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Growing up as Chinese, I’ve had the privilege of being raised in a multicultural home and visiting my home country Shanghai in China often. My parents were Chinese immigrants, which gave me the chance to explore the complex layers of my Asian-American identity. The thing that captivated me the most was the duality of being able to coexist within different cultures and experiences. From universal ideas like our bond over family and food, there is nothing more important than accepting and understanding not only what brings us together, but what makes us unique as well. As a result of my parents speaking Mandarin around the house, I picked it up quickly, which became my first language. However, when I started to attend school, I had to switch to learning English. This was a difficult transition for me because since my parents were immigrants, they did not know much English themselves so they had a hard time introducing me to the language and practicing at home. The only exposure I got of English was during school. Up to 1st grade, I was also enrolled in ESOL, which is a program to help children whose first language isn't English learn the language. This program helped me tremendously, as it was an additional exposure and time to practice English. However, as I got older, I used English more than Mandarin so my Mandarin skills started to go down. I try to keep up these days by watching videos in that language and reading books. During high school, I had the opportunity to learn Russian. I remember I was captivated by the Russian alphabet. When the Olympics happened in Sochi, I remember looking at the banners and wondering how “Cо́чи” spelled “Sochi”. As a result, I wanted to learn more and successfully learned the alphabet and how to read at an elementary level. However, because of the timing, I was only able to take 2 years of Russian since it was only offered at my high school. During the Fall 2021 semester, I had the opportunity to study abroad at Yonsei University in South Korea. While I was in Korea, I had the opportunity to take a Korean Language introductory course, which taught me the alphabet, grammar, and basic conversational skills. I really enjoyed expanding my knowledge in languages and thinking in different ways. I think it works a different part of your brain when you have to think or speak in another language vs. learning another subject in English. However, learning languages is difficult and hard to keep up, especially if you are studying on your own.

I am an insightful thinker and a visual learner, therefore I learn best when reading and seeing pictures. For example, this may include learning vocabulary with photos. I also believe that the surveys accurately reflect my learning styles because I like to think of new ways to do things or shortcuts to things that are already done. I think I should expand my learning activities by hearing as well as seeing. During my trip to Korea, I realized that hearing sentences over and over again has a big impact on memorization. Combining hearing and seeing learning styles together could help me better understand the language.

In order to communicate intent, language to some extent is a must for a species to survive. I believe language in its foundation to be a purely biological-phenomenon, as seen by the various forms of language used by other living species, but it is because of our sophistication/intelligence that we have refined it to what it is now. No doubt our semantics, interpretations, and concepts are all a reflection of how our language has developed beyond the point of calling it a biological-phenomenon, but at its core that is what it is.

The multifunctional view of language in the brain made a lot of sense. Language triggers memories, determines how we analyze/interpret things, and overall guides our whole way of thinking. Having our linguistic abilities localized to just Broca’s and Wernicke’s area wouldn’t make sense.

An interesting thought I had while reading the texts, although it may be off-topic, is the semi-recent development of Neuralink, and what it intends to accomplish. Neuralink intends to enable paraplegics the ability to operate computers with their neural activities through the incorporation of machines into the brain. But if eventually our brains become able to process information and formulate ideas at the speed of a computer, and transfer information/feeling to another individual, would language remain what it is today? Of course, language would probably still remain due to logistical and various other reasons, but it's interesting to think how the need to verbally communicate, formulate thoughts verbally, and have an “inner” voice would greatly diminish.

The readings made me understand the importance of variety when learning a language. By focusing on all aspects of language, such as reading, writing, and speaking, both hemispheres of the brain will be stimulated more often, which would probably elevate the learning process. And because the brain is all interconnected, attempting to improve at various aspects of the language may also greatly improve a target aspect, rather than single handedly focusing on one aspect.

With the upcoming Lunar New Year, there are many Korean customs and traditions that I would love to talk about, but I specifically wanted to discuss the concept of sebae - 세배. Sebae is a tradition in which people wish their familial elders a happy new year, all whilst wearing hanbok and bowing in a procedural manner. Males and females have separate bowing procedures, and the phrase “새해 복 많이 받으세요”(May you receive many blessings for the new year) accompanies the bow. Occasionally, elders may provide some deokdam(덕담), or some remarks of blessings. Children often receive sabaetdon(세뱃돈), which is given in colorful envelopes or pouches and is generally given as a form of allowance/gift. If this sounds familiar, it's because it is - this tradition is commonly seen in Eastern Asia. Both China and Japan also have a similar tradition, where elders give children red envelopes containing money during the Lunar New Year. The reason behind this widespread presence is heavily accredited to Confucianism, and so the custom of giving sabaetdon probably originates from Chinese tradition. Besides just Lunar New Year traditions, Koreans ideals and customs are heavily reliant on Confucianism. The idea of bowing to elders and wishing them a happy new year stems from filial piety, which in Confucianism is the respectful and obedient attitude/mindset towards elders.

For me, I got all my sabaetdon money taken away by my parents, which I’m sure is a common occurrence for many of us. But receiving sabaetdon was still something to look forward to besides the other Lunar New Year activities, and sebae added a sense of formality to all the fun. 

I decided to watch the Korean drama “Uncanny Counter” on my own time to write for this week’s cultural post. My mother actually recommended me this show and she wanted me to watch it because it was quite different from previous k-dramas she saw in the sense that it was very fictional and CGI-heavy. In the past, Korea’s cinematic capabilities were not as advanced as now, so they did not try to attempt dramas that were heavy with CGI and FX. On the other hand, with the advancement of their digital technologies, they have taken on a challenge to film this show and I absolutely enjoyed the entire plot and its execution. “Uncanny Counter” is essentially a group of people called “Counters” that hunt down evil spirits. Each one of the counters has its own special abilities such as the ability to heal, hear someone’s thoughts, and have strength 3x stronger than an average person. A humorous aspect of the show was that all of these Counters disguised themselves as the owner of a traditional noodle shop and acted like normal people going on with their everyday lives. The first thing that I noticed with this drama is its similarity with “Squid Game” in the sense that all the counters also wore a tracksuit (not green but red). Tracksuits are an infamous symbol in Korea that really sets an individual apart from the mass. It usually means you have no job and are of lower status. On the other hand, it was interesting to see superhuman individuals wear these tracksuits to fight off evil spirits which also made the story a lot more humorous, relatable, and down to earth. In addition to the plot, it was refreshing to see another singer take on a difficult acting role. Kim Se Jeong came out as Do Ha Na who can sense evil spirits from miles away and who also has the ability to read memories. Kim Se Jeong making an entrance in this drama showed a cultural shift and acceptance for singers to make their debut as actors. In the past, the Korean public did not like it when singers or celebrities with other occupations from joining the acting field. The reason is that many did not have good acting skills and people felt that singers did not deserve to be in this cinematic spotlight.  However, with the introduction of Se Jeong, a highly popular girl group member, this K-drama goes on to further show that Korea is advancing towards a more diverse set of actors. I was also pleasantly surprised at how competent of an actress Se Jeong was and almost forgot that acting was not her first job. This made me want to see even more idols and Korean singers try out for acting gigs like “Uncanny Counter.” 

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1XaoYWOLgeOGLgG8zlCZR4eXwxN-LVi6vNMoVdJ-SmKY/edit?usp=sharing

For my first introduction into the language of Portuguese and the culture around it, my language partner and I thought it a good idea to start off basic. We have not had much time to meet to facilitate learning, so this first post was used as more of an introduction to the language and some cultural aspects we’d try to focus on. The first piece of media that I looked at was an article about the sports culture in the region of São Paulo, Brazil. This article immediately drew me in and was a great starting point because of my love for sports. The article starts out with very common knowledge to me: that in Brazil soccer is almost like a religion. Like many places across the world, in Brazil and Portugal, soccer reigns supreme. However, what was news to me was the growing influence of basketball in Brazil. The NBA has been making steady inroads in Brazilian culture, and in the first quarter of 2021, fandom of the league grew by 31% within the Portuguese speaking county. The statistics peg the large country of 213 million at about 45 million identifying as fans of the league. This is a notable number considering the league only first started outreaching to Brazil in 2004, and many locals have noticed the difference. They now see much more NBA memorabilia especially the jerseys of “jogador” Lebron “King” James. This whole article was super interesting and gave me an insight into the sports landscape of Brazil along with some first-hand accounts from São Paolo residents. Since most of this piece was in English, I didn’t struggle too much with picking up on anything linguistically, but one thing my language partner helped point out to me was the differences in types of Portuguese that are spoken around the world. There’s Brazilian Portuguese and then a European Portuguese which have slight, but noticeable differences between the two. This is something that we’ll be exploring more as we continue to work together.

The next piece of media for this post was a short soccer news update article from “Ojogo.pt”. Ojogo.pt is a major sports newspaper based out of Porto, Portugal. The article I chose was a short sports update on a soccer player contracting Covid-19. Upon first glance at this article, it looked almost impossible to tackle. The whole article is less than 3 paragraphs long and it was difficult to get started, but I eventually started to dissect it slowly. At closer look, it was actually shocking how similar the language is in some respects to Spanish. This is where I was able to leverage my previous knowledge of Spanish to muddle through the article. Certain words like “totalmente”, “finalizar”, “transferência”, and “arguardar” were recognizable. Eventually, with some help from my partner, I was able to work through the meaning. Brazilian league center-back Tiago Coser was supposed to fly in for his signing at the Portuguese soccer club of Benfica, but he tested positive for Covid-19 before his flight. He will now have to quarantine, and the transfer will have to wait. This article was a great piece to look at introductorily because it’s similar to something I’d consume daily if I were a native speaker or Portugal resident. I was genuinely surprised at how I was able to navigate through this article using contextual clues and words I could discern from my history of speaking Spanish. This really left me hopeful for what’s to come as I have more time to work with my partner.

Overall, these two pieces were great to introduce me to the language of Portuguese and a little bit of culture from where it’s spoken. I was really surprised to learn that there’s a difference between Brazilian Portuguese and European Portuguese, and I will look to explore that further in my learning. As for the language itself, I was surprised at my ability to navigate through a relatively short piece of content, but I definitely still have far to go. In this early stage of my learning, I am going to have to keep relying on my Spanish background and other things to navigate around all that I do not know.

Sources:

1. https://www.straitstimes.com/sport/basketball/basketball-in-brazil-where-football-reigns-nba-makes-steady-inroads
2. https://www.ojogo.pt/futebol/1a-liga/benfica/noticias/tiago-coser-acusou-postivo-a-covid-19-e-viu-viagem-rumo-ao-benfica-adiada--14516083.html

South Korean Cultural Artifact #1: Tteokguk (떡국)

Since Korean New Year is coming up (February 1, 2022), I thought it would be interesting to talk about a traditional Korean New Year dish, called tteokguk (떡국). Korean New Year, called Seollal (설날) in Korean, is the first day of the Korean calendar which originated from the Chinese lunisolar calendar. South Koreans celebrate this important national holiday by visiting family, wearing hanbok (한복 - traditional Korean clothes), performing ancestral rites, playing folk games, and eating traditional foods. One traditional Korean dish that is always served on Seollal is tteokguk, or rice cake soup. ‘Tteok’ (떡)  means rice cake and ‘guk’ (국) means soup/broth in Korean. As the name suggests, tteokguk consists of a beef or anchovy stock with thinly sliced rice cakes, beef, and garnished with thin julienned cooked eggs, marinated meat, and dried seaweed laver (gim). Often times, Korean dumplings, or mandu (만두), is added to the tteokguk. This variety is literally called tteokmanduguk (떡만두국). 

The custom of eating tteokguk on New Year's Day originated from ancient times when families would perform ancestral rites by serving tteokguk to their ancestors. It is a tradition to eat tteokguk on New Year’s day because it is believed to grant people good luck for the upcoming year. The white broth symbolizes a clean and pure start to the year and the coin-shaped rice cakes symbolize prosperity. Eating tteokguk on Korean New Year also serves an important role in the Korean age reckoning system in which you gain a year of age on Seollal. According to Korean tradition, you don’t officially gain a year of age on Seollal until you have a bowl of tteokguk. On Seollal, a person may ask you, “Did you have a bowl of rice cake soup today?”. This question would be the same thing as asking, “Are you one year older?”.

As a Korean-American, my mom makes this dish for my family every Western New Year's Day (January 1). Usually, we make our own mandu at home ahead of time to add in our tteokguk to make tteokmanduguk. Although tteokguk is traditionally a seasonal/winter dish, it is a popular dish that is now eaten at all times of the year. When I studied abroad in South Korea last fall, it was not uncommon to walk into a Korean restaurant and see tteokguk on the menu. Koreans love this dish because it is delicious, nutritious, and easy to make. 

Sources:

https://www.maangchi.com/recipe/tteokguk 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tteokguk

Language is both non-biological and biological. Things like words, grammar, senses, and references are man-made, hence the differences between languages. At the same time,  language is impossible without the biological functions of the brain. As explained in Crystal’s “How the Brain Handles Language”, different parts of the brain work together to enable humans to effectively communicate through language. For example, people with damage to the Wernicke’s area, the area of the brain that plays a large role in language comprehension, are unable to understand language and may speak in sentences that have no meaning and consist of made-up words. This language disorder is called Wernicke’s aphasia. The Broca’s area is the part of the brain most important for the production of speech. A person with Broca’s aphasia has an impairment in which they cannot produce normal speech. 

I think one way we conceptualize or process meaning is based on the context in which words are used. For example, one of the texts talked about how the word “mean” has so many meanings because it can be used in a variety of ways. But knowing the context in which it is used based on its relationship with other words can distinguish the senses and help us process the meaning of the word. 

Learning how people neurologically handle language is motivating because it shows how capable our brains are of processing and learning new languages. By continually practicing Korean, I believe that I’ll be able to strengthen the neural pathways in my brain so that I’ll be able to retain and recollect new language information to advance my Korean skills.

One of the best ways to learn about a culture is to learn about their festivities and holidays. In South Korea, there are numerous holidays that South Koreans celebrate ranging from Lunar New Year to dedicating the whole day for children. Through this research, I was able to find overlaps between South Korean holidays and Chinese holidays perhaps due to the shared similarities between the two cultures. 

One major holiday that is coming up is Lunar New Year, which is celebrated this year on February 1st. Depending on the lunar calendar, Lunar New year falls on a different day each year, but is generally between late January and early February. The Korean Lunar New Year is three days long, and this is arguably one of the most holidays in Korean culture. Traditional clothing such as hanbok is worn, food, rituals, and games are played during this three day celebration. Due to the popularity and importance of this holiday, the travel volume increases significantly. Furthermore, prices of fruits and produce skyrocket during this time of the year due to the high demand. A special ritual called sebae is when the younger children wear their traditional hanboks and perform a special bow to the elderly and wish them a prosperous and great new year. The elders usually in return give the children some money and wish them a great new year as well. Examples of foods eaten during this period include tteok and jeon. Tteokguk is a rice cake soup and jeon is similar to a pancake but can be filled with fillings like vegetables. 

I think one special holiday that South Koreans have is Pepero Day. Pepero Day is on November 11 every year and is dedicated to eating chocolate covered sticks. Pocky is the same concept but the bread stick can be covered with strawberry, oreo, banana, chocolate, or matcha favors. Pepero day is on 11/11 because the chocolate covered sticks can arrange to form that date. In addition to Pepero Day, South Korea also has Children’s day. Children’s day is dedicated to children, and many families spend the day going on children-friendly excursions such as amusement parks, zoos, parks, etc. This day is on May 5 every year. Similarly, Children’s Day is also another popular holiday in China, but the date is June 1 instead of May 5. 

Another major holiday in South Korea that is shared with China as well is the Mid-Autumn festival or in Korean, Chuseok. This holiday is on a day in September when there is a full moon and this year, it is on September 10. With this special holiday, foods and beverages such as hangwa and songpyeon are typically served. Hangwa is a collection of sweets made out of tteok. Songpyeon is another type of sweet that is shaped like half-moon rice cakes filled with red bean paste, sesame seeds, or brown sugar.

While there are many other holidays South Koreans celebrate throughout the year, these are just a few that I found interesting or have shared similarities between China. During SDLAP 110, I was able to find interesting overlaps between the two countries in terms of language and culture. I hope during this semester, I continue to learn more about South Korean culture such as what an average work week looks like, skincare clinics, history behind the Korean flag, etc.

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Korean_New_Year

Language learning is my most idealistic hobby. I often refer to polyglotism as a real life super power. For as long as I have been conscious of the differences in ways people communicate, I have tried and tried to emulate the sounds and mannerisms that produce such effects. I was famously the first to lose my Nigerian accent, for better or worse, when my family immigrated to the United States in 2005. I picked up Standard American English at that time, and later adopted African American English Vernacular through socialization. Along with my native Standard West African English, my extremely novice Korean, and somewhat less, but still nevertheless, novice French, what I have enjoyed most about language learning is the way it allows me to adapt to my environment.

Yes, learning languages has allowed me to adapt to new environments. However, language learning has also caused me to stick out, not like a rose rising from concrete, but like a sore, pus infected nail on a hand model's finger. This is all to say that what I dislike most about language learning is the amount of time it takes, and further how unattainable any fluency let alone the desire for native levels of fluency can often be. Even today, 15 years after immigrating, people point out knicks in the way I say certain things. Also juggling the different connotations words have in all the types of English I speak and further the code switching at times required both inter and intra the languages at times becomes socially exhausting. 

 I am by nature a perfectionist. Which is a nice way of saying I am impatient. I am impatient. So much so that the prospect of not completing tasks well in a succinct amount of time is enough to discourage me from ever making an attempt. My parents speak Etche, and Ikwerre which are to Igbo not quite in the same way Farsi is to Dari, but not quite in the same way Portuguese is to Spanish. Etche and Ikwerre, per my understanding, are not quite as similar as most dialects but are, for most speakers, mutually intelligible. There are even more nuances within each language’s own regional dialects. Understanding what these languages are is in itself, a gargantuan task. Trying to find a starting point for learning Igbo or Etche or Ikwerre without the intuitive understanding of their key differences most native speakers have often leads to gibberish. The task becomes even more daunting when the native speakers are my family and close friends who lack the reservations about sharing harsh criticisms more distant friends and teachers may have. However, I am quickly getting over the fear of spewing gibberish and receiving criticism. 

As I begin pursuing languages not directly related to my immediate environment or heritage, failing is becoming a lot more manageable. I have found that the best way for me to learn is simply to do. The multiple intelligences and learning style surveys confirms this. I have been flagged as a tactile learner with my top three intelligences being in language, social situations and self. The FIRE model is a bit too structured for my naturally impulsive way of learning however there are a few aspects of the chart that I believe may be beneficial in my language learning journey and I enjoy having a gauge for what concrete approaches most appeal to me. I believe the best way to expand my learning activities will be to regularly schedule activities that involve executing concrete tasks. For example filming a video speaking my target language every other week, reviewing media I enjoy, and so on. I look forward to applying these methods as naturally as possible, as the goal, albeit a bit unrealistic, is to speak the languages I learn as naturally as I can manage, gibberish and all. 

Besides my primary languages, the only language I formally learned was Latin, which I took for a few years in high school. It wasn’t too difficult, since English and Latin share many similarities. We would go over literature, vocabulary, work on worksheets, etc. which were all very helpful. There was nothing in particular that I disliked, but I did notice that some parts of the class seemed less effective. Watching videos and documentaries, for example, didn’t help much with the language. I was better able to understand the culture of the Ancient Roman Empire, which I understood was still important for the learning process, but in terms of language, it seemed a bit redundant. Because Latin is currently rarely spoken and rather used more for terminology, I found myself reading and writing quite a bit, but scarcely speaking it. Sometimes I would converse with the teacher, but it wasn’t quite helpful. If I had been able to converse, had continual practice, and was immersed in an environment where the language was prominent, that would have helped me in the most effective way. I noticed this with my Korean as well. My parents would only speak Korean in the house, forcing me to continuously practice conversation and vocabulary, which I believed helped me to get much better at speaking. Being raised in a Korean community meant the same thing -  I was able to converse with other Koreans and immerse myself into the environment. I am still lacking in many aspects, but continuous usage of the language was definitely the most productive practice. 

Going forward, I am hoping to apply this insight with improving my Korean. Of course, I understand the importance of reading and writing as well, but I hope that I will be able to converse with speakers who are more proficient in the language. I understand the Korean community at Richmond may be more limited to what I am used to, but I believe I can immerse myself into a Korean environment through other ways, whether it be reading articles daily or listening to podcasts. I think continuity is the most essential to my learning, even with other subjects. I hope that I will be able to expand my conversational skill through continuity, and that such improvement will guide my reading/writing skills. I plan to also take a step back every so often to really soak in what I have learned, to really connect the meaning with the word/phrase.

I was born in America but went to Korea to live with my grandparents at a very early age. I faintly remembered learning very basic Korean at a daycare center, but I moved back to America for pre-school and basically forgot all I learned. However, as a Korean American I grew up with my parents speaking mostly Korean to me, went to a Korean Church, and basically lived in Korea town. I never received any formal teachings for Korean as my parents’ focus were for me and my brothers to learn English as quickly as possible to help them out. A lot of the Korean I learned was just from mimicking and observing my parents.

Moving onto middle school I decided to take Spanish class as this was the norm. I was told taking Spanish would help me get into a good college, good job, and more. I questioned this concept so many times but went along anyways. My intro class was quite enjoyable as the teacher was very interactive and enthusiastic. She made the class environment just so comfortable and easy going. Things took a turn during my next year of learning Spanish as I was put with a teacher who just didn’t seem to enjoy teaching. We were drilled daily with textbook readings and quizzes. I dreaded going to that class every time. The teacher, who was fired the year after, made me hate learning Spanish and I would finally quit trying after another year in high school. I realized learning language through formal education was not for me. I learned and retained more through my Bolivian best friend, whose house I went to frequently, and friends from my soccer team.

My survey results showed that I am a tactile learner and I completely agree. I learn by being hands-on and doing or being emersed into the subject. My surveys also revealed me as a very factual/logical person. I also agree with this as a lot of my motivation for learning comes with a thought of why this is going to be useful, how can I use this in my life, and how does this even work? The two traits seem a bit different, but I think being a tactical learner really helps unravel the reasoning and logic behind things.

My focus is mostly on writing (typing) and speaking Korean, along with learning the culture, especially in order to achieve fluency. A language learning activity that would suit my style would be to go to the country, but I’ve already done that. Staying in Korea really helped, and my parents were even surprised at how I was a lot more comfortable with my Korean than before. Some activities that might help is just having a conversation. Especially when trying to achieve fluency I think learning how to have a conversation is a lot more important. This would also help a lot with my pronunciation. I think it would also help to be immersed in the Korean culture by doing Korean things like eating kbbq, listening to kpop, watching kdramas, and more.

Learning a new language or language in general has always been challenging for me. It’s never been something that’s just clicked like other subjects, and I’ve always had to work hard at. In high school, I took Spanish for 4 years all the way up until my last year of AP Spanish. Although it was challenging, I actually really enjoyed it because of the learning process. That class was super interactive, we watched movies, sang songs, discussed interesting reading materials, and practiced conversational speaking a lot. I loved that aspect and the constant reinforcement of the material through different mediums and communication really helped me learn. From our surveys, I’m said to be a visual learner and from the fire model I’m tabbed as more factual and rational, which is why this probably appeals to me. When I can see the practical side of what I’m learning, I do much better. In addition, my results showed auditory learning as second highest of my learning styles. This makes sense because I really benefited from conversation, media, and other things where I could hear the language and try to imitate what I heard.  What was challenging about my language learning in high school was the pace and some harder material. Like I’ve stated, I move a little slower than most with language for some reason, and in high school the pace of learning Spanish was so fast to get us prepared to take the AP exam. There were times I felt left behind, which is why I’m excited to move at my own pace in this class. As for the material, I learned a lot worse with dense readings. Not only was it challenging, but it just was not engaging to me in the slightest sometimes. This really detracted from me trying to learn the material and understand the language. Which is why the more applied learning from the class was much more suited for my learning. I found, especially with being in college not continuing to speak the language, that repetition and practice really are the best ways for me to learn. Even if it were small things, the more I just incorporated Spanish into my daily life, the better I remembered it. 

With that being said, I think there really are some effective ways I could learn Portuguese if I approach it the right way. I think to start, I really need to spend time thinking about how to approach learning a language. This would be an expansion on my normal process of learning as I’ve never taken the time to think about it foundationally. A personal schedule and way to keep my own pace would also be something I’ve never had before. This would help me stay organized and allow for me to move at my own productive pace After that, I think that incorporating what learning activities have worked well in the past for me would be the best to pursue. Definitely a mix of visual, interactive, rational, and somewhat basic activities. I think videos, songs, movies, and other things I can just incorporate naturally into my life will work great for me. As well as simply writing and studying important Portuguese words. Another thing I really liked from our readings was the prospect of critical self-reflection and assessment. I think this is a must for my learning process because I need a way to keep myself guided and progressing. Whenever doing something that’s self-guided, it is easy to justify not trying or really no progress because you’re totally in control of the process. So, I’ll need to develop a measuring stick or milestones to keep myself on track. My aspirations aren’t too lofty because language learning is something that takes me a long time and a semester is only so long, but I am excited to hopefully acquire a basic and solid foundation of the language. 

In high school, I took Spanish courses up to IB Spanish SL. I enjoyed my Spanish classes because my teachers were really great and tried to make the learning process as interactive and fun as possible. We played games to practice forming sentences, watched Spanish movies, and even acted out scenes of a Spanish play. This was different from my other classes which usually just entailed a lecture, PowerPoint slides, and class discussions. I learned a lot of Spanish in high school due to the practice I had with reading, writing, and speaking in the classroom. However, as with all standardized learning, I was unable to learn at my own pace and had to follow the schedule/syllabus set by my teachers. A big reason why I am really excited about this course is because of the independence I’ll have to accomplish my own learning goals at my own pace. 

Based on the FIRE model and the surveys I completed, I am an insightful thinker, a visual learner, and self-intelligent. I believe these results are accurate as I do find it easier to understand and remember things by sight and I learn better by reading and seeing pictures. I tend to sit at the front of classrooms because I can see the board more clearly and it prevents me from getting distracted by movement in my surroundings. When taking notes, I use highlighters and colored pens to color code and keep my notes organized. I also find that visual models and figures help me understand concepts better. Based on this learning style, I think it would be helpful for me to continue writing notes using colors and even drawing pictures. I also plan to use the Anki app to make flashcards for Korean words. I want to try to expand my learning activities by finding new ways to visually learn Korean. For example, reading Korean picture books or watching Korean movies may be a fun and effective way for me to visually learn the language.

One insight that I have gained when it comes to language learning can be divided into four parts: speaking, listening, writing, and reading. They can also be divide into 2 categories: conversational and formal. To most learners' intuition, speaking and listening fall into the first category. For conversational, my insight would be that one can only improve and qualify himself as someone who knows the language by excessively exposing himself to speaking and allowing mistakes if the language is not a dead language like Latin or Sanskrit. Through allowing mistakes, one will become familiar with his weakness and also receive alert from the brain when the next time similar situation occurs. Moreover, the process of speaking involves a listener, which implies that whenever speaking happens, so does listening. The two are auxiliary. Although the second category is more formal and for academic use, it is the fundamental of the language learning. Since without knowing how to read and write, one is not able to produce text and once, speaking or listening are not possible (pen pal or international phone call). Thus, writing and reading are also crucial. 

To me, I find it most difficult to perfectly speak one language since the rest of the three can consult sources. Writing and reading can be assisted by dictionary. As for listening, people can always repeat when they talk. Yet, the only thing that no one can help you is finish your sentences in a conversation. I enjoyed learning how to speak fluently and listen as precisely as possible for I learn Italian mostly for travel purposes. 

Once as an activity for practice, Vivian listed out some 줄임말 (abbreviations) in Korean and asked me to guess their actual meaning or what they are short for. I knew some of them from the variety shows I'm watching, but it was also hard for me to guess if I've never seen the word before. Some of them are short for a whole sentence, while some of them are just short for two words. It was a fun activity that we both liked, so I thought it would be an interesting topic for cultural posts as well.

It is commonly mistaken that 줄임말 in Korean was invented lately when teenagers are just too lazy to type. However, in the 90s when 삐삐 (pager) was largely used, there were a lot of abbreviations in numbers for people to communicate conveniently. For example, 58486 is short for 오빠 사랑해 (I love you) because the pronunciation of the numbers is similar to that of the sentence. Another example would be 20000. When it is pronounced as "twenty thousand", it is similar to that of 비안 (sorry). There are hundreds of number abbreviations like these back then and I found it so interesting.

Now, the 줄임말 are mostly in words. They are updated very fast since people keep creating and spreading the new ones, so it does not necessarily mean you are trendy even if you use 줄임말. For instance, a very commonly seen one is called 청바지, which means "jeans" itself. But is also short for the sentence "청춘은 바로 지금", which is saying "our youth is now!" This sentence is a 건배사 that are words or sentences people say before taking a shot together. But now, this abbreviation and the 건배사 are relatively outdated. Young people tend to use more words like "인싸" (insider of a group), "아아" (iced americano) and even something like "ㅇㅇ" (ok, yes) in their daily life. Some abbreviations started out as something only young people would use, but then gradually became daily expressions, such as 심쿵 (my heart just skipped a beat), 남사친 (boy-friend), and TMI (too much information).

Sources:

삐삐 숫자 암호해석 : 네이버 블로그 (naver.com)

재미있는 건배사줄임말 우.아.미~ : 네이버 블로그 (naver.com)

줄임말 50개, 당신은 몇 문제 맞힐 수 있나요? - 머니투데이 (mt.co.kr)

[#기출문제] "친추? 친구 추행?!" 와썹맨 빼고 ALL 정답 가능한! 신조어_난이도 하 | #놀라운토요일 #Diggle - YouTube

Before the Thanksgiving break, Vivian and I recorded the podcast for the final in class. We summarized what we've learned this semester, what part of learning I enjoyed the most, and what I wish I have done more. It is always fun and relaxing speaking with Vivian in Korean because she is always being patient and encourages me to say more. Among all the interesting exercises we've done together, I love the video response practice and the fun question discussion one the most. For the video one, I was able to try out my listening as well as speaking and writing at the same time, and I love discussing my thoughts with my language partner after trying to understand the video on my own. The fun question discussion also provides opportunities for me to use words that I don't usually use in a daily conversation, so I could learn more vocabulary while practicing my speaking in Korean.

After the break, we met again simply to wrap up the semester and have some time to work on our final presentations. We practiced conversations by catching up with each other about our Thanksgiving break, and then we discussed what we are going to do for our final presentation. I was still looking for a certain topic, so Vivian showed me what she was planning to do and it looked really interesting.

This semester has been harder than anyone before. I had to get used to all the restrictions and limits put up because of the pandemic, and I was spending a lot of time on my classes and applications. But I am still glad that I took Korean with Vivian this semester, where I had the chance to not only practice my Korean but also spend some time with my friend. I do feel more confident speaking and writing Korean after this semester's practice, and I look forward to more practice of reading next semester.

먹방 (Mukbang), short for 먹는 방송, means eating show. It is a type of show that started in South Korea a few years ago and gradually became a global trend. Now on YouTube and Tik Tok, there are tons of videos where the host eats a variety of food, usually in big portions as well, which are all very visually appealing.

Even before I knew there is such a thing called 먹방, I've seen people in Korean variety shows eating like a show. They would show the camera what the food looks like first (always in beautiful colors), and then eat nicely and cleanly while describing the flavors vividly. Every time I watch a Korean variety show or drama, I need to have some snacks beside me because every dish looks so good on the screen. It does not matter if I really like it or not, it is the way of them showing it.

Earlier this year, some Korean YouTubers for 먹방 opened their accounts on Chinese social media, when I knew about this culture and watched a few videos of theirs. The YouTuber with the highest views and recommendations is called "Eat with Boki", who has a million followers on Chinese social media and 7 million on YouTube (up to December 2021). In the video I watched, she ate a very large pot of 부대찌개 (budae jjigae, army strew) with ramen, ham, tofu, and a lot of other ingredients in it, with kimchi on the side and some big 계란말이 (rolled omelet). If I were to eat it, I don't think I will be able to finish them all in a day, but Boki finished it all in her video. It was quite astonishing to me because Boki is a girl about my age, but with a good appearance and a fit body.

This semester, Vivian and I discussed some controversies on not only Boki but also the Mukbang YouTubers. Some pointed out that none of these YouTubers said explicitly that they received ads from some food companies, which is illegal in South Korea. There are also some controversies saying that the YouTubers edit their footage so that they could just chew the food and then spit it out. This is called 먹뱉 in Korean. Many people lost their trust in the YouTubers doing 먹방 for these reasons. To prove herself, Boki uploaded a video that she claimed to be uncut, which includes the whole footage of her eating and swallowing the food, but the comments are still not so friendly. The problem about 먹뱉 is not only about wasting food but also that they cause a lot of anxiety for girls living in a society that is already toxic about it. As an example, Boki shows by doing 먹뱉 that she can eat a lot of food while being fit, so now girls have a higher standard of beauty where they need to be pretty while having a lot of food, which is toxic, unhealthy, and I would say impossible to do for any human being. Therefore, when accused of the unnotified advertisement or fake eating, a lot of 먹방 YouTubers shut down their channels for months or apologized for their past actions.

Sources:

SUB)치즈가득 두툼한 치즈롤까스에 불닭볶음면 먹방! 새우튀김까지 리얼사운드 Cheese Roll Cutlet, Buldak&Deep-fried Shrimp Mukbang ASMR - YouTube

유튜버 문복희 "절대 먹뱉 하지 않았다" 적극 해명 | SBS 뉴스

유튜버 문복희 "먹뱉 절대 하지 않았다" - 스타투데이 (mk.co.kr)

먹방 유튜버 문복희의 ‘먹뱉’ 의심 정황이 새롭게 발견됐다 - 인사이트 (insight.co.kr)

What is 'mukbang'? Inside the viral Korean food YouTube trend (today.com)

Through SDLC 105, I’ve learned about the amount of diversity and possibility in the world’s languages. While I knew many languages existed, I now have a much better understanding of the linguistic diversity in the world and the struggle to preserve many dying languages. Truthfully, I took the class because I wanted to study Moroccan Arabic. I was not interested in learning about other languages, initially. But hearing every week from my classmates about their language journeys and then learning about the differences in phonetic inventory, morphology, and syntax between languages made me interested in learning more about language as a concept. Specifically, I was interested in how languages can affect our perception, both physically and mentally. The video of the African tribe being able to distinguish different shades of green – which I could not discern – amazed me. I want to continue studying language and its effects on human understanding. Next semester, of course, I’ll begin my independent study of Moroccan Arabic and continue studying Modern Standard Arabic. I hope to use the analytical tools I’ve gained from SDLC 105 to notice the differences between MA and MSA in phonetics and grammar and the slight nuances of MA which can lead to me developing communicative and cultural competence. In the future, I would be interested in continuing my languages study and possibly helping to preserve some of the world's dying languages.

One of my favorite weeks of class was discussing Culture vs. culture during week 4 and exploring certain methods for analyzing culture such as Hofstede’s tools. Truthfully, we were not able to really discuss these tools in class, but I found them very interesting. I think adding in discussions about the problem of linguistic or cultural dogmatism and the problem of Orientalism or similar views would be helpful. I think how a culture/language is understood by outside actors is just as important as how locals understand their culture/language. I also enjoyed discussing language families and how languages are grouped because it allows for students in the class to see their language as part of a larger family. Specifically, since I’m studying Moroccan Arabic, the grouping system seemed a bit dated to me. MA is simply identified as another Arabic language. Yet, its status as a creole is not taken into account at all. Overall, I really enjoyed the topics covered by the class. I do think future classes could benefit from more interaction between students outside of the three presentations. While I really enjoyed the presentations, I only learned really learned about what my classmates were studying on those three instances. I think classes could maintain the same topics (language families, phonetics, etc.) and include a few minutes for sharing how the topic related to each student’s target language. This would allow for student-to-student teaching/learning on a weekly basis.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/12odWq4buxKcltz5Gx88BSKR-xqW_m1X9/view?usp=sharing