So i just updated to KakaoTalk 3.6 and it's %#@*$^& &^*!$. I'm really pissed off right now, I should have read to reviews before updating. Well there goes my staple form of communication with Korea. Live and learn seems like the appropriate idiom for this situation. By the way it's only affecting the iphone, all the android platform devices seem to be functioning without any issues... conspiracy...? anybody...? I actually do prefer Samsung over Apple, but of course my Galaxy 3S had issues and I had finally given up on it (after sending it back to Verizon 3 times).
Anyway, enough of my crying. This week I'm working on particles and conjunctions. They seem simple enough, I think the hard part is remembering to use the particles in conversation. The interesting thing about conjunction is that they are distinctive in expressing different implications and nuances How many ways does Korea have of saying "And"?.
Anyway I'll list the stuff I've been going over.
(n.) + 에서 - From
(n.) + 부터 - Starting from
(n.) + 까지 - To/Until
(n.) + 에 - At/To, can be used to mark a location/time/situation
그리고 - And/And then (used to link phrases)
그레서 - So/Therefore (used to show a logical relationship between 2 phrases)
하고 - And
(이)강 - And
그렇지만 - And/But/However (State 2 facts with indifference)
그란데 - But/However (Contracts 2 facts (or ideas))
Tuesday, May 14, 2013
Saturday, May 11, 2013
Weak Comebacks
I've been using video chat and messenger clients to talk to native Korean speakers (thanks 종). It has been helping me a lot. My weakest point is having a verbal conversation. The first problem is my listening skills, I find it very difficult to identify words when being spoken to at a normal pace (native Korean speed). My pronunciation needs some work as well. I have found that my biggest issue is that it takes me a very long time to actually put together a decent response during the dialogue. I do not have this issue while writing. I believe that the reason for this is that I have to translate what is being said by the other person in my head, and then translate my English thought back to Korean. While doing this I also have to make sure that I am using correct grammar rules and sentence structure. So I have decided to focus my energy on verbal practice. I have downloaded some simple dialogue mp3's and will be listening carefully while translating them. I think that this will be most helpful because I can pause and replay any part as needed.
On the positive side of things I'm really happy and fortunate to have language partners that I can Skype with. They are really an invaluable and necessary resource.
'Til Next Time.
On the positive side of things I'm really happy and fortunate to have language partners that I can Skype with. They are really an invaluable and necessary resource.
'Til Next Time.
Monday, May 6, 2013
TTMIK Level 1 Complete
I'm feeling productive today because I finished the "TalkToMeInKorean" level 1 grammar course, lessons 1-25. I took me about 2 days to complete but that's considering the fact that each lesson is really short and I was familiar with most of the information. Still, I did make sure to take extensive notes, which took up the majority of the time. I'm far away from current goal, which was to start from scratch and master the fundamentals of Korean. I have to say it has already been paying off a lot, especially when I realized how many simple things I forgot about. Somehow I've felt extremely motivated these last couple days, and anybody who's tried to learn a new language knows that it is important to take advantage of those moments. So now that I finished the "TalkToMeInKorean" level 1 section I plan to dig into some beginners books to reinforce what I've learned. I'll be using the first book I ever started with. It's actually book used by Korean elementary school kids and I feel really lucky to have it. My friend's mom (who gave me the book) took me through about half of it a couple years ago and I didn't realize how valuable this book and her guidance were until I was left to self-study.
The hardest part of my self -study journey this time around was making an actual decision and commitment to start from the very beginning. I thought it would be tedious and boring, but I'm actually having a a lot of fun. I never really thought about it, but in the past I was not enjoying myself. I was just studying like a robot. That probably explains why I took long vacations from learning Korean.
The hardest part of my self -study journey this time around was making an actual decision and commitment to start from the very beginning. I thought it would be tedious and boring, but I'm actually having a a lot of fun. I never really thought about it, but in the past I was not enjoying myself. I was just studying like a robot. That probably explains why I took long vacations from learning Korean.
Saturday, May 4, 2013
Book Review: First Step in Korean 하국어 입문
This is my first extensive book review. I was cleaning my room and I happy to find a couple Korean language books that I had long forgotten about. I will be going through them periodically and reviewing them
Title: First Step in Korean 하국어 입문
Publisher: Kyung Hee University
Like the title suggests book is designed for beginners. Personally I would label this book as an intermediate beginners book. The only reason I say this is because from my own personal experience I began learning Korean from an actual children's school book. Not only does it cover language but it touches upon culture too. Although this book is packed with useful information, I have to say that the lessons can become dry at certain points. The authors did not go especially out of their way to make it a "fun" learning experience. In my opinion this book is most effective as a supplement to learning. I would not recommend using it as a core resource for learning Korean. As a core resource I believe that a website with organized lessons and a variety of multimedia is best (http://www.talktomeinkorean.com/). It should be noted that all books suffer from the absence one important thing... sound in order to help pronunciation. This is what really makes websites a superior resource. Aside from the drawbacks I do have to say that this book really shines when it comes to dialogue and explaining sentence structure.
Final Verdict: I would not go out of my way to acquire this book. The reason being is because it really offer anything different from any other beginner Korean language book. Most of the information found in this book can be found for free on the internet. If you are fact if you are determined to get a book (which i do recommend), I would recommend an actual text book.
Title: First Step in Korean 하국어 입문
Publisher: Kyung Hee University
Final Verdict: I would not go out of my way to acquire this book. The reason being is because it really offer anything different from any other beginner Korean language book. Most of the information found in this book can be found for free on the internet. If you are fact if you are determined to get a book (which i do recommend), I would recommend an actual text book.
Friday, May 3, 2013
Day 1: Learning Korean
Ok, I have been teaching myself Korean on an off for a couple years now. I don't know nearly as much as i should because I'm so inconsistent. I've decided to commit to studying Korean on a daily basis and I will be starting from the very beginning. I will document my progress in this blog. Aside from language I will also be posting thought on Korean culture, media and anything interesting that I come across.
So now I will share the tools that will be starting out with
This is the book I will be using:
This is a very good book for beginners. If your interested in this book I cannot be of any help to you. This book was purchased in Korea and given to me by a friend a couple years ago. I can tell you that the book is published by "Kyung Hee University Press" and the "Institute of National Learning".
ISBN:
89-8222-047-X
89-8222-046-1
Google Translate:
How to install the "East Asian Language Pack" for Windows 7:
So now I will share the tools that will be starting out with
This is the book I will be using:
This is a very good book for beginners. If your interested in this book I cannot be of any help to you. This book was purchased in Korea and given to me by a friend a couple years ago. I can tell you that the book is published by "Kyung Hee University Press" and the "Institute of National Learning".
ISBN:
89-8222-047-X
89-8222-046-1
Google Translate:
Google translate is a valuable tool for looking up words. If you want to get the most out of it then I suggest configuring your operating system so that you can use your keyboard to type in Korean. If you are using Windows 7 like I am, then you can Google to look up a tutorial on installing the "East Asian Language Pack" and configuring your keyboard to switch between your native language and Korean. I know it sounds like a lot of work, but it's a lot easier then you think and it is definitely worth it.
How to install the "East Asian Language Pack" for Windows 7:
Configuring your Keyboard for multiple language support for Windows XP/Vista/7:
SharedTalk & KaokaoTalk:
This is my favorite resource because it allows you to interact with real people which is extremely helpful.
SharedTalk is a language exchange website created by Rosetta Stone. It is a community of people sharing language and culture.
Here's the link: http://www.sharedtalk.com/
So after you sign up and make some friends, you will need to figure out a way to talk to them. Sharedtalk has its own messaging system but most people prefer to use E-mail or an IM client such as AIM. A popular IM client that Koreans use is called KaokaoTalk and it can be downloaded for free on mobile devices. I have not met any Koreans living in Korea on SharedTalk that do not use KaokaoTalk, so it's your best and it FREE!
Here's a link for more information: http://www.kakao.com/talk/en
Korean Language Websites:
If you don't have an actual book then don't worry because you really don't need one, especially if your just beginning. GOOGLE IS YOUR FRIEND. There are plenty of free lessons and tutorials all over the internet. I suggest using Google and Youtube to find them but I also recommend the following websites.
Talk To Me In Korean:
KBS World:
Thanks for reading. I hope this was somewhat helpful and interesting. This is my first time blogging so hopefully in the future I will improve.
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