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This week I have begun one of my largest projects for the semester and that is to complete the reading of a classic Swedish novel called "Ondskan" or "Evil" by Jan Guillou. This is a classic in Swedish literature and has had a very social and political significance in the Swedish education system. It is the story about a teenager with 'behavioral issues' and history of violence at home and gang violence in school, who is sent to a boarding school as a last chance to 'recuperate' and continue his studies. The novel then reveals a system of student bullying and hierarchy that proves to be as violent, or worse, than his previous experiences. Interestingly enough, this novel was based on a true story, and when information was leaked about the boarding school system, many boarding school were forced to shut down and reform. In terms of my Swedish it has been very interesting to read my first novel, and even though there are many words I do not understand I continue reading and later go back to define new words. I am starting to collect a list of words that I hope to utilize more comfortably as I progress with the novel and begin writing abstracts and summarizing the plot to my language partner.

הנה הרשימה של המילים שלמדתי עד עכשיו

האומות המאוחדות

לסייע

הלבנת

אסד

מורדים

משגשגת

נטע

חאלב

לערוק

עלוואי

כאן המילים שהם קיצורים שלמדתי

בית״ר

לח״י

ביל״ו

סכו״ם

שו״ת

מוײם

מזכײלֹ

הספר שקראתי נקרא רחמים

בנתיים למדתי על המצב הכלכלי של 

זאת שנמצאת בבית החולים

הרבה מהכתבות שאני קוראת בעיתון הארץ הן על המצב הפוליטי בסוריה ומזרח התיכון

This week I accomplished:

* Reading two chapters in my Hebrew novel

* Extending my vocabulary list

* Reading a daily article on Haaretz.co.il

* Writing a summary in Hebrew for my first artifact

* Discussing body language in Israel in Hebrew with my family

Goals for the next two weeks: 

* Read 4 chapters in my Hebrew novel

* Write a paragraph summary of each chapter

* Go through the chapters I've read and define words that I am not familiar with

* Create sentences with the vocabulary I have outlined from weeks #1-4

* Write a page in Hebrew about the current political situation in Israel, both domestically and in international affairs.

Unlike in English there is a definite formality to Kannada. There are two forms of verbs. One denotes respect and the other is for peers or people who are below you in age and or social standing. For example "Nim heseru yenew?" and "Nin heseru yenew?" Both are asking "What is your name?" but the "your" is different based on respect for the person or their position. "Nim" is the respectful while "Nin" is not. In almost every sentence the noun or the verb denotes a person's level. Fore example if I met someone new, even if they were my age, I would use "Nim" if I really wanted to be respectful, but I could use "Nin" after that because it would be awkward if I was that formal with people my age. But with an adult or someone in authority I would always use "Nim" no matter how well I knew them. 

Kannada is found in a written form that looks similar to Hindi. It is however not commonly used. Kannada is a language that is more often spoken than written as Hindi and English are the preferred written languages of Karnataka. Here is an example of written Kannada. 

http://www.christusrex.org/www1/pater/JPN-kannada.html

Because the language is not often used in a written form. I'm not going to learn how to write it, but rather focus on speaking =) 

I've attached the learning plan that Dr. S and I reviewed.  The learning plan includes my goals and methods (activities)  SimrunBal_SDLAP_LearningPlan1.pdf.

UPDATE:

I forgot to record my goals for weeks 4 and 5, but I had them written originally in my Hindi notebook.  Here they are:

Week 4: 

• Finalize understanding of greetings by writing out a sample script
• Listen to a dialogue from a Hindi movie (suggested tip from MLC 105) to improve listening comprehension and see how many words (or what type of words) I can understand
• Grammar:
• • Understand differences between marked and unmarked masculine and feminine nouns and how to go from singular --> plural for both marked and unmarked.
  • Conjugations of "hona" (to be)
• Reading:  Read Ch.2 dialogue inTeach Yourself Hindiabout introductions

Week 5:

• Talking about myself using present tense with Present Imperfect Tense and Present Progressive tense (taught with Lesson 4 in A Door Into Hindi)
• Learn question words (interrogatives)
• Create a writing sample of some sort that will utilize the words about family that I learned
• Start learning Post-Positions (tricky)
• Listening:
• • A Door Into Hindi, Lesson 5 (dialogue)
  • Hindi song
    

In terms of the nonverbal aspects of Hindi, I think it is important to look at body language, how people approach time, and the sense of patience within the language.  In terms of body language, the "head nod" is very confusing -- it can mean yes, no, or even maybe!  It is more of a head waver, rather than an actual nod, but sometimes people mistakenly think that the person doing the nod is responding in the affirmative...when actually he could mean yes or no.  Additionally, I perceive body language for men to be different than body language for women.  In Indian, men can hold hands with other men without it being a big deal or without it producing preconceptions about one's gender.  But displays of affection between men and women are definitely discouraged.  With regard to eye contact, in some areas of rural India or in the mountainous regions, continued eye contact between a male and female can be perceived as flirting, even if it was not meant this way.   Another key aspect of body language is the "hands together" part of greeting someone.  When you meet someone, you say "Namaste" in Hindi and clasp your hands together.  Shaking hands is not really frequent there.

With regard to telling time, people usually use three common phrases: half past, quarter till, or quarter after [a certain time].  Interestingly, if you want to say a time like 5:20 or a non-common increment, you say the Hindi equivalent of "After having struck 5 pm, 20 minutes happened."  The key word is "happened" - "ho gaye." 

Since I am not taking MLC 110, I am going through a slightly different process of language learning.  My competency in Portuguese is fairly high right now, but since I am not using the language on a regular basis I fear that I might slowly forget it.  As the saying goes – if you don’t use it, you lose it.   

As such, I plan to set goals that enable me to maintain my reading comprehension and writing abilities, and to improve my speaking abilities.  Luckily, I am taking a Portuguese for Spanish Speakers (LAIS 313) course right now which essentially keeps me on a consistent track.  In place of a long specific learning plan right now, I will list some general goals I have.  While these goals are broad in nature, they are helpful in providing me a sense of the direction I want take.

I would like to be able to:

• navigate between the past, present, and future tenses with relative ease.
• learn 10 new vocabulary words a week.
• learn at least 3 new songs in Portuguese.

For now, I am going to focus a great deal of my language learning on reading skills. Reading in the target language seems to be one of the quickest and best ways to learn new vocabulary and improve comprehension.  Thus, using this strategy will make my goals more realistic and attainable.  

In contemplating the cultural dimensions of learning a language, it was interesting and helpful to read Figuring Foreigners Out.  The reading focused on the differences (spanning diverse cultures) that relate to how people consider aspects of "identity," such as nonverbal communication, personal space, touching, eye contact, and more.  After reading the article, I felt as though when you learn a language, you must not only consider the "linguistic" elements, like grammar, spelling, etc, but also the cultural aspects of where the language is spoken. 

For me, the idea of culture as a part of language learning was initially difficult to grasp when I was learning Punjabi.  As a child, my father would try to teach me the alphabet, phrases, etc, but I never really learned about Indian culture.  Although I was raised in a family with Indian heritage, we lived like a typical American family with regard to personal space, touching, eye contact, etc.  When I went to India for the first time, although I knew some Punjabi, it was so difficult for me to get used to being perceived to be Indian, but having American/Western body language and attitudes about touching, nonverbal communication, etc.  Sometimes, people in India assumed that I understood their nonverbal communication methods because I could communicate in Punjabi and appeared to be Indian.  But it was very difficult for me to get used to having less personal space and the differences in eye contact between people of different genders. 

Thus, in learning Hindi now, I'm focusing also on learning more about the gestures, eye contact, etc -- all aspects of Figuring Foreigners Out. My past experiences, as well as the reading, have illustrated to me how key it truly is not to neglect learning about the cultural dimensions of learning a language.

This week I learned the number system which I believe to be more complicated than English. There are two sets of numbers to use depending on the situation. The first set I learned (il, e, sam = 1, 2, 3) represents counting numbers and is also used in telling time. These are used for the minutes of each hour. The hour in time is represented by the other set of numbers (hana, dul, set = 1, 2, 3). In this set, it is most important to only know up to about 50 even though it surpasses this. This set of numbers can be used to count people or tell age as well. To tell the time, the hour is followed by the word "si" and the minute is followed by the word "boon." They separate time into 4 parts of the day rather than in English where we have AM and PM only. Their times are early morning, morning, afternoon up until sunset, and night time after sunset. 

Another interesting linguistic aspect is the change in body language. There are many different changes from the gestures we use in the United States. Koreans often bow to a 20 degree angle and shake hands rather lightly when greeting someone. Same gender friends are much more affectionate in Korea also. They will sit on each other's laps and link arms while walking. Eye contact indicates a challenge to a superior person and it is better to express humility by looking slightly down. Respect is a very important part of the Korean culture especially for ones' elders. Another sign of humility or humbleness is offering items with both hands. This is useful in cases where someone is handing over a business card or gift. Body language is key in Korea for acknowledging respect and humility so it is essential to learn before travelling there.

During Week 2 of my studies: I have re-watched the Swedish and American versions of the "Girl with the Dragon Tattoo." The goal of the second week of my studies was to focus on film and to discuss the differences between the two films, express my opinion and gain knowledge and familiarity with basic film concepts and terminology. My language partner and I spoke at length about the similarities, differences, and our preferences. This was great practice for my spoken presentational skills because it required me to defend my opinions and present a short monologue on my opinion and provide a short description. Although it was good practice, there is great room for improvement and I look forward to becoming more comfortable in presentational speaking which I noted in my assessment to be one of my major weaknesses.

I began meeting with my language partner and during our first meeting in January we were able to run through the novice curriculum in casual conversation where we got to know each other a little better. We ran through basic daily conversation, directions, basic presentations, greetings, descriptions, and engaged in extended dialogue in the past and future tenses. This first lesson helped both of gauge my level more accurately and also provided me with confidence to speak Swedish with another person outside of circle of Swedish friends and acquaintances. This is challenging for any person learning a new language and challenges one to employ more sophisticated vocabulary that takes the conversation from casual to slightly more structured and formal. For example, words that I may be accustomed to mispronouncing or saying in English due to pronunciation I am now forced to practice. Other times, my close acquaintances may have already stopped correcting me because of a level of familiarity with my spoken Swedish which they may not see the need to correct because they understand  'what I am trying to say.'

We decided more or less as a team, with further guidance by Dr. Scinicariello, that dividing my lessons into thematic areas such as: politics, welfare, health, immigration, film, literature, education, etc. Will form the foundation of my term with supplementary materials in the form of novels, news articles, TV programming, films, and blogs to serve as discussion starters and sources for vocabulary acquisition.

I focused on understanding the structure of the Swedish education system which has many more divisions than the American system and a very different grading system.I have learned more about the Swedish education system through conversations with my language partner, but also spoken to to a great extent about the differences between American and Swedish education systems.The image to the right depicts the Swedish education system, the levels and ages and transition from one system to another.

Education in Sweden is fully funded by taxes paid to the state, for this reason Swedes and other EU members can attend Swedish primary, secondary, and universities for 'free.' The Swedish education system emphasizes group work, presentation, debate, and encourages creative thinking from an early age. There are many options available to student who d not wish to pursue a strictly academic course of study such as theater, art, design, or construction. These fields receive advanced education and allow for immediate entry into the job market. Some Swedish universities are world renown for their research such as Uppsala University and Karolinska Institute in Stockholm.

I have read Swedish news extensively and begun watching a new comedy called "Anders och Måns." The language is very challenging for my listening skills particularly because the main characters have two very different accents and make many jokes throughout the show.

Image source: http://skolnet.skolverket.se/polopoly/utbsys-eng/

In these next two weeks, I hope to solidify several concepts concerning basic Korean vocabulary and its use in conversation. I have been working with my language partner to go over things such as colors, ordinal and cardinal numbers, cardinal directions, countries, and the days of the week. Previously, these were words that I said in English in an otherwise Korean sentence, and my goal is to eliminate English entirely from such sentences and replace them with Korean so I can truly have a fluid conversation with a native Korean speaker. 

I will be talking to my language partner and being tested on my knowledge of these words by engaging in conversation with her on things that would require such vocabulary. For example, we may have a conversation that has to do with higher numbers, perhaps on test scores. I also would like to keep up with this by having conversations with my parents on the phone in as much Korean as I can, utilizing the new vocab terms as much as possible. I have post-its and flash cards of these words on items in my room so I can subconsciously integrate them into my daily life. 

I also am going to try watching Korean soap operas. They are supposed to be very popular in Asia and India, and I hope that I'll be able to follow things by context, even if I don't understand everything that is being said. I am also going to try out Korean pop music, which is called "k-pop" to learn a little bit about the culture, as it is such a huge part of the social identity of the younger generation (my peers). It should be interesting!

Ultimately, my evaluation of this will be how much of my conversation can be exchanged in Korean. I am aiming at 80% if it is related to those vocabulary terms. I plan to test myself based on the criteria of fluidity and comprehension. 

In discussing the linguistic aspects (i.e., body language, time, etc.) of Farsi, I tried to also incorporate aspects of Afghan culture. Body language is important in Afghan culture, and knowledge of body language can help with greetings. Additionally, time in the Afghan culture can be used to better understand the process of being a guest at another's home.

Personally, growing up and being in an Afghan household, I believe an individual's actions during greetings are one of the most important instances body language. An individual should appear warm and happy to be meeting or seeing the other person. Usually, the first guests that I make sure to greet are the elders--men and women--and the other men in the room followed by the women. The greetings are often a firm handshake with the men, although, some--usually older relatives or close family friends--will be greeted with a handshake and three kisses on the cheek. When greeting older female relatives (i.e., aunts, grandmother, etc.) I often extend a handshake and often three kisses on the cheek. However, with younger females (i.e., those in my generation) a simple salaam (hello) or, sometimes, soft handshake is given. It is particularly important for an individual to try to greet everyone in the room; this might be more difficult in larger settings, but it is still imperative to greet all family members and close family friends. 

Afghans tend to be relaxed when it comes to time. When at somebody's home for dinner the invited guest may possibly stay for a few hours longer then he or she may have intended. Hosts often want their guests to stay long and feel comfortable. Afghans will also ask you to stay before you attempt leave; this is often done through offering tea--Afghans drink a lot of tea--they might say beshi bada chai (note: this is rough translation I wrote using how I pronounce the phrase) or in English stay for tea. When an Afghan host asks you to stay for tea, it is often similar to an American host asking you to stay for desert. Such offerings are made as a polite gesture; however, if the host is persistently asking, you may find yourself staying for tea or desert. 

There are many important cultural dimensions to comprehend when learning a language. It can be difficult for new learners to fully understand the cultural aspects of a new language, especially since languages are spoken in many cultures. For example, Farsi is a prominent language in Iran and Afghanistan. Although I know much about the Afghan cultural dimension because of my upbringing, on the other hand, I cannot speak much to the culture of Iran.

However, you can learn much about a language's culture simply by learning it. Take for instance the level of formality / informality, such is a good indicator for the cultural aspects of a language. In my response to the third cultural post, I noted how in Afghanistan some individuals are addressed by their profession (e.g., doctor, engineer); this is one cultural dimension that can be picked up through language learning. Through learning about addressing individuals by their profession in Farsi you can understand that the cultures in such regions emphasize a level of respect for individuals; more specifically, older members of society who are usually the engineers and doctors. Additionally, picking up on the more dignified ways to greet an adult or elder in Farsi highlight another cultural aspect, at least in Afghanistan; having to always be sure of giving due respect to your elders. 

Artifact 1

My first artifact is the photo attached of a birthday card I made for my Grandma. It is our first form of communication in Korean. I researched typical things to say in a birthday card and learned to wish the person a year in good health. I memorized the characters of the Korean alphabet and constantly practiced writing them by combining the different consonants and vowels as my language partner suggested. The card says my Grandma's name at the top, "Bok Soon Yoo." It is followed by "Happy Birthday, Grandma. I miss you. I hope you have a healthy year. I love you." Lastly, I signed it with the traditional symbols that follow a card which is pronounced "ga" and the Korean word for granddaughter, "Sohn-nya."

My%20Learning%20Plan.docx

Having experienced living in Israel, much of the body language, expressivity, formality and informality, culture, and customs are second nature to me. I have made a list of things that in my opinion stand out and what their underlying meaning or explanation is:

Culture is affected by being a nation made of up immigrants with a national endorsement of the melting pot theory and establishment of a signature Israeli culture. The size of the nation and its perceived threats has increased the emphasis on family life and focus on familial relations. The demand for cultivating a state, creating an economy, and a living has shaped the lifestyle of the Israeli. Finally, as a people, there are a number of stereotypes, which are specifically well exhibited in the Zohan clip that I have posted on the ning. Some of these characteristics include general informality, and emphatic expressivity.  These can be seen in the following body language nuances, which I thought were best described as “Talking like an Israeli is a full body sport.”

* Hand out in a pinched formation – “rega” – hold on a moment

* The lip shrug accompanied with a bit of a shoulder shrug – I don’t know, not my problem

* Instructional finger – demonstrating authority of knowledge

* Forefinger thumb touch – I really really mean it

* Two handed beckon – trying to convince the person you’re speaking to, such as in a sale – exemplified by a move into their personal space, raised chin & eyebrows, and extended hands out by the waist

In regards to punctuality, timing is generally relaxed and informal in Israel. However, this clearly varies depending on the social situation. If the meeting is business related, punctuality in a capitalistic state is extremely valued in comparison to a social gathering.

Having done some research on the Internet, I found a couple of great videos and sites that I have posted on my page and in the Hebrew learning group that illustrate these and others. The most informative aspect of this research however, is that much of the body language and expression existing in Israel is extremely similar to that of other Mediterranean nations such as Italy and Greece.