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Tarko’s Log (TAC 2014 Team Gumiho) | ||
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 Language Learning Forum : Language Learning Log |  | |
| druckfehler Triglot Senior Member Germany Joined 4860 days ago 1181 posts - 1912 votes  Speaks: German*, EnglishC2, Korean Studies: Persian | Message 57 of 119 19 January 2014 at 2:24pm | IP Logged | ||
It sounds like it went fairly well! The wave thing sounds familiar... The last questions of each different question style are always the hardest. didn't have time to write as much as they wanted for the essay question, but I still passed level 4. Depending on how well the rest of the writing section and the exam went the essay isn't that important.
I think it was a bit of a silly decision of him to try intermediate... Anyone with a chance at passing the intermediate exam will probably get around 100% on the beginner level TOPIK. 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| Tarko Senior Member Korea, South Joined 4683 days ago 119 posts - 148 votes Speaks: English* Studies: Korean, French | Message 58 of 119 20 January 2014 at 1:10pm | IP Logged | ||
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Okay, that makes me feel a bit better about the exam... I also talked to my tutor today and she tells me that the essay doesn't count for many points. The rest of the writing section went fairly well.
Ah, and in defense of my friend, I didn't describe his situation very well. A while ago he prepped for 초급, decided not to take it, and then studied for the 중급. It does seem to be a typical case of an uneven skill set: his speaking skills are terrific (while his wife speaks English, her family and friends don't, so he gets a lot of practice), but his reading and grammar skills aren't quite at the same level. 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| Tarko Senior Member Korea, South Joined 4683 days ago 119 posts - 148 votes Speaks: English* Studies: Korean, French | Message 59 of 119 20 January 2014 at 1:24pm | IP Logged | ||
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1월 14일부터 1월 20일까지
Korean - Sogang 4A (5 words) - Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets vol. 1: 47-130 French - New French With Ease Active: 99-102 - Using French Passive: 24-28 - The Princess Diaries #1: 31-90 Portuguese - 5 days of the Memrise course for Brazilian Portuguese I haven't really done a lot of studying this week. But then again, it feels like I've spent all of my free time reading Harry Potter. I've only been working half days so when I get off work I come home, read, and by the time I'm done reading I've felt like doing nothing else. I took the weekend off from studying since I had the TOPIK exam, hence the low number of Assimil exercises completed. I was not terribly pleased with this essay when I first wrote it, but I didn't make many mistakes and I used some grammatical forms in a slightly different way, so here it is. 여러분이 가장 가치 있는 일이라고 생각하는 것은 무엇입니까? 그 이유는 무엇입니까? 사라질 워기언어를 살리는 것이 가장 가치 있는 일이라고 생각합니다. 유명한 웹사이트 에트노로그의 조사에 따르면 오늘날 언어가 7000개정도 있다고 합니다. 그런데 그 언어들 중에서 5000개가 위기언어입니다. 조사에 따르면 100년 후에 아이들이 그 언어들을 배우지 않을 것 같습니다. 아이들이 언어를 배우지 않으면 중요한 전통 문화가 사라질 것 같습니다. 언어에 문화가 있습니다. 단어나 문법이나 관용구를 말하는 방법은 그 언어를 사용하는 사람들이 어떻게 생각하는지 보여 줍니다. 가끔 언어학자가 언어를 살려 봅니다. 그런데 아이들은 그 언어를 안 배우면 그 언어는 멸종될 겁니다. 그런대 환경이 좋으면 아이들이 언어를 배워서 언어가 살아 날 것 같습니다. 예를 들어서 아일랜드에 학교에서 아이들이 아일랜드어를 배울 수 있어서 아일랜드어는 계속 멸종되지 않았습니다. 위기언어를 살리면 언어오 문화와 전통이 살아 날 것 같습니다. 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| Tarko Senior Member Korea, South Joined 4683 days ago 119 posts - 148 votes Speaks: English* Studies: Korean, French | Message 60 of 119 27 January 2014 at 12:07pm | IP Logged | ||
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1월 21일부터 1월 27일까지
Korean - Sogang 4A (16 words) - Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets vol. 1: 131-253 (finished) - Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets vol. 2: 11-18 French - New French With Ease Active: 103-110 - Using French Passive: 29-35 - The Princess Diaries #1: 91-207 (finished) - The Princess Diaries #2: 1-15 Portuguese - 5 days of the Memrise course for Brazilian Portuguese I have this week off from work thanks to 설날. Studying will go one of two ways: if I stay at home I'll get more accomplished than usual; but if I travel I'll get less done. Korean is going well. My tutor asked me if I want to change textbooks when we finished Sogang 4A. I'm conflicted. I'd kind of like to finish up the Sogang series, just for completion's sake, but I don't think it has enough grammar or vocabulary at this level for my taste. My tutor suggested the Ewha or Yonsei books. I'll give them a look the next time I pass by a Youngpoong bookstore. I have to admit, it's certainly not "cool" to read The Princess Diaries, but they go along very well with the Assimil French books. I know most of the vocabulary in the books and virtually all of the grammar. Even something I don't remember well (par exemple, le subjonctif) is used in such a way that I'm able to use context to figure it out. If you don't mind reading about high school girl issues I highly recommend these books as a progression from the Assimil series. I've decided to stop using Memrise for Portuguese. I like the format of Memrise - it's basically just Anki with pictures. I wanted a basic introduction to the language but I don't think it's a good idea to use Memrise in this way. Furthermore, I haven't decided if I want to study European or Brazilian Portuguese. I am more likely to go to Brazil in the near future, and there are a lot more resources for Brazilian Portuguese as well, but I think I prefer the sound of European Portuguese. Plus my only Portuguese-speaking friend speaks European Portuguese, so there's that. I still have about 1.5 months before I officially start another language (Russian? Portuguese? Who knows!), so I have some time to make a decision regarding the Brazilian vs European variants. Edited by Tarko on 27 January 2014 at 12:08pm 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| Tarko Senior Member Korea, South Joined 4683 days ago 119 posts - 148 votes Speaks: English* Studies: Korean, French | Message 61 of 119 04 February 2014 at 1:13pm | IP Logged | ||
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1월 28일부터 2월 4일까지
Korean - Sogang 4A (2 words) - Iyagi #12 (13 words) - Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets vol. 2: 19-172 - Memrise: 2001-3000 Most Common Korean Words French - New French With Ease Active: 111-113 (finished!) - Using French Passive: 29-35 - Using French Active: 1-6 - The Princess Diaries #2: 16-184 (finished!) - Memrise: Intermediate French 1 Portuguese - Memrise: Basic Brazilian Portuguese Okay, I lasted about 2 days before picking up Memrise again. I find that it's particularly useful to pick up French words that I've forgotten over the years. It's not necessarily as useful for Korean or Portuguese, but my usual thought process is roughly, "Today I will only do French! (one minute later) Since the app is open, I might as well do Portuguese. (pause) And Korean..." I finished The Princess Diaries #2! I'm pleased. I am an avid reader in English (very avid, in fact) and my goal for both Korean and French is to read for fun in both languages. My reading pace in both Korean and French is very different, however. It typically takes about 30 minutes to read 10 pages of Korean, whereas it takes me about about 15 minutes to read 10 pages of French. It's possible that my books are at different levels, but I think it's safe to state the obvious: reading Korean is harder than reading French. I've taken a break from actively learning Korean for the last month or so. I have been reading daily, I've gone to a couple Korean classes, and I've chatted regularly with Korean friends on Kakaotalk or by phone. What's interesting is that my comprehension, writing, and speaking have all improved, but my pronunciation has gone way, way downhill. I spent the longest time stumbling over the words 할 일이 earlier today. (It's supposed to sound roughly like 할리리, the first 리을 being somewhat weaker that the other two. I was tongue-tied and couldn't even produce the 할.) I'm hoping that my return to active production will bring my pronunciation back to normal. 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| Tarko Senior Member Korea, South Joined 4683 days ago 119 posts - 148 votes Speaks: English* Studies: Korean, French | Message 62 of 119 10 February 2014 at 9:50am | IP Logged | ||
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33rd TOPIK Test Results - 중급
Vocab/Grammar - 62 Writing - 34 Listening - 46 Reading - 61 Total - 203 Average - 50.75 Fail A quick explanation: if your average score is +50 you can get a 1/3/5, as long as no section is under 40. If you average score is +70 you can get 2/4/6, as long as no section is under 50. (This is my understanding, at any rate.) I did not pass, but just barely. I'm actually half-pissed off, half-depressed, and half-pleased. (I know that's more than a whole, but go with me here.) I treated this exam like a practice exam; I first looked at the format of the test the night before I took it. I kind of regret that now. My overall score is passing but I failed it all because I bombed the writing section. I hadn't realized that I'd done so well on Vocab/Grammar and Reading. Those scores are approaching 4 합격 territory. Listening is pretty much exactly what I'd expected. I'm 100% going to take the 34th TOPIK exam in April. I'm frustrated because I wanted a passing score to boost my graduate school/scholarship applications. I only found out the results a little over two hours ago, but I'm trying to figure out how I could pass the writing section next time. In spite of my poor showing on this exam, my writing skills ARE quite strong. There are a few reasons why I failed, and none of them are insurmountable. I'd never written in diary form before, I'd never written a timed essay in Korean before, I'd never written on box-style paper before, and most importantly - my time management skills blew, royally and utterly. I gave myself too much time on the grammar/vocabulary section and not enough time for the essay, and then I changed my outline as I wrote. How can I improve my writing skills? Well, first of all, I don't think my writing skills need to be improved. I need to improve my test-taking skills for this section. Next time I will write my essay at the beginning of the exam period instead of after the grammar/vocabulary section. When my tutor gives me essay homework assignments, I will time myself and not let myself use a dictionary. 30-40 minutes seems reasonable. If I do all of this I will get at least +40 next time, I am sure of it. The thing that concerns me more right now is my listening score. I'm well aware that my listening skills are... lackluster. I do an Iyagi every week and my comprehension has improved, but I'm not quite as good at comprehending regular speech. How can I improve my listening skills? I need to listen to ALL THE THINGS!!! I know, it's obvious, right? I think my reading and grammar scores are high because I've been reading books for ages now. But while I listen to the occasional song and do a weekly Iyagi, I don't watch TV and I don't listen to the radio. Honestly? That's pretty stupid on my part. The day I started reading Korean books was the day I should have started watching TV shows. Various people on these forums have mentioned the need to find a "hook" for their language, and I think that's absolutely correct. My hook is my life in Korea and my desire to study Korean Literature in the future. I think the hook theory needs an addendum: you need to find a hook for each aspect of your life. I have given up on TV shows and radio too easily in the past. I need to find a TV show that I actually enjoy - or, failing that, do what I do with western shows: bulldoze my way through until I've started to like it. Furthermore, if I don't like dramas, why not watch reality shows? If I don't like reality shows, why not watch the news? If I don't like the news, why not watch cartoons? Et cetera. I also need to do intensive listening practice. What I mean by this is that I need to delete the subtitles, close my browsers, and maximize the screen while I watch whichever TV show. When I read a book in Korean or French I focus on the page and ignore external stimuli. I need to do the same thing while I listen. Iyagis are fine and dandy, but I need to toss myself into the deep end and force myself to learn how to swim if I want to get better. (Unfortunately, this is a bad comparison because I do not, in fact, know how to swim, and I would drown within moments. MINOR TECHNICALITY!!) Grammar/vocabulary and reading were pretty baller, so I'm just going to continue what I'm doing and hope they improve naturally. On the 34th TOPIK exam in April I am not going to aim for a 3. I am going to aim for a 4. Frankly? I think a 4 is within striking distance. (But if I get a 3 I'll be happy because hey, it was better than this time.) Even if I don't get a 4 in April, I am quite certain that I will be able to achieve it before the end of the year. My original plan for 2014 was to pick up my next language in March. I'm going to put that on the back-burner because Korean is my priority. I'll still study French and spend about 5-10 minutes on Portuguese a day, but from here on out, I am doubling my effort in Korean. Imagine some chubby hipster stomping his foot on the ground to indicate his resolute determination. That would be me. Time to study! Edited by Tarko on 10 February 2014 at 9:52am 2 persons have voted this message useful | |||
| Tarko Senior Member Korea, South Joined 4683 days ago 119 posts - 148 votes Speaks: English* Studies: Korean, French | Message 63 of 119 25 February 2014 at 12:52pm | IP Logged | ||
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2월 5일부터 2월 25일까지
Okay, I'm still alive, the end of the school year/graduate school applications/going on vacation/the start of the new school year has taken a toll on my updating. I've gotten some studying done, but I'm leaving out some things because I forgot to note them down (number of vocabulary words, Memrise reviews, etc). Korean - Sogang 4A - Iyagi #13 - Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets vol. 2: 173-249 (end) - Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban vol. 1: 11-182 - Sweet 18: 1.5 episodes - Radio Free Asia: 3 hours - Hanging out with friends: 14 hours (!) French - Using French Passive: 36-59 - Using French Active: 7-22 - The Princess Diaries #3: 1-174 (finished!) - The Princess Diaries #4: 1-15 The main thing of note at the moment is that I'm trying to do 30 minutes a day of intensive listening practice in Korean. That means no script, just sitting (or walking) and trying to understand. "Trying" being the operative word. I also have a horrible attention span, so I need to work on that. I did realize today that I understand roughly 90% of what my tutor says to me, which is a HUGE improvement over my level a year ago, which was when I started classes. I just wish I could understand 90% of what everyone else says to me as well. One thing I like about the Using French textbook is that it has introduced some real French literature, which really shows how much I've learned. I definitely have the grammar for this stuff, but my vocabulary is... a little lackluster? I should probably try to read something more difficult than the Princess Diaries, but I still think they're valuable for my language learning. I'll probably read 2 or 3 more of them and then move on to something else. The Sookie Stackhouse books, perhaps? I think that I will take a brief break from Assimil when I finish Using French. I think what I may do is find a French website that provides a transcript + audio (a newspaper, perhaps) and do a sort of Assimil program with that, only I would learn 5 new words a day. I dunno. I'll think it through for the time being. Edited by Tarko on 25 February 2014 at 1:18pm 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| druckfehler Triglot Senior Member Germany Joined 4860 days ago 1181 posts - 1912 votes Speaks: German*, EnglishC2, Korean Studies: Persian | Message 64 of 119 25 February 2014 at 10:43pm | IP Logged | ||
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The thing with listening is that patience and perseverance will bear results. Last year when I started listening to podcasts/radio shows, I was really happy when I caught the general drift now and then. A year later, I generally listen to them with comparative ease. At the beginning, I listened to Korean radio shows before going to sleep and whenever my attention drifted I'd usually nod off, which was very practical. I would get a daily 10-15 minutes of really focused listening - I loved the routine and made this a time for relaxation, where I would leave my thoughts and worries about the day behind and just enjoy some Korean. As it was a time for relaxation, I didn't worry about how much I did or didn't understand and when my attention span was exhausted (in the beginning I got tired quickly! listening takes so much focus) I could just nod off.
It might be a good idea to find a routine. It doesn't even have to be daily - maybe something like listening to podcasts whenever you're on the way to somewhere (that's what I'm doing right now, it's a little more difficult because of more outside noise). And it's best to start right now, because your brain needs time to gradually adjust. You don't have to do anything except for regularly concentrating for some time span on your listening material and it basically sorts itself out all on its own over time. If you need any pointers on radio shows, I'd be happy to recommend a few. As you're into literature, 라디오 독서실 may interest you. The read short stories or possibly excerpts of literature - kind of like an audio book. I only listened to one story so far, but it was quite a lot of fun. If I remember correctly, there was also some discussion with the author at the end. I found it on itunes, but I guess it should be available at other usual podcast sites as well. 2 persons have voted this message useful |
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