Korean Job Discussion Forums

[World Traveler]

I'm beginning to think it's not. Can every child learn the Korean language (or any other language)? Sure. They are learning when they are young (when their brain is adapted towards language learning).

Look at the lifers (including those who have Korean wives and Korean kids). How many can speak Korean? As an overall percentage, very very few. Almost none at all. They have a reason to learn Korean obviously, so why don't they? I think it is because adults are at a severe disadvantage when it comes to learning another language.

A lot of research about the advantage of children over adults in language learning exists within the scientific community. Have you seen it?

This video is really making me think:

"There is a huge variability between individuals. So some people when learning a second language can perceive and produce all the sounds of this second language very fast. They get to it in a few weeks or months. And sometimes it's not possible and some people never get to a good pronunciation of a second language, even after years and years of practice."
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hca8XEEfo_U [5:557-6:25]

My sister has been teaching English for a while now. Same with her husband. They both told me children learn languages better than adults. And I think they would know, as they have had experience teaching hundreds of students.

When I asked her about this, my sister told me it may not be possible for an adult to learn a language. She said the age of starting is very, very important. My sister's husband on the other hand said it is possible for an adult to learn a language, but that the cost will be much higher.

Now I have questions in my head that trouble me.

"Is is possible for me to learn the Korean language?"

"If possible, what is the opportunity cost? How many years? How many thousands of hours? How much heartache and pain? How many thousands of dollars in lost wages? Is the opportunity cost worth knowing a language spoken by less than one percent of the world's population? What will I have to sacrifice in order to learn Korean? What will the benefits be? Will it be worth it? What if I study a long time only to be unable to speak the language (or only to be able to speak it poorly)?"

All of this weighs heavily on my heart.

[IPayInCash]

First and foremost I don't speak Korea but my level is at high beginner. Having said that my level is higher than most foreigners I've met. Most foreigners I've met can read Hangul and that's it. When I ask them why they don't speak any Korean they say 99% of the time it's too hard / they're lazy.

Some adults can't learn Korean? Not buying it. It takes some people more time than others, but everyone CAN learn eventually whether it's 1 year or 7. I've met foreigners that were here a year and can hold a conversation. I've also read people on Dave's talk about foreigners studying relentlessly and still not being able to form a sentence. I honestly call BS on that.

Korean is useful because we're living in Korea. Now if you only plan on being here a year and just learn how to read Hangul that's not that bad. But the lifers that are married or the people in HBC/Itaewon that have been here years and still can't introduce themselves in Korea, it's just sad.

It's the same reason why I did well in Japanese but bad in Korean. It's all about motivation. If you sit down, put in the time (it's HARD work), you can learn Korean.

[World Traveler]

[IPayInCash]

[andrewchon]

I agree with the motivation thing. I've worked with former POWs and they told me that they learnt when their lives were at stake.

[laynamarya]

I think it is largely an issue of motivation. Why do children learn languages so (seemingly) effortlessly? Because they have a strong motivation to do so. If your parents speak English, you NEED to be able to use English to ask for food, tell them you have to use the bathroom, etc. If your teachers speak Korean, you NEED to use Korean to say the same things. If you refuse to use one or the other, your life will be pretty miserable compared to your peers, who are skating along, making themselves heard and understood. So you make it happen.

If you want to learn another language as an adult, especially a category V language, you need a similarly strong motivation. There has to be something you care about enough to put in your 2,200 hours. For a lot of people, especially those living in an urban area, for just a year or two, learning Korean won't make a strong enough impact on the quality of life to put in the time.

But if you live in the boonies, if you have a special interest or hobby that is only offered in Korean, if you're married to a Korean and want to be able to converse without your spouse present, if there is a really cute Korean you know and want to talk to...you can make it happen.

For me, I always thought Korean was an interesting language, so I started studying a little. Then, I married a Korean guy with very involved parents. So I studied harder. Now we have a kid in the Korean daycare system, whose teachers I have to talk to every day. You'd better believe I have motivation to study now.

And the more I learn, the more things I want to know. I want to eat healthy food, so I need to be able to read nutritional labels and recipes. I want to be able to talk to my students' parents instead of going through co-teachers, who may play down the issues or be too busy to call. I want to save money buying secondhand baby stuff, so I'd better join online cafes to find better deals. I want to be able to win arguments with store owners who make mistakes or try to cheat me, I'd better learn how to argue effectively in Korean. All these things improve my life, increase my independence, make our family's life better.

I'm not willing to let my husband live my life for me, so I study Korean.

What's your motivation?

[chrisinkorea2011]

[World Traveler]

Right, but 한자 is not essential from my understanding. Many Koreans can't read it. The younger ones I've talked to said they only had one semester of it in school. Some Koreans can't even write their name in 한자.

[IPayInCash]

[World Traveler]

[r2b2ct]

I knew an American guy who came to Korea for a year and spoke very well by the time he left. Koreans would insist he must be half Korean because of how well he spoke. He had zero exposure to Korean before coming. He would tell me about how Korean is a super easy language to learn because of how some Joseon king invented Hangul. I would roll my eyes.

I have been here for over a year and can barely hold a basic conversation. After a couple minutes I inevitably end up confused.

I do think motivation matters a lot. I have recurring phases where I focus hard for a few weeks then stop trying completely for a few more. This guy focused hard the whole time and practiced every time he had a chance to talk to a Korean because he thought it was fun and easy.

Still, obviously there are varying natural abilities involved and yes children have a huge advantage. I think it's kind of ridiculous to say that an otherwise functional adult can't eventually learn it though.

[mithridates]

Adults are better:

http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg21128224.000-age-no-excuse-for-failing-to-learn-a-new-language.html#.UgboGZK1EXc

[mithridates]

[World Traveler]

What do you think of this, mithridates?
http://www.ted.com/talks/patricia_kuhl_the_linguistic_genius_of_babies.html
In my opinion, Canadians are better at learning the Korean language because they had exposure to French when young. (Every Canadian has 10 years of French instruction at school as a minimum, correct?) Research shows unused brain connections are pruned at around age 16. Those who haven't done another language yet lose that ability (though to what extent I'm not sure).

[World Traveler]