Although I really enjoyed listening and making my weekly music posts I want to try something new on my blog.
I feel like I need a bit of motivation and perhaps feedback on some
of the projects I am currently involved in. I usually prefere to keep my
projects for myself since I hate failure, and what is worse when I
fail, people that know I failed. However keeping my projects a secret
also helped me to not do things, but I think sometimes you just have to
start! So, that’s what I am doing, starting now!
Today I will share three projects I am working on. The first one
is still an early stage development, namely this blog. I’ve always
wanted a succesfull blog. And by succesfull I don’t mean xiaxue famous.
Succesfull to me means my own domain, my own designed webpage and a
connection with people that visit my blog. I want to share what I know,
while learning from others. I want to meet great new people I wouldn’t
have met otherwise. I am already well on my way and although I only
seriously started with this blog for little over a month the amount of
followers and commenters suprise me. And I am very greatfull and happy
about it. Even if it takes years I would love to expand this blog into a
website where I can help people achieve there dreams, encourage people
to do what they want to do becuse that’s what I think is most important.
My goal is more involvement, I want to get to know everyone
that even only looks at my blog, why do you return, or why do you stay
away? I’d love to hear from you, even if it’s just a Hi every now and then. I also want to find a concept that I like, I am pretty
close already but not quite there yet. But once I have that I think I
will actually start with a design and getting my own domain.
The second thing I want to achieve is I want to be more organized,
I want to have a perfect daily schedule, I want to be on top of things
and not forget people’s birthdays. I am currently trying to get
organized and trying to get rid of anything that is not only clutterling
my room but also cluttering my brains. Edit my life,
so to say. I thinking of of getting myself a filofax – which has the
most amazing planners ever – they are expensive but it seems worth it. I
just really want to be on top of things instead of constantly feeling
like I am falling behind.
And last but not least, I really need to study more
Korean. So starting from today I will study at least 15 minutes of
Korean every day! No excuses, just do it!
I will keep you guys up to date one way or another and post things to
motivate myself and you with your goals every monday starting from
today.
So tell me, what are your goals for the future or near future?
Love Wietske
Showing posts with label korean. Show all posts
Showing posts with label korean. Show all posts
Wednesday, January 14, 2015
Korean resources - All about Hangeul
Last week while I was going through piles and piles of paper and
notes of my time as a Korea studies mayor I found some quite useful
information.
It was a piece of paper my Korean language teacher gave me with links to websites about Korean alphabet or Hangeul. I’ve mentioned some websites to study Hangeul in my last Korean resources post, but here are 4 more!
The first one is all about the history of Hangeul and the Korean language in general. There are also great recordings of pronunciation of the Korean alphabet. Please note that with the pronunciation of the consonants they say the name of the letter and not just the pronunciation of the letter. However here is a quick tip for you; the way the name of the letter is pronounced reveals how the letter itself is pronounced at the beginning and the end of a syllable. For example the ㄹ or r/l it is pronounced as rieul or 리을 which means at the beginning of the word is pronounced as an R at the beginning of a syllable and at the end it is pronounced as an L.
The next two websites are both have great explanation of how each letter fits in a syllable with the only difference that one has audio that explains the pronunciation and the other has not.
Last but not least for the people who thrive by someone explaining it in a clear manner in a classroom like situation here are 2 videos for you . The first explains the principle of creation of Korean alphabet and its historical background and vowels and consonants and their phonetic value. The second video explains ending consonants and its phonetic value and write and read syllables. The videos are a bit on the long side but defiantly worth watching for someone who really wants to learn Korean.
I hope you find this information useful, if you have other great websites explaining Hangeul. Feel free to share in the comment section below.
Love, Wietske
It was a piece of paper my Korean language teacher gave me with links to websites about Korean alphabet or Hangeul. I’ve mentioned some websites to study Hangeul in my last Korean resources post, but here are 4 more!
The first one is all about the history of Hangeul and the Korean language in general. There are also great recordings of pronunciation of the Korean alphabet. Please note that with the pronunciation of the consonants they say the name of the letter and not just the pronunciation of the letter. However here is a quick tip for you; the way the name of the letter is pronounced reveals how the letter itself is pronounced at the beginning and the end of a syllable. For example the ㄹ or r/l it is pronounced as rieul or 리을 which means at the beginning of the word is pronounced as an R at the beginning of a syllable and at the end it is pronounced as an L.
The next two websites are both have great explanation of how each letter fits in a syllable with the only difference that one has audio that explains the pronunciation and the other has not.
Last but not least for the people who thrive by someone explaining it in a clear manner in a classroom like situation here are 2 videos for you . The first explains the principle of creation of Korean alphabet and its historical background and vowels and consonants and their phonetic value. The second video explains ending consonants and its phonetic value and write and read syllables. The videos are a bit on the long side but defiantly worth watching for someone who really wants to learn Korean.
I hope you find this information useful, if you have other great websites explaining Hangeul. Feel free to share in the comment section below.
Love, Wietske
Review: Korean resources - dictionaries
Once you start learning a language, no matter what language, there is one thing you will always need. A dictionary. No matter if you are a beginner or almost fluent you will still need it. However, the question is, what dictionary do you need. A book, an online one, an electronic dictionary, or just a simple one on your phone. Is it worth investing in a good dictionary, or are the free options better?
I am going to compare a few different options.
- Online: Naver Dictionary & Daum Dictionary
- Book: NTC’s compact Korean and English Dictionary
- Electronic: NurianX30 electronic dictionary
- Phone: Dictionary App (this was already on my phone when I purchased it in Korea)
as I was looking for the key to my house.집 열쇠를 찾고 있었다Now the other way around. For the online and phone option you need to have a Korean keyboard installed. For most computers not a problem but this might be a problem for some phones. Again this is no problem on the online, electronic and phone dictionaries and gives a nice list of examples and translations.
Now for the NTC’s Compact Korean and English Dictionary it is a pain in the ass to even find a simple word if you are looking at Korean to English. Since the Korean words are listed by how they are written in Romanization. It took me a good 10 minutes to only find the word for house and it doesn’t even give me examples.
Now for something a bit more difficult. Let’s find the meaning of ~고 싶다.
Let’s start online with both Naver and Daum dictionary.
This is what Daum dictionary could come up with. Thanks to the bing translation there is an exact translation however I don’t trust bing and figuring it out from the examples given is possible but still a little bit difficult.
Luckily Naver dictionary gave me and exact translation and a few examples to go with it. Even my phone did better then Daum dictionary although I had to change the search word to 싶다. But it gave me an exact translation and quite a few examples to go with it.
The same with my electronic dictionary, I had to adjust the search word but I did find what I was looking for. I gave up with the paper dictionary or else I wouldn’t even be able to finish this article.
Next up, something that is most difficult. Let’s find the meaning of a Korean proverb. 작은 고추가 맵다 is one of my favorite ones because it gave me and my friends a good laugh back in the day. Literally it means small peppers are spicy but it is used with the meaning don’t underestimate the small things.
Daum dictionary couldn’t find the proverb even when I changed up the keywords a little bit. Naver however, proves once again why I love it so much and it gave me this as a translation.
Don’t ever underestimate the little man. 작은 남자를 과소평가하지 말라. (작은 고추가 맵다.)
Once again, my phone surprised me with a wonderful translation when
I looked up the word for 고추 (pepper), it gave me the proverb I was
looking for and this translation: the smaller, the shrewder.
The electronic dictionary also gave me a translation when I put in
the full search term however, the translation was in Korean. Which is
fine for me; but a little bit too challenging for beginners.
Overall Naver dictionary was the best and actually the dictionary I use on
an every day basis. The only downside is, is that you have to have
internet connection and access to a device with internet connection (aka
a computer or a smartphone). I have to say though, the dictionary app
on my phone surprised me since I only ever use it too look up a word or
two while I’m texting with my Korean friends. I won’t throw out my
electronic dictionary though since it is really helpfull with a subject I
haven’t touched up on – looking up Hancha – and it could be helpfull if
I don’t want to have my computer around while studying Korean (such a
distraction!).
I will banish NTC’s compact Korean & English dictionary to the
back of my closet though, it’s the worst dictionary I have ever seen and
I do not recommend you buying it!
Now tell me, what is your favorite & least favorite dictionary and why?
Love, Wietske
Review: Yes, you can speak korean!
I got this book the 2nd time I left Korea from one of my Korean
friends so I could improve my Korean during the 4 months I would be
gone. An incredibly kind gesture but slighty insulting as well. By that
point I had been studying Korean for a year but the book -Yes, you can
speak Korean! – was meant for children, age ranging anywhere between 3
and 6+.
I did, however, learn something from this book when I opened it for this review. Because although there is no grammar explanation nor any audio to go with this book there were a few words that I did not yet know.
Another thing I appreciate about this book is the fact that it has answer sheets. Something that is not always commonly available.
If you have the money you could purchase the book because it does seem great for studying Hangeul (the Korean alphabet). It has separate chapters for each letter BUT you do need the help of a native speaker to get your started on the correct pronunciation.
So do you really want a book to spend 26 dollars on a book that doesn’t get you anywhere? Probably not, instead check these websites I myself used to learn Hangeul.
I do recommend this book for people like me trying to study Korean on their own. Just as the intro of the book states – it is probably best used for children of Korean parents or going to Korean school to get a better knowledge of written Korean.
I did, however, learn something from this book when I opened it for this review. Because although there is no grammar explanation nor any audio to go with this book there were a few words that I did not yet know.
Another thing I appreciate about this book is the fact that it has answer sheets. Something that is not always commonly available.
If you have the money you could purchase the book because it does seem great for studying Hangeul (the Korean alphabet). It has separate chapters for each letter BUT you do need the help of a native speaker to get your started on the correct pronunciation.
So do you really want a book to spend 26 dollars on a book that doesn’t get you anywhere? Probably not, instead check these websites I myself used to learn Hangeul.
I do recommend this book for people like me trying to study Korean on their own. Just as the intro of the book states – it is probably best used for children of Korean parents or going to Korean school to get a better knowledge of written Korean.
Review: Lingua Express - Sookmyung Women's University
As you may or may not know I used to study at Sookmyung Women’s
University from January 2012 till July 2012. Actually, to be more
acurate, I took only one class at the actual university, besides that I
would go to the Lingua Express 4 hours a day 5 days a week
.
Sookmyung was founded on May 22nd, 1906 as Myeongshin Girls’ School, renamed to Sookmyung Women’s College on December 1st 1909 and re-established as a university on May 22nd 1948. According to Dong-A Ilbo it is ranked 10th place together with Inha University (located in Incheon) among Korean Universities.
In my opinion, the education level of Sookmyung no where near the level of education what I was used to in the Netherlands. It felt kind of as if I was back in High School but it might just as wel be the way they teach in Korea, which is following in the book precisely opposed to having more indepth discussions about the content.
The Lingua Express (language school) on the other hand was really good. The teachers are good at their job, they make you speak Korean and most important they make you feel comfortable while you speak it. The classes are not too big which is nice and although there are some rules about being in class, they are not too strict and if you are sick and can’t make it (even for the tests) it’s not that big of a deal.
However if you have full attendance or are at the top of your class you can actually get a discount for the next semester. Besides that the language classes are actually priced quite reasonalbly.
Lingua express also offers a few cultural experience classes (playing traditional korean games, taekwondo classes, or even sleighing). But you can also choose to go to the TOPIK classes they offer.
Even though I had my concerns about going to a women’s university, and the location of the university I ended up having an amazing time. I made great friends, and the neighbourhood feels like my home and I can totally recommend Lingua Express to anyone that is want to take language classes in Seoul.
X Wietske
.
Sookmyung was founded on May 22nd, 1906 as Myeongshin Girls’ School, renamed to Sookmyung Women’s College on December 1st 1909 and re-established as a university on May 22nd 1948. According to Dong-A Ilbo it is ranked 10th place together with Inha University (located in Incheon) among Korean Universities.
In my opinion, the education level of Sookmyung no where near the level of education what I was used to in the Netherlands. It felt kind of as if I was back in High School but it might just as wel be the way they teach in Korea, which is following in the book precisely opposed to having more indepth discussions about the content.
The Lingua Express (language school) on the other hand was really good. The teachers are good at their job, they make you speak Korean and most important they make you feel comfortable while you speak it. The classes are not too big which is nice and although there are some rules about being in class, they are not too strict and if you are sick and can’t make it (even for the tests) it’s not that big of a deal.
However if you have full attendance or are at the top of your class you can actually get a discount for the next semester. Besides that the language classes are actually priced quite reasonalbly.
Lingua express also offers a few cultural experience classes (playing traditional korean games, taekwondo classes, or even sleighing). But you can also choose to go to the TOPIK classes they offer.
Even though I had my concerns about going to a women’s university, and the location of the university I ended up having an amazing time. I made great friends, and the neighbourhood feels like my home and I can totally recommend Lingua Express to anyone that is want to take language classes in Seoul.
X Wietske
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