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Blog 4: Link Blogging- Collier
For a long time, I have been interested in Korean culture and language. I wanted to learn Korean when I was in high school, but it was not offered at my school. I was planning to start learning Korean in college, but I became impatient, and I started self-teaching myself. I wanted not only to become fluent in the language, but to also learn about the culture of people in Korea.
Approximately, 50.2 people live in Korea. Worldwide, Korean is spoken by about 80 million people.
As I was starting to learn Korean, I needed to learn the Korean alphabet, because the characters used in the Korean language are very different than those used in English.
http://www.linguanaut.com/korean_alphabet.htm
There were many things that helped me learn grammar, expressions, and vocabulary, such as websites like these:
http://www.talktomeinkorean.com/
https://www.youtube.com/user/fluentkorean
https://www.youtube.com/user/sweetandtasty/videos
It also helped to watch Korean dramas and movies from websites such as these:
By watching famous Korean dramas, I was able to learn a bit about the Korean culture and pick up some words and phrases including slang while having fun. The same could be said for listening to Kpop, or Korean Pop. By listening to many common phrases in pop songs, I was able to pick up a few things. I also sang along while looking at the Korean lyrics to help me read Korean faster.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6SwiSpudKWI
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pjnEeYAn4SQ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=prurE5jKrBg
In addition, I went to a convention last year called “Kcon” which included not only a Kpop concert, but a Korean culture festival as well.
http://kconusa.com/program#program-list
Many booths were set up that taught attendees about Korean food and culture.
Additionally, I am interested in learning how to make Korean food, and this youtube channel helped me out a lot:
https://www.youtube.com/user/aeriskitchen
I hope that someday, I will be able to be fully immersed in the Korean culture by studying abroad at Yonsei University in Seoul. After all, the best way to learn a language and learn about a different culture is to be surrounded by it.
Museum of Man- Balboa Park
Last Saturday, our dorm went to Balboa Park to be exposed to different languages and cultures in the museums. In the Museum of Man, there was an exhibit on Mayan culture and there were many places where the Mayan language was displayed.
There were also exhibits that had to do with Egyptian culture. There were mummies on display and there were tablets that showed hieroglyphics and Mesopotamian language.
Not only this, but there was an area of the Museum of Man devoted to beer and how it is made. There was a wall with the word “beer” in many different languages and a bar with bottles of beer from around the world all over the shelf.
After going to the Museum of Man, we went to the Instruments of Torture Exhibit. Most of these instruments were used in Europe, and were used for even the smallest crimes. It was interesting to see how punishment has changed over time and I am glad it changed so it is less harsh. There was a map of the world that showed that in most of today’s world, it is illegal and immoral to torture people the way they were tortured in the past.
Going to Balboa Park has made me realize what a diverse world we live in. It was eye-opening to learn about different cultures and languages and their history. I admire how so many cultures are represented all in one place.
-Meg Collier
GenS_100 Calling a Relative
I called my relatives, and since they are British, their word choice and accent are different from those who were born and lived in America their whole lives.
I noticed they tend to use the word “pail” more than they use “bucket” even though they use both. When they answer the phone, they don’t say “What’s up?” or “What’s good?” Instead they’ll say “You alright?” That’s the way people in England also greet each other even when they aren’t on the phone. Usually they won’t say soda or pop, and they’ll say fizzy pop instead. They never use “hella,” but they did tell me about some interesting slang from England. My cousin told me when people are typing online, they will use “babes” a lot. Saying the words “crap” and “piss” in England is worse than saying them in America. When describing something that belongs to them, instead of using “my,” they will tend to use the word “me.” For example, when we were talking about school, my cousin said “I almost left me bag in the house.”
When my family in England pronounce “pool” and “pull,” and “feel” and “fill,” the words sound really different. When they say “bad” and “bat,” the words sound similar, but “bot” sounds different. “Caller” and “collar” sound pretty similar.
Through my visits to England and conversations on the phone with my relatives, I’ve noticed the word choice between Americans and the English can differ a lot.
-Meg Collier
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