Here’s another Skype conversaion video ^^! John joined me and recorded this dialog with me. Thank you John for your time ^_^!
http://kr.youtube.com/watch?v=55bAPvIjuQw
http://www.koreanclass101.com/2008/06/16/beginner-s2-12-with-or-without-you/
Language.
I find it so charming that foreigners can seriously slaughter a common phrase in Korean and still get a nice “한국말 잘 하시네요!”. You just don’t have that in America. Or France for that matter.
In America, even though we recognize that there are more cultures and languages represented here than any other country, we still don’t do so well in being forgiving with our language. We tend to have a mindset that if you are in America, you must speak English. The use of any other language is often subtly considered sub-par, if even acceptable.
It’s a little uncomfortable to admit all that, sure. But Americans haven’t exactly been politically correct despite our long standing history of immigration.
Phonology seems to be be a big part of what is desirable of an English speaker. Oh sure, syntax and a knowledge of the lexicon is nice, but having a heavy accent? “Geez! Go back to <fill in the country of your choice>!” If the supposed critical period (or sensitive period depending on whom you subscribe to) has already come and gone in terms of phonology, then why should foreigners even attempt to learn a new language if they will only receive blank stares are unnecessarily loud Americans in return?
So how come I can smile like an idiot with my electronic phrasebook clasped tightly, sweating bullets, all the while unintentionally murdering this poor taxi driver’s native language and STILL get a compliment? Not sure. Perhaps it goes to show Korea’s understanding of its place in the world. Mandarin Chinese holds the coveted “Most Spoken Language in the World” title with English proudly clutching the silver medal… and the little-country-that-could Korea ranked 22nd. Well, at least they still get to go out for pizza after the game.
Perhaps Koreans really are aware of their small presence in the world. Of course, venturing outside of Seoul might change your mind. It’s not so much the ethnocentricity of it, but there is something almost charming about the 아저씨 who thinks only of life inside Korea.
However, when a foreigner does indeed start to grasp the fundamentals of the Korean language and begins to venture outside of the phrasebook, a whole new set of standards exists. “Well, if this guy can say THAT, then he better well say it using 존댓말.” Granted, this can be a bit stressful at times but knowing that I got through the whole newbie phase unscathed is still something to be proud of. All things considered, I feel that Koreans can be more sensitive to the linguistic needs of foreigners when compared to Americans. Perhaps because of the close proximity and influence (scandal!) of China and Japan?
Many Americans feel uncomfortable when a language other than English is spoken in their presence. There’s that pestering , paranoid thought of “I wonder what they’re saying about me” or “At least have the decency to say it in English!” or even “Can’t this wait until I’m not in the room?”. Koreans, by and large, on the other hand will try their best to communicate even though speaking in English for some can be quite possibly more stressful than meeting new in-laws. Non-Korean in-laws.
Too far?
Regardless of the reason, as a newcomer to the language - rejoice - and be at ease! Most Koreans will likely know more about your language than you know about theirs so sit back, relax, and read those .pdfs!
Thoughts?
Stephanie will be back home in two weeks. This coming week will be her last week to volunteer in the school, so she got many gifts from the children she’s been around. Her favorite foods in Korea are 삼겹살, and 장어 샤브샤브 so far (I’m not really sure what that is but I guess it is popular among the people she is hanging out with).
Last week she went to the market place and saw a 아줌마 killing (filleting) a big live fish on the cutting board. That was really was an interesting sight for Stephanie. She said that the fish didn’t die until the 아줌마 cut the other parts too. She sent a video but it was broken so I can only tease you with her description. Sorry.
She wanted to buy 상 (table) and 가스레인지 for 삼겹살 요리. She thought it would be cool to sit on the 방석 on the floor and cook 삼겹살 on the 가스레인지. We have one of those 가스레인지 and a 돌반 but we haven’t used it in quite some time. We had some friends over and used it for dinner a while back, thinking it would be cool; they thought it was very 촌스럽다.
Stephanie has been very busy so I really don’t get too much news from her. This coming week after she finishes up her lessons at school she will be headed for 부산 to visit some family. She will probably be doing some other touring as well before heading up to 서울. I will keep you posted.
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http://www.flickr.com/groups/koreanclass101/
KoreanClass101으로 한국어를 공부하고 있는 다른 사람들과 나누고 싶은 한국 사진, 한국 음식 사진, 아니면 한국에서 찍은 여러분의 사진을 갖고 계시면, ^^ Flickr의 KoreanClass101 그룹 페이지에 오셔서 올려 주세요! 
Video Games.
Koreans seriously know how to play video games. Anyone young (or old) enough to play the online multiplayer FPS game Counter-Strike will remember just how horrific of a beating they received from anyone with a Korean screen name. Koreans take their video games quite serious. Almost too serious.
In late 2007, Korea received a somewhat unique distinction for opening one of the world’s first boot camps for youths with internet addiction. Many of the participants cited video games as one of the reasons for their addiction (spending upwards of 17 hours a day online). There is also a reported 240 separate Internet-treatment centers sprinkled across Korea to help battle the growing problem.
Goodness, and I thought checking my email twice daily was bad.
It should come as no surprise that Korea reports that over 90% of their residents have regular access to high-speed internet compared to America’s still impressive 75%. Yet, as wired and online as Koreans are, the only American mainstream game to have any real international success is Starcraft, a RTS originally published in 1998(!) that is considered archaic (opps, I meant classic) by today’s standards. Most games today in the American market are fortunate enough to still be played three years after launch; yet in Korea, Starcraft is still worrying Korean mothers as to whether their kid has gone to the PC 방 or not.
Since 2002, Starcraft has been professionally played and set up as a spectator sport. Big name companies like Samsung and SK Telecom have sponsored such cyberathlete teams whose members play on average of 10 hours of gameplay a day (during training) and live in corporate dorm houses with fellow cyberathletes. Such members are not recruited but chosen out of countless applicants. The lucky few who are hired receive a weekly allowance and are monitored by a live-in house attendant (a coach of sorts) and are furthermore discouraged from distractions such as text messaging and intimate relationships. I almost wish I were making this up.
For that matter, I almost wish I were making up this dialogue.
But I digress
Online Korean gaming netted an approximate 2.35 billion USD in 2007 in combined sales. Korean MMOGs have penetrated the international barrier and have effectively oversaturated the American MMOG market; forcing many companies to offer their games for free or with minimal Pay-To-Play features in order to stay financially competitive. A reported 1/3 of the population of South Korea has registered and played KartRider at least once. Even non-traditional gamers have found enjoyment from free, ad-sponsored online versions of 화투 and 윷놀이.
But America isn’t exactly unplugged.
The mind-bogglingly popular American MMORPG World of Warcraft comprises of over 60% of the American online gaming market and boasts a staggering 10 million current subscription base. Not so small potatoes anymore now when compared the 5.5 million current subscription base in Korea. Oh, and the American release of Grand Theft Auto IV secured two new places in the Guinness Book of World Records. One for initial day sales (310 million USD) and another for initial week sales (500 million USD) making it the most profitable entertainment release in history thus far, surpassing the release of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.
It seems that Koreans and Americans differ on a few other things as well.
One distinct difference between Korean gamers and American gamers is demographic representation. While most American gamers fall into the 25-40 age range, the average Korean gamer is barely 17 years old. Another difference lays in the popularity of console video games in America. The Nintendo Wii was officially launched in Korea just last month; almost two years after the North American launch. American console sales outnumber Korea almost 3 to 1 and the trend shows no sign of stopping.
It seems that Korea’s video game focus seems to be on online, interactive, socially-driven games while America favors the pick-up-and-play mentality of the Wii and other games designed to be best enjoyed offline.
I don’t know - it’s not clear on which has the upper hand in the market and whether it really should equate to bragging rights or not. Maybe I should focus more on exactly how I was pwned like a n00b on Sudden Attack last night.
And on that note, I’ll leave you with this:
Thoughts?
Stephanie says it is raining every day and she feels like she is in a 찜질방 all of the time. I am not sure if she likes the weather in Korea or not but she is not complaining about it. Sometimes she mentions that she would prefer to live in Korea. She is getting better at teaching English and the children like her a lot. They like her so much that someone made off with her shoes the other day. I understand that this is a common problem at this particular school because everyone wears expensive shoes. Hers were Converse. She was happy to get the opportunity to go shopping. She picked up some Adidas shoes to replace her Converse.
She admits to having caught 공주병. She says we won’t like her when she comes home because she is so spoiled… She has three more weeks to go… She has settled into a routine that includes some late-night studying of her own. She has been studying Korean quite a bit (I sent her with a mp3 player full of KClass lessons). When she IMs with her mother her Korean typing is pretty good. It makes me wonder how much texting she is doing in Korean…
She had the opportunity to go yachting last week. I don’t think that is helping her with her condition (공주병) but it sure sounds fun. I wonder if she got seasick. She didn’t say. It was probably a nice break from the rainy season weather though. The humidity is the worst part of rainy season. I recall times when it was sunny one minute and before you could get your umbrella up you were wet from the rain. But then the sun would come out again and heat up all that moisture on the ground and create a sauna. Yes, that is Korea in the summer time. Life sounds interesting for 우리 공주님.
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Turns out the fire was on the school’s playground.
Fire drills were always fun when I was a student. It usually meant at least a few minutes out of class. As a teacher, they were a bit more inconvenient. Chances are it would happen right when you were saying something important, or a student was REALLY close to understanding something. If you are not familiar with an American fire drill, let me briefly explain.
At sometime unknown to students (but usually the teachers knew)a bell would ring during classes. We would all line up quietly at the door, and walk outside usually to a field. Then we would stand in line for a few minutes watching everyone file out. The goal was just to practice evacuating quickly and smoothly. Then a few minutes later they would let us back in.
I have yet to see something similar at the school where I am teaching. I’ve heard about practice drills from friends at other schools, but until today didn’t have first hand experience. During second period every student filed out to the field in front of the school. There was a fire truck and some local fire fighters. They introduced themselves and explained what they would be doing.
I noticed a 5-foot tall pile of what looked like bamboo mats and newspaper in front of the students. It couldn’t be that they were actually going to LIGHT A FIRE could it?! My uncertainly was quickly put to rest as sure enough they lit the pile on fire!! Only to immediately douse it with a fire extinguisher, mush to the delight of all students.
It wasn’t over. They lit the fire again, and this time allowed the class presidents to wield the fire extinguishers! Then some first graders had the chance to “play around” with the extinguishers.
They still weren’t finished. The fire was lit a third time so students could experience a fire hose. First the firefighters demonstrated using the hose, and then allowed a few students to hold it.
Now the training session was finished, and everyone went back inside. It left me a bit bewildered. Such a thing would NEVER happen in America. I am reasonably sure that a bunch of fire safety and good common (American) sense was violated today. But at the same time, at least some kids got to practice using a fire extinguisher which is arguably an important skill to have. Maybe if there is a real fire, those kids will know exactly what to do.
(Apologies again to Matthew, for stealing some thunder and using his “How Koreans Do It” category)
I have just returned from teaching english to 승진. The last few weeks I have been teaching him how to spell and write, and as a result he is also learning to read. I still don’t really think I know what I’m doing when it comes to teaching a 5 year old English, but he is doing really really well. He used to attend the pre-school where I work, but it’s been a few weeks, so the only time I see him is at his house on Wednesdays. During our lesson time I only speak to him in English now, because he is understanding well, and I no longer get a chance to speak to him in Korean at school (because he’s not there).
So, tonight, after our lesson he was playing with his brother as we were getting ready for dinner (which was amazing 김치 순재비 - it’s like kimchi noodle soup) he suddenly looks at me with a very confused expression on his face, and asks 근데 한국말 할 수 있어요? (can you speak korean?) to which i answered just 네 (yes). His mother and I both laughed at that and she quickly said 선생이 한국말 잘 해잖아~ 기억 하지? (your teacher speaks korean well, don’t you remember?)
Apparently he’s already forgotten that I used to speak to him in Korean all the time. Children do have short memory spans! He was excited though, and kept asking me all sorts of questions in Korean the rest of the night, though I answered him in English. For my sake, I wish I could only talk to him in Korean, but he really needs to hear proper English (since he is no longer in school and doesn’t have to speak English anymore).
Which brings me to my main point: I have found a Korean tutor for myself! He is a friend from Church who first asked me if I would help him with his English, but it turns out he wants to help me with my Korean. We have been meeting every week and he makes me speak Korean. Every other opportunity I have to speak Korean, I usually end up just speaking English because it is easier and people will still understand me. But he will ask me a question, and if I answer in English he will tell me to say what I just said in Korean. It has been the most helpful thing in all of my Korean studies: being in a situation where I have to speak Korean.
So, if you really want to practice your speaking and sentence forming skills, find someone who either a.) doesn’t speak English, or b.) will not let you speak English. You will be able to speak much better than you think you can if you have to speak Korean.
I hope everyone is having a good week! ^^
오랜만에 비디오를 하나 만들었어요 ^^a
Theresa랑 저랑, Skype에서 만나서 한국어로 이야기한 비디오예요.
It’s a video of Theresa and me talking to each other on Skype.
하지만 사실은 Newbie S2 - 13의 대화 내용을 조금 바꾼 거예요.
But in fact this is a slightly modified version from the Newbie S2 - 13 dialog.
재미있게 보세요!
Enjoy watching!
http://kr.youtube.com/watch?v=cXCDDc67hDo
http://www.koreanclass101.com/2008/06/03/newbie-s2-13-im-not-stupid/
Thank you Theresa for your time!
