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I have been learning about more abstract and complicated topics lately, which has been challenging yet rewarding in pushing me to improve my Bahasa Melayu confidence and capabilities. I started off learning about feelings and emotions, first in basic forms from the workbook and then with additional guidance from Melisa. I was surprised to learn that, for one, the Malay word for 'to feel' - "rasa" - is also the word for 'to taste,' and can be used in a number of different contexts. As part of my independent learning, I wrote a paragraph that told a story of me losing my car keys and the emotions that I felt during this struggle. It was useful to see the holes in my knowledge, given storytelling can be difficult, and the act of writing this out and going over it with Melisa allowed me to understand the sentence structures of the language and how to use connectors and conjunctions better. I even recorded my voice when reading the passage and noted which spots I struggled with or pronounced incorrectly in order to improve my oral language skills as well.

Another topic I delved into was location and direction. In addition to avocet, besides, under, etc., I learned how to change my sentence depending on which noun I wanted to place emphasis on, e.g. saya kehilangan buku saya vs. buku saya hilang (I lost the book vs. the book of mine was lost). This aspect of my lessons was especially conducive to using my prior knowledge to build upon my foundations and understandings and, simply put, offered many opportunities to test out new sentences. I am learning how to express myself more easily and even smaller things such as knowing how to use passive voice can be immensely beneficial to this end. Certain longer words can still be confusing to pronounce and I am still trying to get a more solid grip on affixes (especially the circumfix), however these two topics have been some of the most interesting and immediately enriching ones thus far. 

This is undoubtedly an exceptionally busy time in the semester, so it is important that I stay on track with my language learning efforts and goals. This could be the perfect opportunity to try completely new approaches that keep learning fresh and engaging for me, especially video and audio ones that can be entertaining as well. My strategies are only effective if I am fully invested in them and willing to make the changes necessary to continue to see improvements - I will work with Melisa to build new strategies for busier times like these. One idea that seems worthwhile and intriguing that came up in class on Friday is asking Melisa to connect me with a digital 'pen pal' of sorts who I can speak with in Malay or exchange short messages (or perhaps even a physical letter). I have had the opportunity to experiment with this in Chinese, and it always yields fascinating insights into the host culture. Modifying my existing strategies will ultimately allow me to fine-tune my learning style and approaches in different ways, depending on a number of factors, and can benefit my independent study of the language immensely.

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I thought for my third cultural artifact, I would introduce a fascinating subject that relates to Borneo and East Malaysia (both of which I have yet to touch upon in these cultural artifact posts): the Bajau/Samo-Bajau tribe. The Bajau are an ethnic group that come from the Philippines (with a large portion of the community still living there) that have settled in and around the eastern side of Malaysian Borneo in Sabah, as well as in Indonesia. I first learned about the Bajau, sometimes colloquially (and perhaps disparagingly) referred to as the "Sea Gypsies," from my language partner, Melisa after I told her I had visited Borneo before in Kota Kinabalu and the neighboring region. 

The most immediately intriguing distinction of the Bajau living on the water is the design of their homes and the interconnectedness of their communities. Each home is built on stilts above the shallow water and is connected to other homes via bridges. The water is truly part and parcel of these communities, and as such many Bajau have become skilled in spearfishing and can hold their breath for upwards of five minutes at a time - a possibility that is made possible from larger spleen sizes, as studies suggest. They also rely heavily on small sailboats called teba-teba (I am not sure if this is an instance of reduplication in their native language) to get around and to go on fishing trips. This adaptation to and control over the environment in which they live yields many positive results, but also places them in a precarious position elsewhere. It is important to shed light on this other side of the story as well to more fully understand their place in Malaysian society. 

Living under the aforementioned conditions in water presents serious problems for the Bajau in terms of interacting with the modern Malaysian state. Some villages have been referred to as "water slums" because of the presence of trash and the cramming of homes into tight quarters within them. Moreover, not every village has access to schoolteachers, healthcare, or other basic amenities and as such disadvantage the communities tremendously in their development and possibilities. Those that interact with the communities in-shore, especially Kota Kinabalu, are often exploited for cheap later or, worse yet, at risk of facing legal issues purely based on their citizenship (or complete lack thereof in the case of many stateless Bajau). Poverty is rampant and incidents of crime involving Bajau are not unheard of. That said, centuries of living in isolation in such a distinct environment cannot be undone overnight, and local and state governments in Malaysia are trying to create policies to accommodate and integrate these populations into Malaysian society more fluidly. Though the numbers of those living in water is decreasing, there are still hundreds of thousands of Bajau living across the Sulu Archipelago in the Philippines and into East Malaysia and Indonesia.

(Image: https://loveandroad.com/bajo-tribe-sea-gypsy-wakatobi-indonesia/)

While I have focused mostly on those Bajau living in communities in the sea offshore coastal cities and towns, there are also several communities that live on land in Sabah. These communities are renowned for having extraordinary skill on horseback and for dressing horses in traditional cultural attire. They also live in homes raised by stilts, but will often build two floors - one for their horses, and the above one for them to live in. It appears as if this community is more integrated with surrounding communities (Malaysian and indigenous alike), which is likely due to increased exposure and proximity.

All things considered, I really enjoyed delving into Malaysian culture more deeply through this cultural artifact and focusing on Borneo. The Bajau raise many interesting questions regarding the place of indigenous groups in the modern nation state. To learn more about them, see this interesting Youtube video and refer to the sources listed below. 

(Image: https://hiveminer.com/Tags/bajau%2Ctamubesar) 

Sources (and Further Reading Material):

https://www.atlasofhumanity.com/bajau

https://www.thevintagenews.com/2018/12/11/bajau-people/

https://www.straitstimes.com/asia/sabahs-water-villages-living-on-the-fringe

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/travel/travel_news/article-3436939/Fascinating-images-reveal-nomadic-life-water-Borneo-s-disappearing-sea-gypsies.html

https://loveandroad.com/bajo-tribe-sea-gypsy-wakatobi-indonesia/

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Link to Parasite trailer:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5xH0HfJHsaY

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I am very passionate about food and the ways that it connects people. Each dish has a different flavor, evoking all spectrums of emotions like excitement and disgust. When I am on Youtube, I frequently watch videos of people tasting food that is nonexistent in their culture. One Youtuber that I watch pretty often is DigitalsojuTV, who frequently invites Koreans to try foods such as American BBQ. One particular episode, in which the youtuber invites North Korean refugees to taste American dishes, caught my attention because North Koreans and Americans are polar opposites of one another culturally.

            This video was very informative for numerous reasons. First, I learned the preference of North Koreans when it comes to food. Second, I learned about North Korean table manners and other cultural norms that were influenced by propaganda. Third, I learned about the different sauces that I can incorporate when eating dishes such as pulled pork sandwiches.

            I wasn’t very surprised when I learned about North Korean preference for meat. When these refugees were still in North Korea, they had to eat pork, dog, and rabbit. Many people may shudder at the thought of eating dogs as Americans raise dogs as companions, but eating dogs was a means for survival. The North Korean refugees talk about how it wasn’t normal in North Korea to view dogs as companions as these animals were eaten after months of care. After eating the dogs, they would sell the fur back to the government. North Koreans were also not allowed to eat beef due to the limited supply of oxen. Oxen were precious to the country because it was the main means of farm work. If caught, North Koreans would be shamed and executed by the government.

            This video also touched upon lifestyle differences between North and South Koreans. According to some of the refugees, they thought they had “traveled 40 years into the future” upon landing in South Korea. Compared to their former country, South Korea had so much technology, sanitized facilities, and freedom to speak and act in ways that the refugees could not in the past. Unlike South Koreans, the refugees would never abandon leftovers from a restaurant. Rather, they would take the leftovers home because the amount of food is “something to die for” back in North Korea.

            This Youtube video reminded me that people with vastly different views, lifestyles, and culture exist even though we speak the same language. It reminds me that the two Korean governments have long ways to go to bridge the cultural and national chasm that was caused by the Korean War. Despite knowing all these differences, I am relived and glad to know that these two countries share a common language that can help pave the path to peace. It is hangul that allows us to press forwards towards unification and to compromise so that future generations in both nations can thrive.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T0TYCEXmi90

K-pop is one of the biggest culture exports from Korea. It is a huge industry in Korea and many teenagers in Korea and other countries have the dream of becoming a K-pop star. However, the candy-colored sheen coats a sinister underbelly with ugly truths about K-pop. Sulli was a famous k-pop star in Korea who recently committed suicide. The death of Sulli turned the spotlight on the darkest corners of the highly pressurized industry. Sulli was a former member of the group f(x). She had spoken publicly about her mental health problems. Authorities said she was suffering from severe depression and are investigating suicide as a possible cause of death. Sulli had been targeted by online abusers, often from anonymous male fans enraged because Sulli refused to conform to social norms. Her “crimes” had included live-streaming a drinking session with friends and her decision not to wear a bra in public. She expressed her views about what was intrinsically wrong in our society about how female stars are supposed to behave. She broke other taboos including hosting a TV show about how online abuse had contributed to her anxiety disorder and social phobia, in a country with a strong cultural resistance to discussing mental illness.

Almost all k-pop stars are put through a gruesome training schedule as they pass along the procedure of debuting in new girl and boy bands. Younger stars and trainees are subjected to strict controls over their private lives, including bans on dating, restrictions on mobile phone use and expectation that they will be willing to sacrifice their health to achieve the desired image set by the company.

Sulli was 11 when she began her career as an actor, before making her K-pop debut in 2009 for f(x), who quickly became one of the country’s most popular girl-bands.

Many k-pop stars who debuted at young ages suffer from depression and anxiety because they go through adolescence without experiencing genuine friendships and stability with peer groups.

A number of k-pop stars and Korean actors/actresses have killed themselves in the last decade. Jang Ja-yeon took her own life in 2009, leaving a seven-page letter in which she claimed she had been the victim of sexual abuse and exploitation by influential politicians, business and newspaper executives, and industry figures.

The K-pop star Jonghyun, whose real name was Kim Jong-hyun, killed himself in December 2017; the singer and actor Goo Hara, once part of the girl band Kara, apologized to fans after being found unconscious at her home earlier this year.

Sulli’s death has intensified demands for government action against bullying on popular internet portals where users are able to comment anonymously.

Freedom of expression is a vital value in a democratic society, but insulting and hurting someone else’s dignity is beyond that limit. I believe that there should be harsher penalties for those who violate that law.

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This week I attended both Wednesday and Saturday classes, so I definitely feel like I have learned a lot this week. 

First of all, outside the class, I have started watching a few Korean dramas, mostly romance dramas, since I think the words and sentences used in there are easier to understand and don’t contain too much jargon. I learned a few common phrases. For example, “여보세요” is what people say when answering a call. I was wondering about the origin of this word, so I did a little digging. I found a great youtube video explaining it. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oPL4V1eCGqo. This phrase means “Hello” but it is almost only used when you answer the phone. 여보세요 is originally the combination of 여기 and 보세요, which means “Look here.” or “Hey, look.” and even though it’s mostly used when you are answering the phone, 여보세요 or 여기 보세요 can also be used when you want to start talking to someone and show your frustration, like “Hey, look.”  

The youtube channel that posted this video has other similar video and I think this can be very helpful to learn some common phrases. Watching Korean dramas mostly have improved my knowledge and understanding of the Korean culture. The dramas I watched have settings in college and also working environment. Alcohol seems to be a very important part of all social life and networking in Korea. In the drama, coworkers would organize get-together after work and it’s usually at a beer place or Korean barbeque place where a lot of drinking is involved. Also, they would switch to a different place to start another round of drinking if the first round involves eating. When the characters in the drama get home, the first thing they do is to get a can of beer from the fridge and start drinking, especially the male characters. It seems like beer is a very important part of younger to middle-aged korean’s life, at least from what I see in the dramas. Also, hierarchy is clearly present in all the shows I have been watching, no matter what the setting is. In the college setting, students are not supposed to disobey professors or offer an opinion different from their professor’s because that would be considered disrespectful. The main character in the show Cheese in the Trap got an unfair grade because of the professor’s prejudice and ridiculous policy. But she gave up on arguing with the professor to get a better and fair grade. I’m currently in the process of trying to get the shows in Korean and English/Chinese subtitles so I can both understand and also see what the Korean characters are.

In this morning’s class, we did the 369 game in the class where we got to practice counting in Korean with both Korean and sino-Korean system. In addition, we did a new exercise I haven’t done before. We went over the song Arirang and then wrote down the song while sing/saying the lyrics. I’m actually surprised about how much I learned from this song. Even though I already kind of knew the lyrics, transcribing them down word by word from the phonetic sounds is actually quite different from reading the lyrics. I learned so much more about pronunciation in relation to word structures. I would like to continue doing similar exercises.

If I have received a research grant to conduct a linguistic study of Korean and its culture, I would like to study the difference in Korean usage between North and South Korea. North and South Korea has been divided since 1945 after World War II. During this period of separation, linguists and historians from both sides decided to create a dictionary of the Korean national language together. But the two regions still developed distinctive dialects and words usage overtime. For example, South Korean has more borrowed words from English compared to the North. South Korean call their language Hangul while in North Korean call it Joseon-gul. And there are many more differences in pronunciations. I would like to start from researching the existing differences and what would be the possible causes behind. It would also be useful to look into how linguists from both sides tried to keep the language and means consistent over the years. In class we discussed how geography and culture would shape a language, so North and South Korea offered perfect example on how a same language would develop differently under regional and cultural influences. 

If I’m going to do linguistics, I would do Korean and Korean culture. First, I will investigate the origin of Korean, such as who created the language, what language family it belongs to, whether there are other branches and so on. Hangul is the language used in Korean, created by King Sejong, the fourth emperor of Korea (1418-1450), it was published in October 1446.Many of the words in Korean come from Japanese and Chinese, because the languages of these countries originated from ancient China.

And then I'm going to look at the structure of Korean, this includes how vowels and consonants are combined, and how words are structured. In ancient times, the correct pronunciation of Hangul has 28 letters; Modern Korean has a total of 24 letters, 14 consonant letters and 10 vowel letters. The phonetic structure of Korean is simpler than that of indo-european. Each Korean character represents one syllable and each syllable has up to four phonemes. The structure of each character consists of up to five letters, which form the shape of a square character, so that it can be used together with Chinese characters. It is easy to learn the correct pronunciation of the alphabet, and its form is very consistent with the logic of phonetic structure, so it is called one of the easiest to learn and most scientific characters in the world.

Finally, I will study Korean grammar and culture, since the most important grammatical expression of Korean is in the suffix of words. I will classify the use of suffixes and use objects and situations. South Korean culture is obviously influenced by China, as early as the tang period, the Korean peninsula's ghost the special messenger to China to study Chinese culture and the strategy of governing the country, there are some things after copying to take back after "localization" absorption for their own culture, China's cultural influence to Woosong countries is very long, ghost also because of absorption of Chinese culture and strong unity on the Korean peninsula.

For these past two weeks, I focused on learning Korea’s government system through a drama series called Chief of Staff. Netflix is currently airing the drama’s second season as the first series received outstandingly positive reviews. I was one of the enthusiasts that loved the drama. I loved the drama because I can follow the plot very easily and I learn a lot. I learn difficult vocabulary words and the ways to apply them in day to day conversations.

The usage of hangul in the drama is more difficult than some of the words that I’ve studied in the past. This is because the story is told from a politically savvy Chief of Staff. The terms used in this drama relate to political policies and positions, different districts in Seoul, and socioeconomic class. I found myself reading the subtitles more when watching this drama compared to when I watched other Korean movies and drama. I had to pause the drama often to make sure that I understood the conversations. This is because I wanted to follow the plot as accurately as possible. I think that my ability to understand the vocabulary words will improve substantially with constant exposure to the material.

The week ending on November 16^th was full of highlights. The University of Richmond celebrated Asia Week, in which students displayed and took pride in their Asian dances, calligraphy, food, music, and etc. One of the highlights of Asia Week was the Festival of Lights, where different student organizations allowed students to participate in different activities. I was very proud that the university was taking its initial steps to recognizing and highlighting some of its more diverse facets.

When I was at the Festival of Lights, I visited Korean American Student Association’s booth. At this booth, they played trivia games with students and gave them prizes if they answered a certain number of questions correctly. I answered three answers correctly and was given my favorite instant ramen brand as a prize. Besides the prize, I was very proud that the Korean American Student Association was partaking in this event because I was once the Vice President of the club. When I was Vice President, the club did not have the resources to spread Asian culture to the extent that the student organizations did this week. This even made me think about how far we’ve come as a student body and how there’s still more work to be done.

This event was also an opportunity for me to meet like-minded Koreans that could speak hangul proficiently. Although I tried my best to speak hangul, I still felt awkward because I haven’t held a conversation in the language for over a week. This reminded me to constantly practice conversation. I will continue to practice with my peers during lunch and with my family through the phone or instant messaging. I hope to produce authentic artifacts that shows a substantial amount of conversation.

An essential part of Korean culture is food. I grew up eating Korean and American food, so the Korean food that I grew up eating will always feel familiar to me. About a year ago, my mom discovered a YouTuber called The Korean Englishman. His name is Josh, and he makes videos about Korean culture. He is fluent in Korean and English, so he is fully immersed in both cultures. His most popular videos highlight Korean food and him and his friends trying crazy Korean food challenges, such as fire noodles (spicy ramen) or a gigantic red bean ice dessert. He is extremely popular among Koreans and people of all cultures. I mentioned him to my friends from Yonsei, and they knew about him.

My favorite video of his features him and his friend Dan, who is also fluent in Korean. In this video, they eat at Kimbab Heaven, a restaurant near Korea University, as they discuss how they became fluent in Korean. They both studied at Korea University as exchange students. I like this video because they give a lot of good information for people who want to learn Korean. I appreciated them sharing their stories of when they first came to Korea and how they managed, even though they knew very little Korean.

I was surprised to learn that they only studied the Korean language for two years: one in London and one in Korea. However, when they returned to London, they studied Korean history, literature, etc. An important quote from this video that I still remember is, “In order to speak good Korean, you need to understand the culture.” I often mention this in my learning journals, having first learned this concept from this video. Even in my early Korean language studies, I have seen how Korean history has influenced how the language is written and spoken.

It was also interesting to learn that Korean food played a big role in their language abilities. This is because they learned about Korean culture through its food. They also became friends with native Korean speakers while eating Korean food. This helped them learn common expressions that are used every day.

I relate with what they were saying about learning a language via studying versus simply living with people who speak that language. I studied Spanish in the classroom for 8 years, but a week in Peru taught me more than a year in the classroom. Language immersion is one of the quickest ways to learn a language. Furthermore, languages are not meant to be learned in isolation. People learn languages in order to use them in the real world and communicate with people in a new way.

I watched this video for the first time about a year ago. I was pleasantly surprised to realize that I understood more Korean watching it again now. I still rely on the subtitles, but I am able to pick out a few Korean words here and there that I understand.

Next semester, I will be studying abroad at Yonsei University in Seoul, Korea. If I get the chance, I definitely want to visit Kimbab Heaven!

https://youtu.be/ISj9zv62LrA

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I am becoming much more familiar with reading Korean. Many of my Facebook friends post status updates in Korean, but I have never been able to read it before. Now, I am actually able to read what is happening in their lives! I also learned some Korean slang from their posts. I am more interested in learning everyday phrases that I will use often, rather than vocabulary from scholarly sources. However, I often read Korean words without knowing what they mean. There are a few times when I can read the Korean words and actually understand them. I am still happy with my progress, because I have the basis for learning more Korean vocabulary quickly and efficiently. I often think of learning a new language as opening a door that I could not before and seeing what lies behind. At this point in my Korean language learning process, I feel like the door is open just a bit and I am excited to see more of what’s inside.

Quizlet has proven to be very helpful in expanding my vocabulary. Last week, I was focusing on basic vocabulary words, such as “food,” “age,” “hobby,” and “family;” and basic conversational phrases, such as “excuse me,” “I’m sorry,” and “I will eat well.” It is interesting that I am finding it easier to hear the Korean word or phrase and give the English translation than vice versa. I suspect this is because there is something in between my memory of the Korean words and my ability to say them. Since I can understand Korean when it is being spoken to me, I know the words and what they mean. However, I have difficulty thinking of them in my head and saying them. Writing this reflection has made me realize that I am first becoming more comfortable with reading and listening. My writing and speaking skills will improve more as I progress.

I am still developing my ear for hearing sounds that are in Korean but not in English. During these past two weeks, Jenna was teaching me how to say “___ years old” in Korean. It was challenging for me to hear how some of the words were pronounced. This is especially due to the fact that many Korean words are technically said one way, but in reality, Korean speakers do not enunciate them. This is an important part of learning a language, because sometimes, native Korean speakers will not understand a foreigner who says something in Korean technically how it is supposed to be said. While this makes it confusing to remember how words are written versus how they are pronounced, the purpose is to make Korean words easier to say. When the Korean language was being created, it was done so that Korean speakers would not have to put in too much effort into saying the words.

I have achieved my goal of becoming more comfortable with reading and writing Korean letters. Moving forward, I want to learn more basic vocabulary words and phrases. I will continue to use Quizlet to commit these to memory. I will also take time to read my friends’ social media posts in Korean.

Last week, we went over the number systems in Korean, learning how to say and read all the numbers. This was very basic introductory level material, but I think there was value in reviewing it. So, there are two systems of counting numbers in Korean, and they are used for different purposes most of the time. I had no idea but telling the time is actually the one exception for this. Telling the time uses a mix of both systems. I was surprised. This whole time, I’ve been saying the hours and minutes without ever realizing that I was using both systems. We use the Sino-Korean system, which originates from China, for minutes, and we use the native Korean system for the hour. I found this to be very interesting. In general though, the Sino-Korean system is typically used for the names of the months, money, measurements, phone numbers, and more. The Korean system only goes up to 99 and is used for counting people and objects and just counting in general.

We also briefly went over a few common counters, which are nouns you use along with the thing you’re counting. For examples, in English, the “slices” noun in the phrase “two slices of bread” would be the counter. In Korean though, there are counters for almost everything. Depending on the thing we’re counting, the counter we use for it and also the number system used changes. The ones we went over during the lesson were very basic, so I went ahead and reviewed some of the more harder ones to remember. Some of the ones I have trouble remembering are 채, 두름, 단. 채 is used for counting buildings, 두름 is used for counting bundled objects, and 단 is also used for counting bundled objects. For the counters, 자루 (trees), 그루 (long objects), 켤레 (shoes/socks), 권 (books), I tend to unknowingly just use the basic counter for some reason. For instance, I would just say “연필 한 개” for one pencil instead of “연필 한 자루.” I will try to use the more appropriate counter when I have to count things.

Also, there are some numbers I just never really use in my daily life, and so I always forget. The numbers I have trouble remembering for the native Korean system are the numbers, 60, 70, 80, and 90. In Korean, they are 예순, 일흔, 여든, and 아흔. I think I normally just use the Sino-Korean equivalent. Another set of numbers I have a lot of trouble with is counting very large numbers like over 100,000. I don’t know why but the separation by 10,000 instead of 1,000 always throws me off and takes me a long time to process. So, 100,000 is 십만 which is 10,0000, and 1,000,000 is 백만, which is 100,0000. Then 10,000,000 is 천만, which is 1000,0000. The 100,000,000 is 억, which is 1,0000,0000. I hear these words very frequently because the Korean bills consist of 1000, 5000, 10000, 50000, which are roughly speaking, 1, 5, 10, 50 in dollars. Since the numbers become large very easily, when I’m back home I become lazy and just ask my mom how much the amount is. I should practice becoming more familiar with extremely large numbers.

If I were given a research grant to study Malaysia's language and culture, I would likely focus my efforts on studying either 1) the heavy dialects of Northwestern Malaysia on the border with Thailand or 2) how indigenous groups on Borneo are using their Malay and how this gets infused with native language and culture. Both of these dialects have come up in my conversations with Melissa, since the former is very difficult for a speaker of 'standard' or 'Kuala Lumpur' Bahasa Melayu to understand (think us listening to a very thick Scottish or Irish accent), and the latter speaks more akin to Indonesian and pronounces words as they are spelled ("boku") rather than with the standard colloquialisms of West Malaysia. In many senses these two distinct foci could not be more different, and if I had to choose I would likely pick the latter and conduct linguistic study in Borneo because it is still far less known and documented than the Malay-Thai one.

It would certainly be difficult to get started, and from the beginning I would make sure that I have a fairly strong handling of Bahasa Melayu before going, in the event that it could be used as a common language. The more organic form of language learning, or learning directly from native speakers and not going off of translation from a mutual language, would likely be too time consuming and difficult for a grant, so having Malay as a mutual language would be very beneficial. I would try to get a contact in the host community to help introduce me and the purpose of my study, as it would make very little sense to go in blind. During all of this, I would also be sure to have a solid grip of the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) and the act of transcribing, as well as recording equipment to perhaps create a digital dictionary as well. 

In terms of what I would investigate, it would most likely focus on grasping concepts of time, place, directionality, etc. in the language in the abstract, as well as discovering which words are used to describe more day-to-day activities such as hunting and the like. I am thinking back to the Namibian Himbas and how this tribe saw colors differently, shedding light on the sheer difference in worldview that can occur. Perhaps living in the rainforest of Borneo could have some sort of sizable effect on worldview that has not yet been recorded. Beyond this larger component, it would be important to uncover the basic structure of the language and determine if it is Austronesian, how it uses lexical and grammatical categories, etc. This is of course a lot of work and I would need to pick one tribe and hone in on their language as well as gain acceptance in shadowing them (as this is a common problem for cultural anthropologists), but the tradeoff could be documenting an endangered language and contributing to the larger scale, worldwide knowledge of linguistic structure and efforts in language preservation as well.