My Korean Learning Journey

I have MOVED

2009-08-02T14:00:00.001+08:00

Hey guys! Thanks for visiting! I have now moved (: Do check out my new site. You can find the latest K-Pop news, korean learning resources, my korean learning journey etc at the new site.

Use the main menu on the left to navigate to the respective sections!^^

HANGUKDRAMA NEW SITE

A quick update

2009-07-22T11:19:00.001+08:00

Sorry for being M.I.A for a week. Having too much things to do and too little time. I’ll be sharing some more Korean learning tools in the upcoming days and probably I’ll do a short Korean recording on my own! Inspiration from Cathy and Nicole. XD

Yep, I’m in the library right now and I shall hit the books. Will be back with more stuff soon, I promise (:

Malaysia to teach math and science in Malay: progress or a backward move?

2009-07-15T10:42:00.001+08:00

Articles of Interest: Malaysia drops English to teach Math and Science , Malaysia to end teaching math and science in English

According to one of the articles,

Malay will be reinstated in state-funded schools starting in 2012 because teaching in English caused academic results in those subjects to slip, Education Minister Muhyiddin Yassin said.

The news comes after months of high-profile demonstrations by politicians and linguists, especially from the ethnic Malay majority, who say a six-year-old policy of using English undermines their struggle to modernize their mother tongue.

That seems like a weak argument. Is it proven that language is the root cause of the slip in results? Let’s say for argument sake that it is indeed English that is causing this problem. Instead of pumping in more resources to rectify the problem, it seems like they are just finding an easy way out. Perhaps in the short term, academic results will improve. But in the long term, it is the students in the rural poor that are going to suffer even more.

Instead of teaching maths and science in English, a policy started in 2003, the government will double the time spent on English lessons for primary children and increase that for secondary school children by half.

It said it would hire an additional 14,000 teachers to teach English as a language.

Personally, I don’t think that language lessons will be able to pull up the English standard of the rural poor. By endorsing the movement to teach math and science in Malay, those students would see even less reason and have less motivation to improve their English. True, they will still be learning English in ‘English lessons’. But to them, it will just become one of the many school subjects and they may not realise the importance of mastering the language. Why bother, we can get along well with Malay.

For those who work hard, they probably could attain a reasonable proficiency in English conversation. But without the exposure to academic and technical terms in English, how can they compete with others whose first/second language is English? By the time they are forced to undertake academic studies in English, they will be at a great disadvantage. This weak foundation is going to hurt alot in the long run.

Must Korean dramas have korean titles?

2009-07-14T22:14:00.001+08:00

Article of interest: KBS 드라마 한글 제목으로 왜 바꾸나 했더니…

Summary:

Lately there has been a trend of korean dramas sporting English titles. There would have been more such cases, but most of them were renamed prior to their broadcast. ‘Six Months (식스먼스)’ was later renamed to ‘That Fool (그저 바라보다가’)’. ‘Lady Castle(레이디 캐슬)’ was abruptly changed to ‘아가씨를 부탁해’. The only drama currently that made it to air with its English title is ‘Partner’.

In 1997, a drama named ‘파랑새는 없다’ was later changed to ‘파랑새는 있다’ by the top management on the grounds that 있다 (to have) has a more positive connotation compared to ‘없다’.

Back in 1974, the government undertook a campaign named ‘우리말 순화’. Clubs sporting english names were changed to its korean translation. [Those names sound quite cool in English, but in Korean.. plain weird.]

와일드캣 (wildcat) –> 들고양이들 (wildcats)

어니언스 (onions) –> 양파들 (onions) [this one is hilarious. and the ‘들’ added behind to mark plurality)

바니걸스 (Bunny Girls) –> 토끼자매 (Rabbit sisters)

All these was done in hope to prevent ‘over-influence’ of the western culture and to retain cultural identity.

When questioned, KBS denied that the name changes has anything to do with the campaign and that it was due to the influence of external producers and sponsors.

----------------

Prior to reading this article, I paid no attention to the increasing’ English-nisation’. But come to think of it, alot of korean singers and pop groups are sporting English names. Big Bang, SG Wannabe, Wonder Girls, 2NE1, Super Junior,Brown Eyed Girls. This list could go on for a good while. It makes me kinda miss names like Dong Bang Shin Ki, Shinhwa etc. More and more song titles are in English too.

It’s a thin line. There is nothing wrong with korean dramas sporting english titles. Personally, I’m rather irked when I heard that Lady Castle has been changed to a korean title, which sounds both cumbersome and less classy.

But from another point of view, I won’t like it if all korean dramas start having english titles only. Makes me wonder if I’m watching a korean drama or not. But at least I can be sure that the dialogues are going to be in Korean. If you ever come across a korean album having all its songs titles in English, it really makes you doubt whether that is their debut into the American industry or not. (:

This discussion brings us back to the much debated question:

How much of our own culture and language are we retaining in this globalised world where English is the global lingua franca?

How do you guys feel about this issue? Is it alright to keep using English titles for something that’s Korean? Should a line be drawn somewhere? If so, where?

[general] a quick post

2009-07-14T14:52:00.001+08:00

I’m about to attempt the ~~seemingly impossible~~ task of changing my internet modem in hope that it will get rid of all the internet problems I’m having these days. XD

If I’m not back by tomorrow, you will know that I’ve failed in my attempt. sigh. I’m not good with computers.

so.. I’ll be back soon! (hopefully)

-----------

update@3.55pm

URGHH. smart. I’ve configured my internet connection. now I’m connected through the ethernet cable but I need my wireless connection! It shows this problem twice. ): This is how my desktop looks like.

Horrifying. It’s supposed to be SIMPLE and done within 30 minutes.

------------

update@4.12pm

woah thanks alot to http://blog.s0ulless.sg/?p=311. I am now connected wirelessly!! (:

But I still can’t access babelpop ): ):

Practice is the only way to master a language

2009-07-12T13:55:00.001+08:00

I’m building my vocabulary through my favourite book 세상에 너를 소리쳐 by Big Bang right now. I just came across a sample sentence in Naver’s dictionary that I’ll like to share with you guys.

어학 습득의 방법은 오로지 연습 뿐이다

Practice is the only way to master a language

How true. You may be a genius with an exceptional talent in languages. You may be able to master more languages at a faster pace than normal people but you still need consistent practice and work.

My friend at Naver has wisely advised me not to ‘force’ myself to study but to enjoy each moment. In my haste to be well prepared for TOPIK, I’ve been forcing myself too hard and fast that I doubt I’m absorbing anything.

날이 갈수록 한국어를 더 좋아한다. ^^

两难—戴佩妮 (MV and lyrics) and my cover of it

2009-07-11T22:41:00.001+08:00

Technorati Tags: 两难,戴佩妮

For those of you who know me, I love Penny’s songs. This is the first time I’m doing a cover of her. The REAL mv of her’s is below! (:

This is my favourite song from her newest album 原谅我就是这样的女生.

WARNING: I don’t sing well, I did make some mistakes, but I’m too lazy to redo it XD

两难--戴佩妮
专辑:原谅我就是这样的女生
谁将你眼眶
染成一抹红
谁用模糊语言轻易带过承诺
几度梦里寻觅
踏遍多少愁
敢问弦月缺少了什么
少了那一夜短暂烟火
只能怀念剎那闪烁
少了那一次流星滑落
只能将心意淡没
我说去亦难留亦难怎么办
有些话只能偷偷拿出来纪念遗憾
我说爱亦难恨亦难分作两半
有些人注定和寂寞相伴
（间奏）
少了那一夜短暂烟火
只能怀念剎那闪烁
少了那一次流星滑落
只能将心意淡没
我说去亦难留亦难怎么办
有些话只能偷偷拿出来纪念遗憾
我说爱亦难恨亦难分作两半
有些人注定和寂寞相伴
我说去亦难留亦难怎么办
有些话只能偷偷拿出来纪念遗憾
我说爱亦难恨亦难分作两半
有些人注定和寂寞相伴
有些人注定只能作伴

Butchered Translations

2009-07-09T13:02:00.001+08:00

I hate it when I see inaccurate translations. Especially in movies/dramas. I know that it is difficult to do a 100% accurate translation, when there are so many nuances and subtle meanings that may prove to be difficult to translate. To do so may result in a cumbersome and long translation that will also be reader-unfriendly (haha is there such a word?)

However, I’ve seen alot of cases where simple words and phrases are being mistranslated and it really decreases the joy of watching movies/dramas. Non-speakers depend entirely on subtitles to understand the drama and I feel that it is really irresponsible when I see slip-shod translation work.

I’m no expert at translation but being bi-lingual in English and Chinese, I can point out so many mistakes. So why did a translator make those mistakes?

Yesterday, I was watching Twilight DVD with my mum. Having little command of English, she have to depend alot on the subtitles. Halfway through the movie, she pointed out something.

关于3件事，我是非常乐观的。

For those Twilight fans out there, I’m sure you know what it is.

About three things I was absolutely positive.

In this case, positive is translated as 乐观. Yes, positive can be ‘optimistic’. Eg. a positive attitude to life. However in this case, ‘positive’ has the meaning of ‘to be sure’, which should be translated into 肯定。

There are other examples of butchered translations, but this is the one that irks me the most. In the book, this is one of the most classic and famous lines. To have it incorrectly translated is like a crime. My mum was so baffled by it and she asked me: ‘She’s optimistic that Edward is thirsting for her blood?’ HAHA

Back to TOPIK revision! (:

Studying for the sake of studying

2009-07-07T20:25:00.001+08:00

I realised that for the past few days, I didn’t really get much satisfaction from studying korean like I used to. I have been studying for the sake of passing the test and that is a wrong attitude. I used to enjoy the process but now the reminder that TOPIK is in 70(?) days is making me rush and rush. The more I try to rush, the less I absorb and the more irritated I get. Vicious cycle.

So for today, I shall relax and watch 결혼 못 하는 남자. I totally adore the chihuahua in there XD 상구!!

Listening to 빅뱅’s songs right now. I am no fan of hip hop but I love their songs. So who do I like best? hmm I can’t decide between 태양 (taeyang) and 대성 (dae sung).

Typing VS Writing

2009-07-05T23:26:00.001+08:00

Typing out an essay and writing out an essay are really different. I used to think that they probably involves the same processes but I realised I was so wrong when I wrote my first TOPIK essay by hand.

Typing has become so ubiquitous that it has almost totally replaced traditional writing. However, as I was writing the essay in those square grid paper, I came to realise the following differences.

you can’t go back and correct what you wrote

We are so used to pressing that ‘backspace’ button that we can’t do without it right now. Next time when you are typing something, try to notice how many times you press that button. You will be amazed. Although there is something called correction tape, imagine using the correction tape for all those mistakes that you will make.

It’s even more pronounced when I write in Korean. I can write out an english essay with relatively few mistakes, but for korean, I tend to re-read my sentences and going back to correct a thing or two.

Worse still, we have to write the essay on square grid paper. So deleting a character makes alot of difference ( you get a blank space). If you do that often enough, your essay will be a piece of mess.

2. you have to write in order

I feel that this is the main reason why people can’t write good essays but are able to type out good essays. Most of us will have the experience of having writer’s block and deciding to write the main content of the essay followed by introduction or likewise. Sometimes, in the midst of typing a paragraph, we suddenly have an inspiration and then move on to type out a new point. However, you can’t do that for writing (unless you want to make a mess out of your essay). Adding a sentence here and there may still be possible, but you can’t change the order of your paragraphs or to add a big chunk of words.

3. No special tools

No spellcheck, wordcount etc. We have become so reliant on them that we forgot how to function without them. Even though I’m a native speaker of English, sometimes I can’t spell the more complicated words too.

(psst… I still have problems with ~~diahorrea~~.. oops diarrhea/diarrhoea – darn, I still have to google it!)

Technorati Tags: language,writing,typing

반말 VS 낮춘말

2009-07-05T16:31:00.001+08:00

In essence, both refers to the ‘familiar speech style’ in Korean. This form of speech is usually used between friends of similar ages or to someone who is younger and of lower hierarchy than you.

However, there is a difference in connotation and nuance between the two. 반말 has a slightly negative connotation and is usually used in situations such as the following.

A younger person (A) uses the familiar speech style with an older person (B)

A : 가자! (Let’s go! – familiar style)

B: 야! 나한테 반말 쓰지 마! (oi! Don’t use panmal with me!)

낮춘말 has a positive connotation and is used when two friends decide to lower their speech style or when one is asking an older person to lower their speech style.

when two friends decide to lower their speech style

A: 우리 말 낮출까요? (Let’s lower our speech style, shall we?)

B: 응. 좋아! (okay!)

alternatively..

A: 우리 편하게 말할까요?

when asking an older person to lower their speech style

A: 말씀 낮추세요 / 말씀 낮추십니오

우리 반말 할까요? (X)

Technorati Tags: korean speech style

Pacing myself, getting into the momentum

2009-07-05T14:52:00.001+08:00

It’s been almost a year since I last took any form of exams and I have to admit that my exam skills are slipping. ): I’ve always been fast and I complete all my tests with much time to spare. So I guess I need to relax and stop worrying about time.

I’ve just practiced doing the 15th TOPIK (intermediate) reading section. We have around 50 min to complete 30 questions.

I did everything in 29 min but I was so obsessed over the time limit that my concentration was not fully on the paper. I need to r.e.l.a.x. XD Hopefully but doing more practice papers, I can get back to my normal mode.

Here’s my results so far:

듣기 (Listening): 96/100

읽기 (Reading): 80/100

I shall go back to attempt the ones I got wrong. Going to hand in my application form tomorrow! XD

Nominated for Top 100 Language Blog 2009

2009-07-03T19:57:00.001+08:00

The bab.la language portal and Lexiophiles are holding the annual TOP 100 Language Blog competition and I’m so happy to be nominated for this.

Anyway please do vote for me from July 8 – July 27. Each of you is only entitled to one vote. So please vote for

My Korean Learning Journey

I’ll update again once I know how the voting will be conducted!

p.s a million thanks to Cathy from MyLangBlog who nominated me!

Dear Shanna,

you are nominated for the "Top 100 Language Blogs 2009" competition. Congratulations! After last year’s success the bab.la language portal and Lexiophiles language blog are hosting this year’s worldwide language blog competition once again. We are confident to surpass more than the 350 blogs which entered the competition in 2008.

We have made two major changes to last year:

1. Due to the amount of blogs we have created categories.
(Language Learning/Language Teaching/Language Technology/
Language Professionals)
You are in category Language Learning
2. User voting will count 50% towards final score

Voting will start on July 8, leaving you enough time to prepare your readers for the upcoming voting. Voting will close on July 27 and the winners will be announced on July 30.

For more information on the 2009 competition and what it is all about visit [http://www.lexiophiles.com/english/top-100-language-blogs-2009-nomination-started]
So now you may ask yourself what you can do. Here are some suggestions

-Nominations are open until July 6, so feel free to share any blog you like with us
-Each blog will have a one-sentence-description for the voting. If you would like a special description to go along with your blog, just send me an email [marc@bab.la]

1st TOPIK practice paper!

2009-07-03T15:18:00.001+08:00

I’ve just completed my first TOPIK practice paper. XD I tried the 13th TOPIK Intermediate Paper (type B) – 제 13회 한국어능력시험 (B형).

For those who don’t know, type A paper are for those from China and type B for those from the rest of the world. I have no idea why this distinction though.

I haven’t attempted the essay for this one (oops) but I will be doing it for the more recent papers later on. The title of the essay was:

꼭 만나 보고 싶은 사람 (The person that you definitely want to meet)

and you have to write about

만나고 싶은 사람 소개, 만나고 싶은 이유, 만나면 하고 싶은 말이나 알

actually my problem is not how to write the essay – but I don’t know who I want to meet.

So, here’s my score for the rest of the paper

(vocab/grammar) 어휘/문법: 66/100

(writing) 쓰기: 43/70 (excluding essay – 30 points)

(listening) 듣기: 94/100

(reading) 읽기: 90/100

As expected, I am weaker in my grammar and writing section. I think the essay can kill me easily. Since there is the requirement to get > 50 points for every section, I need to work harder. ^^

Okay, I’ve just finished downloading the paper for the 15th TOPIK. Off to do it now.

cya!

Up and running! (:

2009-07-03T09:12:00.001+08:00

I’ve split my blog up into 2! I was originally at www.hangukdrama.wordpress.com and over time, the blog has evolved and it’s become more of a korean entertainment news site. I’ll continue to translate the latest news there and hence I’ve decided to move my language blog here.

(I guess this makes my wordpress URL more apt – isn’t it? XD )

I’ll just select some of my past posts to be published here. For the rest of them, please check out the wordpress site. I’ll continue to add more links and pages here – do look out for it. I’ve spent most of my time yesterday exporting my past articles and I guess I should really start on my TOPIK revision right now.

Goal for today:

complete 2 TOPIK papers
finish Lesson 10 of Integrated Korean – advanced intermediate II

will be back later!

TOPIK 2009

2009-07-02T20:38:00.002+08:00

◑ 2009년 TOPIK 안내 ◐

◈ Date and Time : 09:00 ~ 17:30 on Sunday, 13 September 2009

◈ Places(Test Venue): Singapore Korean School (Near Paya Lebar MRT)

For more information, visit here

---------------

I missed the deadline last year and hence I immediately print out the application form today. I’m going to spend the weekend doing practice papers and then decide whether I should go for the elementary (to play safe) level or the intermediate level.

The part that I’m more worried about is writing. I still tend to make mistakes on some basic concepts and in order to pass TOPIK, you have to pass all the different components. So I can’t count on the reading and listening part to pull my marks up.

Good luck for all those who are planning to take the test too!

Dreaming in a foreign language

2009-07-02T08:14:00.002+08:00

I guess I must be too obsessed with korean these days. Why do I say that? A few nights ago, I dreamed in korean! As in I dreamt that I was talking with this korean lady and I was trying to form the sentences at the back of my mind. When I woke up in the morning, I could still remember what I talked about. (but oops I can't remember now)

It's important to immerse yourself in the language that you are studying. Since I can't be in korea right now, I try to include something korean in my life everyday. It can be just listening to k-pop, watching korean drama, listening to korean radio programmes etc.

On a normal day when I'm home, I am exposed to more korean than english or chinese. I try to think in korean these days and now my reflexes are in tune with korean too. If anyone call out to me, my first reaction will be 뭐? / 왜? / 네?

Do you have any experiences of dreaming in the language you are currently learning?

I'm really curious. ^^

SNSD 2nd mini album - Boyfriend (소녀시대-남자친구)

2009-06-30T18:37:00.002+08:00

I much prefer this song to 'Tell me your wish'. That song gets to my nerves after a while. 'Boyfriend' feels much more refreshing.

Bottlenecks in language learning

2009-06-30T04:21:00.002+08:00

Oops, sorry for the sporadic postings. I've been immersed in fantasy/mystery/thriller novels for the past week or so and I've taken to re-reading the harry potter series again (backwards).

I realised I haven't been blogging much about korean these days and I'm straying from my initial aim of recording my korean learning journey! One year ago, I can study clock about 7-8 hours a day studying korean. I still remember sitting in front of my desk, with all my study materials spread around me. I was so engrossed in studying that I can get rather oblivious of things around me. It was an enjoyable process and I am one of those freaks people who loves studying.

But I am in one of those irritating bottleneck these days! Progress is minimal and slow but I try to do a bit everyday. It's frustrating how my concentration span is dwindling and I find myself doing other non-related stuff.

Language skills get rusty if left alone for too long. Hence I try to do keep my brain well oiled by watching korean dramas and listening to korean pop - not much brain power is needed and I get to practice my listening skills too (:

I hope to get back to full speed mode soon.

Anyway, I'm back to using the Integrated Korean Series. It's getting harder to find those books in library and I always borrow whatever I find on the shelves. Hence sometimes I'm doing advanced intermediate 2 and sometimes advanced 2! haha

I'll probably finished advanced intermediate 2 and go back to advanced intermediate 1. I'm coping well with both so I guess it's alright? XD

Anyway have you guys experienced bottlenecks in language learning and if so, how did you solve it?

another 6 months have passed

2009-06-16T04:30:00.002+08:00

Just upated the 'about me' page!

I seemed to have develop a habit of writing a new 'about me' paragraph every 6 months. It's quite amazing to read what I've written in korean 6 months ago and to compare with my writing today. It looks like my korean has improved, but I can't be too sure :D

Anw I decided to keep all my old 'about me' paragraphs from now on. It will be a record of how I've grown and improve over time. memory keepsake! XD

I know that I haven't been updating frequently these days, but I promise that I'll be back soon.

I just wanna thank everybody who has visited this blog and I'm always thrilled when you guys leave me a comment!

To friends that I met through this space, I'm really happy that I got to know you! (:

To any lurkers out there, do leave me a comment this time! haha

'in style' foreign languages

2009-06-12T05:04:00.002+08:00

유행 (流行)

It seems that in the studies of foreign langauges, Korean seems to be in vogue right now. 5 years ago in Singapore, you will probably not know anybody whose interested in the language. But right now, I'm sure you know at least one person who's taking up the language right now.

10 years ago, it was the time of the Japanese craze (哈日) in Singapore. Now, the korean wave is strong and ongoing. Jpop, J-drama, animation, manga seems to be the craze of yesteryear. Now, you will be OUT of it if you don't watch any korean drama. It's strange how it even has an impact on foreign language learning.

Case in point:

Last year, at the foreign language shelves in my neighbourhood library, you can find a complete collection of Korean textbooks. You will be hard pressed to find something on Japanese there - they have all been borrowed. Today when I went to the library again, there were quite a number of Jap books there, but all the elementary and intermediate Korean books were all taken.

I'm really happy to meet so many fellow korean learners through this blog (the number seems to be growing!). But I really hope that this will be more than just a passing fad and that through k-dramas, more people will come to appreciate the beauty of the korean langauge.

Topic Marker 은/는

Meaning:
When '은/는' is attached to the noun right at the beginning of the sentence, the noun is the sentence's 'topic'.(hence the name 'topic marker') When it is not directly attached to the noun, but attached to other particles or endings, it has the meaning of 'contrast' or 'emphasis'.

1. When marking the sentence's topic

예) 오늘은 집에서 쉬겠습니다
혜리는 카가 큽니다.
이 방만은 햇볕이 잘 들어요.
김치는 한국의 대표적인 음식이다.

2. when used to 'contrast' or 'emphasize'
The two clauses are contrastive

예) 그는 듣기는 못하지만 말하기는 잘합니다 - contrast between the person's listening and speaking skills
선생님은 말씀하시는데 학생은 졸고 있어요 - contrast between the action of the teacher VS student

3. When attached behind other particles and endings
Usually used as an emphasis. Sometimes added behind adverbs too (not all adverbs can work this way)

예) 교실에서는 장난하지 마세요
사람이 빵말으로는 살 수 없다
집이 멀지는 않아요
한국말을 잘은 못 해요

이/가 VS 은/는

Here's the horribly confusing part that none of us can understand. When used to mark the subjective case, what's the difference between them? (Even the site admits that it's confusing!)

1. 준수가 집에 있다

2. 준수는 집에 있다

When translated to english or other langauges, this simply means 'Jun-Su is at home'. However, in korean..

Sentence 1:

This sentence specify that someone named 'Jun-Su' is at home.

Sentence 2:

Has a constrastive naunce to it. Keeping in mind the whereabouts of other people, the speaker says that Jun-Su is at home. The topic of the sentence is 'the whereabouts of people'.

So, let's look at another example.

1. 준수가 대학생이 되었다

2. 준수가 대학생은 되었다

Sentence 3:

In this sentence, the speaker is trying to tell others the fact that Jun Su has become a university student.

Sentence 4:

Has a vaguer meaning to it. Although Jun-Su has become a university student, there is something more to it. The sentence is hinting at something else. For example, Jun Su may have become a university student, but there are many problems or that she may not be able to graduate. smoothly.

Imagine trying to convey so much information in one sentence when translated to english. Mission Impossible.

Are you still there? - heh just checking (:

이번에는 제가 찍을게요

When saying this, you can trying to 'differentiate' yourself from a group of people and to stand out. For example, when voluteering, you can use this construction. (i.e 제가 할게요)

You can't say 이번에는 저는 찍을게요 (X)

Similarly, in the sentence, 저녁은 제가 제가 사겠습니다, you are trying to 'stand out' and offering to pay for dinner.

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Do check out the site! (: it's really helpful.

Mimetic Words and Onomaetopoeia in Korean: Part 1

2009-05-28T20:08:00.002+08:00

한국어는 소릿글이다

Korean is a language that is highly based on 'sound' and is also rich and expressive. One thing I love about Korean is it's intonation. I always marvel at how their tones rise and fall in every sentence. (I have never heard koreans speaking motonously in everyday life)

But as I progress to learn more, I realise that much of their adverbs (부사) are mimetic words (의태어) and onomaetopoeia is also featured prominently in their speech. Let's look at some adverbs related to WALKING.

저벅저벅: with heavy footsteps and taking big strikes ( 발을 크고 묵직하게 내디디며 잇따라 걷는 소리. 또는 그 모양)

성큼성큼: taking big strides (다리를 잇따라 높이 들어 크게 떼어 놓는 모양)

So if you want to add on the property of SOUND, use 저벅저벅.

So what are some other ways to walk?

느릿느릿: slowly, sluggishly

사뿐사뿐: with soft, muffled steps (lightly)

살금살금: stealthily, walk on tip toes

가만가만: walk with soft steps

여러분은 어떻게 걸어요?

So how do you walk?

back to basics (:

2009-05-25T01:18:00.002+08:00

Perhaps I've been too impatient to move forward and progress. I realised that my foundation isn't strong enough. I'm still rather confused between the usage of 이/가 and 은/는. Luckily, my friend over at Naver pointed out my mistakes and explained to me where I went wrong.

I'm more careful right now, and I hope to be mistake-free soon :D

Suddenly I thought about this phrase which I came across in Big Bang's book.

칭찬은 독[毒]이고 비난은 칼날이다

how true! Although it's nice to hear people telling me that my Korean is good, deep down I know that I still have a long way more to go. I prefer hearing the truth, even though it may not always sound good. (haha just don't put it too harshly :D)

I need to buck up and finish all the chapters from Intermediate College Korean. I've been stuck at chapter 16 since months and months ago!!

Since I have 2 blogs now, I'll probably just use Naver for all my korean writing practice.

Check it out

learning korean through entertainment news

2009-05-16T17:09:00.002+08:00

As the title suggests, I will be introducing my favourite method of studying korea these days. I realised that I like to change my studying patterns very often (it was studying through novels the other time, remember?)

I don't mean just reading entertainment news this time, but WATCHING them too! A few days ago, I found a great site that offers loads of juicy entertainment news. ^^

Y-STAR

Don't worry if you can't follow the entire video. The best part of the site is that the written report itself consists of all the dialogues in the video!! What the broadcaster say, the real interview iteself.. everything is recorded down. I printed out some of my favourite news and you can follow the video while reading it.

So in essence, it's like a script. How good can things can? (: it's perfect for korean learners to practice their listening skills. and enjoy good entertainment at the same time.

Click here to watch

here's a screenshot of one of my fav videos. There's subtitle at the bottom of the video, so you can follow the interview with ease. What's more, at the right hand side, there's a tab (내용보기 - contents) where you can have the entire transcript of the video, complete with broadcaster dialogue etc.

I hope you will enjoy the videos too while studying ~

재밌게 보면서 공부하세요 ^^

트와일라잇 and updates (:

2009-05-11T04:08:00.002+08:00

오래만이에요!! long time no see (:

I'm feeling so bad for neglecting this space while updating frequently in my Naver Blog. (: But I haven't been studying much Korean these days, so there's nothing much to update here.

So what have I been up to these days?

1. Reading Korean Novels!!

I'm so proud/elated/HAPPY that I'm finally able to read full length novels, although I'm still going on at a snail pace. I can understand almost everything with the help of my trusty (is there such a word??) Nate and Naver dictionary :D It's a great way to pick up loads of new vocabulary and phrases ~

Speaking of korean novels, I have been dying to get my hands on the korean version of Twilight (: I've seen New Heart and Eclipse in the korean mart, but they cost $33.90 each!

So I was really happy that my friend from Korea helped me buy the book ^^ She arrived in Singapore last sunday and we met up for the first time yesterday!! (: She's from Busan, so she speak the 경상도 사투리 (korean dialect). It sounds different from Seoul speech but really interesting! I like the intonation alot. It's special. I hope I can master it one day (:

2. Running my English cafe

It has now grown to 154 members ^^ haha answering all the questions has made me reflect alot on my knowledge of english. How I took it for granted. Looking at it from an objective viewpoint, English can be real confusing at times.

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Goal setting time

I've realised that my korean ability is skewed. My reading ability is improving by alot, but when it comes to writing... there's still so much room for improvement.

1. to revise and look through all my past notes - I just kept moving on :X

2. to concentrate more on learning grammar - I've been doing more vocabulary these days

Korean Novels (:

2009-04-30T01:25:00.002+08:00

안녕하세요 여러분!

요즘 한국 드라마를 보면서 한국어를 공부하는 중이에요. 그래서 블로그에 자주 방문하지 못 해요.

그리고 네이버에서 영어 카페를 운영하고 있어서 시간 별로 없어요.

일주일 전에 싱가폴의 sol mart에서 새로운 한국 소설 2권을 샀어요. 한나는 빅뱅의 <세상에 너를 소리쳐>. 그리고 다른 소설은 아주 유명한 <오두막>이에요. 저는 애초부터 빅뱅의 노래를 많이 좋아해요. 그런데 노래만 듣고 멘버에 대해 한나도 몰랐어요. 이 소설을 통해 그들의 성적과 스토리를 좀 알게 되었어요. 꿈에 대한 얘기예요.

저도 자기의 꿈을 찾고 있어요. 그들의 얘기를 읽다 보니 정말 영감을 주었어요. 읽을 만한 책이에요. 여러분에게 추천하고 싶어요!

다음에 꼭 재밌는 정보나 이야기해 줄 거예요. 기대하세요 ^^

Hello! (:

Recently, I am spending most of my time watching drama while studying korean. That is why I haven't been coming in here often. In addition, the english cafe @ naver is taking up most of my spare time too. haha

A week ago, I bought 2 new korean novels from Sol Mart! (: One of them was Big Bang's <세상에 너를 소리쳐> (direct translation: shout to the world, make you voice known sth like that) and the other book was the american bestseller <The Shack>.

I have always like Big Bang's songs. But until I read the book, I have no idea who the members are. But after reading the book, I learnt about their personal life story, dreams and their personalities.

I'm also finding my dream and my place in life. Reading the book really gives me alot of inspiration and I love the quotes and little stories throughout the book. It's really worth reading and I totally recommend it to everybody!! (:

I'll be back with more interesting things soon.

busy as a beeee.

2009-04-17T05:56:00.002+08:00

Hello!! haha I have been so busy running my Naver English cafe that I barely have time to blog here ):

It has been 1 month and 2 weeks since I started the cafe and it has now grown to 114 members! :D Although it's no where compared to the long established cafes, it's a start. Anyway, I don't really want it to grow so huge too. I can't cope! So nowadays, I have been spending alot of time translating, answering queries on grammar, vocabulary etc etc.

It's really fun, but it can get tiring at times. I'm learning loads while doing all these, but sometimes I am in such a hurry that I don't have time to pause and absorb all the information. For example, when I am helping people translate, I come across new Korean vocabulary that I didn't know. I will then check it's meaning on Naver/Nate dictionary. But sometimes I will just move on quickly to the next sentence and after a few minutes, I will forget what I learnt. ):

With the increase in number of members, there is also an increase in the number of questions they ask!! omg. I am going to be overflooded soon.

So that leaves me with no time to study Korean. HMM. my priorities are all upside down. haha but I enjoy what I am doing (:

After 2 hours, I finally managed to clear all the questions. YAY. But I'm feeling so drained now, I just wanna relax.

My Naver Cafe (:

Hi Seoul Enjoy Korea! - book review

2009-04-11T23:54:00.002+08:00

Yesterday's afternoon was spent in Kinokuniya's chinese section. (:

I was randomly browsing when this new title caught my eye. At first glance, it's easy to dismiss it as one of the 'introduction to seoul' kind of books - where it just does a cursory introduction of seoul and the famous 'must go' places.

BUT take a closer look, and I found so many interesting tidbits of information that I never knew about Seoul. The book is divided into various sections, starting from entering korea to food to shopping etc.

In each section, there is a list of related vocabulary and common expressions that you will encounter in Korea. I particulary like the section on food. Prior to reading, I didn't know that Koreans like Banana Milk 바나나 우유 and there are SO many brands and varieties of banana milk!

What is THE best brand of banana milk? Which Ramen brand is the most tasty?

Read to find out (:

hmm i am so curious to try 바나나 우유! I'm not a fan of flavoured milk but the packaging looks really cute :D

[caption id="attachment_558" align="aligncenter" width="424" caption="맛있게 보인 바나나 우유!"][/caption]

Another interesting thing I found out...

Koreans seem to love donuts alot HMM. US's biggest donut chain stores all have branches in Korea and there are a few home-grown donut stores too. The flavours available in Korea are much more and interesting than those available in US! woww.

I'm not much of a fan of donuts, but they sure look delicious in the pictures(:

The author (Kelly) is a Taiwanese who has travelled and lived in Korea for a period of time. She started out as a blogger and the book is a collection of all the information and posts on her blog.

Click here to visit her blog: Hi Korea!

Available at Kinokuniya $19 ++

(there's a 20% discount if you buy it now!!)

Singlish – to love it or not?

2009-04-11T04:02:00.002+08:00

My interest in Linguistics started from my love for Korean. But as I read and learn more, I begin to reflect and ponder about our very own version of English: Singlish. The term Singlish is derived from Singapore English, formed in the same way as Konglish (Korean English) and Manglish (Malaysian English).

It’s really a love-hate relationship. Logic,reason and books tells me that there is no such thing as an ‘inferior’ language or ‘substandard language’. I do agree, but somehow I still cring whenever I hear people speak Singlish, especially in more formal situations.

I know that you can’t just sit on the fence. We are always taught to pick a clear stand in our thesis right? (: But the 2 sides of me are vying to claim victory over the other. On the MRT trip back home from Orchard, I spent the entire time engaging in internal self debate. (wow what a way to past the time :P )

So first thing first, do I use Singlish?

Well, I am no language purist and I do say the occasional ‘lah’ and ‘lohs’ and other vocabulary and grammar unique to Singlish. But I make it a point to blog and write in proper sentences and in ‘standard’ English. In formal situations, I definitely speak in standard English. For the casual chit-chat, I would say that 90% of our speech is in proper English, with some insertions of Singlish here and there.

Pro - Singlish

I am proud that Singapore has its own version of English. When my foreigner friends display their command of Singlish, I would be like ‘wow! you know Singlish! that’s so cool.’ Language is a strong identify of a person. Through a person’s speech, you can know his country of origin and maybe even the region he’s from. I’m sure you have heard of comments like ‘Oh! He’s got a British accent.’ ‘He sounds like he’s from the South’ etc. Likewise, we can identify a fellow Singapore with Singlish. I don’t know about you, but I’ll be really relieved and happy to hear a fellow Singaporean when I’m abroad.

I’ve been reading up on Linguistics recently, and it was said that language is always and constantly undergoing changes. It is impossible to have 2 groups of people, each with their own language, to live side by side without their languages undergoing changes and influencing each other over time.

Using this line of argument, perhaps Singlish is the best evidence of Singapore’s multi-racial society. Singlish absorbs vocabulary and grammar structure from Malay, Chinese, the various dialects, Indian etc.

From another point of view…

But sometimes, it really irks me to listen to speech punctuated with ‘lahs’ and ‘lohs’ at EVERY sentence. Personally I don’t mind bits of Singlish here and there, but too much anything is never good. In the MRT today, the man besides me was talking on his handphone.

‘eh tell boss i not coming tomolo k.’

‘you eat lunch already anot’

haha typical Singlish. (: Throughout his entire conversation, I aim to find a Singlish-free sentence. But I didn’t succeed.

Back in my secondary school days, I use much more Singlish. Perhaps it’s due to my the influence of my friends then. For a period of time, i used to BloG liKe ThiS aNd ThiNK it’S verY CoOl… I like to use …. alot too… after every sentence.. i will always type…. but now.. don’t you think it’s a LitTle iRiTatIng If I KeeP doIng This hoR???

A friend once commented that this is the first time in his life that he has seen a girl blog in proper sentences all the way.

‘wahh. like writing essay lidat!’

HAHA I was rendered speechless at that moment.

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I started this post with the aim of sorting out my thoughts and coming to a conclusion of some sorts. But I lost steam halfway through. I should have brought my laptop out with me. Thoughts are best penned down when fresh in the mind. HMM.

Let me stress again, all the above is entirely my own opinion and I have totally no intent of criticism or anything. I’m just trying to put all my jumbled-up thoughts into words. So.. sorry for being a little incoherent at times. :)

and I DO use Singlish okay!

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Singapore's Korean-English Magazine

2009-04-03T18:33:00.002+08:00

I came across a really good find last week which I have been dying to share with everybody!

In one of my posts, I have mentioned that you can get free bi-weekly korean newsletter Sol Mart in Singapore (Cineleisure B1). I have made it a point to collect it everytime I go to Orchard ^^ It makes good reading and practice material. Occasionally, they do give out other free magazine together with the newsletter.

Okay, I am coming to the point.

Last week, they gave out a free magaine KOZINE. It's a Korean-English magazine and you find articles in both languages. It's more of a lifestyle magazine based in singapore but they also talk about korean culture. The montly publication has different themes every month and the March edition was on 'Sports'. I am really impressed with the scope of the articles and some of the major articles are translated in both english and korean! (practice material!!)

Best of all, you can access archives in their website. what more can you ask for?

www.mykozine.com

Go take a look at it now! (: I am so looking forward to the April edition.

it's been a whole week!

2009-03-15T19:28:00.002+08:00

wow I can't believe that I haven't update here for an entire week! That must have been one of my longer hiatus. Anyway, I have been busy for the past week. I've been spending the bulk of my time on my newly created Naver Cafe!!

My English Cafe!

As I've mentioned in an earlier post, I signed up for a Naver blog sometime in Feb. I've been getting loads of help with my Korean and I want to reciprocrate. So, I decided to create an English Learning Cafe! In Naver, there are already loads of english-related cafes. Every Korean that I met are all trying to learn english (growth potential there) and some of the more establised cafes can have over 50 000 members!

But I want to differentiate my cafe. I was browsing around and I realised there's a problem with most cafes. Almost everything is written in korean, members chat in korean... so what's the point of joining an english cafe?

So, I try to encourage members to use english in my cafe. It's a good chance for them to practice writing and I will correct all their errors. :D

Most of the establised cafes are run by Koreans and hence this become another of my differentiating point! (:

Anw I just wanna help them improve their English. It's really fun and I've been enjoying it. But I have a dilemma. I can't possibly help everyone and answer every question if the number of members (and questions) grow! ><

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I shall not think about that now. It's a healthy and small group of 36 members right now (: I'm gaining loads too. Running the cafe forces me to learn linguistic terms like 'transitive verbs', 'subject', 'preposition' etc in Korean!! haha considering that I want to major in Linguistics in uni, that's a really cool experience.

I need to juggle my time to leave some aside for Korean (:

Second Language Acquisition (SLA)

2009-03-08T06:12:00.002+08:00

언어를 공부에 input이나 output은 더 중요하다고 생가하세요?

It has always been thought that input is more important for SLA. In classes, teachers tend to spend more time 'teaching' and introducing new knowledge rather than focusing on student's output (writing/speaking). Most likely, focus on output is limited to correcting of wrong sentences in the homework.

However, research has lead to interesting findings on the importance of output. Increase in output (practice speaking/writing) not only helps to improve fluency, but it also helps in learning the language. This can occur with or without external feedback.

With external feedback

We all know that when teachers or other proficient speakers correct your sentences, you realise where you made a mistake and hence learn from it.

output --> external feedback --> trigger improvement --> increase in L2 proficiency

Without external feedback

Even without external feedback, an increase in output also helps to improve their L2 performance. When you try to form sentences in L2, sometimes you struggle with finding an appropriate word. Or sometimes, you pause and think 'that sounds a little strange, is that the correct grammar structure?'. By pausing, you notice a gap in your L2 knowledge and hence would try to 'fill that gap' by asking your teachers or friends.

Output --> realise that you don't know something --> trigger the need to learn --> find out the answer --> increase in L2 proficiency

A good balance of focus in both output and input can help to maximise efficiency in L2 learning. In my opinion, focus on input and teaching is more important in the initial stage of L2 aquisition. When students gain adequate knowledge and are able to start expressing their thoughts and opinions in the L2, focus on output can lead to a rapid increase in L2 skills.

bout of laziness

2009-03-07T23:20:00.002+08:00

Currently at Sogang's online program Intermediate 3 Lesson 5. The article is a little difficult ): When I first listened to it, I couldn't understand the article and I only got a vague idea of it. The speed was a little fast. But I guess it's good since I have to push myself to the next level.

A little stoned and sleepy right now. I'm been staring the computer screen, listening to Big Bang's album.

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When I first thought of majoring in Linguistics, it was all because of my love for Korean. It sparked the interest in languages, SLA (second language aquisition) ... Recently, I've been more active in my Naver blog. I spend alot of time recently on the 지식 iN page and the '영어' boards (something like Yahoo! Answers). The number of questions on English is seriously alot. I've been spending my evenings answering queries on grammar and even requests for translation! haha

So nowadays, I am reading alot more on teaching English as a second language (ESL). I really wish to help others who are learning English. It feels great to share your knowledge. Sometimes I really feel amazed whenever I think of how much Korean has actually changed my direction in life. Before all these, I was so sure I want to venture into the financial sector and my love for economics is known by all my friends.

(hmm my English is getting rusty. I have a problem finding the right phrases to express my thoughts >< TOo much Korean in my mind right now) :D

Enjoy the weekends!

요즘..

2009-03-03T18:11:00.002+08:00

Sorry for the lack of updates here. I've been concientiously updating my naver blog and neglected this space. oops.

For the past 2 days, I have been catching up on Sogang's online Korean program. Currently doing intermediate III lesson 3 right now. Once I finished it, I'll update this space. (:

Been wanting to share what I learned about the Korean honorific system for a week. :D So keep a lookout for the next post!

and Boys Over Flowers!! I need to catch up on the latest news (:

Korean Slangs!

2009-02-23T16:03:00.002+08:00

Recently koreanclass101.com posted a lesson on Korean slangs. Although slangs may not be part of the 'official' language, they are so frequently used in our daily lives. In my opinion, one can't say that he or she has fully mastered a language without knowing the commonly used slangs in that country. :D

After listening to podcast, I got so interested that I started to research on more slangs commonly used in Korea :D Below are some of my new findings.

1. OTL: suffer a shock, hit 深受打击

I kept seeing this phrase in my friend's blog and I didn't bother much about it until I came upon it again yesterday . Don't be fooled by its seemingly English appearance, it is NOT an acronym. Rather, it's something like a symbolic image.

O --> represents the head

T--> represents your arms

L: represents kneeling on the floor

So.. it supposedly represents how people look like when they are crumpled to the floor after they suffered a shock. hmmm do you see any resemblence? -tilts head and stare-

Example sentences:

이번 시험 망처서 완전 OTL이다!

or you could simply add OTL to the end of the sentence.

아.. 오늘 시간 없어서 숙제를 다 못했어! OTL ㅠㅠ

2. 쏘다: to treat, it's my treat

My korean penpal taught me this one. The original meaning of 쏘다 means 'to shoot'. I don't know how the meaning has evolved, but youngsters now use it to mean 'it's my treat'.

Example sentences

오늘은 내가 쏜다!

3. 단무지: naive, no brain, crazy/hyper

I'm sure you have come across this phrase at least a few times if you watched enough Korean dramas. It is used frequently in Pure 19 (열아홉 순정) to describe Park Yun Jeong. ^^

단무지 originally means a radish used as an ingredient in making 김밥 (korean sushi). In this case, it is actually an acronym for '단순,식 지랄', which corresponds to English's 'naive, ignorant,crazy'. It is a word used to insult people (:

4. 페프: Best Friend

Again, another short form derived from 페스트 프랜드. Also known as 'BF'.

(the interesting thing is that in Singapore, 'BF' is the short form of Boy Friend - 남자 친구. Once I was chatting on msn with a korean friend. I was telling him that I met my good friend today and he said:

'아.. BF를 만났어요?'

haha that cause a little misunderstanding! ^^

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okay it's 8am right now and I wrote this post straight after I got out of bed. So now I'm gonna have breakfast.

또 만나요!!

Korean titles in the workplace

2009-02-20T18:44:00.002+08:00

In Korean society, titles are an important part of everyday life, a personal identity. In the workplace, you don't call your colleagues by name, but instead, use their official titles. Everytime I watch Korean dramas, I am always perplexed by the numerious titles used in the office scenes. So I decided to do a little research today and compile the most commonly used workplace titles in a Korean company.

So, what is the general term for workplace titles? 직급 (職級)

When you first enter a company as a greenhorn, you are called 평사원 (平社員). made up of 평 (normal) + 사원 (employee). In this stage, you still don't have a 직급.

After working for a year perhaps, you finally get promoted. Up one level and you now have a 직급. You are now a 대리 (代理).

대리로 진급했다 - Promoted to a assistant manager

진급하다: to be promoted

Slowly, you move up the corporate ladder to become:

과장 (課長) - manager/section chief

차장 (次長) - deputy general manager

부장 (部長) - general manager

Now, you are ready to move on to be a member of the board/executive 임원 (任員).

이사 (理事) - director

상무 (常務) - managing director

전무 (專務) - senior managing director

부사장 (副社長) - vice president

사장 (社長) - president

So, the next time you watch Korean dramas, you should be able to better understand all that complex workplace titles :D

I learnt alot too. (:

Korean - Vowel harmony

2009-02-14T23:26:00.002+08:00

In the Korean langauge, vowels are divided into 2 groups: ying and yang.

yang vowels: in linguistics, known as 'low' vowels - articulated at low positions in the mouth

아, 야, 애, 오, 요, 외, 와, 왜

yin vowels: 'high vowels' - articulated at high positions in the mouth

어, 여, 우, 유, 에, 위, 워, 웨, 으, 의, 이

(please note that high and low has NO relation to high/low pitch, it's simply the articulation position in the mouth)

So why are they called yin and yang?

Ans: When pronouncing the yang vowels, do you find that they sound brighter, clearer and sharper compared to the yin vowels which sounds lower, deeper. Hence the reference to ying and yang.

Vowel alternations are used mostly in onomatopoeics to differentiate between the 'degree' of expressions.

Example

소복하다: to be in neat stacks

수북하다: to be in piles

Besides vowel alternations, Korean does have consonant alternations, albeit to a small extent. So how do consonants alternate?

Ans: They alternate between lax, reinforced and aspirated consonants. (예: ㅂ ㅃ ㅍ)

The best examples on how vowel and consonant alternations work together is in describing color intensity.

Example

Red - deep to light (left to right)

Bright: 새빨갛다 - 빨갛다 – 발갛다 – 붉다 – 발그스름하다

Dark: 시뻘겋다 – 뻘겋다 – 벌겋다 – 붉다 – 벌그스름하다

Prefixes,suffixes and vowel/consonant alternations are all employed to show the gradual change from deep to light and bright to dark.

New Blog (또) ~

2009-02-09T16:01:00.002+08:00

I was randoming surfing blogs yesterday when I suddenly thought of setting up a new blog in a korean domain. The first place that came into my mind was Naver and thus I went to sign up for an account :D

A few months ago, I couldn't navigate my way around Naver at all, recognising only stuff like 'login', 'search' etc. Now I'm happy to say that I could sign up for an account with ease. So yesterday was spent building up my new blog.

I hope to blog entirely in Korean over there. Of course, this site will remain active as per normal.

Click to see my Naver Blog.

일기 - 연습을 더 해야 하죠!

2009-02-08T20:55:00.002+08:00

안녕하세요 여러분!

지난 번 일기 쓴지 꽤 오랫동안 되었어요. 요즘은 매일 연예 뉴스를 읽고 있어요. 뉴스 통해 연예계 무슨 일이 있는지 알게 되고 또 한국어 읽기 연습 할 수 있어요. 요즘 새 단어를 많이 배웠어요. 참 좋아요! ㅋㅋ

처음에는 저는 읽기하고 쓰기 잘 하면 말하기 잘 할 거라고 생각했어요. 그런데 막상 해 보니 상상과는 달랐어요. 지금 일기 쓸 때, 가끔 잠시 멈춰도 돼요. 그런데 사람과 얘기할 때 자주 멈추면 좋지 않겠죠? ㅋㅋ

오늘은 주말인데 그녕 집에서 있을 거예요. 나가기 싫어해요. ㅋㅋ 날씨가 너무 더워서요.

지금 점심을 먹어야 해요. ~ 그럼 다음에 또 봐요.

좋은 하루 되시기 바래요!

Korean Wiki - 한국어 Wiki

2009-02-06T21:02:00.002+08:00

I stumbled upon this newly created wiki site this morning. There isn't much stuff there yet, but it has the potential to become a really good wiki site for Korean learners.

Click HERE to access.

There is a space dedicated to Grammar patterns and I'm sure that is very helpful to all of us who are learning Korean. I spent some time in the morning editting and contributing more pages. :D If I have the time, I hope to become a regular contributor. It's really satisfying to know that others can benefit if you share your knowledge too!

So.. if anyone of you reading this know Korean too, please go contribute! They need native Koreans to help edit too. :D Hopefully this site can grow and be a good resource for all of us.

How to learn Languages Effectively

2009-02-06T06:37:00.002+08:00

I am currently starting on a new book 'An Introduction to Foreign Language Learning and Teaching' by Keith Johnson.

Is there actually a formula or a tried and tested method that contributes to effective language learning?

Should more responsibility be placed on the teacher, the student or the environment in which language learning takes place?

Does the effectiveness of foreign language acquisition depend on which languages the student is learning or is it affected by the student's mother tongue?

I believe that anybody, as long as they have the interest, can learn any language. Although I do admit that it's easier if your mother tongue (L1) is similar in structure/grammer to the foreign language (L2).

Take, for example, Japanese. I'm sure many Chinese-speaking individuals find it so much easier to acquire it due to a prior knowledge of Kanji (chinese characters) present in the Japanese orthography. Similarly, speakers of a Romance Language find it easier to acquire another one.

But we still hear of many westerners who are fluent speakers of Japanese and likewise, I know of Koreans who could speak Spanish and German just as well. Initally, the similarity between L1 and L2 languages do help in making your language learning journey a little easier. But past the elementary level, everyone's on similar grounds again.

I'm also an advocate of self-study. Personal effort is the most important determinant of how successful you are in your L2 acqusition. I have seen people who only depend on their teachers, textbook materials and those who only come into contact with the language during class hours. Even if you understand the entire textbook, real world conversations are different.

Slangs, sentence structure simplifying, personal styles/intonation/speed all come into play and suddenly.. you wonder to yourself whether what you are hearing is the language that you are studying! Not to mention dialetical differences. Add everything together and suddenly you realise that your taped sample dialogues is of limited use in the real world.

Who will actually talk in the perfect sentence structure in real life? Not me.

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Oops I've ranted on too much.. I sort of diverted from the blog post title. So how do we learn languages effectively?

To me, there's no perfect answer. I would say.. it depends. (Don't groan and say 'You made me read all your rantings and now you tell me it DEPENDS ')

:D

I'll just share how I self study Korean over the past 1 year.

1. Take a good beginner course

Some things can be self-studied. But you need a firm foundation before you can do so. Pronounciation is not something easily mastered over the tapes. Having a real-life teacher to interact and ask questions to helps alot in grasping the basic concepts. They always say 'Basics are the hardest'

2. Start with the textbooks

Perhaps for some, this will be the 'boring' stage in language learning. However, a good drill in grammar structure is necessary and you can pick up alot of vocabulary on the way. Prounciation and listening skills are honed through reviewing of sample dialogues. I particulary enjoy the satisfaction of being able to understand and use more and more grammar strucutures. :D

3. Throughout step 2, grab any chance to immerse yourself in the language

Be it drama, music, movies or podcasts - Listen to anything and everything. As mention in a previous article, immersing yourself in the sounds of the L2 language does contribute to effectiveness of foreign language acquisition. Isn't nice to be able to pick up more words and phrases and yet at the same time, enjoy your favourite drama? You can drool at the guys at the same time :D

I know it's impolite, but I snatch any opportunity to listen to conversations abroad the subway or bus too. Oops. :P

4. Interact with the native speakers

Once you are comfortable with the basics and are starting on the intermediate materials, find a penpal who can do language exchange with you. I started out using msn with my Korean friends. For me, typing is much easier as I could think through my sentences and anything you don't know - check the dictionary!

5. Read widely

Now you can start to reap the fruits of your efforts. You now have access to a much wider range of entertainment materials. I am currently reading entertainment news and magazines. They are easier to start with and you can progress on to international news, books etc.

6. Talk with the native speakers

Yes. For me, this has got to be the hardest part and I'm trying to overcome it right now. This is a true test of your language abilities. You can't say that you mastered a language without being able to hold a decent conversation with a native speaker without all the urmms, errs and frequent pauses. Practice makes perfect, at the same time, you can get to know more about your friends (:

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Wow, I didn't realise I have written so much. haha anyway I'm really happy today :D For the first time, I had a pretty decent converation in Korean. I used to have the problem of pausing for really LONG moments and end up suggesting that we just type in msn. Today, I persevered and kept typing at a minimal.

I really have to thank my friend for his patience 고마워요 오빠!

I shall aim to increase my confidence.

Knife - Knives - Knifes??

2009-02-03T06:11:00.002+08:00

Languages are so amazing.

Prior to learning Korean, I didn't have any interest in language itself. Language was simply thought of as a 'tool' to get my point across. 'Yeah I know English and Chinese - the end.' It didn't occur to me how powerful and profound languages are.

Currently, I am reading 'Understanding Language' by Elizabeth Grace Winkler. It's a great introduction to linguistics and I learnt more about English than I did for the past 19 years.

Has it ever crossed your mind why the plural of Knife is spelled Knives instead of Knifes?

In old English, f was pronounced as 'f' when it occured in front of at the back of the word, it is pronounced as 'v'. However, the French spoken by the Normans who invaded England also had exactly the same sound but it was scribed as v instead. Hence, to better reflect its pronounciation in spelling, knifes was scribed as knives from then on.

Interesting right?

In Singapore, classes are taught in English (British English) and we learn our respective mother tongue in a separate class. However, we don't have a language that is distinctly ours. I don't feel intensely proud that I can speak English or Chinese and perhaps that's the reason why I have never bothered to learn more about its history. Most of the teenagers from English educated families can't even conduct a fluent conversation in Chinese!

I feel so ignorant! Up till now, the only difference I know of between British and American English is: colour/color; organisation/organization. Being exposed to both American and British English through books and media content, I hadn't realised that sofa and couch are simply different varieties of English meaning the same object! I have always thought of them as synonyms that everyone who speaks English knows ><

Perhaps in our Singapore Variety of English, they are both interchangeble and understood by all.

I feel inspired to keep on digging and learning more about languages.

English is a funny language; that explains why we park our car on the driveway and drive our car on the parkway.

Author Unknown

Source: Quote Garden

Learning Languages - a revolutionary approach

2009-02-01T01:02:00.002+08:00

I came across an article on language learning while blog surfing and I am much intrigued by it. It proposes that language learning can be made much more effective through frequent exposure to its sound patterns, even though we may not understand its meaning.

Sadly, listening has not been one of the main focus in the traditional language class. When I was taking beginner Korean classes, the only listening practice that we ever gotten was those short sample converstions that come with the textbook CD. We didn't even use the radio every lesson. Sometimes we will just repeat line by line after the teacher.

During my Japanese beginner class, the teacher made use of the sample dialogue more often and during breaks, he would play Japanese pop songs (although its the same CD throughout the entire 1 month course!).

I do agree that listening made a huge difference to the efficiency of language learning. I feel 'more in tune' with Korean if i keep listening to podcasts, watch dramas and even listen to pop songs. I made it a point to listen frequently to radio broadcasts too.

"Neural tissue required to learn and understand a new language will develop automatically from simple exposure to the language—which is how babies learn their first language," Dr Sulzberger says.

Besides helping me pick up new vocabulary more readily, I can be more sensitive to how natives actually pronounce the words. It hones my intonation and helps to make my sentences more fluent too.

Everytime I watch Korean dramas, I'm so used to the sound patterns that I feel 'deluded' into thinking that I really could understand everything. I can't really express how I feel, but listening to Korean feels as natural to me as watching Chinese or English dramas. IN TUNE. haha

Frequent listening also helps to compensate for not being able to go directly to the country and immerse yourself in everyday conversation and culture.

On the other hand, I'm not so into the Japanese culture and I don't watch any dramas too. Perhaps that's why Japanese still feel very very foreign to me and I'm not so motivated to study it. (I haven't touch my books for er.. a month? oops)

Oh, here's the link for the article. click here

How do you guys learn foreign languages? (: Feel free to share!

새해 복 많이 받으세요!

2009-01-26T15:27:00.002+08:00

와우.. 벌써 설날 있구나! (:

여러분, 새해 복 믾이 받으세요. 그리고 앞으로 일 년 동안.. 할 일은 잘 되시기 바랍니다!

행복하세요! ~

복합 명사 - Compound Nouns

2009-01-23T21:54:00.002+08:00

<명사> + 자리 (noun + 자리)

잠+자리 - 잠자리: bed, sleeping place

꿈+자리 - 꿈자리: dream, happenings in a dream

별+자리 - 별자리: constellation

술+자리 - 술자리: banquet/ drinking party

일+자리 - 일자리: job/ work position

묘+자리 - 묘자리 (묏자리) : a grave site

The book didnt offer any explanation of what does '자리' actually mean in these compound nouns. 궁금해요 >< Can anyone help me out? (:

자리 by itelf can mean position/situation/occasion. hmmm

도와 주세요 ^^

Audio Blog - 싱가포르의 설날

2009-01-22T04:52:00.002+08:00

Had some free time today, so I decided to try my hand at podcasting! Actually it's just an audio blog, with the aim of improving my pronounciation. I had it uploaded to a Korean Podcast website, but embedding the player took me a few hours.. and I still can't figure the code out. Anw, click the link below if you are interested in listening to it! (: It will just bring you to a new page with a player that you can just click 'play'

AUDIO BLOG 1 - Click here

And here's the link for my podcast channel (:
Shanna's podcast channel

anw, here's what I'm saying in the audio clip!

안녕하세요. 샤나입니다. 이 번에는 펏트카스 처음 만들어요. 한국어를 공부한지 어그저께 같은데 벌써 1년쯤 되었네요. 아마 혼자서 공부하기 때문에 한국어로 연습 기회가 거의 없네요. 한국 친구들이 있지만 주로 이메일이나 msn로 얘기해요. 몇 번은 voice chat해 본 적이 있지만 너무 긴장해서 자수 실수를 했어요. 야.. 말하기 진짜 쉽지 않아요! 그래서 발음을 잘 하기 위하여 오늘부터 이런 audio blog를 만들기로 해요. 앞으로 잘 부탁합니다.

오늘은 어떤 얘기를 할 거예요? 응… 다음 월요일은 설날이에요. 설날은 싱가플 명절 중의 하나입니다. 근데 실가플에는 설날 경축하는 방법은 한국과 다른 것 같아요. 첫째, 먹어야 음식은 아주 달라요. 설날에는 꼭 먹어야 음식은 bak kua, yusheng 등 이에요. 특히 yusheng은 설날의 특별한 음식이에요. 다른 때에는 찾을 수 없네요. Yusheng은 연어 살, 써은 야채와 특별한 소스로 되어 있어요. Yusheng은 먹는 방법로 유명해요. 모두 재료를 섞으면서 길조의 말을 하고 있어요. 재미있죠?

그리고 Bak kwa는 BBQ고기와 같은 음식이에요. 주로 돼지고기로 만드는데 요즘에는 닭고기도 사용해요. Yusheng와 달리 이 음식은 연중 살 수 있어요. 설날 몇 주 전에 Bak kwa점 앞에 항상 줄을 지어 있어요. 특히 chinatown의 유명한 점에는 살람들이 매우 많아요.

Koreanclass101.com - Mailbag Story

2009-01-22T01:59:00.002+08:00

안녕하세요 여러분!

이 블로그는 제 한국어 공부에 위해 만든 것이에요. 처음에는 한국어 에대해만 얘기할 예정이에요. 그런데 요즘 이 블로그는 제 생활에 대해 더 많이 쓰인 것 같아요. ㅋㅋ 오늘부터 한국어에 대해 더 많이 쓸 거예요.

그리고 어떤 일을 여러분들과 나누고 싶어요!

A few days ago, I dropped by koreanclass101.com and found out that they were having a mailbag contest whereby people were asked to email their stories on why they learn korean. I thought it was really fun and thus decided to give it a shot. Wow, I didn't think my story will be the first one to get posted onto the blog :D 정말 깜짝 놀랐어요.

It really made my day.

you can see my story here: click here

물론 저는 자연스럽게 말할 수 있기 때까지 아직도 머지만 더 노력할게요.

Right now, I feel that I'm better at reading and listening (the more passive side to language learning). However, I will continue to work hard to improve my speaking and writing skills!

그리고 한국어를 공부하고 있는 분들... 화아팅! :D

Korean reads in Singapore - Hannah press

2009-01-13T06:21:00.002+08:00

Singapore really lacks a good variety of Korean reading materials. The only place where there is a substantial collection of Korean books is in Seoul Mart (B1 Cineleisure/Square 2). Compared to the number of Japanese reading materials available in Kino, it's really little. But.. I found out last month that Singapore do have a bi-weekly newspaper printed entirely in Korean! It's supposed to be for those Koreans who moved over to Singapore, but it really serves as a good reading material

Best of all.. its FREE. You can pick up a copy at the counter in Seoul Mart (: This edition comes with an additional magazine. The best part is that it's a Korean-English magazine, which means that all the articles in Korean are translated to English! How perfect is that (: Its a really great learning material, you can get to 'check' if your comprehension skills are accurate.

I know that you can easily access the internet if you want korean reading materials. But somehow I prefer the old-fashioned print copy (: Since books are expensive, this is a great alternative, isn't it? I must remember to pay Seoul Mart a visit every 2 weeks!

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Anw just as I was walking into Seoul Mart, I saw 2 ladies who bought this ice-cream.

Well, I was so curious about it and went to get one too :D It's really heavenly, especially for people like me who prefer to bite rather than lick their ice-cream. I didn't manage to snap a picture, but I managed to find the ones above after googling it. It really looks like corn right? hahaha I love korean ice cream!

The first anniversary

2009-01-11T15:52:00.002+08:00

Wow, it's been one whole year since I started taking up Korean on 8 Jan 2008. It's been a great journey so far and I'm enjoying every moment of it. It's amazing how this journey actually changes my perspectives to a lot of things. I'm beginning to appreciate the breath-taking beauty of Language.

Currently reading How Language Works by David Crystal. I would recommend this book for all language lovers. It brings out the beauty of language, explain how it works etc. Best of all, it managed to be an information-packed book without sounding too technical for the general reader.

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New Heart is getting better every episode. I so look forward to 7.30pm (:

It's barely 8 in the morning right now but I need to get back to reading.

여러분.. 오늘도 행복하세요!

화이팅! ~

Korean Causative Forms

2009-01-08T00:27:00.002+08:00

Since I have nothing in particular to blog about, let me share with you what I am studying today - Korean Causative Forms.

As you may know, Korean is a language that is highly dependent on inflection (modification/marking of a word to reflect grammatical information) and to get the causative form out of a verb, suffixes are used. These suffixes (이, 히, 리, 기, 우, and 추) are added behind action/adjective verbs to change it to the causative form. Since there is no particular rule as to which suffix are added to which verbs, you have to memorise them (:

I've complied a table for the transformation of adjective verbs.

형영사 (adjectives)	사역형 (causative form)	명사형 (noun)
높다 to be tall	높이다 to lengthen	높임
낮다 to be short	낮추다 to shorten	낮춤
넓다 to be wide	넓히다 to widen	넓힘
좁다to be narrow	좁히다 to narrow	좁힘
늘다 to be increasing/ improving	늘리다 to increase/ improve	늘림
줄다 to be decreasing	줄이다 to decrease	줄임
크다 to be big	커우다 to bring up	커움

Of course the actual list will be longer, but that's just an example.

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Anw, since I am blogging about what I'm learning today, here's a grammar structure that I've picked up

~ 기 마련이다: 'be supposed to/ it is natural to...'

This pattern indicates that a certain situation is destined to take place or that it's occurence is natural under the particular circumstances of the sentence.

예) 사람은 누구나 죽기 마련이다. [it is natural that people will die]

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On a side note, I've been keeping myself busy with the 'Sookie Stackhouse' vampire series by Charlaine Harris. It is a rather long series, currently at 8 books, with the 9th due this year. It's enjoyable, but not yet so addictive.

Linguistics - Native language VS 2nd language

2008-12-24T22:59:00.002+08:00

I realised how different it is to look at a language from a native speaker's point of view and that as a second/third language. I'm currently reading 'An Introduction to Language' by Fromkin and it introduces linguistics terms using English as an example.

Although I'm competent in English, I have never fully understand what determiners, prepositions, infinitives mean. (heck, I have no idea what they are) It's strange to study English again from an outsider's point of view, trying to understand the structure and grammar. Today I have come across so much terms that it made me pause and think. 'omg how did i ever manage to learn English without knowing all these??'

No matter how much I try to recall my past English lessons in kindergarden, primary school etc, the only thing I could remember is how the teacher tries to teach us to differentiate between nouns, verbs, adjectives etc.

But learning Korean as a third language now helps me understand how non-native speakers actually learn English. It seems that I have been just studying loads of new grammar structure in order to improve my Korean.

~ 것 같다: it seems like

비가 올 것 같아요: It seems like it is going to rain

However it seems strange to just approach a Korean and ask 'what does ~ 것 같다 mean'. Since native speakers don't actually learn the language the same way as us. It will seem really strange to break down the language into these grammar structure.

Similarly, while I was helping some of my Korean friends in their English, their questions left me perplexed sometimes.

'Where do determiners/prepositions fit in this sentence?' they will ask.

'HUHH??' was the only thought that was in my mind and I had to open another window and google 'determiner'. haha so much for English being my native language (:

번역하는 것이 정말 어렵다

2008-12-17T23:01:00.002+08:00

저는 지금 Integrated Korean Advanced Intermediate 1를 쓰고 공부하고 있어요. 그 중에 한 연습은 노래 가사 번역이에요. 그 노래는 동방신기의 마법의 성이에요. 이번에는 처음 번역을 해 봐요. 그래서 좀 어렵다고 생각해요. 번역할 때 어떻게 감정을 보유하고 있는지 잘 모르겠어요.

I could finally understand how difficult it is to be a translator. The choice of words can subtlely change the entire piece of work. The underlying emotions, the irony, the style can all be changed by the translator. That is why I don't really like to read translated works if I can avoid them. I can't put my finger to it but it just feels different and alien. Try reading Harry Potter in English and then in Chinese. It's obvious that the English version has more 'feel' to it. There will always be a reason why an author chose to use a particular word instead of many others that convey the same 'surface' meaning. Happy, elated, joyful, exuberant --> they all convey different degree of happiness.

anw, after writing an entire paragraph, I just wanna share my translation of the song. Okay, I admit that it will not be 100% my work since I sort of take reference from another person's translation. But still, I tried to do it myself (: I love the lyrics in Korean, it feels really magical and disney-like. aww fairy tales (:

마법의 성 - The Magical Castle

믿을 수 있나요 나의 꿈속에서
Can you believe it? In my dreams,
너는 마법에 빠진 공주란걸
You’re a princess that has fallen into magic
언제나 너를 향한 몸짓엔
Even though my gestures towards you are always
수많은 어려움뿐이지만
so difficult for me

그러나 언제나 굳은 다짐뿐이죠
However, it’s always my solemn promise to you
다시 너를 구하고 말거라고
I'm going to rescue you again
두 손을 모아 기도 했죠
I put both my hands together and prayed
끝없는 용기와 지혤 달라고

For endless courage and wisdom

마법의 성을 지나 늪을 건너
Past the magical castle, and cross the marsh
어둠의 동굴 속 멀리 그대가 보여
Deep inside the darkness’s cave, I can see you
이제 나의 손을 잡아보아요
Now, hold my hand,
우리의 몸이 떠오르는 것을 느끼죠

Can you feel our bodies rising

자유롭게 저 하늘을 날아가도
As we fly freely to the sky,
놀라지 말아요
Don’t be frightened
우리 앞에 펼쳐질 세상이
The world unfolding in front of us
너무나 소중해 함께있다면
how precious it will be

if we are together

Linguistics (:

2008-12-04T06:30:00.002+08:00

I was reading an introductory book on languages in the library today and I came across some quotes and information that I thought was really interesting. After learning korean for almost a year, I came to discover my interest in languages, especially East Asian languages like Korean and Japanese. So, I thought I should start reading up more about it during my free time.

When we study the human language, we are approaching what some might call the 'human essence', the distinctive qualities of the mind that are, as far as we know, unique to man.
Noam Chomsky

I have never gave much thought about languages before. How does a child actually pick up a language, why can they do so in a short period of time without actually having lessons or being taught the complicated grammer? Does first language acquisition actually differ from 2nd language acquisition?

The book highlights creativity as a universal property of human language. Whether by using Korean, Japanese or any other languages, we can form an infinite number of of unique sentences that may or may not make logical sense.

Also, the book mentioned linguistic competence VS performance. We may know alot about a particular language, but whether or not we can put our knowledge into practical usage is a totally different matter. (yeah, I can write and read better than I can speak korean >< )

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I just received a letter from my Korean penpal today :D wow, she even sent me some math questions written in Korean. Hmmm. i totally forgot how you solve logarithms etc etc, not to mention the fact that the questions are written in KOREAN. haha i think even if i figured out what the question is asking, i still won't be able to solve it :D

oops I got so engrossed with this post that it's 10:30 right now ):

언어 배우기

2008-12-04T05:56:00.002+08:00

요즘 매일 일본어 배워려 kovan에 다녀요. 수업은 너무 재이밌고 반 친구들도 아주 좋아요. 그런데 두 언어 동시에 배우는 것이 쉽지 않아요. 한 단어는 일본어로 또 한국어로 알아야 돼요. 그리고 문법도 좀 달아서 다 두 배 배워야 돼요. ㅋㅋ

게다가 한국어과 일본어 비슷한 단어가 많기 때문에 혼란했어요. ><

アルバイト (a.ru.ba.i.to) / 아르바이트 (arubaito) : part time job

かばん　(ka.ban) / 가방 (kabang) : bag

はじめまして。私はしゃなです。私はホウガン日本語学校の学生です。日本語の勉強は午前１０時から午後１２時までです。私は韓国語も勉強します。

처음 뵙겠습니다. 저는 샤나예요. 저는 하우간 일본어 학교의 학생이에요. 수업은 아침 10시부터 12시까지예요. 저는 한국어도 배우고 있어요.

Pleased to meet you. I am Shanna. I am a student of Hougang Japanese School. My Japanese lessons starts from 10am to 12pm. I am learning Korean too.

初次见面。我叫珊娜。我是后港日文学校的学生。日文课程从早上10点到下午12点。我也在学韩文。

우와.. 4 언어로 할 줄 알면 너무 멋있죠! ㅋㅋ 근데 한국어를 아직도 서투르고 일본어를 간단한 말밖에 모르겠어요. ㅋㅋ 노력학게요. 나중에 꼭 4 언어를 다 할 수 있어요. 화이팅!

저는 언어 배우는 것이 정말 좋아해요. I think I finally found what I enjoy doing and learning (:

I shall blog about languages in another post. hmm I need to practice writing more often. I think my reading skills are better ><

I have loads to talk about regarding learning jap and korean at the same time. But I shall leave that for another post. It's 9.53pm now and my fav show is coming up :D

다음에 봐요. またね！

がんばって！화이팅!

haha this is so fun(: hopefully I can write korean and japanese versions of everything soon! :D

4th Korean Speech Contest 2008

2008-11-23T04:57:00.002+08:00

Went down to RELC to watch the 4th Korean Speech contest today. I really enjoyed it, especially since I could understand what all the speakers were talking about. There were 20 contestants, out of which 4 were guys. There was even a contestant from Myanmar! cool.

The winner of the contest was a Malaysian who talked about the differences in culture between Malaysia and Korea. I was seriously impressed by him. His Korean is fluent and he makes the extra effort to interact with the audience and I think that's what makes him stand out among the contestants. 사연스럽게 말하고 내용도 재미있고.. 진짜 대단하시네요! His speech is throughly enjoyable and occasionally he would end off his sentence by saying 맞죠? and the audience would go '네!'

[caption id="attachment_204" align="alignnone" width="480" caption="the winner taking his cert from the ambassador"][/caption]

He wore the traditional malay costome on stage too and I think it adds a bonus to his whole performance (: 너무 축하해요! ^^

[caption id="attachment_205" align="alignnone" width="480" caption="all the contestants"][/caption]

I met my E1 teacher too and was pretty surprised that she could still remember me.

그리고 옛날의 반 친구들도 만나게 되었어요. They were all pretty surprised to see me :D Hmm if I had stay in SKS, I will be in Intermediate 1 already.

오늘은 진짜 재미있게 보냈어요. ㅋㅋ 제 어머니도 같이 갔는데 한국말 모르셔서 이야기를 이해할 수 없어요. ㅋㅋ

다음에 봐요. ^^

Pusan Dialect

2008-11-22T03:58:00.002+08:00

Was randoming surfing the site when i came across this random joke.

Joke for English/Korean Bilinguals:

Preface: I heard this joke from a friend of mine. Korea has one official language (Korean), but there are various regional accents/dialects. The Pusan accent is particularly interesting. All Koreans are familial with the Pusan dialect, but if you are not Korean (and don't speak Korean), you'll need to know the following lexical items:

Watdae means: "It has come."

Muondae means: "What are you talking about?"

Beoseudae means: "It's the bus."

Joke: One day a Korean lady was standing next to a Foreigner at a bus stop in Pusan, Korea. They were both waiting for the bus. Suddenly the Korean lady shouts, "Watdae!" and looks at the foreigner. The foreigner, thinking she was speaking English to him, answers, "Monday! "The Korean Lady hearing this, replies, "Beoseudae" Of course the foreigner still thinks she is speaking English, so he says, "Happy Birthday!"

[Author Unknown]
source

열 번 찍어 안 넘어 가는 나무 없다

2008-11-18T22:39:00.002+08:00

Been studying some of Korea's most popular adages and metaphors and I particularly like this one.

열 번 찍어 안 넘어 가는 나무 없다

(There is no tree that won't fall if you chop it 10 times --> Keep trying until you succeed)

What's life if there is no ups and downs? (: The most important point is to keep trying.

나무 꼭 넘어요. 걱정하지 마! ^^

일기

2008-11-06T04:06:00.002+08:00

요즘 자주 영어로 글을 쓰인데 갑자기 한글로 쓰고 싶어요. 대학 식작할까지 8달쯤 남았어요. 아르바이트 찾아야 할 것 같아요. 한국 사람 있는 회사나 한국 회사에서 아르바이트하면 좋겠어요. 일도 할 수 있고 한국어 연습도 할 수 있어요. ^^ KTO에서 일하면 재미있겠죠.. ㅋㅋ

아.. 요즘 리안의 노래를 자주 들어요. 환상의 커플에 있는 노래를 불러요. He sang 'Happy My Star' in the soundtrack. :D

아.. 지금 좀 피곤해요. 그럼 다음에 긴 일기 쓸게요. ㅋㅋ

2008 KLPT Results!

2008-11-06T03:02:00.002+08:00

I just came back from NUS extension. My official score report is right is front of me now :D

듣기 (Listening)	125/200
읽기 (Reading)	170/300
총점 (Total)	295/500 [2급]

I still can't believe that I started Korean in January at SKS, completing elementary 1&2 classes there. Decided to self study from then on and looking at my cert right now makes me feel that my hard work is beginning to pay off. I'm still a long way off my target, but its a start (:

I had the nagging feeling the moment i saw the score that I either just hit a level or missed the next level by a very small margin. My instinct is correct. I just missed Level 3 by 5 marks (1 question). HAHA. okay I shall not complain so much :D I'm still happy. VERY happy. haha

내년에 TOPIK을 볼 거예요. 그래서 지금부터 더욱 열심히 공부해야지. ^^ I do feel a little lazy these days, but now I feel much motivated and my drive and confidence in myself is back :D

no more negative thoughts and mulling about rubbish. (:

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I was the first one out of the 24 people to collect my cert. heh :D I just couldn't wait any longer.

KLPT results

2008-11-05T22:44:00.002+08:00

wow, I didn't think that KLPTresults will be ready so fast, considering that I just took the test less than 2 weeks back. Its only TEN days. And i received a voice message from NUS extension saying that the transcript is ready. omg. I was re-watching meteor garden and i missed the call.

hmm, since I have nothing to do now.. shall go and collect my results. Thinking about the way I completed the test gives me no confidence at all. >< Its raining so heavily right now, but nvm, i will just go.

Shall update later if I have the mood to :D

cya!

Real Love Story

2008-11-04T16:46:00.002+08:00

I got distracted while studying Korean just now, and I happened to chance upon this song by Taebin, featuring Wheesung and Se7en! :D I've not heard of Taebin yet, but with 2 of my fav singers in the song, of course I had to listen to it.

LISTEN HERE

Real Luv Story (Feat. SE7EN_Wheesung)

TAEBIN)
난 걱정이야 친구로 만난 그녀를 사랑 할것같아?
한숨만 쉬고 잠을 설치고 그녀 상상만 하고있어

휘성)
나도 한땐 그랬어 친구란 기분에 더 그녀 집 앞
문에서 늘 망설여 떨곤했어
하지만 지금의 난 그녀와 기쁘게만 사랑을 이룬
채 잘 살아가 잘 생각해봐

CHORUS)
사랑은 뜨겁지 처음은 그렇지
아무도 부럽지 않은 시작들이
늘 영원히 깨어나지 못할 듯 꿈을 꾸지

SE7EN)
나 또한 걱정이야
그녀의 때 지난 사랑이 왜 맘에 걸릴까
괜히 더 의심들만 커져가지만
나 아무말 못하고 울고있어

휘성)
울지마 고개들어 걱정마 뭐래도 넌 그녀만 오래
도록 사랑하며 (아꼈잖아)
내게말 한그대로 솔직한 마음대로 어서가 가슴
에 꼭 그녈안고 입맞춰봐

CHORUS)
사랑은 차갑지 마치 얼음같이 깨지기 쉽잖니
부디 조심하길
늘 영원히 깨어지지 못하게 더 가꾸길

RAP)
밀고 당기는 사랑은 이제 머리 속에서 지울 준비해
그녀 마음을 아프게 하는 그 짧은 생각들은
다무의미해 다 무시해

그저 강한 척 하는 사랑보다 내가 먼저 져주는
그 자세가 좋아
눈물이 많은 그녀에게는 말로만 감싸준다

하지말고 안아보자
책임도 못질 오직 오기하나로 고집 불통인
남자들은 모조리 바보지

난 커다란 가슴보다 굳은 마음을 주고파
혼자 가끔 고개 숙여 내 가슴에 물어
내 삶을 다 목숨보다 소중한 사랑

CHORUS)
사랑은 뜨겁지 처음은 그렇지
아무도 부럽지 않은 시작들이
늘 영원히 (깨어나지) 못할 듯 꿈을 꾸지

사랑은 차갑지 마치 얼음같이 깨지기 쉽잖니
부디 조심하길
늘 영원히 (깨어나지) 못할 듯 꿈을 꾸지

Reflections on KLPT

2008-10-31T16:25:00.002+08:00

1st attempt at KLPT last sunday (26/10). We were told to be at the exam venue by 9am (after which we were not allowed in anymore). So being the early type that I always have been, I reached Park Mall at 8am! Guess what? They smartly 'locked up' the lift so we couldnt exit at the 12th floor and it only opened at 8.50am.

hmm I think they should have informed us earlier, quite alot of people were just loitering at the ground floor by 8.20! It was actually quite a small number taking the test this time - 24 for KLPT and 7 for Basic-KLPT. And there is a huge disparity between the sexes. I only saw 2 guys out of 24 for KLPT! >< Alot of my guy friends take French as 3rd language. hmm I am not sure if I am being accurate, but somehow I find that more girls are interested in 3rd languages than guys (generally i think).

Since the test starts only at 10am, we had till 9.40am to do our last min preparation, toilet breaks etc. The tables were divided into 3 columns and 8 rows. I was lucky enough to be assigned the first row 2nd column. That means I wont have to strain my ear for the listening test (:

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During the test

The first few sections were pretty fine, but I sort of died when aftering the listening test. We had 70 minutes to complete the remaining sections, and trust me, its NOT enough. You need to be able to speed read Korean, which sadly to say, I can't...yet.

Below are some of the learning points I got this time:

do not panic when you can't catch the conversation

If you feel that the reading section is too long and too much of a chore, do not waste time and skip to the last section (conversation)

attempt ALL questions

I wasnt prepared adequately this time. haha just trying out to gauge my standard after 10 mths (well, more like 8 ) of learning Korean. Results will be out in 1-2 mth's time. (:

I'm reading a book 'The sounds of Korean-a pronounciation guide' by Miho Choo & William O'Grady. I'm still not good when it comes to the many adjustments to pronounication.

또 만나요.

시험 날이 닥쳐온다

2008-10-21T21:26:00.002+08:00

요즘 KLPT 시험 준비하기 때문데 여기서 못 들려요. 그 동안 많은 일이 생겨서 전심 없어요. 이렇게 하면 좋은지 모르겠지만 기분이 좋아졌어요. 그래서 1년 동안 쉬기도 하고 하고 싶은 일도 하기로 했어요. 내년에 다시 대학에 갈 거예요. 이 결정 아마 이상한 것 같아요. 그런데 저에게 제일 좋은 결정이라고 생각해요.

아무튼 화이팅! ㅋㅋ

아! 그리고 오늘 한국 라디오를 듣고 있는데 좋은 노래를 찾게 되었어요. 그 가수 이름은 김건모이고 한국의 유명한 가수 있나 봐요. 처음 들었는데 노래를 정말 좋아해요. 음색이 아주 도특한 것 같아요.

김건모 -사랑해

(Baby tonight)
Oh my love, you're my life everyday
(Baby tonight)
Oh my love, you're my life everything

이렇게 너를 보고 있으면
난 입맞추고 싶고
이렇게 너와 둘이 있으면
나는 너를 안고파

사랑해 사랑해 너를 너무 사랑해
사랑해 사랑해 너를 내 자신보다 더

**
꽃이피면 나비가 되줄께
내 뒤를 따라 날아오면 돼
비가 오면 우산이 되줄께
내 품에 안겨서 넌 비를 피하렴

낙엽지면 친구가 되줄께
내 손을 잡고 걸어가면 돼
눈이오면 지붕이 되줄께
내 코트안에서 넌 편하게 쉬면돼 **

(Baby tonight)
Oh my love, you're my life everyday
(Baby tonight)
Oh my love, you're my life everything

니가 내 곁에 있으면 난 너무나 행복해
니가 아무말 없이 나를 바라보기만해도 좋아
어쩌다 니가 삐져도 난 너무나 귀여워
너의 전부를 사랑하니깐 난

사랑해 사랑해 너를 너무 사랑해
사랑해 사랑해 세상 그 누구보다 더

** repeat

꽃이피면 나비가 되줄께
내 뒤를 따라 날아오면 돼 (oh my love)
비가오면 우산이 되줄께
내 품에 안겨서 넌 비를 피하렴 (비를 피해)

낙엽지면 친구가 되줄께
내 손을 잡고 걸어가면 돼 (내 손을 잡아)
눈이오면 지붕이 되줄께
내 코트안에서 넌 편하게 쉬면돼 (편하게 쉬면돼)

(Baby tonight)
Oh my love, you're my life everyday
(Baby tonight)
Oh my love, you're my life everything

지금 그의 노래를 듣고 있어요. ㅋㅋ

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갑자기 한국 음식을 먹고 싶어요. ^^ 싱가폴에서 좋은 한국 식당 있지만 좀 비싸요. 보통 food court에서 한식 있지만 맛이 없네요. 그래서 맛있는 음식 먹으면 한국인 자주 나녀는 식당에 가야 해요. 그런데 wisma atria의 food republic에서 '우리집'이라고 한국 식당있는데 그 곳에는 맛있는 한식 먹을 수 있어요. 어제 갔었는데 삼계탕하고 비빔밥을 먹었어요. ^^

아.. 벌써 1시 30분되는데 지금 공부해야 해요. ㅋㅋ

그럼 다음에 봐요.

오랫 동안 못 들었네요..

2008-09-03T06:00:00.002+08:00

일기가 정말 오랫 동안 못 썼네요. 오늘 싱가폴에 있는 한국 친구를 만나요. 한국어로 얘기하는 것이 정말 어려워요. 한 달 동안 공부 못해서 기억이 않아요.. ㅋㅋ 좀 속상하지만 다음 번에 더 나아질 거예요. Hope i will be more confident and at ease with using korean next time (:

요즘 할 일이 많아요. 매일 늦게 집게 들어오고 숙게도 많아요. 이렇게 한 달쯤 재내서 힘들어요. (외국어 잘 하고 싶으면 매일 연습 해야 되죠.. 글을 툴린 것 많겠죠.)

지금 좀 피곤해요.. 내일도 강의 있어요. 다음 달 KLPT 봐야될지 모르겠어요. 실력이 이렇게 나쁘져서 어떻게 잘 볼 수 있겠어요? ><

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ㅋㅋ 요즘 일기 쓰면 꼭 '시간 없어요' 또는 '할 일이 많아요'라고 써요. ><

오늘 한국어를 공부하기로 했어요. 아자아자 화이팅! :)

다음에 또 만나요.

일기

2008-07-23T16:48:00.002+08:00

외국어를 공부하는 게 중, 말하기 제일 중요해요. 말하기 잘 못하기 때문에 너무 속상해요. >< 저는 자연스럽게 얘기하기를 바라요.

오늘 날씨가 너무 추워요. 아침부터 비가 내려요. 이런 날씨 때 집에서 있는 게 제일 좋아요. ^^ 오늘 어제처럼 특별한 일이 없어서 집에서 한국어를 공부하고 <환상커폴>을 볼까 해요. 남았는 방학을 즐겁게 보내고 싶어요.

내일 친한 친구의 생일이에요. (:

한국어를 공부할 때...

2008-07-21T23:32:00.002+08:00

Today I learnt something new:

오 and 아 are feminine sounds

우 and 어 are masculine sounds

<보기> 허허 (masculine laugh), 하하 (neutral, more for children), 호호 (feminine laugh)

It sort of correspond to English's haha, hehe, hoho isn't it? so perhaps next time i should use 호호 instead :D

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방학은 2 주를 남았어요. 아주 속상해요... 방학 끝나면 그렇게 매일 공부하는것이 아마 할 수 없을 거예요. 싫어!! 한국어를 공부할 때 제일 좋아요. 그러니까 그 동안 더 열심히 해야 돼요.

일기

2008-07-17T05:10:00.002+08:00

안녕하세요! 여러분 우늘 잘 지냈어요? 저는 오늘 친구를 만나서 같이 점심을 먹었어요. 1달쯤 못 만나서 기분이 아주 좋아요. 올해 KLPT를 보기로 했어요. ^^ 한국어의 실력 아직 안 충분하지만 봐 보고 싶어요. ^^

I just want to try, I don't expect to do very well, but I want to have a feel of how it is like. 그래서 책 사러 examination centre갔어요. 네, 지금부터 더욱 열심히 해야 돼요. 그런데 오늘 조금 비곤하니까.. 좀 쉬어요. ㅋㅋ

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외국어를 배우는 것이 쉽지 않아요. 응... 시간, 인내심하고 돈이 필요해요. ㅋㅋ 수업을 다니고 싶으면 돈이 많이 필요해요. 그래서 저는 혼자서 공부하는 것을 더 좋아해요. (농담이에요). 대학교 때 이겋게 계속 공부할 수 있으면 좋갰어요. 그랜데 그 때 아마 너무 바쁠 거예요. 슬프다...

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Now that I am going to try for KLPT this year, I have to work harder. Moreover, I have a target to work towards. Heard that TOPIK will be a harder test since there is writing involved. SInce I missed the dateline to join for the beginner test this year(the dateline was YESTERDAY) haha i shall take more time to prepare for next year's one. so missing the dateline might turn out to be a good thing after all. (:

I am really happy for the wonderful comments that people I met online has given me. It really gives me encouragement and a boost to my confidence. THANKS!!

여러분 고마워요!! ^^

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지금 컴퓨터 앞에서 않아서 아무것도 하고 싶지 않아요. 영화 본지가 언제인지 몰라요. 정말 오래 동안 영화 못 봤어요. 다음 달부터 재미있는 영화 많이 있을 것 같어요; 저는 Mummy 3하고 The Journey to the Centre of the Earth를 보고 싶어요. 요즘 싱가폴에서 한국 영화 없어요..

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오늘 일찍 자고 싶어요.

아! 몇 주후 초등학교 동창회 있어요. 신난다!! ^^ 초등학교 졸업한 후 연 1회 동창회 꼭 있어요. 그런데 2년전 우리 선생님 미국에 가서 석사를 공부했어요. 그래서 오래 동안 초등학교 반 친구들를 못 만났어요. 오늘 모두 모임 식사할 수 있어서 너무 기뻐요. 그들은 지금 뭐 하고 무슨 계획 있도 알고 싶어요. ^^ 꼭 재미있을 거예요. 이번 동창회 모두 갈 수 있으면 더 좋겠어요. (:

저는 중학교하고 고틍학교 친구보다 초등학교 친구들과 더 가까워요. 지금 이글 쓰면서 기억을 되살려요. ^^

특히 우리 선생님 아주 재미있어요. 선생님한테서 많음 것을 배웠어요. 인생관.. 인간 관계 다 있어요. 그래서 선생님께 감사를 드리고 싶어요. 감사합니다!!

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오늘 긴 글을 썼어요. ㅋㅋ 지금 많은 것을 적고 싶지만 어떻게 표현해야 된지 몰라요. ^^ 글 안에 틀린 것이 있는지도 몰라요. ㅋㅋ

질문: 지금 무슨 것이 제일 필요해요?

대답: 시간. (:

방학 곹 끝날 거예요. 이번 방학 아르바이트 했을 때 직장 동료 저에게 도와 주고 많은 것을 가르치고.. 또 맛있는 음식을 대접했어요. ^^ 아마 졸업한 후 그 회사 일할 거예요. 그 회사 환경 좋아요. ^^ 글을 쓰로 한국어를 배우는 것이 좋다고 생각해요. 모르는 단어를 쓰고 싶으면 사전로 찾 수 있도 공부한 문번도 연습 할 수 있어요.

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정말 긴 글이네요! ㅋㅋ 그럼 다음에 봐요! ^^

한국어 배울 때

2008-07-14T22:49:00.002+08:00

벚꽃지다, 안녕하세요! ^^ 요즘 잘 지내고 있어요?

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외국어 공부하는 것이 중급 때 제일 힘들다고 하다. 저도 그렇게 생각하다. (: 아침부터 한국어를 공부하니까 지금 좀 쉬다. 조금 피곤하다. 오늘 새 지식 많이 배웠다. 한국에는 사투리에 대해 관심이 많은데 나중에 알아들 수 있으면 좋겠다. ^^ 왜 이렇게 한국에 대해 것을 좋아하는지 모르겠다. 응.. 다 배우고 싶는다.

존댓말 배울 때 조금 어려워요. 언제 '시'써야 되는지 아직도 불확실해요.

Haha I am still not very used to using the plain form yet. Shall practice more next time (:

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지금 계속 공부할 거예요. 다음에 봐요. ^^

random discovery

2008-07-08T21:07:00.002+08:00

I am bored. I just made a random disovery. heh

먹구름 (dark clouds). I wondered how did the word came about because i was expecting something like black/dark + clouds. Now i finally know how the 먹 comes about.

먹: ink (eg. 먹물 -> chinese ink 墨）

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And i finally realised how good it is to know chinese when studying korean. 한자 다 할 줄 알아요. ㅋㅋ

오늘 할 일

2008-07-07T19:13:00.002+08:00

여러분 오늘 뭐 할거예요? 저는 오늘 집에 있을 거예요. 요즘 싱가폴에는 날씨가 더워서 나가고 싶지 않아요. 좋은 친구 호주에서 공부하는데 요즘 방학이라서 싱가폴에 돌아갔어요. 그래서 이번 주에 그분하고 2 좋은 친구 함께 식사하기로 했어요. 4달쯤 못 만났니까 그분을 아주 보고 싶어요. ㅋㅋ

오늘 집에서 공부할까 해요. 다음 달부터 바빠질 거예요. 그래서 매일 한국어를 공부하기 못해요. ): 저는 한국어를 공부하는 것을 더 좋아해요. ㅋㅋ 외국어를 배우는 것이 아주 재미있고 보람있어요.

응.. 여기까지 써요. 다음에 봐요. (:

Food corners in department stores

2008-07-07T16:37:00.002+08:00

I was reading this textbook where they include points on Korean Culture. It says that one unique aspect of Korean Department stores is the food corner (식품코너) located in the basement. That is were they have small stores selling bite-sized snacks/bakery/supermarket. The more posh restaurants will be located at the top floors where the window scenery will be much better.

That sounds awfully like the shopping centres in Singapore too! Think Takashimaya, C K Tangs etc. (: But it says that Korean restaurants will be at the top floor. Well, its not the case in Singapore, just on upper floors. haha and sometimes they are located in the basement, so that there will be a classified 'food' area, as in the case of Paragon. haha

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Oh, to sidetrack abit, I had 자짱면 for the first time yesterday! Takashimaya was having a food fair, so I had that for dinner. And i bought a tub of 김치 too. Which means I probably have to take it for all 3 meals a day in order to finish it. :D

YES. I went to the stamp museum (okay i forgot how to spell phila...) a few days back and they had some Korean stamps on display too.

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I should be returning to my book. 다음에 봐요!

일기

2008-07-06T22:18:00.002+08:00

지금 비가 올 것 같다. 하늘을 먹구름이 끼고 천둥이 치고 있다. 이따가 나가야 해서 비가 싫어하다. 좋은 날씨 때 기분이 좋고 나쁜 날씨 때 기분도 나빠다. 지금 체일 하고 싶은 일이 아이스크림을 먹는다. 아이스크림 먹으면 기분이 좋아질 거다.

Okay i was just writing random thoughts above. The book i was studying from states that newspapers/novels writing always end in '다/ ㄴ/는다' so I decided to try using it. haha not sure if it's correct though ^^ anyway I am not in a mood to study today. Spent the wrong morning on a chapter and still making not much progress. I feel like stoning. ><

반말 / 존댓말 - the different cultures of different countries

2008-07-06T17:03:00.002+08:00

I feel that I am learning more about the Korean culture (: (한국에 풍속 조금씩 알아져요) During the classroom when the teacher is talking about the Korean culture, it doesn't leave such a deep impression on me. 선생님이 윗사람과 이야기할 때 존댓말 꼭 쓴다고 말했어요. It is only when i start chatting with korean friends that i realise the importance of using 존댓말.

한국에서 사람이 처음 만날 때 말과 행동 조심해서 해야 돼요. 저는 한국 풍속에 대해 모르는 것을 아직도 많아요. 그래서 틀린 말 쓰면 죄송해요. (: 싱가폴에는 처음 마날 때 친한 친구처럼 말해도 돼요. ㅋㅋ 한국 풍속에 대해 관심이 많으니까 배우고 싶어요. ^^ 한국 친구를 사귀어서 아주 기뻐요. (: 교환 핵생으로 한국에 가고 싶어요. 이렇게 한국어도 공부할 수 있고 한국 풍속도 배울 수 있어요.

지금 한국어를 공부할게요. 화이팅!

I am glad that I am learning more and more each day ^^

Korean Language Resources

2008-07-06T08:12:00.000+08:00

I'm still in the process of updating the links. Check here for more updates! (:

Korean Language Resources

Language Tools

Empas Dictionary
An excellent online dictionary. You can search in both English and Korean, however it is more suitable to use it as a korean-english dictionary as it offers plenty of sample constructions and sentences.
pronounciation guide
A super amazing programme. Type in anything in Hangul and it churns out the correct pronounciation for you. No more worries on how to pronounce complicated looking words like 옮다. (note: sorry for the broken link. I found another site that hosted it. So it should be accessible now)

Online Tutorials

KoreanClass101.com
Interesting podcasts that is updated really frequently. It has lessons ranging from newbie series to the advanced lessons. I particularly love the audio blogs which is entirely in Korean (helps to train your listening skills). Requires subscription to access its pdf lessons.
Sogang Online Lessons
Perhaps one of the most famous and useful online tutorials available. Lessons ranging from elementary to intermediate. I have been using this series frequently (currently halfway through intermediate I). Recommended for grammer help (:
Click Korean
20 Lessons by Seoul University suitable for beginners. I like the fact that there is korean subtitles below each conversation window so that we can follow the conversation easily.

Korean Langauge Learning Books

Personally I'm more inclined to using books since it offers more information, especially those that comes with a CD. Since those language books which are taught in Chinese are cheaper, I'm more partial to them :D Since I'm from Singapore, I'll just share with you where I got those books locally.

Starting from the left...

백 시간 한국어 （100 学时韩国语）Books 1-5
This is a textbook series by Yonsei University Press. Comes with a CD each. Grammer is explained adequately and I use it as a supplement text for learning Korean.
I don't usually see this in bookstores, I bought my set during Book Fair 2008 @ suntec city.

싱표중 한국어 新标准韩国语（初1-2，中1-2，高1-2）
I use this Kyung Hee University series as my main textbook. This is also the textbook used Singapore Korean School in their lessons (although theirs is the MUCH nicer version in English completed with CDs for both the textbook and workbook). Sadly I can only get the textbook (no CD) in bookstores. The only consolation that its only around $11 per book. ^^ Available in Kinokuniya and in 友联书局 in Bras Brasah Complex.

KLPT Practice Books (available in 조급,중급,고급)
The orange book in the picture is the advanced KLPT practice book. The elementary one is green and intermediate is purple. Available at $45 dollars each in NUS Extension @ Park Mall Lvl 12.

韩语点样用
That's the white book in the picture. A must-have for those self learners. It goes through the most useful and common 50 grammer points with loads of examples. The best part is probably that it shows you how to construct sentences step by step. Below is an example taken from the text itself to illustrate my point.
먹으러
为了吃멀으러为了吃...去
먹으러 갑니다为了吃人参鸡汤...去
삼계탕을 먹으러 갑니다为了吃人参鸡汤...去韩国餐厅
한국식당에 삼계탕을 먹으러 갑니다为了吃人参鸡汤...一起去韩国餐厅
같이 한국식당에 삼계탕을 먹으러 갑니다为了吃人参鸡汤和朋友一起去韩国餐厅。
친구와 같이 한국식당에 삼계탕을 먹으러 갑니다I bought mine at $20+ in Kinokuniya Takashimaya. Go get it! The author penned several other guide books too.
- Teach Yourself Korean
  I think the 'Teach Yourself Series' is good for an introduction to the language and to pick up basic phrases. However, i think people tend to rely excessively on the romanisation and all grammer points are explained in romanisation. One consolation is that the conversation passage is in Hangul. Probably this series will be better for languages that don't require romanisation, eg Spanish. ^^
- KLEAR Textbooks - Integrated Korean
  Wow I totaly love this series. I started from Intermediate I and I like how the books include snippets on Korean culture. And it does a great job explaining some of the origins of certain words and phrases, which other textbooks lack. Ample practices too. Each chapter introduces around 5 new grammer points. I borrowed mine from the library! For the audio files, please click the following link. Audio Files
- College Korean, College Korean Intermediate
  credits to notsocalm.wordpress.com
  credits to uc.press.edu
  2 books by Clare You and Eunsu Cho and they are frequently used as textbooks in university Korean courses. I have never read College Korean, but I do recommend the intermediate book. The texts are abit dry but does offer new knowledge on Korean history etc. But the grammer points are well explained and suitable for self learners. They do have the online version with everything available. However, I still recommend getting the book in order not to srain your eyesight :D (Well, I borrowed mine from the library!) Intermediate College Korean
- Elementary Korean, Continuing Korean
  credits to theselflearner.blogspot.com
  Again, another 2 books series (by Ross King). Again, I can only comment on the 2nd book since I have not looked at the elementary one before. It has alot of explanations on grammer points, but I personally find their wordings abit confusing. But it's still a good book to learn vocabulary. They introduce many new words per chapter. BUT, I advise against buying it unless you have much spare cash. Continuing Korean retails at $139 (or more, I can't remember) at Borders Singapore >< (As usual, I borrowed my copy from the library :D).
- Modern Korean - An Intermediate Reader
  Published in 2000, this book is one of the older korean-learning books in the market. What I particularly liked is that the exercises are very relevant as it provides around 12 English sentences per chapter to translate using the stated grammar structure taught in that chapter. (however there is no answer key) The reading passages are a tad boring and more geared toward providing knowledge of the Korean culture, its history and folk stories. (which is both its selling point and disadvantage) If you are one of those who prefer reading modern dialogues, you may be put off by the passages. But if you are interested in finding out more about Korea, this is a good book to pick up!

~던

2008-07-04T22:11:00.002+08:00

I came across this particle quite a few times before, but I had no idea what it meant. Finally today, I studied it. It is named as 'noun modifying suffix' and is used when the speaker describes a situation that no longer existed. It is actually a very useful particle, albeit a little confusing when i first studied it.

전에 좋아하던 남자를 만났어요. --> I met the guy I used to like.

어제 사던 지갑을 잃어 버렸어요. --> I lost the wallet I bought yesterday.

(haha is it used like this? I hope so) It seems like the object has to be gone/lost/vanished when it is used with a verb. Hopefully I will get the hang of it soon.

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Just to side track abit. I started to listen to Girl's Generation when a friend told me he likes their songs. Wow, it's seriously not bad (listening to their first album right now). So far the song that really caught my attention was Ohh La La! haha I like the lyrics :D and the tune is pretty catchy. I am really happy that i can finally understand bit and pieces of lyrics (as long as it's not like rap or sth) when a few months back, I have totally no idea what they are singing. Although it's still impossible for me to watch dramas without subtitles, I will strive harder. :D

Its amazing how younger Korean artistes are. haha omg some are even younger than me!!

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Ooh la-la, ooh what a feeling Ooh la-la,
the clouds are smiling
옛날 옛적 언니들과 계모에게
몹시 구박 받던 그녀 이름
마음도 몸도 착한 신데렐라
어느 날 밤에 무도회 이쪽저쪽
다니다가 왕자님 만나 첫눈에 반해서
사랑에 빠져 버렸죠
주위를 둘러봐 멋진 왕자님 나는 공주님
모두들 우리를 축하해요 *Ooh La-La
나는 아직은 어리지만 그대의 존재를 믿어요
단 한명의 나만의 왕자님을 Ooh La-La
그대만의 공주 될래요
그대에게 잘 어울릴 난 공주가 될래,
그래 Ooh La-La Ooh la-la,
ooh what a feeling
기억하니 항상 one two,
three two, four two
줄을 맞춰 걸어가는 착한
난쟁이들과 행복한 백설공주
독 사과를 먹고 죽음과 같은
깊은 잠이 들 때
백마 탄 왕자 달콤한 키스로
잠자는 공주를 깨워 주었죠
주위를 둘러봐 멋진 왕자님
나는 공주님 모두들 우리를 축하해요
*Ooh La-La 나는 아직은 어리지만
그대의 존재를 믿어요
단 한명의 나만의 왕자님을
Ooh La-La 그대만의 공주 될래요
그대에게 잘 어울릴 난 공주가 될래,
그래 Ooh La-La
<Narration>
그리하여 공주님은 왕자님의
성으로 마차를 타고서 갔구요
둘은 행복하게 살았다죠
내 인생에 아직은 백마 탄 왕자님은 없지만
어딘가 그대 있겠죠
언젠가는 만나게 될 그댈 기다리며
나는 꿈을 잃지 않아
*Ooh La-La 나는 아직은 어리지만
그대의 존재를 믿어요
단 한명의 나만의 왕자님을 Ooh La-La
그대만의 공주 될래요
그대에게 잘 어울릴 난 공주가 될래,
그래 Ooh La-La Ooh La-La
나는 아직은 어리지만 그대의 존재를 믿어요
단 한명의 나만의 왕자님을 Ooh La-La
그대 역시 나를 찾겠죠
우리 만날 그날 올 때까지 나 여기에 있어,
봤어 Ooh La-La

일기

2008-07-02T06:36:00.002+08:00

여러분 안녕! 오늘 일을 많이 헀어요. 아침에 한국어를 공부하면서 노래를 들었어요. 그 다음에 옛날 친구들을 만났어요. 오랫동안 못 만났기 때문에 얘기 많이 했어요. 다른 친구에 대해 이야기하고 요즘 한 것을도 나누었어요. 저녁에 한국학교에 가서 시험 경과를 찾았어요.

오늘은 초급 3 반에 시작해요. 그런데 저는 혼자서 공부하기로 했으니까 한국학교에서 계속 공부하지 않아요. 학교에 갈때 반 친구들을 만났어요. 그들은 저는 계속 공부하고 새각하니까 모두 기뻤어요. ㅋㅋ 미안해! 다음에 꼭 같이 저녁을 먹자!

저는 글을 안에 틀린 것을 있으면 모르겠어요. 그레서 도와 주세요!! ㅋㅋ

내일 특별한 일이 없으니까 집에 있을 거예요. 심심해요... ㅋㅋ 대학교 시작할 때까지 한 달 있어요. 학교 기고 싶지 않아요!! 흑흑

방학을 때 제일 좋네요. 여러분도 방학을 좋아요? ㅋㅋ

그럼 다음에 보자! 지금 자고 싶어요. ^^

Kim Dong Hee

2008-07-01T02:31:00.002+08:00

My friend just introduced me to her songs. wow i heard one so far and i have to say that her vocals are great. Tried to do a check up on her and although she's still not on wikipedia yet, her past resume looks good. She released her first single in Nov 2007, This is Dong Hee, she was the vocal trainer for Zia and Big Bang, and live chorus vocalist for Vibe, Fly to the Sky and Tei. With great vocals like hers, its just a matter of time before she will be well known. I don't think its selling in HMV or anywhere in Singapore. (at least i haven't seen it before). Her second single, Finally Now, was released in May 2008.

Here's the MV of a song in her 2nd album. 이제서야(FInally Now)

(oh and my friend lent me My Tutor Friend 2 DVD. so I can finally watch it :D )

in deep thoughts

2008-06-29T04:29:00.002+08:00

I wonder how I can continue to study Korean while juggling with my would-be-busy uni life. Apart from the fact that i am taking a double degree (which increases my workload, lessons time), I would still need to spare some time for CCAs, MYlife etc. Currently Learning Korean is the main objective in my life, and most of the time I am just in front of my desk. (okay this week i am more slack) :D

But the fact remains that my priorties got to change when school starts. I envy people who can major in Korean Studies, Singapore does not offer that course. ): And learning a new language is really fun, everyday you pick up some more vocab/grammer and you realise that you are beginning to understand more and more. Being able to pick up a few more lines while watching Korean Dramas, and hey! understanding more lyrics of your favourite Kpop songs.

That's my main drive and motivation (: Sure, there are times when everything seems so tiring. but somehow I will continue to strive on doggedly. and hopefully one day, become a native speaker.

And actually, I was quite surprised at my own determination and interest in the language. 2 years ago and I would have told everybody that I wanted to learn Spanish and Korean was definitely out of my radar. NO interest in Korean Drama whatsoever and please, i dun even know who is Dong bang shin ki, shinhwa and se7en??? who's that. hahaha

A few years ago, that was the time when Korean Craze was strongest in Singapore I guess. Where everybody scrambles to pick up a few Korean phrases and I was like 'okay.. i don't know what's the hype about.' and 2 years later! here I am blogging on my interest in Korean haha.

ohya and 2 years ago, I have NEVER in my life eaten any Korean food. I preferred western or japanese food. What's 비빔밥? 삼계당, 볶음밥, 자짱면,냉면,갈비 all unheard of. haha I guessed i only knew KimChi back then.

and now,비빔밥 is my favourite food :D

I guessed I changed quite alot for the past 2 years. (:

ㅋㅋ

2008-06-22T20:38:00.002+08:00

벚꽃지다 씨, 만나서 반가워요 (: 평을 줘서 고마워요. 저는 싱가폴 사람인데요. 싱가폴에 살아요. 벚꽃지다 씨는 한국 사람이지요? 자주 올 거예요 (: 환영해요! 글을 틀리는 것이 있으면 가르쳐 주세요.

-------

대학교 입학 캠프가 있는데 나는 별로 좋지 않아요. 왜냐하면 난 운동을 싫어해요. 캠프 있을 때 많이 실외 할동을 해야 해요. ㅋㅋ 게으르다! 그러나 많이 새 친구를 사귀고 싶은데 꼭 갈 거예요. ㅎㅎ

지금 드라마를 보고 있어요. 다음에 봐요!!

안녕!

2008-06-21T16:14:00.002+08:00

ㅋㅋ 안녕! 좋은 아침인네. 나는 오늘 7 시에 일어났어요. 아침을 아직 안 먹어요. 기분이 아주 좋은데, 오늘 쇼핑을 할 거예요. (: 대학교 생활 8월 시작할 거예요. 좋은 것이나 안 좋은 것이 나도 몰라요. :/오래만에 영화를 안 봐요. 지금 무슨 영화가 재미있지 몰라요. ㅎㅎ

이번 방학을 때 많이 일이 했어요. 아르바이트를 하고 한국어를 공부하는 것을 다 했어요. 한국어를 곻부한 지 6개월쯤 되었어요. 처음에는 한글 문법하고 쓰기하고 말하기 다 몰라요. 기초의 단어 밖에 다 몰라요. 이제 짧은 글을 쓸 수 있는데, 아주 기뻐요. ^^ 더 열심히 곻부하면 나중에 긴 글을 쓸 수 있어요! ㅋㅋ

그럼 다음에 보자!

2008-06-18T18:00:00.002+08:00

어제는 마지막 한국어 수업이 인데 아주 재이있었어요. 우리 반 <백설공주> 연극했어요. 그리고 1 등 이겼어요. 기분이 아주 좋았어요. (: 앞으로 우리 반 친구와 못 만나기 때문에 심심해요. 시진을 많이 찍었어요. 김밥, 잡채, 김치, 떡도 먹었어요. 아주 맛있었어요. 특히 김밥과 김치를 아주 좋아해. ^^

지금 공부하기 싫어요. ㅋㅋ 한가하게 보내고 싶어요. ^^ 난 지금 제일 싶은 할 것이 드라마를 보네요. 심심하다. .

Watched till episode 50 for Pure 19. haha omg Yun Ho is beginning to like Gukhwa :D And I teared when the mother was treating her so badly cos of her suspiscions that her son likes her. Sigh I love this drama (: I think I am watching a little too fast. halfway through alr and i would seriously miss the show once its over. Its rare to find a long series that doesnt drag on and on like nobody's business. and not grate on your nerves over repeated stupid misunderstandings that separate a couple over and over again. haha (:

(:

2008-06-14T16:43:00.002+08:00

오늘은 기분이 아주 좋아요. (: 한국어를 더 열심히 공부하기로 해요!! Chatting online in korean is so fun. :D although i'm still slow in typing. (I can take up to a few min to think of one short sentence). But at least i will be improving this way. okay i need to go study now. NO TIME to waste.

한국어 시험 part 1

2008-06-11T19:39:00.002+08:00

Had our oral/listening test yesterday. It was.. not too bad. During the free conversation part, our 선생님 asked us 3 different questions each. Mine was:

1. 왜 한국어를 배워요?

대답: 한국 드라마를 아주 좋아해요.

2. 어떤 드라마를 좋아해요?

대답: <마왕>.

3. 아. . 배우 좋아해요?

대답: 네! 엄태웅을 아주 좋아해요. (:

HAHA. I end up declaring my love for him. :X that was quite dumb, i sound like a crazy idol fan. haha and during the whole thing, i keep using 좋아해요! wahaha.

I just finished studying a chapter. A little confused over the use of "은/ㄴ/는 데요". I need to look at more examples.

time flies

Korean Tongue Twisters :X

2008-06-10T18:51:00.002+08:00

Korean Tongue Twisters here!

Go see this site!

How do you gauge if you have really mastered a language?

Ans: by being able to do TONGUE TWISTERS in that language!!! :X

YES. i cant accomplish that yet, so that means i have a long way more to go. wahaha its not easy but fun to try! Oh, I will be compiling some sites that are useful to learning Korean. Shall do it some time later. (: This is one of the quirky sites i found. haha. The third one looks especially tricky.

I look forward to the day i master them.

enjoy!

i'm seriously impressed

2008-06-08T09:42:00.002+08:00

I was just randomly blog hopping and I came across this girl's blog. She studies Korean at Advanced II level in my school (i could only guess who she is) and its a blog on her Korean Learning Journey. Very interesting, and i can really see the effort she puts into the language. She have 7h of korean lesson per week! omg. that's cos she studies in 2 schools at the same time.

I thought i was rather hardworking and passionate about learning Korean, and after reading her blog, i am absolutely impressed and realised that the effort i put in so far could not compare with her yet. That's a source of inspiration for me, and i will continue to work harder (especially since i'm self studying right now) :X

I guess I will just skip a level or 2 and return back to that school soon. Uni is starting in 2 months and I guess I really have to prioritize my commitments. I need to be sure I can attend all lessons before continuing classes. And my future job prospects depends on my uni degree. sigh, i wont mind being a full time student doing Korean Studies if my country offers such a course. anw. i think i need to work much harder. :D

in awe.

오늘 기분이 아주 좋아요 (:

2008-05-31T08:09:00.002+08:00

오늘 제 제일 좋아하는 작가가 싱가폴에 와요! 오전 저는 그분 만나러 서점에 갈 거예요. 시진 꼭 많이 찍어요. 지금 공부 해야 해요.

haha my brain is stuck i have no idea what to type now. i need to study more :X

introduction (:

2008-05-30T10:01:00.002+08:00

Hello everybody. This blog is a collection of my Korean loves (drama, music, language, culture) and as well as serving as my personal korean blog. Since i am currently learning korean, i shall attempt to blog in it. As i'm still a beginner, there will sure be mistakes. Please correct me :D 고마워요. Hopefully my entries will get longer as time passes, and this will serve as a testimony that my grasp of Korean has indeed improved.

안녕하세요. 오늘부터 여기 제 한글 블로크예요. 지금 좀 바빠서 다음에 또 쓸 거예요. 한국어를 꼭 열심히 공부해요. 파이팅. :D

저는 한국 드라마 아주 좋아해서 날마다 드라마를 봐요. 지금 <마왕>보고 있어요.

좋아하는 드라마:

1. 한상커폴

2. 마왕

3. 황대자의 첫사랑 :D

4. 공

5. My Girl

My Korean Learning Journey

I have MOVED

A quick update

Malaysia to teach math and science in Malay: progress or a backward move?

Must Korean dramas have korean titles?

How much of our own culture and language are we retaining in this globalised world where English is the global lingua franca?

[general] a quick post

Practice is the only way to master a language

어학 습득의 방법은 오로지 연습 뿐이다

两难—戴佩妮 (MV and lyrics) and my cover of it

Butchered Translations

Studying for the sake of studying

Typing VS Writing

반말 VS 낮춘말

Pacing myself, getting into the momentum

Nominated for Top 100 Language Blog 2009

My Korean Learning Journey

1st TOPIK practice paper!

Up and running! (:

TOPIK 2009

Dreaming in a foreign language

SNSD 2nd mini album - Boyfriend (소녀시대-남자친구)

Bottlenecks in language learning

another 6 months have passed

To any lurkers out there, do leave me a comment this time! haha

'in style' foreign languages

유행 (流行)

More on Korean Topic Particle 은/는

Topic Marker 은/는

이/가 VS 은/는

1. 준수가 집에 있다

2. 준수는 집에 있다

1. 준수가 대학생이 되었다

2. 준수가 대학생은 되었다

이번에는 제가 찍을게요

Mimetic Words and Onomaetopoeia in Korean: Part 1

한국어는 소릿글이다

여러분은 어떻게 걸어요?

So how do you walk?

back to basics (:

칭찬은 독[毒]이고 비난은 칼날이다

learning korean through entertainment news

Y-STAR

Click here to watch

트와일라잇 and updates (:

Goal setting time

Korean Novels (:

busy as a beeee.

Hi Seoul Enjoy Korea! - book review

Singlish – to love it or not?

Singapore's Korean-English Magazine

it's been a whole week!

Second Language Acquisition (SLA)

bout of laziness

요즘..

Korean Slangs!

Korean titles in the workplace

Korean - Vowel harmony

New Blog (또) ~

Click to see my Naver Blog.

일기 - 연습을 더 해야 하죠!

Korean Wiki - 한국어 Wiki

How to learn Languages Effectively

Knife - Knives - Knifes??

Languages are so amazing.

Learning Languages - a revolutionary approach

새해 복 많이 받으세요!

와우.. 벌써 설날 있구나! (:

여러분, 새해 복 믾이 받으세요. 그리고 앞으로 일 년 동안.. 할 일은 잘 되시기 바랍니다!

행복하세요! ~

복합 명사 - Compound Nouns

Audio Blog - 싱가포르의 설날

Koreanclass101.com - Mailbag Story

Korean reads in Singapore - Hannah press

The first anniversary

Korean Causative Forms

Linguistics - Native language VS 2nd language

번역하는 것이 정말 어렵다

Linguistics (:

언어 배우기