Countdown! Survival Language in a Hurry

The sudden reality of departing for Korea by the end of the week only hit me in the last few days. Although I am the type who prefers to over-prepare, the truth is that real life does not always allow the luxury of good preparation. The question that faces me, like many others on the brink of departure, is: what Korean phrases will be most helpful to know before departure?

This entire blog is based on the principle of optimal return on language learning investment. This is done with the Survival Language Kit (SLK), based on research of linguist Paul Nation. You can read more about this in earlier posts, or follow the links. In a nutshell, the SLK allows users to tailor the most common phrases to their personal needs and interests. What makes it an effective learning tool is the process of critically compiling the Korean phrases oneself.

But in the hectic last week before take-off, what should I learn? As with all language learning, this depends on learner needs. Learner needs include social requirements and personal needs. Personalising this is part of the learning process, but I include my own case by way of example. The very first priority is to learn greetings and polite expressions. This is a good ice-breaker and a way to establish a connection, even if it is the sum total of one's knowledge. I personally consider counting the next step (although with Korean's dual system this is a challenge!). Talking about oneself is also handy, but probably not a first priority. An area that is absolutely vital to me, as a picky eater/occasional health nut/pesco-vegetarian, is food! This is also important to anyone with allergies and other special needs. Some emergency vocabulary is also always a good idea, even if this is limited to saying "help!".

In a perfect world, we can all spend plenty of time on mastering a language before a trip. In the real world, coping with pressure is often a more valuable skill. The fact remains that actually being immersed in the new environment can be a boost to language learning, far better than "studying"! however, it is easier to learn on the spot once a basic framework for the language is in place in one's mind.

As for me, my next priority is to learn to say "if you feed me red meat I will turn purple, start frothing at the mouth and die in a public media frenzy that will destroy your reputation." See, personal needs drive us to far higher levels of learning, not so?

Synthesising Resources

When learning a language I often find that no resource quite meets my needs. Each has its strong points, while it may neglect other areas completely.

What is especially useful of the TOLL project is the way it empowers learners to compile their own optimal resource, according to their personal needs, using a wealth of online resources. The particular value of this process is the constant critical evaluation of online materials, the gleaning of relevant information and the creation of a personalized store of tailored language knowledge.

As I continue to work through several online courses, I am finding that the introductory lesson is usually at a gentle pace (perhaps too much so, since I have long mastered "Annyong haseyo"), but the pace then picks up very quickly and diverges in unpredictable directions.

I am, however, finding the interactive resources from Seoul University and KBS very helpful, because they focus on the Korean Hangeul writing and phonetic system. This means once I arrive in Korea I will be able to read and pronounce signs - even if I don't understand them! from experience learning Mandarin and Arabic I know that this also rules out many "foreign accent" problems.

Today I learnt how to talk about my nationality (Seoul University's Click Korean course, Unit 3). That useful sentence pattern "I am ..." ([Jeo-neun ... imnida]) comes in handy once again, as it does with self-introduction and talking about one's profession. To describe nationality, the country's name is followed by "person" [saram]. So, to say I am South African, I say: [Jeo-neun nang Apirija saram imnida].

Since my nationality is NEVER in the phrasebooks, I also went in pursuit of an online dictionary. This search turned up two resources. Worldlingo translates full phrases, but since this is done by a bot, do proceed with caution. Indiana Uni's Multimedia Korean Dictionary provides an interactive experience with basic vocabulary, and is very inner child-friendly.

But the day beckons, and according to World Translator, 나는 급하게 이다 [na-neun gibhage ida]... I am in a hurry.

Motivation Motivation Motivation

After two weeks of blogblivion, I am back. The reason is contained in a three-part post on my teaching blog called Justification, Attitude, Motivation. And since the KoreaKast blog is not here to show that I am a perfect learner, but rather a reflective learner, I will confess.

I lost my motivation.

The reason is extremely sound: due to administrative delays with my documentation, my visa to work in Korea was in extreme jeopardy, even though I had the contract in my hands. I am not proud to say that I lost faith, but in my defense it did seem sensible. Of course, the value of learning Korean - to me - depends on my living in Korea. Hence the departure of motivation.

Well, yesterday the red tape was finally untangled and I could express the visa documentation. As the euphoria passed, I became concerned that I may have forgotten all the Korean I had learnt. But somewhere between sleep and waking, I started running over what I knew in my mind. Most was still there, and the rest just needs some refreshing.

Motivation paves the way for learning.

Now that I have my reason for learning back, I am eager to return to a routine of spending some time on Korean - and this blog - every morning after my workout. (Although my location can sometimes mean no internet connection - even wireless!)

This is where it gets interesting.