The Plan

(7/12/09)- Sorry folks, today was chore day at my house, and I’m totally beat. So instead of a blog today, I’m going to put out a schedule of upcoming topics. The list is subject to change if there are any interesting news developments, but otherwise this is the plan. Hope something catches your eye!

Monday- Korean romanization
Tuesday- Tattoos in Korea
Wednesday- Link
Thursday- Film review
Friday- Youtube video

Also, as a heads up, next Sunday my family is going to an Alan Parsons Project concert (excellent!), and so I may lose a couple of days to that, though it depends on how work schedules pan out.

A brief update for you...

(7/11/09)- Good news, everyone! For those of you out there who love Korean dramas, there’s a legal site out there that’s been in the beta stage for a while now and will soon be up and running publicly: DramaFever, run by a privately funded team based in New York City, is one of those rare sites out there that lets you legally watch Korean dramas- for free!

At present there are thirty-six titles available on the site, and you need an invitation to enter the site. But starting August 6th, the site will go public, and it will offer over fifty dramas fully subtitled and ready for fan viewing. The only catch is that viewers must be in the United States or Canada due to licensing restrictions. Commercials are played during episodes, but they (in my experience) have never been tasteless, and they tend to be tolerable in length. The quality of the videos already surpasses that available on many other video sites, and DramaFever promises a new video player upon full launch.

This seems like an exciting online development, and I hope you all check it out! Remember, August 6th!

Friday: Video!

(7/10/09)- So today marks the end of the week, and I thought a feel-good video would be just the way to wrap things up for today. Today's Korean class was an INTENSE three hours of grammar and random tangents (we learned how to deliver a eulogy in Korean??) and now I'm feeling totally drained. Still, this video brought a smile to my face when I saw it:



I hope you all have a wonderful weekend, and I'll see you on here again tomorrow! Thanks for reading!

Review: Livemocha

(7/9/09)- Today’s blog is a review of the language-learning website Livemocha. Part lesson page, part forum, the site works to create a cooperative environment where students of various languages mingle and critique the work of one another.

There are three units in the Korean language course, with five or six lessons in each unit, adding up to a total of 50 study hours, according to the site. The website offers Korean courses 101, 102, 201, and 202. The first two courses are fifty hours apiece while the latter courses are only thirty hours each.

According to the description, in its sixteen lessons course 101 covers, among other things, the following topics:
-First nouns,
-1st, 2nd, 3rd person,
-Verb “to be”,
-Negative actions,
-Numbers,
-Time/Date.

Each lesson is broken up into two sections: Learn and Review. In the Learn section, new phrases are displayed with audio and visual accompaniments, with an option for translation. For the Review portion, students must use their new familiarity with the sound, sight, and structure of the sentences given in the Learn section to answer forty questions. Extra study materials can be found in four additional categories, and vocabulary flashcards can be made for review and extra study.

I have finished the first two lessons of the Korean 101 course, and here is a review of its advantages and disadvantages, as I see it:

The Korean portion of the site lacks the written and spoken sections available in other language lessons, affecting the usefulness of a site designed around a community of language learners who review work for each other.

There are a few sound files in the second lesson which do not work properly, though I cannot verify if such issues are present in lessons further on in the course. There were no problems in the first lesson. The first two lessons use the same images and adjectives, but by the third lesson, new adjectives and images are used.

The lessons do not actually introduce grammar rules, nor do they introduce the Korean written script. There is also no romanization of texts provided to aid with pronunciation. Therefore, it seems that despite the website’s claims that 101 is intended for an absolute beginner, the lessons are more beneficial for a student who has already grasped the basic structure of the language and needs only a source of vocabulary and practice with listening and recognition.

The site’s greatest strength is the effort applied to motivate students to continue studying. Mochapoints are tallied, and points can be gained from actions such as completing lessons, as well as creating and practicing with flash cards. Points can also be attained through commenting on the work of others, so while you may be on your own with your lessons, you can help correct and encourage others who are working on your native or second language. Sometimes thinking about how others work to learn your language can improve your personal studying methods as well.

All in all, the site doesn’t earn full marks, but it is a useful tool for students who have already begun the undertaking of the language and need some extra lessons to keep them sharp during the summer months. Even if you’re not studying Korean right now, maybe a language you are in fact learning is available on the site. You should check it out!

If you’ve ever used Livemocha, let me know! Or if you’ve found another site for learning languages that you’ve found useful, tell me what you liked about it!

Korea’s Newest World Heritage Site

(7/8/09)- Korea.net reported the following news last week: “Korea's royal tombs of the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910) were officially listed as UNESCO World Heritage sites on Saturday (June 27) at the 3rd Session of the World Heritage Committee in Seville, Spain.”

South Korea is already home to eight other World Heritage sites, only one of which is categorized as a natural site. The royal tombs site, like seven of Korea’s other sites, is a cultural site. It is Korea’s most newly recognized site since Jeju Volcanic Island and Lava Tubes in 2007. Seven more sites remain on a tentative list awaiting confirmation.

Sites must match any one of the ten criteria listed on the United Nations UNESCO site to be accredited as World Heritage sites. The royal tombs matched the following three criteria:

iii- to bear a unique or at least exceptional testimony to a cultural tradition or to a civilization which is living or which has disappeared

iv- to be an outstanding example of a type of building, architectural or technological ensemble or landscape which illustrates (a) significant stage(s) in human history

vi- to be directly or tangibly associated with events or living traditions, with ideas, or with beliefs, with artistic and literary works of outstanding universal significance. (The Committee considers that this criterion should preferably be used in conjunction with other criteria)

(-WHC.UNESCO.org)

To celebrate this recognition, Korea.net mentions that parking at the royal tombs site will be discounted until December 23, 2011, and admission to the royal tombs will be free for a short period as well (until July 12, according to The Korea Times). So if you find yourself in the area, be sure to check it out!

For more information, I recommend checking out the following sites and articles:

http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/art/2009/06/148_47589.html (The Korea Times, 6/28)

http://www.korea.net/News/News/NewsView.asp?serial_no=20090628002 (Korea.net, 6/28)

http://english.cha.go.kr/ (Cultural Heritage Administration)

Sites referenced:

http://www.korea.net/News/News/NewsView.asp?serial_no=20090628002 (Korea.net)

http://whc.unesco.org/en/statesparties/kr/ (UNESCO World Heritage, South Korea profile)

http://whc.unesco.org/en/criteria/ (UNESCO World Heritage, Criteria)

http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/art/2009/06/148_47589.html (The Korea Times)

Image:

http://www.korea.net/News/News/NewsView.asp?serial_no=20090628002 (Korea.net)

Opening Ceremony

(7/7/09)- Hello! Welcome to KimchiCrunch, the blog where you’ll get introduced to Korean news, media, culture, and language. My name is Dana, and I am an American undergraduate student majoring in International and Global Studies, with a concentration in Asian Studies. In January of 2009, I began taking weekly Korean language lessons at a church near my university. I’d already found my interest shifting towards Korea before this, but as I find the language increasingly fascinating and beautiful and find my curiosity only growing, I think I’m truly hooked.

My background knowledge on Korea is somewhat limited, but I will do my best to learn more and develop a greater understanding of the language, history, culture, and so on. This blog will host my observations and will provide links to some of the more useful sites I find.

I warmly welcome you and urge you to comment on anything you find interesting or unusual or if you have any questions. I will attempt to post at least one blog entry every day during the summer, and I’ll see what I can manage during the school year.
Thanks for visiting, have a great day! ^_^