Blogs

I had different thoughts to the articles so I'll bullet them below. Overall, I think these articles were an interesting look at the things we take for granted. 

How the Brain Handles Language

• Neurolinguistic Processing section really stuck out to me because I feel that the more languages you know, the harder this process can be to control. For example, after coming back from Korea (and still to this day) whenever anyone expects me to say "yes" regardless if it's in English, German, or Croatian, I want to say it in Korean. It became such a habit for me over the time I was there that I haven't been able to separate the languages well enough.
• I read a study recently that children who grow up as bilingual are better at paying attention in class because they have to pay extra attention when switching between languages. I wonder where that might play into the brain and Crystal's research.

How We Mean & How We Analyse Meaning

• I think this is always the hardest part of language learning, getting to the point where the words make sense instinctively to you
• Consider learning idioms in another language! How would you even begin to teach "break a leg" or "whole nine yards" to someone who doesn't know English? For a native speaker, it seems clear, but these idioms come packed with cultural references that aren't inherent to someone outside of the culture.
• I think these articles really makes you stop and appreciate the complexity of language.

Global Studio Resources:

• I will admit that I didn't have much time to go to the resource center and look through the materials. I did notice a book for learning Business Korean. I think this could be useful for me since I'm looking for work in Korea now.
• One addition that I would recommend (if not available) is the purchase of graded readers. Such as the Yonsei ones. These would be useful for intermediate and above Korean learners who need practice with reading and reading comprehension. This is also a key part of the TOPIK test for anyone who plans to take that.

Diigo Resources:

• I bookmarked two resources. One of them is "ihaessi" which is a Chrome plugin that allows the user to scroll over a korean word and it will auto-translate it and show various possible definitions along with cultural meanings. I think this could be useful for anyone who plans to read articles online during their self-study period.
• Another thing I bookmarked is TTMIK's "Describe This Picture" series. This is especially good for intermediate and above learners who want to apply their language skills and not just memorize term after term. When you go to Youtube, the TTMIK staff actually provides their own sentences for the pictures, so you can compare your sentences and see how you could improve.
• Since I am using a main textbook, the same one I've been using since I started learning Korean, these resources are just added benefits to me. I wouldn't recommend that anyone depends heavily upon them. However, I think they can be very useful to fill in gaps in main resources.

My progress:

• My first task was to write daily Korean journal entries. I chose this because my goal is to express myself more authentically in Korean. I thought a good first step would be just getting used to the vocabulary I would need to use and how to arrange my thoughts.
• I have been writing 5-6 sentence long diary entries every day and I hope to continue them for the remainder of the semester.
• So far, I have been checking them by sending them to my Korean friends or posting them on Instagram and asking my Korean friends to comment with revisions.
• Most of my issues have been minor grammatical issues or a misuse of a word. For example, I talked about wearing a ring and I used the verb 입다 which means "to wear," without knowing it was only for clothes. So my friend told me to change it to 끼다 which also means "to wear" but specifically for objects like rings and other accessories.
• Overall, I've really been enjoying this exercise and it's really helped with my confidence in using Korean because I've started to feel more comfortable sharing my mistakes. 

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Turkish 112 Cultural Post 2

One thing I was introduced to by Sezgi’s friends was the eye and bad energy in Turkish culture. The eye (nazar) is supposed to block bad energy or spirits. When you feel that someone may be jealous of you, you secretly scratch your bum to block the jealousy. Also, when someone is nice to you or you like other people you pull your ear, kiss twice and knock on wood. I learned these things no because we were having a cultural lesson, but simply because they were used so commonly in their interactions. If I go Turkey I will know if I have said something nice to someone or offended them based upon what they do next. If someone scratches their bum I will know I have said something wrong or offended them. If someone pulls their ear, kisses, and knock on wood, I know that they like me and have good energy.

Turkish 112 Cultural Post 1

Today I met three of Sezgi’s Turkish friends and I learned so much about the culture. I don’t think I would have came across these things on the internet. First of  all, two of her friends were both named Marve. And whenever you have two people with the same name it is good luck, so you stand in between them and make a wish. The second thing I learned was that women, typically older, will spit on you if they like you. It is considered good luck, wards off the evil eye, and is considered flattering. Also, when meeting an older person, or addressing your grandparents. It is considered respectful to kiss their hand and then place their hand on your forehead. I think all of these little things about the culture are so important to know.

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http://vocaroo.com/i/s0VhRrDncrIJ

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Recorded Hi, my name is Joora and Bye in Turkish.

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My interest in Turkish language and culture comes from the relationship I have with a girl I met here in the U.S. who is from Turkey.  After spending time with her and becoming really good friends, her constant references to the beauty of her home country and the traditions that make up her culture I became intrigued and wanted to know more.  Being that it is the last semester of my senior year and our school offers a Turkish class, I figure there is no better time than now to make the most of this opportunity and to begin enriching my knowledge of the Turkish language and culture.

During this semester, I hope to foster a basic knowledge of the Turkish language by learning greetings, key phrases like "how are you" and "what is your name", and pronunciation so that I can read Turkish letters.  By the end of this semester, I would like to be able to have small conversations that would allow me to communicate with natives and navigate through the country for whenever I plan to visit.

In the past, I have studied Spanish and I have always found that I am very critical of myself when I make little mistakes and insecure when speaking the language in front of others.  By learning to teach myself a new language, Turkish, I hope to let go of the insecurities and to build more confidence not only in my ability to speak another language, but in my ability to independently teach myself new knowledge.  I am working on becoming more independent and solving problems on my own without immediately having to ask for help when I am confused about something and by participating in this self-directed language course I hope that I will be able to work towards my goal of independence. While working together in groups has always been my comfort zone, I realize that in life we will not always be working with others and there will be situations when we are left to figure out a problem on our own.  In order to accomplish these goals I plan to utilize skills that best suit my learning style.  I am a visual learner, so I believe that repeatedly looking at vocabulary words and watching youtube videos will be a successful learning strategy for me.  Additionally, I find it very helpful to make associations between a words meaning and the way that it might be spelled or pronounced.  This technique allows me to better remember what a word means simply by looking at it or listening to the way it sounds.  With these techniques, I will be able to immerse myself in the Turkish language and culture in the hopes of learning and growing more as a person.