English. These include ı, ö, ğ, and ü. I find all four of these sounds very hard to pronounce correctly. Examples of words I have had difficulty pronouncing would be sınıf, phonetically pronounced /sɯnɯf/ and gülümsemek, phonetically pronounced /gylymsemek/. Because Turkish uses a phonetic system heavily dependent on vowel harmony, it is critical learning how to pronounce these letters correctly as all of them are either vowels or, in the case of ğ, involved in extending vowels.

My language instructor has been sending voice recordings of her saying certain greetings. In the future, I hope to ask her to send recordings of how to say words that are phonetically difficult for me to pronounce. I can try to replicate the recording and see if my pronunciation matches. I also want to pay more attention to bits of Turkish language in Turkish shows and continue doing so in Turkish music and commentary.

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Learning Journal #3

 My language of study mostly consists of study of medium of linguistic transmission and semantics. Because I am a native speaker, a lot of the grammar and vocabulary is already there. However, I can further learn about how meanings are expressed and how I can approach different meaning with different use of words. Like it says in the reading, I started my language learning with grammar and currently learning more towards on the subject of meaning. In addition, in order to talk and sound like a native, phonology is another kind of structure that I'll be focusing on.   

For me, the combination of sociology and anthropology can tell me a lot about the language and its culture. By understanding the target language culture, one will understand why a word has its specific meaning and why a sentence is structured in a particular way. It will also help figure out when a word, particular phrase or sentence should be used. In addition, phonology is very interrelated with culture and in a sense, different sub-cultures have different approach to phonology. Knowing my focus on specific language structures and disciplinary methodologies, I am able to plan specific activities integrating the culture aspect as well that are specialized to focus on those specific language structures. Most of my activities focus on improving language transmission, learning multiple meanings of one particular word or phrases, and knowledge of knowing how and when to use a particular phrase or words. 

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SDLC 105 Learning Journal #3

Linguistics, the scientific study of language, can be broken down into several subtopics. The most basic model only includes phonology (the actual sounds made), syntax (the formation of words and sentences), and semantics (the meaning). More complex models may also include morphology (strictly, the forming of words) and pragmatics (the influence of context on meaning in language).

Linguistics can also be paired with many other disciplines to form inter-disciplinary subjects, such as psycholinguistics, computational linguistics, sociolinguistics, applied linguistics, and many more. Personally I see no need to "choose" one view of linguistics over another - they all simply have different focuses. For my own personal enjoyment, I am most interested in psycholinguistics, since my major is psychology, and sociolinguistics, because examining how culture and language are interrelated intrigues me. For the purpose of language learning, probably the most helpful focus is applied linguistics, since it is already the study of how we can use linguistic knowledge to teach languages (and, by extension, self-teach languages).

I can examine the basic structure of Hindi through the simple linguistics model outlined above. For phonology, there are about 46 different sounds, although that number may be slightly higher or lower depending on who you ask. :) For syntax, words are formed by combinations of consonant+vowel (with a few exceptions), and sentences are formed differently than in English (for example, as far as I understand, Hindi verbs always go at the end). I cannot comment much on semantics because I have not started learning a lot of vocabulary yet.

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Learning Journal #3 - Aitchison's Linguistics

Greek seems to contain all of the structures in Aitchison's diagram. In our classes, Dan and I have covered most of phonetics and phonology, and have touched on some syntax, morphology, and semantics. In our general discussion in and out of class we have also seen some pragmatics through translating songs or talking about Greek history and culture. It is my opinion that you have not truly learned a language until you have put it into context. For this reason, when I am helping Dan learn Greek, I try to explain not only how a sound, a word, or a sentence are formed or structured, but also why they are this way, how have they evolved and changed when compared to ancient Greek, and what was that context around which they were formed. For example, the reason there are 5 different letters/diphthongs that today make the same 'ee' sound is because in Ancient Greek, which was a more melodic language, each of those had a different length associated with it that affected the rhythm of the word. Same for 'o' and 'e' (as in bed) sounds. 

The reason I choose to teach Dan in this way is because I noticed that my understanding of the Greek language was significantly bettered when I learned Ancient Greek, and it also made spelling and complex syntax much much easier. Dan is also a logic learner like me, so it helps him learn and/or remember something better if he understands why it is the way it is.

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Learning Journal #3

There are many different ideas of how language is modeled such as some simple models which only recognize two basic levels: the set of physical forms and the abstract meanings from those forms in a language. However, the most commonly used model is a four level model which includes phonetics, phonology, grammar, and semantics with greater divisions within these levels as well. Likewise, Hangul is composed of sounds which are then built into words. From these words come sentences based on grammar which contains the study of word and sentence structure. Finally, semantics studies the individual meanings of words, idioms and the meaning of greater content.

There are two main methods in which most approach a new language. The first method involves learning and understanding what makes up what they are saying. You first learn how to phonetically expression, phonology, morphology, syntax and finally semantics or the meaning of everything you’ve learned. The second method is backwards in that it forms a foundation of an understanding of the meaning of the words and sentences first, semantics, and then learns phonetic expression and phonology. Although one method is not better than the other, being all around conscious of both phonetic expression, phonology and meaning while you learn would help you better understand and remember what you are learning. For example, if you first learned with phonetically being conscious of the potential meaning would help you to be more intentional in what to look out for when advancing more in the language.

In terms of my own learning, I’m more comfortable with the phonetic method as it how I learned Spanish and gives a general basis of understanding of what you are saying. However, with my goal of being able to speak rather than read or write I probably would want to take the semantics method as I do not need to necessarily know exactly what makes up the words and sentences that I’m saying.

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post learning journal #3

In the Korean language, there is a set of phonetics called Hangul. Hangul are alphabets that contain unique sounds to each of them, and they are combined to make different sounds and eventually words. Then, they reach the level of phonology, which means that each words convey different meanings, and they reach the level of grammar, which is the unique structure of different patterns of these words, consisting morphology and syntax. Finally, the semantics enables the meaning to be conveyed to others. I believe combining different disciplinary perspectives can help others learn and understand the language in more depth because it also involves the cultural aspect of learning. Because I have the basic knowledge of Korean, I am planning to combine sociolinguistics and applied linguistics to learn more in depth. I have over sociolinguistics since that is the disciplinary perspective that is most closely related to culture, and I believe the cultural aspect of the Korean language is what makes it so interesting, since it is so different from english. Because I am more interested in the cultural aspect of Korean, we started the class with learning slang, and we are planning to learn more cultural aspects.

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Learning Journal #3

Linguistics views language in an objective way. There are a few major branches of linguistics, which it is useful to understand in order to learn about language from a psychological perspective. Phonetics is the study of individual speech sounds; phonology is the study of phonemes, which are the speech sounds of an individual language. These two heavily overlapping subfields cover all the sounds that humans can make, as well as which sounds make up different languages. Syntax is the study of sentences and phrases, or how people put words into the right order so that they can communicate meaningfully. For me, I think the syntax of Western language and Eastern language differ the most. For example, if I want to say I like swimming in Japanese, I would say “I swimming like” (私は水泳が好きだ),which means the subject and verb in different languages are totally in different orders. However, there might be exception. In Chinese, the order of saying “I like swimming” is the same as English. (我喜欢游泳) . As for my target language which is Korean, it is more similar to Japanese. Thus, I think Japanese knowledge will be really helpful for me learning Korean.

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Learning Journal #3

Language is a multi-layered study that includes phonetics, phonology, syntax, semantics, pragmatics, and then branches into different discipline’s focus on linguistics. Sentence structure in Korean includes use of grammar, following a subject-object-predicate order, whereas English uses subject-predicate-object sequence. Understanding the different disciplinary perspectives can provide a better understanding of a language because language involves the communications between people. For example, a sociological linguist may examine the effects of different cultural norms, expectations and context, on the formation of language. I would give preference to sociolinguistics because I want to understand the culture of Korea as well, their people tend to be more modest and shy and I wonder if that has a language component. Because Korean has a different grammar structure from English, it is very unfamiliar, therefore my learning plan will probably shift to have a stronger emphasis on grammar.

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Learning Journal #3

According to the diagram, phonetics is surrounded by phonology, then syntax, semantics, and pragmatics, and etc. While it shows the scope of linguistics, it also helps visualize the core elements of a language. In language structure, the four-level models, phonetics, phonology, grammar, semantics are most commonly used. This applies to Korean. The Korean alphabet consists of the sounds of hangul. Different combinations of consonants and vowels produce a different sound. These sounds become words, and rearranging them forms the syntax and with sound, word, and meaning patterns, the grammar provides the backbone of the language. In How to Investigate Language Structure, author argues that the aim of grammar is to give structure to meaning and so decides to start the next chapter with semantics. But, if the sounds and words are the what, grammar is the how, and meaning is the why, it may be a better idea to explain the how before the why. I think the aim of grammar could be to give structure to the sounds and words, and the aim of semantics could be to explore meaning from or through them. However, this is just a thought.

Reading about the different disciplinary perspectives gives me a clearer map of language. The structure dependence, patterning, duality, and creativity of language gives me a better idea of approaching Korean. The vocabulary and grammar may be different from English, but just like I can create new sentences that consist of various words glued by grammar, I can do the same in Korean. Communicating through language is such a crucial part of our everyday lives, and it's crazy that someone could use up to 100,000 words per day. Language is a powerful tool.

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Learning Plan

JRF%20Learning%20Plan.docx

For starters, since my language partner told us that the Korean alphabet is easy to get start, out first task is to learn the alphabet as soon as we can. Later we would be able to read and speak. Moreover, I really like to watch Korean TV series and to listen K-pop songs. Thus, I would also practice my own listening and speaking skills while entertaining myself. After that, I guess we will do some higher level reading and writing.  

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Learning Journal #2

     After reading the articles, the concepts which are monochronic and polychromic really made me feel interested. People always compare these two cultures and match them into different countries. Monochronic culture refers to do just one thing at a time. They value a certain orderliness and sense of there being an appropriate time and place for everything. They do not value interruptions. They like to concentrate on the job at hand and take time commitments very seriously. On the contrary, Polychronic cultures like to do multiple things at the same time and a more fluid approach is taken to scheduling time. Also, in a polychronic culture, people attach more importance into relationships, rather than watching the clock. They have no problem being “late” for an event if they are with family or friends, because the relationship is what really matters. This is really amazing. I’ve been to plenty of countries, they are indeed could be defined into either monochromic or polychronic. For example, France is a typical polychronic country because according to my observation, French people do not value interruptions. My cousin is studying there and she told me that the French do not mind being late in a party or meeting because they do not value a certain orderliness. However, Japan is totally different from France, which is supposed to be regarded as a monochronic culture. In Japan, people are all expected to concentrate on job at hand and take time commitments very seriously. The majority of Japanese will not be late at working.

 

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Bi-weekly report #1

  • the task(s) you are working on;
  • a statement of what you hoped to accomplish;
  • the strategies (activities and resources) you used to work on your task(s);
  • an evaluation of the effectiveness of your strategies;
  • how you will build on what you have learned about the language;
  • how you will build on what you have learned about your strategies.

Due to Hurricane Florence, I met with my language partner only once last week. We worked on phrases to use at a restaurant, such as what to say when we tell them how many people are in our party, requesting a table versus a floor seat (a phenomenon in Korea!), how to order food, and more.

As this was something that was on my learning plan, I was very happy that we went over it. 

As most of this task is memorization, I think that my strategy to continue practicing these vocabulary words and phrases is to make flashcards to help me memorize and recall these words. Our language teacher also told us about a flashcard app on our phone that helps us play games and test ourselves about what we learned in class. It even has a spelling portion, something that I find as a big challenge. However, it pushes me to memorize more and try my best. I think that so far, my strategies have been effective. 

I plan to build on my strategies by putting time to memorize into my calendar. As I often forget to quiz myself, I think putting reminders on my phone to quiz myself a few times a week will help me stay on track and also remember the vocabulary better. 

I have learned that even in a restaurant setting where we interact with servers and cashiers who are strangers, there is a sense of unity regardless between Koreans. For example, when we call to the waiter for a request, we call her "ee-mo" which means "aunt" in Korean. It is interesting because if I called someone aunt in the USA while ordering food, I would be seen as pretty weird. However, in South Korea, it is not only ok but encouraged. I also learned that when we talk to the waiter, we use the informal tone. It was also interesting to see that because whenever I meet someone who is older than me who is a stranger, I am expected to use formal language. However, in a restaurant, that seems to not apply. The waiter is called aunt, and I am expected to use informal language when I speak to her.

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Cultural Post #1

  • First Cultural Post:  What are your cultural learning goals for this semester?
  • Which one or two topics will you explore during the course of the semester?
  • How do you expect to explore these topics?
  • What do you hope to learn through your exploration of these topics?

I have two cultural learning goals for this semester:

1. Learn about various types of Korean dishes

2. Learn about the hardships and benefits of being both Korean and American

I expect to explore #1 through my learning plan. I have integrated various aspects of it into my learning plan, and I think it will help me become overall more familiar with the dishes through this. I grew up eating Korean dishes, and I still do eat Korean dishes. However, I have realized in recent years that there are so many dishes that I don't know. I think food is a connector between people, and therefore I want to learn more about this. I hope to learn the importance of dishes, such as what food is served on what occassion, and the overall importance of eating the same dish together in unity.

I expect to explore #2 through having discussions with people who identify as both Korean and American as well as researching about some literature about this topic. I personally identify as both Korean and American, and it is difficult at times to be both when there are moments my cultures clash. As I was born in the USA and have never gone to South Korea before, I feel a simultaneous feeling of being connected and not connected. This semester, I hope to learn about others' experiences with this, how they balance it, and what they appreciate about having two cultural identities. I also hope to explore my own relationship between these cultures.

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Learning Journal #1

According to the Levels of Competence, I am the following:

In the Interpretive column, I am in the Beginner 2 category: I am good at understanding what the main idea is of conversations, texts, and more when I read or listen. However, I struggle when it becomes longer and uses more complex phrases. When differentiating my skillset in listening and reading, I think I would say that I am a bit better in listening due to having the extra cues of sound emphases that I do get when I read.

In the Interpersonal column, I am in the Intermediate Developing 1 category. I can, for the most part, talk about any topic quite easily if I am familiar with it. However, though I am able to recognize and share my thoughts on the topic, I am not able to give more insightful comments due to not knowing many vocabulary words and phrases.

In the Presentational column, I am in the Beginning 2 category for speaking. I struggle to speak and have a conversation in Korean without resorting to English. However, with topics that I am familiar with, I can usually maneuver my way around resorting to English by saying words that are similar in meaning to the word or sentence I am trying to say.

In the writing category, I am in the Intermediate Developing 1 category. I am able to write sentences about various topics. However, my spelling is not very good. I also am unsure at times where to add spaces between the Korean characters.

SharonShin_learningplan.docx

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Learning Plan and Reflection

Because of my goal of studying music and culture in Indonesia for a year, a lot of the tasks in my learning plan have to do with day-to-day activities and cultural comprehension. This includes preparing to eat at Indonesian restaurants, reading Indonesian folk tales, watching Indonesian movies, and learning about Indonesian clothing and fashion conventions. Some of the tasks relate directly to my study of Indonesian music, including the study of Javanese-language traditional ensemble music and Indonesian-language pop songs.
My fellow classmates were helpful in sharing their tasks, as I was able to incorporate some of their tasks into my own learning plan, including watching Indonesian-language TV shows to get exposure to both language and popular culture. Although we have had only two group sessions with our Bahasa Indonesia instructors, I enjoy the way these lessons use almost exclusively Indonesian, and motivate me to work on my own between lessons using language learning podcasts and the Indonesian Grammar in Context textbook.
I am thankful to be a member of the University’s gamelan ensemble as well, as our twice-weekly rehearsals provide touches of Indonesian language exposure in addition to building interpersonal musical skills playing the music I will study. This, after all, is what got me interested in Indonesian culture in the first place. As my Bahasa skills increase, I hope to be able to have conversations with the members of the group who are from Indonesia or are proficient in the language.
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Learning Journal #2

  • While I was aware of the collectivist nature of Indonesian culture and the ways in which it contrasted with American culture, I was unaware of the statistical extent to which these two cultures differed. According to Dr. Hofstede, Indonesia was rated at 14 (very collectivist) whereas the US was rated at 91 (extremely individualist). This has many implications in the cultural practices of both nations, and I witnessed many such cultural phenomena while researching music in Indonesia.

In Bali, the gamelan ensemble is considered by the performers to be one large instrument being played by many, and each musician is contributing to the cohesive sound through their playing. Due to the large skill range in playing the 25 or so instruments in the ensemble - from hitting a large gong once every 4-32 beats to performing complex rhythmically interlocking melodic elaborations at the 1/4-beat level - the music is able to be played by both young and old, novice and expert. The melodic elaboration instruments play so fast that the melodies are split in two and each fragment is performed by two people, such that when they play together the melody comes together like a zipper to form one cohesive pattern. I was able to sit in and listen to rehearsals of several gamelan groups, and the performers evoke a very positive, familial atmosphere, sharing food, coffee and cigarettes between pieces. To perform a style of music that requires such rapid temporal and dynamic shifts requires frequent and exhaustive rehearsals. 

Adjusting to the culture of Indonesia was quite difficult, as I would consider myself to be a rather restrained person. At first my natural instinct was to avoid intruding and making a situation uncomfortable, only to find that my restraint was in itself uncomfortable. A personally important milestone in my research came when I was in Java for a week towards the end of my research. I was walking down a street while exploring the city of Yogyakarta when I heard a gamelan ensemble playing inside a building. I stopped for a while to listen to the music, until a passerby beckoned for me to enter the building. I walked in the entrance and, after waiting at the door for a while, walked into the room in which the gamelan was playing. The leader of the ensemble greeted me, invited me to sit and listen and continued his instruction of the new piece. Soon after, the gong player had to leave, and the instructor began to try to play gong while juggling leading the ensemble. I offered to play the gong and he gladly accepted, showing me the basic pattern for the piece before moving on to assist other performances. The rest of the rehearsal flew by, and the whole time I was basking in the sublime feeling that I had gotten over a personal hurdle of apprehension and had made new Indonesian friends as a result.

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Learning Journal #2

The reading on Figuring Foreigners Out talks about the difference in culture in foreign countries. Such cultural differences are non-verbal communications or physical signs that people can give, which could be different from culture to culture. Also, things like masculinity and individualism are different from culture to culture, and I understand that understanding this can be very difficult. For example, if you were to go up to a stranger in Korea and ask them for directions, they wouldn't really tell you anything; however, in America, that is something very common, and people do it all the time. I agree with the reading as there are cultures that are extremely different from each other. In Korean culture, strangers are very cold to others, but friends are almost like siblings. So it is very different compared to America where everything is kind of at a middle ground.

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Learning Journal #3

One of the primary themes in Figuring Foreigners Out is that communication is not solely conducted through spoken word or written language. There are subtle cues and cultural elements that contribute to conveying meaning and shaping context. In this specific article, the author identifies the following key areas outside of communication via words: individualist-collectivist (goal/reward mentality), nonverbal communication (motions), monochromic-polychronic (time relativity), internal-external (social placement in life), and direct-indirect (forwardness). While we typically think of cross-culture communication as learning the words and phrases of another language, this article highlights the importance of understanding nuanced social cues and norms. While the author cautions against making generalizations, most cultures do tend to lean towards certain ends of measurable communication dimensions. For example, we can compare the countries of the world on a relative basis.

 

Building upon this idea, Dr. Geert Hofstede, creator of the Hofstede Dimensions of Culture, developed a model that identifies six primary dimensions to differentiate cultures- outside of pure language variation. It is important to note that these dimensions exist even between two cultures that speak the same language (ex. America and Canada). The four primary dimensions are as follows: Power Distance Index (inequality, power, wealth differentiation, social movement), Individualism (relationships, group responsibility), Masculinity (gender roles, control, power), Uncertainty Avoidance Index (tolerance for ambiguity and variety of opinions), Long-Term Orientation (tradition, change, ethics), and Indulgence (materialism). For example, the United States is frequently recognized as an individualist-oriented society, while many Asian countries such as China are recognized as collectivist-leaning.

 

I certainly agree that the non-verbal and cultural cues are critical to the communication component of practicing and understanding a language. As a foreign language learner, it can be tempting to translate phrases and words in a very literal sense, but it is important to keep in mind the social context behind word choice. The categories identified in both of the articles seem to be appropriate for measuring the cultural dimensions of target cultures, but there is one important theme I think is missing: it is equally important to recognize your own cultural biases. The readings emphasize the variations that exist, but a key component is translating your own cultural notions into the target foreign culture. One suggestion that I would make is for cross-cultural studies students to assess their own standings on the various dimensions. Then, it will be easier to understand in which direction the cultural shift will have to take place in order to adjust to a new target language/culture.

 

Further, as it pertains to learning Maltese, I would like to learn a bit about the vast cultural diffusion that is evident in Maltese vocabulary, written script, and pronunciation. I have noticed that many words are near-cognates of Italian language, with a French pronunciation, written in a Semitic script. I am curious to learn what the social nuances are of choosing to write in the various alphabets and choosing to speak in either Italian or Maltese. I currently do not know very much about the demographics of the country or social factors that separate groups of people, but I would like to find out how language is used to make these distinctions. In addition, I would like to know what types of immigration patterns, have an impact on language development and choice in the country. In moving forward with learning Maltese, I plan on doing a few readings on the social construct and demographics of the country to enhance my communication abilities and cross-cultural knowledge.

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