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Respond to the Readings

After reading both "Are Bilinguals Smarter?" and "Bilinguals are Smarter" I'm still in the same space of agreeing with my first reactional 'yes' to the titles of the articles.  I've grown up in the US being told that knowing more than one language is a great benefit to one's life.  Although, it wasn't so much in a context of a higher "executive function" ability nor "an effect of bilingualism on the twilight years" but more of a reward for future possibilities in the workforce.  The articles talk about the more intrinisic value of bilingualism while I've always considered bilingualism as an extrinsic value to maybe turning into intrinsic value depending on the likeness of the language.  So that's one thing which really interested me, the difference of valuing languages.  I do agree on both articles, that knowing and learning more than one language works the brain in different ways and people who do so engage in life differently.  I guess it was a nice reminder that there's more to languages than just another job opening.  The long-term benefits, especially in a place such as the US, where I am told to "brush up on my English" when I have an accent or am confused, vary in different ways and it's nice to see some mind and body positive results to knowing more than one language.  

ASL%20Cultural%20Presentation.pptx

Summary: 

Audism is the belief that you are superior to someone simply because you can hear and they cannot. This causes a lot of people to have negative ideas about the deaf and hard-of-hearing. Audism occurs between the deaf and the hearing and also between groups of deaf people.

Not all deaf and hard-of-hearing people know sign language and participate in deaf culture. It is completely based on personal preference. Most deaf people do not lip-read well. Deaf people can absolutely drive and sometimes drive better than hearing people because they are not as easily distracted. Deaf people do not read Braille. The deaf can get married and have children, but it is possible that they pass their deafness onto their children. Most deaf people are not mute, but many of them just choose not to speak. Hearing aids don't completely restore hearing, they just amplify sound, and that is also a personal preference: some deaf people like them and some don't.

The deaf community is typically very distrusting of the hearing community. A hearing person can definitely become part of the deaf community, but if you do not try, they will notice and they will not try either. You have to be able to express yourself, especially if you are communicating using sign language.

Sometimes the deaf have a hard time understanding more theoretical or religious ideas, because they grew up bilingually. They sometimes need to see something signed and see it written in English before they really understand it. The deaf are also able to "whisper" by signing very quickly and moving their hands very little or by moving their hands lower down on their body, instead of up near their face. 

Jobs

Learn how to ask what they do, where they work at, how do they like their jobs. I will learn at least ten job names. Learn what I would like to do, and where I would like to work at.

Useful Vocabularies:

Teacher: son sang nim仓桑尼

Police: kyung 菜

Cook: yo ri sa

Cashier: kae si e

Banker: bang ke

Accountant: hwae gae sa

Driver: when jeon sa文综擦

Manager: ma ni je

Doctor: e-yi sa 饿一撒

Lawyer: byun ho sa  piaoong hu sa

Job: jik up, jik jang

What is your job? Jik up (yi) mo yae yo? （qik up）

Where do you work? Jik up (yi) e di yae yo?

How to you like your jobs? Jik up cou a ha sae yo?

Jo nen jik up Cou ha (hey) yo-- I like my job

Weather

 How is the weather like today?

날씨가 어때요?

어때요: how is?: eo ddae yo

날씨: weather :Nal ssi

Nal ssi ga eo ddae yo? 那了细噶哦得哟

It is…………….

오늘 날씨는 …………..

o nuel（today） nal ssi nen…….. 哦嫩 那了细嫩＋…

sunny: 화창해요 hwa chang hae yo

rainy: 비 내려요 pi nae leo yo 皮内累哦哟

rain: 비  皮

pouring: 내려요  内李哦哟

windy: 바람 불어요. Ba lam bull eo yo.  怕狼普咯哟

바람: wind  怕狼

불어요: blow: chui

Foggy: cloudy are the same in Korean

흐려요 (he) leo yo.

Snowing

눈: snow: noon

feelings:

sad: 슬퍼요 suel po yo

happy: 행복해요 hang bok hae yo   hing

annoyed: 짜증나요 cha jeung na yo  炸京那哟

mad(angry): 화나요 hwa na yo  花那哟

Looking back at the semester, I feel I have come along way. I started off not knowing anything about the language. However, now I can understand two individuals speak. However, I was not able to make much progress on the reading and writing front. This was evident from my conversations with my reading partner. Siraiki is increasingly becoming an oral tradition. There are not many Siraiki magazines or newspapers in circulation. This has been due to the fact that Urdu was made the official language in 1947. This move sidelined all the other four dozen languages of Pakistan.

However, as all the languages of Pakistan use the Persian script. Urdu, my mother language, is also written using Persian script. This means that if I were to ever come in contact with the Siraiki literature in the coming years, I will be able to read the material. Even though I imagine it will be a struggle.

This also true for my Siraiki writing abilities. I can vaguely spell and write out words in Siriaki using the Persian script. However, because my language partner has not been taught to write Siraiki, I imagine we won’t much progress.

ASL is not a written language, so I have had no challenges trying to read or write in ASL. However, I have learned that the deaf often have a hard time understanding certain ideas, because they speak ASL, but they read and write English. Sometimes they cannot truly understand something until they both see it written in English and signed in ASL. This tends to be true with more theoretical or religious ideas. This may also stem from the fact that they are many English words that just do not have signs, so they need to be spelled whenever they are used. Probably the reason those words don't have signs is because they are just not used that often, so there is not necessarily a need for a sign. Whatever the reason, it can be difficult for those born deaf, because they are raised bilingually, out of necessity and they can never choose to speak just one language or the other. 

I walked around Wal-Mart with Katrina and her daughter, Mindy, who is an ASL interpreter. Talking with Mindy was really great, because she has been speaking ASL for many years and she knew a lot about the culture and how the language had changed. I learned a lot about grammar during this meeting and how to structure sentences. 

I asked my friend Maria to be my student to teach her some Turkish. I decided to do these two things:

1. Repeat the Turkish alphabet 

2.  Greetings and say her name

The Turkish alphabet wasn't hard because they're the same as in English except for a few letters that we don't have in English- however it helped that we had those sounds despite not having the letters (ch and sh, for example). Like me, she had trouble pronouncing some of the vowels, particularly ı because it comes from the back of the throat. 

Maria is a visual learner so when I was teaching her how to say hello and her name, she wanted to see the words written out rather than just hearing it from me. So I wrote it on a piece of paper and she memorized that/used the paper for guidance. It was easy to teach her to say "Merhaba, adim Maria" because I didn't have to teach her anything other than that as a phrase. I think her Spanish helped her pronounce things more correctly than an average native English speaker, too. 

This made me realize how important visuals are for learning- I'm also a visual learner, but I always forget how important that is to me when it comes to learning languages. It easily slips my mind that one of the reasons that language concepts are harder for me to grasp/hold on to if I'm not able to visualize it and then apply it. Teaching Maria made me realize I need to do more visual activities when I study/practice Turkish, among other languages. 

헤더는 전공이 뭐예요?

he-deo-neun jeon-gong-i mweo-ye-yo?

Heather, what is your major?

저는 복수 전공이에요. 중국어와 수학경제를 공부해요.

jeo-neun bok-soo jeon-gong-i-e-yo. joong-gook-eo-wa soo-hak-gyeong-je-reul gong-boo-hae-yo.

I'm doing a double major. I'm studying Chinese and Mathematical Economics.

다음 학기에 무슨 수업을 들을 예정이에요?

da-eum hak-ki-e moo-seun soo-eub-eul deul-eul ye-jeong-i-e-yo?

What classes do you plan to take next semester?

중급 거시 경제학, 통계, 언어학, 중국어, 그리고 한국어 공부를 계속할거예요.

joong-geub geo-si gyeong-je-hak, tong-gye, eon-eo-hak, joong-gook-eo, keu-ri-go han-gook-eo gong-boo-reul gye-sok-hal-geo-ye-yo.

Intermediate macroeconomics, statistics, linguistics, Chinese, and I'm going to continue studying Korean.

중국어 수업은 얼마나 자주 해요?

joong-gook-eo soo-eob-eun eol-ma-na ja-joo hae-yo?

How long do you usually have Chinese class?

일주일에 세번, 오십분 씩 해요.

il-joo-il-e se-beon, o-sib-boon ssik hae-yo.

I have it three times a week, fifty minutes each.

중국어 공부를 하는데 시간이 많이 드나요?

joong-gook-eo gong-boo-reul ha-neun-de si-gan-i manh-i deu-na-yo?

Does studying Chinese take up a lot of time.

별로 시간이 안 걸려요.

byeol-lo si-gan-i an geol-ryeo-yo.

It doesn't really take up a lot of time.

Korean Artifact 2.m4a

가을 방학에 무엇을 했나요?

ga-eul bang-hak-e moo-eos-eul haet-na-yo?

What did you do during fall break?

저는 머리를 빨간색으로 염색했어요.

jeo-neun meo-ri-reul bbal-gan-saek-eu-ro yeom-saek-haess-eo-yo.

I dyed my hair red.

어디서 염색했어요?

eo-di-seo yeom-saek-haess-eo-yo?

Where did you dye it?

미용실에서 했어요.

mi-yong-sil-e-seo haess-eo-yo.

I did it at a salon.

미용실이 편의점보다 비싸지 않아요?

mi-yong-sil-i pyeon-e-jeom-bo-da bi-ssa-ji anh-a-yo?

Isn't a salon more expensive than a convenience store?

더 비싸지만 미용실의 질이 좋아서.

deo bi-ssa-ji-man mi-yong-sil-e jil-i joh-a-seo.

It's more expensive, but it's because a salon's quality is good.

또 다른 색으로 염색하고 싶어요?

ddo da-reun saek-eu-ro yeom-saek-ha-go sip-eo-yo?

Do you want to dye your hair any other colors?

저는 내년에 교환학생으로 중국에 가면 머리를 금발로 염색하려고 고려하고 있어요.

jeo-neun nae-nyeon-e gyo-hwan-hak-saeng-eu-ro joong-gook-e ga-myeon meo-ri-reul geum-bal-lo yeom-saek-ha-ryeo-go go-ryeo-ha-go iss-eo-yo.

Next year when I go study abroad in China, I'm considering dyeing my hair blonde.

예쁠 것 같아요.

ye-bbeul geot gat-a-yo.

I think that will be pretty.

Korean%20Artifact%201.m4a

The discussion for this week was more relaxed. I clarified how to put things in time order, since that is something that is harder for me. In this case, I wanted to say I had started doing something three weeks earlier. After that, we started talking about different cultures, with the main question being why I chose to study Korean and Chinese instead of other Asian languages, such as Japanese. I clarified how to say I have/do not have an interest in something, since that is a phrase that I had learned but never used. We then discussed Korean pop culture and what makes it so distinct in English, which broadened my knowledge of Korean cultural norms and expectations. 

I developed my vocabulary related to school more. The topic of this week was classes that I was taking next semester, including the ones that are specifically for my major. I learned how to make the distinction between elementary/intermediate/advanced classes, and the distinction between using the word "or" when asking a question and when making a declarative statement, since Korean uses a different word for each case. I clarified the Korean words I would use for each class that I'm taking. The most useful thing we worked on was when I was talking about being unsure about continuing taking a class. I clarified how to use the structure for saying "whether or not" and then built on that sentence later in the conversation to say, "Regarding ___, what do you think?" 

I find it very interesting how each article defines the benefits of being bilingual, particularly in the context of what makes up intelligence. It doesn't surprise me that bilinguals are better at quickly making distinctions between two different things, given situations during which they'd have to quickly switch between languages. I am surprised at how far that skill can spread and how many things one factor, executive function, can really be useful for. In a way, that can make a bilingual's existing skills sharper, but I agree with the second article that that really is a more abstract property of intelligence. Certainly an article that says bilinguals are smarter are misleading in making their readers initially think that knowing a second language will make you do better in school.

One part of the second article that really interested me was the mention of knowing one language making it easier to learn another language, as this is something I noticed. When I learned French in middle and high school, not only was I building up my French vocabulary, but I was also learning how to learn a language in general. And while I very seldom use French, this skill alone has helped me a lot in learning languages that are much less related to English, such as when I started learning Korean on my own and when I started Chinese here. Learning Korean on my own and being able to study at my own pace made me realize just how important having an intuitive knowledge of the grammar structure of a language is to being able to speak fluidly and recognizing when one's grammar is "off." That this unconscious skill helps bilinguals not mix up their two languages when speaking makes a lot of sense to me and is also very interesting.

I have always believed that people who are bilingual are more intelligent. It takes a great amount of work and brain power to fully master two languages. However after reading "Why Bilinguals Are Smarter" and "Are Bilinguals Really Smarter", I realized that it is not so clear. One of the most interesting points comes from the second article referring to changes in brain wiring. The article talks about how bilinguals have more brain activity because when they are prompted to respond they have to repress one language. I found this incredibly interesting because it's a concept I never even associated with being bilingual.

I really enjoyed reading about the correlation between bilinguals and intelligence. This is a very riveting topic and I hope one day there is a clear distinction.  

Salesperson: What can I help you?

Mu et eul, do wa ,tu lil gga yo.

Customer: I want to buy --------

Jeo nen, blah blah sa go sip po yo.

S: What color do you want?

Mu sen (color) sae ggal won ha sae yo?

C: I want a white blah blah

Jeo nen ha yan saek T shirt won hae yo.

S: What is your size?

Size: size ga, e ddeo kae ,dwae sae yo?

C: I want a small size.

Jeo nen small size won hae yo. (medium, larji)

  Where is the fitting room?

(fitting room) pi ting room eo di yae yo.

S: It’s right there.

pa lu cou gi yae yo.

How do you like it?

(Yi ge) e ddae yo?

C: Good: jo a yo

( Or Bad: an jo a yo)

 How much is it?

(yi go) eul ma yae yo?

 Is there any discount?   (Discount: hal in)哈林

Hal in hae yo?

artifact.m4a

 The question that one must answer before delving into a discussion of the article is what being smart actually means? The fact of the matter is that there is no single definition of the word that is accepted by all. In the article, being smart meant that the bilingual in question will have better executive functions. This means he or she will have an easier time focusing or switching between tasks. This by no means makes the person smarter than the rest. Just because of the vagueness of the word smart. However, this does mean that the bilingual person will have an easier time in certain daily tasks compared to someone who is not. Even though I would like to think I am smarter than the rest just because I know multiple languages, the study pointed to in the article, at least in this case, does not back up the claim.

Artifact_2.mp3

Hello:Annyonghasaeyo

Nice to meet you: ban gap sup ni da

My name is Shuyi: jae yi leum eun Shuyi yipnida.

What is your name: eeleum ee mwuh aye yo?

My name is Jihae: jae yi leum eun Jihar yipnida.

How old are you?: myout sal ee sae yo?

I am 19 year old: juh（cho） neun yul(youl) ahop sal eep ni da

are you a student: hak seng ee sae yo?

yes, I am a student: nae, hak seng eep ni da

what about you: geu(kkuk) jjok eun _____

Geu jjok eun hak seng eep ni da

Juh do hak seng eep ni da

What grade are you in? : myout hak nyun ee sae yo?

I am a sophomore in college: juh neun dae hak kyo ee hak nyun eep ni da

Where are you from: ouh dee suh wat suh yo?

I am from richmond va: juh neun Washinton D.C ae suh wat suh yo

I am from china: juh neun joong gook ae suh wat suh yo

What do you study: mwuh gongbo ha sae yo?

I am studying business: juh neun kyung yung hak gongbo ha go eeth suh yo

What is your major: jung gong ee mwuh ae yo?

My major is business: kyung yung hak jung gong ha go eeth suh yo

what about you: geu(kkuk) jjok eun _____

It was nice meeting you: man na suh ban ga wuth(what) suh yo

good bye (they are leaving) ‘leave well’: an young hee ga sae yo

goodbye (you are leaving) ‘stay well’: an young hee gae sae yo

New Vocab

name: eeleum

what: mwuh

What is it?: mwuh aye yo?

What does it mean?: mooseun ddeut ee aye yo?

which: mooseun

ddeut: meaning

How many: myut

age: sal

grade: hak nyun

root word for school/learning: hak

year: nyun

school: hak kyo

elementary school: cho deung hak kyo

beginning: cho

middle school: joong hak kyo

middle: joong

high school: go deung hak kyo

college: dae hak kyo

where: uh dee

from where: uh dee suh

wat suh yo: come

what: mwuh

study: gong bo

major: jung gong

Business Admin: kyung yung hak

chemistry: hwa hak

Biology: saeng mool hak

I am as well: juh do

too: do

So far, I have been able to learn several Italian terms used for basic conversation. Expressions such as "Buon giorno" which means "Hello; Good Morning!" will allow me to have basic conversations in Italian. I have been able to learn these standard Italian terms by studying online websites. Also, because they are common expressions, I hear them on Italian television. 

I believe I will be able to learn additional Italian vocabulary. However, thus far, I have focused heavily on Italian culture and the geography of the country. I have found this information on Italy incredibly interesting because I have never studied the country in this much depth. 

This week's conversation was more casual. The main topic was what I was doing for Halloween weekend, which really only included shopping and homework, so we built a conversation out of that. One verb ending I have trouble with is the ending -seo. Depending on the context of the sentence, it can mean "because I did ___, ___ happened" or "I did ___ and then I did ___." I seldom use the latter because it makes less sense to me, but what I say instead doesn't connect the two verbs as fluidly. For a sentence that gives a clear sequence of events, Alvin will typically rework what I say to include that verb ending -seo to make my sentence better, so I've been getting used to using it and taking note of these sentences so that I can learn from them. 

Another issue I have is with time and date. While I know numbers well enough (although since Korean has two different systems of numbers, it can take me a hilariously long time to simply think of the right number to say), I don't know how to apply them in sentences that talk about a time frame, or then talking about spending time. So I learned during this lesson how to say I would be at the mall for a few hours, which was a lot more straightforward than I would've expected. I learned some other useful sentences related to talking about homework and shopping, which use sentence structures that I can apply to other situations. Lastly, we talked about majors. I learned the word for "major" in college, and verified how to say what my major is, which is helpful to be able to talk about as a college student.

During this week, Alvin and I discussed hobbies. I described as best I could in Korean how I am in a hip-hop group on campus, and how my high school color guard experience means that I then can't do hip hop as well. I built on and connected vocabulary related to talking about experience, such as learning the word for "thanks to" and how its positive connotation makes it different from the word for "because of," including example sentences where each would be used and why. I learned how to say "raise my foot," as that was related to what I was talking about when describing dance. I initially used the wrong verb, so Alvin clarified what the right verb would be, along with how to conjugate it as that confused me a bit. I also learned how to say "for example," which is very useful for me in trying to describe concepts using specific cases, as it's easier for me in a foreign language to give an example than to use more complex vocabulary.