Learning resources and strategies

Hi, Pals! What a dreich day, don’t you think? With all these things about learning strategies, and all that, I decided to talk about my experience in learning a third language. Today I’m going to give you tips that work for me. Most of these tips you already know. Let’s start, shall we?

Immersion

In 2nd year, at the prof, we learned about the three essential conditions for successful learning: exposure, use, and motivation. Willis also mentions instruction which is the desirable condition. I think exposure is paramount for learning a language. In my case, I love going to different cultural events in Buenos Aires and meet wonderful people from different cultures. What’s more, thanks to technology is easier to learn a foreign language via online. You can learn almost everything without leaving your house. Last Sunday, I went to a Japanese event in Escobar, and it was amazing. I found some things related to Korea. I could also speak with a Korean woman, and she told me how to make a delicious kimchi. Korean food is spicy but tasty. Learning how to eat with chopsticks, that is difficult.

Mnemonics

When you learn by making associations, you use Mnemonics. This method is great for learning vocabulary. For example, in Korean  “mal” means horse, "mal" means evil in English. So I imagine an “evil horse” to remember it. I associate a lot when I’m learning. I know that that helped to pass “Política Institucional.”

Scriptorium

This exercise has to do more with writing and reading. It was developed by Alexander Arguelles. This method will improve your writing skill, and develop your working memory. First, you must take a sentence and read it aloud. Second, speak aloud again as you write it carefully. And finally, you must read the sentence aloud from what you have written. It is recommended to do sessions of approximately 15 minutes.

Shadowing

Well, we all know this technique very well. To start shadowing, you need to listen to words (or dialogues) in the target language, with your headphones, and you must repeat them. According to Alexander Arguelles, you should listen to these words while you are walking to maximise alertness and blood flow. This technique is excellent to learn vocabulary and improve your pronunciation at the same time.

Internet and Apps

When you are learning another language internet can be very helpful. Sadly, I couldn’t find books for learning Korean in bookstores. However, on the internet, I found tons of books to learn it. Actually, the book we are using in the course is available online only. I downloaded a Korean dictionary, and some apps to learn vocabulary.

 

If you are thinking of learning a new language, I strongly recommend you to use Italki. I have already used it but in English. I'm going to use this platform during the summer to continue studying Korean. How does Italki work? First, you select the language you want to learn. Second, you choose your teacher. It could be a native speaker or a tutor. Then, you contact your teacher to arrange your timetable. You have to pay, but lessons are usually cheaper than having a private teacher in your house. If you want, you can have lessons with tutors, they are usually cheaper than graduated teachers.  

Listen to music

Listen to music is one of the best things you can do to learn a new language. At first, I couldn't understand a single word of the songs. What I do is to read the lyrics as I’m listening to the song. Sometimes there are songs that I just love, so I write the lyrics and try to translate some of the words. Listening to music is a good way to remember vocabulary, and work on your pronunciation. In Korea you have the K-pop which is very catchy and addictive. Am I right, Emiliano? Got7, BlackPink, Twice, BTS, Red Velvet, Exid and J.Y. Park are great.

Watch movies and tv shows

Another way to improve your pronunciation is to watch movies in the target language. By watching Korean tv, you can learn vocabulary and learn about the culture, too. Actually, you can learn how the language works in everyday life. As I told you in another post, the Korean language has different levels of formality, and you have to learn them. It's not the same to talk with a friend than talking to your boss or an old person. K-dramas or Doramas are excellent because they are very short. They usually have 12 or 16 episodes. So, you can watch a lot of K-dramas, and learn a lot from them. My favourite Dorama, so far, is “The coffee prince.” My favourite Korean movie is a horror movie about zombies called “Train to Busan.”

Have a nice day, guys!