Korean Job Discussion Forums

Qinella · Joined: 25 Feb 2005 Location: the crib

I think it was posted here, but there's a list by produced by some language institute that details exactly what they consider to be beginner, intermediate, and advanced in a language. I'll try to find and link it if I can, or if someone else has it that would be cool.

the_beaver · Joined: 15 Jan 2003

cubanlord · Joined: 08 Jul 2005 Location: In Japan!

then according to that..i am mid intermediate. Shocked

tomato · Posted: Fri Jun 02, 2006 6:38 am Post subject:

Here is how I study Korean:

http://www.eslcafe.com/forums/korea/viewtopic.php?t=31230&highlight=zone++proximal+development

sid · Joined: 02 Feb 2003 Location: Berkshire, England

cubanlord · Joined: 08 Jul 2005 Location: In Japan!

crazylemongirl · Joined: 23 Mar 2003 Location: almost there...

cubanlord · Joined: 08 Jul 2005 Location: In Japan!

props to you guys. I don't forsee myself here in 10 years, hence why I only learn little tid bits here and there. I made it a point to learn enough to where I can survive, get around, etc. without any problems. I am already fluent in two languages and these two languages will carry me a great distance once I return back to The States (as they did before I left). I don't see how Korean will help me in Florida, so I don't try as hard. Smile

I really think it is great that people actually put a foot forward in learning a new language. Call me crazy, but I do feel that everyone should have a working knowledge of two different languages. I think it's good for the mind.

different · Joined: 22 May 2003

How much homework/studying outside of class is there in Sogang's 200-hour Korean courses? Would it be realistic to work and take the course at the same time?

Also, can anyone comment on the quality of Ewha's courses? I've read lots of positive things here about Sogang and some negative stuff about Yonsei, but there isn't much info about Ewha.

Do the answers to these questions depend on the student's level? I'm sure I'd start at level 1 at either place.

Finally, how do the quality Sogang's 60-hour courses and Ewha's 72-hour courses compare to their 200-hour courses?

Thank you

Son Deureo! · Joined: 30 Apr 2003

Peter Jackson · Joined: 23 Apr 2006

I chose high beginner. I wish I could say it was better... Confused

My time in Korea was broken up by a span of two years, then by another year. When I left the first time I was "in a zone" of self study....really whizzing along..then I left. I tried keeping it up, chatting up every Korean I saw...but I gradually lost lots of words and knowledge of grammar.

Now I'm back in a rural town so it is getting better...just don't have the same fervor I had before. Not sure why...

Privateer · Joined: 31 Aug 2005 Location: Easy Street.

robot · Joined: 07 Mar 2006

sogang sounds great.

but i'm working 6- to 14-hour blocks 7 days a week. maybe in the fall...

until then, though, i'd love to join an korean conversation club.

got some nights off, so if anyone's up for it PM me.

& peeping tom, check yr inbox.

ROBT.

kermo · Posted: Mon Jun 05, 2006 7:00 am Post subject:

I just started studying with a student. I've been studying on my own for the length of my stay (a year and three quarters) and I feel I could be doing a lot better.

Well, we had our first lesson today. I suggested that we have a conversation... I'll try to chat about something, and if I make a mistake, he can correct me or suggest something better. Then he talks for a bit, and I listen and make sure I understand.

This led to some interesting discussions about grammar and vocabulary which I had never seen in the books I've studied. It's really nice to be able to just dig into the stuff that seems important at the time instead of having to wade through piles of irrelevant vocab or overly formal grammar.

I made notes, and I'll try to put it to use this week. We're meeting 3 times a week, hopefully. I'll let you know how it goes, or if I am setting myself up for failure.

tomato · Posted: Wed Jun 07, 2006 7:01 pm Post subject:

Research does not seem to provide us with a clearly superior way to learn a foreign language.
That is probably that Nature never intended for us to learn from a single source.
The forest primeval never provided our ancestors with a single book or a single tape player.
Rather, the forest primeval provided us with a variety of experiential stimuli.

Civilization and technology have given us books and tape players, but our brains are still geared for the forest primeval.
A book may list the seven days of the week on one page, but that might not help.
On the contrary, those seven words could interfere with each other.
After all, they come from the same stimulus.
A cassette tape may announce the seven days of the week, but that might not help.
Again, those seven words come from the same stimulus.
So they could interfere with each other.
On the other hand, seven different experiences could help a person learn those seven words quite easily.

Why does a person learn a foreign language better overseas than in the classroom?
The usual answer might be "Because that person is more deeply immersed in the foreign language."
That is undoubtedly a factor, but a better answer might be "Because that person has a wider variety of experiences in the foreign language."

Suppose you told your mom and dad back home that you were going to Korea.
They said, "Fine. We want you to learn the language first."
So they locked you up in your bedroom with a supply of Korean textbooks and cassette tapes.

You would have plenty of time to learn Korean that way.
But the 목요일's will still interfere with the 화요일's.

Now:

What does "꽃" remind you of?
Probably the innumberable flower shop signs which you have seen in Korea.
What does "악" remind you of?
Probably the innumerable drugstore signs which you have seen in Korea.
What does "엄마" remind you of?
Probably the countless children whom you have heard calling to their mommies.
What does "이리 와" remind you of?
Probably the countless mommies whom you have heard calling to their children.
What does "빨리 빨리" remind you of?
Probably this message board right here.

Now think of a word or grammatical point which you have learned from the signs and the memos at your English school.
Now think of a word or grammatical point which you have learned from a Korean song.
Now think of a word or grammatical point which you have had to look up to tell a shopkeeper what you want.
Now think of a word or grammatical point which you have had to look up to tell a taxi driver where you are going.
Now think of a word or grammatical point which you have had to look up to tell the doctor where it hurts.
Now think of a word or grammatical point which you have had to look up to write a letter to someone.
Now think of a word or grammatical point which you have had to look up to understand an English student who was insulting you.
Now think of a word or grammatical point which you have had to look up to cuss out a Korean person you were mad at.

They add up, don't they!
That's because you have a distinct memory of each of those experiences.
But you would not have had any of those experiences locked up in your bedroom.

I'm afraid, then, that there is only one concise way to describe the right foreign language learning strategy:

"many strategies"

Listen to as many people on the street as you can.
Read as many street signs and store signs as you can.
Look for Koreans who are willing to speak to you in Korean.
Speak Korean as much as you can.
For each of these bite-size experiences, look those few necessary words and grammatical points.
Each of those little morsels may not seem like much, but before you know it, they will add up.