Korean Job Discussion Forums

[William Beckerson]

[fena_kopek]

the mistake you are making is that because they are studying for a test in a language you happen to speak ,

is 1. They should be somehow interested in you as an individual .


I can speak English ( almost ) and have no interest in Canada, the US or much about it either. Nor Hoju, New Jilland
nor the English speaking parts of S. Africa . I have dont have much interest in Britain either.

But I am interested in Korean women.

[Gladiator]

A very difficult question to answer neatly in one paragraph.

My theory is that since there is no real cultural content in Korean EFL Koreans will continue to struggle to make intelligent conversation. Let's face it, English here is treated as nothing more than a crude economic tool and applied by most of the population in as purfunctory a manner as C++ on a Unix platform. "Study the language. Study, study and you will master the mighty, mysterious English." This is how Korean English educators indoctrinate their students. English is an academic SKILL, a necessary one like a driving test. The reality that English is a way of life and speaking the language is a portal into another (radically different)culture is utterly lost on them.

Korean and English are such totally different languages imprinting such diametrically opposed world views and values they may as well be martian languages from separate galaxies. Koreans who've never left the country using English typically impose Korean value structures on the language and basically have no idea of the 'life' behind English.

Unfortunately English doesn't exist in such a neat cultural vacuum for the purposes of passing a TOIEC test.

Explaining this is as futile as rapidly kissing a brick wall with your forehead.

[fena_kopek]

Good point..but dont see how a language like english and the myriad of speech communities it has can imprint a single world view can be a correct statement.


However, the point is they study for the test. Why should they be SO interested in other cultures by the way ? Dont notice many people in Canada, Britain or New Zealand getting into Japanese culture in any major way, for example.

The fact is they are not interested in other cultures as most people realise after living in Korea. The other fact is English is the dominant world language and they feel FORCED to learn. Ever felt forced to study Korean ? Try , it'll really make you interested in Korean culture, NOT.

Koreans are a simple people, happy hanging out with each other , drinking and eating. They are victims of the Park Chong hee mentality that they should become world beaters, thus the current English (test) mania.
Becoming the best means TAKING OVER THE OTHER LEADERS; Of course, if the koreans were clever, they'd learn the leaders culture, gain their confidence and they overtake.
Koreans haven't worked this simple idea out,
and are thus condemned to sup with Bushee and the G8 from afar.

[tomato]

[fena_kopek]

186 was probably England.

[tomato]

Here's how I would answer Rapier's question:

When I express unwillingness to speak English with Koreans, I often get the response, "But Koreans don't see foreigners very often! So they don't get very many chances to practice English!"

What does that tell you? Well, first of all, that I'm selfish! But it also shows that Koreans don't practice English with each other. In fact, they don't even realize that they can practice English with each other!

I have yet to see a Korean English teacher who keeps it all in English. English is spoken when one is reciting from the textbook, performing a question-and-answer drill, or memorizing a song--but never at any other time.

For example, two kids were fighting over a chair, so the Korean teacher told them to settle the matter by playing kawi bawi bo--even though all the kids in the class knew the words "scissors, rock, paper."

Why don't Koreans realize that they can practice English with each other? Probably because they've been a hermit kingdom for so long that they don't even know what a foreign language is!

South America seems to have more foreigners per capita, and, moreover, foreigners from more different countries. When I was in South America, I spoke Spanish to many different countries because that was the only language which we had in common. No one batted an eye, because everyone realized that any two people who knew a language could converse in that language.

On the other hand, imagine yourself meeting a native speaker of a third language and speaking to that person in Korean. That would create a spectacle!

Foreign languages are taught at an insane pace in Korea. On a couple of occasions, I have tried to study a third language in a Korean hagwan. I had to drop out because I couldn't stand the frenetic pace.

I don't see how TOEIC students can stand it. If I were expected to learn grammar rules number 213, 214, and 215 at a bang-bang-bang tempo, I'd go crazy.

Korean foreign language teachers stick to the textbook and don't bring in enough other stimuli. As Weatherman pointed out, there are many ways to use a language. Is the lesson on prepositions? Then sing, "There's a hole in the bottom of the sea"! Is the lesson on dependent clauses? Then recite, "This is the house that Jack built"!

If the students see and hear a variety of stimuli, they could remember the content better than if they saw it all on the same two-dimensional surface. That's one reason that we all learn foreign languages better overseas than at home.

[Gord]

[gatohorrible]

Shouldn't the title of this be

"Why can't Spaniards speak Mongolian' or
'Why can't Hutus speak Romanian '?


I thought people only 'spoke' another language when they needed to. I can't recall any situation in Korea where USING 'English' would be necessary except for the World Cup. Oh, maybe with the tourists...ahh they re Japanese..

[HardyandTiny]

I was doing some searches and I came across this one.

Make me wiser. I have very little knowledge about learning a foreign language.

If an adult Korean sat down each day and spent one hour in self-study practicing English from a reputable textbook (is this the problem?) offered at the major bookstores couldn't they get a "good grip" of the language without shelling out the hundreds of dollars that they do?
Okay, listening comprehension! Right. A few audio tapes and then maybe after the books and the tapes they need some real interaction at an advanced level with a native speaker, or maybe to actually visit a place where people speak the the language?

Why is it so difficult?
Is it more about rapid development? The idea that if you get it young you then can do something else?
University?

[leeroy12]

[simon77047]

After reading these many posts about why Koreans can't/won't learn English I felt compelled to offer an observation. I have been teaching the children (and their friend's children) of a University Professor (he teaches English) and his wife (she speaks English fairly well) twice a week for the past five months. They want their children (two sons, ages 12 and 9) to be able to speak English as they (the entire family) will be going to an English speaking country in December. I have been doing games, text books, role play, free talk, etc., to try to get them interested in learning, but after these five months I don't seem to be making much progress. Yes, they know I am, s/he is, it is, you are, etc., but they have major problems speaking English. About a month or so ago I asked the mother to speak more English in the home with herself, dad, and the kids. Do you think they do that? Of course not. Even though the parents think it is important, and they both can speak English, it is not a priority. They, like most people, get bogged down with the daily routines and English becomes something they may think about, but don't do anything about. It's not because they don't care, cause they do, it's just that it's easier to pay someone to do the work for them and then they will have someone to blame when all of the money they've paid has been for nothing. Hence, the hogwons, the places where kids are sent to learn. So I guess the score is: utility: 0 appearance: 100. Just my observation.

[Corporal]

[Gord]

[Corporal]

Sorry, I don't constantly read and re-read messages in the hopes that someone will have posted to me. Therefore sometimes I don't see things till quite a bit later. Cheers.