Korean Job Discussion Forums

[sarbonn]

I figure a number of you have probably done a pretty good job at picking up the language. I've finally decided I'm going to pick up this language again. Been kind of avoiding it for the last few months (been kind of thinking I was going to jump ship since I got here, and now I'm past that attitude).

Okay, I used to have a really good understanding of Korean about 20 or so years ago the last time I was here. The Army sent me to Korean language school before I came here. But it's been 20 years, and I barely speak a lick of the language today. I can read it (not necessarily understand what I read), and every now and then entire phrases come back to me, but it's very rare when that happens.

I've picked up books, tried to CDs, but I can't seem to get into this language again.

For those of you who have gotten past the initial struggle, what has been successful for you in learning the language? The "go out in public and speak to people" thing isn't working as that sounds great in theory, but I need to master the basics again, and I'm having a learning curve problem here (part of the problem is that I speak too many languages, and I keep mixing them up as I try to speak Korean...people are getting a little peeved at my Japanese responses to Korean questions).

I would greatly appreciate any advice. I'd take a class, but I barely have any free time these days, and I can't control when that free time is, so scheduled classes are pretty much out of the picture.

[Goku]

Well with all the theories and stuff on teaching etc...

Self-learning is a somewhat different task.


I have a special technique, which I have been thinking about publishing... But I'd rather share this secret than letting it go to waste if I never publish it.

I've NEVER had a knack for language. In fact, I used to be very terrible with it.

However, I developed a method that makes an ease in learning and permanent memory.

My OWN self devised method is utilizing mnemonic techniques from Harry Lorayne and The 2nd principal of Pr. Douglas Brown with Meaningful learning - Learning by association

By these two powers combined you can be Captain language.

GOOO LANGUAGE!!!

The power is yours....

I essentially take no effort to learn Korean, it comes in naturally through visual and verbal techniques. It takes creativity but once you remember something it stays with you forever.

I will show through an example:
The word Sunny is Mal Gun. (I'm going to learn romanization because I am truly lazy and haven't bothered myself to learn the writing yet. I wasn't lying when I said I made no effort to learn Korean)

Broken into two parts you have
1) Mal
2) Gun

You must address MAL GUN two ways Auditory and Visual.

Ok MAL GUN, you need to make an association:
1) MAL
2) GUN

Addressing it auditory first.
THe sound MAL sounds like the word BAD in Spanish. So I recognize the sound immediately. GUN is obvious, An AK47, Berretta, Glock, what have you. So upon hearing the words... I have "pegs" (mnemonics) that I can make associations with.

Now visually.
In order to retain the words meaning, you need to combine all these elements. SO I picture the sun, who is badass (mal) wearing rayban sunglasses, with an ak47 in his hand (gun) shooting sun beams down on the earth.... pew pew pew....

So you have this ridiculous image in your head of a badass sun shooting at the earth with sun beams. Now I can understand how this technique sounds ridiculous and pointless and would ultimately end up confusing you. It doesn't. Your mind has a miraculous way of sorting out the material so that the meaning isn't lost. And you WILL be able to recall faster than you think. I have mnemonics for a whole bunch of Korean words I hear. My Korean friends (and girlfriend) are amazed at how fast I pick up words. Think you can't learn a word only hearing it once? You can. I heard all these Korean words ONLY once before memorizing them: table (Check-san), book(check), check (supio), bathroom (Hwa Jung Shil), experiment (shil-hum), fast (bali), fat (dong dong), etc etc etc...



Here is how it works. My theory: When you learn a new word, you try to create a new synapse in the brain. Now repeating a word till it gets beaten into you is taking an effort to reinforce a synaptic connection again and again. So from Malgun to Sunny, you simply are building up layers of mylein until you can create an instinctive sunny to mal gun reaction. Here's the problem, you are treating MalGun (in your mind) like a synonym for sunny. Your mind is not instinctively associating the Korean word. When you see blaring sunbeams in your eyes the English word SUNNY superimposes itself to your language areas of your brain. You have been trained (like a dog) to produce the English word sunny. To break out of it is HARD because it's become habit.

When you use mnemonic techniques you create several connections from different parts of the brain to link Mal Gun to Sunny (the visual picture). It's like building different "pegs" or memory aids to help you lead to something unfamiliar. You use mental images you are familiar with to help you produce some alien word like MAL GUN. Instead of making that jump from Sunny to Mal Gun.

Think of repeating a word as trying to get from Boston(Sunny) to New York (MalGun) on the one highway. Every time you repeat the word you expand the highway by a lane. You get there faster, less traffic. But let's say there is traffic. You just can't remember. You won't get to NewYork (MalGun).

But by making mnemonic associations you are basically are making way-points for you to follow if you get lost. In addition you are expanding your options by making several new highways to get to new york (mal gun). If you get lost, you can backtrack to an image you are familiar with and try to get to the next city. Also, if you don't remember how to get to get there, you can take another highway you've built.

Now the manifestation of this symbolic meaning of sunny can appear to you in several forms: Reading, Listening, and NEEDING TO CONJURE THE WORD.
Conjuring is the hardest part. When you read the word or hear the word, it's very easy to recognize it means sunny. But wanting to actually produce the word MAL GUN when you know the meaning sunny is the hardest. So your mind will produce a VISUAL representation of sunbeams. If you make associations you will automatically think of the gun, being shot by the badass sun. This reverse chain will lead you to the Korean word "Mal Gun".

My explanation sucks. I will come up with a better one. I'm currently concerned with getting into the shower to go out. I will come back to explain this language technique in better detail.

But it's truly an amazing memory technique. Now I haven't addressed the grammar and how to remember it. I think that's more of an inductive process but again, you need to make associations to things you already know.

Korean is Subject, Marker, Object, Marker, Verb.
This pattern I can associate to like making a line graph. You title your horizontal axis and then label it X. You title your vertical axis and label it Y. And then you draw the line (aka verb) that associates the two.

The metaphor is magical and will help you remember anything. Good luck

[Ukon]

Goku's technique is pretty sound....In my psych courses we were taught the same strategy....Good for volcabulary. There is also a Aspergers syndrome guy who has a book coming out soon...He's mastered something like 10 languages on the side...Many genious people claim they're memory works the same way when they rattle off a string of 50 numbers easily.

Did you study Cognitive psychology by any chance GOKU?

However, Not learning Hanghoul is retarded....the prenouciation of words is extremely difficult to get perfect via romanization....Therefore, nobody understands half of what your saying....For instance Konkuk in Korean is KON DAE...Honggik is HONGDAE. The Romanization in this country blows...I think they change the word when romanize word rather than provideding direct translations.

[Goku]

[Css]

[Css]

Ive never really had success with the word associations thing...Dunno why..and it always seemed like a lot of effort..

I find the best way to learn vocab is to actually use it. Text messages, emails, messenger etc..use it once or twice in conversation and BANG its right there in mah brain.

Self study is really hard thought..for me at least..I find classes are by far the best way..

Self study takes so much discipline

[Ukon]

[Korussian]

[bogey666]

to be honest, I've always found these "word association" games to be completely illogical, annoying and lunatic.

but if they work for YOU, more power to you.

I just memorize what I want/need to memorize.

I haven't put any effort into learning Korean, and I do feel slightly guilty about it, but I can't motivate myself to learn a fairly useless language.

I'd rather put in the time to learn, say Russian.. a vastly more practical language, which will be tons easier for me to learn than Korean.
If I'm going to pound my skull into a brick wall learning an Asian language (which are like Martian languages for Europeans) it may as well be something more useful/practical again - like Mandarin.

what's worked for me re language learning is structured lessons combined with native interaction and active listening to things around you that you may find interesting (I used to listen to Hugo Chavez's cadenas and "Alo Presidente" regularly, it was educational and amusing all at once)

obviously if you're teaching English for 8 hours a day, it's tough to have such an all encompassing approach, yet unless you're incredibly dedicated in your off/free time that's what it'll take.

[Css]

[Ukon]

[coralreefer_1]

Considering your time restrictions, and not getting far with books/cd's , internet study may be more convenient for you, although internet study is not much different that book study. There are many sites you can study Korean online for free, some are better than others. At a minimum you can view the material anytime you want. Some of the better ones are quite elaborate with short animated cartoons introducing the unit's material in a "somewhat" practical environment.

Also, Though this is certainly not a great way to learn Korean, how about going to Youtube and finding all of the "Let's Speak Korean" episodes. You cannot expect to "master" even the basics with the show, but at least you can learn some basic things in a format that is more appealing than staring into a book. A 10 minute episode will teach you a new grammar form and perhaps a few vocabulary words. From that point it is up to you to expand that, change vocab words and make new sentences with the grammar, and use it in everyday life.

Just a thought. Good luck with your studies.

[Zulethe]

If you truly want to learn Korean, there is only the Mormon way. These guys spend a full year or two with a Korean who speaks no English. After one year, most of these guys are semi-fluent. They just blew me away.

It must be noted that many of the ones I met were not having a good time - that's not why they're here - they are completely indoctrinated into the language and culture.

After only a couple of months, they go door to door to Koreans and try to convert them to the LDS.

I'm not a huge fan of the mormans, but I sure as heck respect this part of them.

This takes dedication and discipline that almost all of us lack.

Go Mormans!

[itaewonguy]

get a korean girlfriend who can't speak english very well...

also do a couple classes a week, they have a free one on satudays..

try a language exchange once a week also..
carry a pocket book around with you, learning new words and trying new phrases..

the internet has many free online korean courses.. sogang has one..
yes FREE..

also a korean study book for an hour or two a week, this will slowly get you in the groove , do this for 6 months then pick up the pace..

make the girlfriend and make the effort to learn her language! not the effort to teach her yours!

this is why all the indians, and pakistainis all speak korean fluently..

[Neil]

Never understood the 'useless language' argument.

- export based economy
- despite the cash and efforts 90% of Koreans don't speak English
- unlike Spanish or Japanese which are widely studied outside of countries that speak it Korean is super obscure, only the Korean diaspora can speak it outside of Korea (instead of making the language useless see it as making a speaker of it super marketable)

I worked as a recruitment consultant briefly (terrible job, never try it) and a simple office job would go for say 9 quid an hour, one I noticed had exactly the same duties but asked for a Swedish speaker and was going at three times the rate! and that's Swedish a language more obscure than Korean and a country loaded to the gills with English speakers!