漢語點樣用

Yay! Another interlibrary loan~ I actually waited for this one for almost a month =-=

I choose this book becuase I figured I had enough basic Korean knowledge to be capable of studying from a book intended for Chinese learners. I have learned many new Chinese vocabulary AND even new Korean grammar!

The only downside is that this book is written in traditional characters – but even so, it is still clear to understand. In my notes, I try to write only using simplified though since it is what I'm currently focusing on. I find it a tad bit difficult since the explanations are in Chinese – but the examples suffice.

Rough translation: If you eat a lot of Kimchi you can do well in Korea.

I like how the book gives the verb in both Korean and Chinese before the example to give a more clearer concept.

Title: 漢語點樣用 (han yu dian yan yong)
ISBN: 9621434017

Inspiration, Inspiration.... and More Inspiration.

Inspiration.

I think it's important to stay motivated when learning a language. Studying a new language is deffiniltey not an easy journey – nor should it be ;)

I'm not sure if it's just me, but I always have to remind myself why I'm learning the language. I find that when I get inspired by videos or images, I enjoy studying rather than making it a dead-end chore. Since I'm currently studying mainly Chinese and Korean, I find it hard to juggle both equally. In the end, finding certain things that remind me of why I started learning the language allows me to advance and progress.

For example, this video last night totally inspired me to learn Chinese... and to visit Shanghai 上海 *0*

Anyways, expect more Korean content haha~

First Interlibrary Loan!

This is probably the most best concept ever invented ever ^^
So basically, an interlibrary loan allows anyone to go to their local/university library and request a book in any library catalog. I'm not sure if this is internationally operated or not, but I'm positive it's nationwide.

I requested 인터넷에서 가장 먾이 틀리는 한국어, and I received within days! Although, I did request a another textbook weeks ago and still haven't received it ><
So far, I learned a lot from this book! It points out many errors that are common among Koreans whether it's spelling, grammar, etc.

Title: 인터넷에서 가장 먾이 틀리는 한국어
ISBN: 9788984995949

Chinese: An Essential Grammar

 I managed to scavenge a Chinese grammar book. Unfortunately, the library system where I live does not carry many books pertaining to foreign language =-=;;;

So far, this book seems very helpful! It helped solidified some understanding I had about the Chinese language, along with explaining some new information. I like how each Chapter of the book is very organized with very concrete titles that summarize each new grammar structure or language concept.

I totally reccomend this book. Even though I haven't finished it, I know I'll be able to benefit from this book greatly – both vocabulary and grammar wise.

Title: Chinese An Essential Grammar
ISBN:0415372615

Chinese Sentence Structure

Here's a quick post just to go over the Chinese sentence structure! I find that learning sentence structures in language studying is very important!

Ahhh, I miss studying Korean! I put some books on hold through an interlibrary loan, so expect some reviews :D

Learning more than one language... at once?

This is a question I ask myself almost every time I study! I won't say how many languages I'm currently studying, but it's well over five. I'm not sure if I'm being productive or clearly just hindering myself.

My issue is not 'mixing' the languages, but rather studying to my full capability. Everyday, I have a habit of studying both Chinese and Korean at the same time without any difficulty. Although, I had to quit Japanese for now becuase of the energy it took to study three different languages, not to mention the chinese characters that were involved =-=;;;

As of right now, I haven't experienced any real problems with learning multiple languages at once. I found an interesting article that states what should be considered when learning multiple languages:

1. Goals:
If you are a casual learner who is just fascinated by cultures and or a language and have no desired time frame to achieve a certain level of proficiency then learning multiple languages simultaneously may not be too much.
However, if you would like to learn quickly then your efforts would be best spent learning one language. If you focus on one language at a time you will learn faster because all of your efforts are concentrated on one thing and not divided among many.

2. Ability:
If you are disciplined and have strong study habits then tackling two languages at once may not be difficult for you. If you are easily distracted then it would be in your best interest to learn the language enjoy most and then to come back for the second.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/386107

In the end, I think it depends on the person's abilities and habits.

Studying for HSK... not really!

I'm sure you've heard of KLPT, JLPT etc etc, right? Well, since I started to study Chinese I figured I should at least 'pretend' to study for the HSK 汉语水平考试, which is the Chinese language test. I picked up a character list from here, and printed out a little paper that had three levels on it.

Right now I'm am righting any unfamilar character in my notebook like so:

睡（Shuì）：sleep
睡睡睡睡睡睡睡睡睡睡睡睡睡睡睡睡睡睡睡睡睡睡睡睡睡睡睡睡睡睡睡睡睡
睡睡睡睡睡睡睡睡睡睡睡睡睡睡睡睡睡睡睡睡睡睡睡睡睡睡睡睡睡睡睡睡睡

Of course, the more copying, the better! After I memorize each level, I will highlight any character I am still hesitant on and study those while moving onto the next level. I'm not sure if this is an effective way or not, but it sure is helping so far!

My goal is to memorize all three levels by the end of the month !! So I don't have much longer =-=;; If only I wasn't so lazy haha

Learning Words Naturally

In my year of studying Korean, I have noticed that I have been able to learn new vocabulary in certain ways. I found that when I learn new vocabulary with various media such as music videos and TV shows they seem to stick in my memory much more faster and longer.

I remember I first learned -때문에 from the Miss A "Breathe" video. Ever since, 때문에 has played a concrete part in my word bank. Today, while watching Star King, I learned the word 오산 (incorrect), from the children that were currently guests on the show.

I do find studying from textbooks effective of course, but it just takes a little more effort on my side to memorize the word completely.

 

 

Updates~~

Sorry I haven't been blogging lately =-= I have been too busy with other things AKA school ><;;

Even so, I have managed to study Korean at least an hour a day. I'm finding that I don't have the patience to do one thing at a time....

I was trying to study Japanese for a while, but I found out I should just stick to two languages at a time =-=;;

I also have a Chinese blog, laime11.xanga.com! Be sure to visit!

Rocky Hills

I'm not sure if it's just me, but I always seem to experience a period of time where I feel like I am not progressing through my language learning. Rather, it feels like I'm stationed at a point where I am unable to advance my knowledge of the language itself – almost regressing back to a beginner stage.

I wouldn't say I am experience anything of that sort right now – at least not to that degree. I remember for these past 5 months during school studying felt like a chore, almost like a job. During that time period, I took a mild break from Korean and started to study Chinese in a class I registered for in the beginning of the year. Through Chinese, I remembered how amazing it is to take part in learning a foreign language. I forgot the excitement I had when I was able to accomplish the little things – whether that's recognizing a few words on TV or even being able to type in Korean.

I forgot how important these 'little things' are. I shouldn't take anything for gratned

As of right now, I am able to advance myself whether it's vocabulary or minor grammar aspects. ^^

Sorry for the random post by the way, just wanted to share my thoughts :)

Subtitles ?!

I always come across this issue... watching Korean videos with or without subtitles. I also come across different opinions from other people.

For instance, my mother who now speaks English at a native level, was able to learn the language via various sitcoms on TV. Since Dari, was her first language, finding subs for her shows were nearly impossible. She tells me that watching videos without subs is the best way to learn a language. I can agree with this, being that it can become really easy to watch shows passively once subs are included.

I also hear from other language learners, that subtitles are indeed necessary in order to grow an understanding of the language itself whether that be vocabulary or sentence structure. I can also concur with statements such as this one. I find that watching subtitles in the language that is being presented is really helpful as well since it reinforces spelling, etc.

Being that I agree with both, I finally came up with a solution. As of right now, I watch content with and without subtitles! Allow me to share a few examples. As I am a drama addict, I choose to switch between subtitles between alternating episodes. That way, I am able to pull content from previous episodes to formulate an overall understanding of the new content.

As for videos on Youtube, I choose to watch them without subs (unless it's a movie). You will be shocked, trust me! I was watching an episode of WGM and was able to understand almost every other sentence! Being so, I was able to form an overall idea on what the episode was about!

Do you have any opinions utilizing subtitles?

Lie to Me 내게 거짓말을 해봐

Lie to Me (Korean Drama)
★★★★★

Let me just say, any drama with Yoon Eun Hye 윤은혜 will not disappoint you! I wouldn't say this drama isn't totally unique in terms of content, but I like how 'lying' seems to be a overlying theme. Of course, the couple in the drama are extremely adorable (even in their most heated moments). In the end, you definitely need to watch this drama. It's only 16 episodes unfortunately =-=;;;

Ahhh! I need to stop making reviews about dramas and start writing posts about the Korean language itself ^^;; I can finally have time to study Korean today, yesterday was my first real day off :D 

PS. Start watching City Hunter, you will thank me later.

Last day of Chinese Startalk

Wow! I can't believe it is has already been a month of Chinese class! It was fun, but it was time to be over ^^;;; Yesterday was officially the last day of class :D

I learned a lot of Chinese with this class, and I hope to continue my studies this upcoming fall.

In the end, I would totally recommend this Startalk program to any language student. Not only did I receive college credit, learn a little Chinese, but I have also created memories and met new friends! I only hope that they offer more languages ^^;;;

Speaking of which, does anybody know any good Chinese textbooks for the self-learner? I wouldn't want to lose anything that I have learned =-=;;;

再见！！