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My steps to Korean

@frenchlilcoconut / frenchlilcoconut.tumblr.com

프랑스어 ~ 영어 ~ 한국어 // Coco // 25 // French woman, currently learning Korean, sharing tips (and sometimes memes) about languages
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Advanced / Lesson 23: Korean Idioms

안녕하세요 여러분! Today I have an advanced lesson I'm that I posted on my Instagram recently: it's about Korean idioms! I learned these in my Korean class while abroad and enjoyed them a lot, so I hope you do too! Let's start!

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In Korean you don't say "zebra", you say "얼룩말" which translates to "smeared horse" and I think that's beautiful.
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The Myth of Chollima - 천리마

Hello everyone!

When learning a new language, you’ll certainly find yourself exposed to the culture it comes from, and part of that culture includes mythology: gods and goddesses, monsters, ghosts… I always find that mythology is a playful way to learn a language, as it’s full of fantastic stories.

So today, I want to tell you about the myth of Chollima, a winged horse that is an important symbol in Korean history.

What is Chollima?

Originally, qianlima ( 千里馬 ), the thousand miles horse, is part of the Chinese mythology. He is said to be able to gallop one thousand li (roughly 500 km) in a day, making him so fast that no mortal person could ride him. He is, therefore, a symbol of high strength and perseverance; and the word qianlima itself is used in Chinese to describe wise and talented people.

This symbol has been introduced in Korea in 1956 by Kim Il Sung ( 김일성 ) in a cultural campaign that was motivating and glorifying North Korean workers, and that supplemented the Five Years Plan towards industrialization and economic development of North Korea. The propaganda during this so-called Chollima Era (late 50′s years - early 60′s) would describe workers as heroic people, with supernatural and superhuman abilities ; a boiling blood, an indomitable will, and going far beyond their production target. These people would be called “Chollima people”, or Chollima riders, referring to this superhuman nature that they’d be said to have.

In this era, stories about the Riders of the Chollima could be found everywhere in North Korean press or songs, for example, describing how surging waves and thunderstorms would bow down before them. It is quite similar to the stories describing Kim Il Sung and its family, always giving them superhuman abilities and power over all things, including nature.

Nowadays, it is still a strong symbol in North Korea, and many statues of Chollima can be found across the country. The most famous one is certainly the Chollima Statue ( 천리마동상 ) of Pyongyang, which portrays the horse being rided by a worker and a woman peasant.

That’s the end ! I hope you liked that post, and that maybe you learned a thing or two about Korean mythology. I really enjoyed making this and reading different articles about this subject, so if you’d like me to cover another mythological creature or story, feel free to tell me !

Have a good day everyone !

Sources

I posted this sooooo long ago and at the time litterally no one read it, so I’m posting it again in hope that maybe it’ll interest some people !

Everyone stay safe !

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“In 1404, King Taejong fell from his horse during a hunting expedition. Embarrassed, looking to his left and right, he commanded, “Do not let the historian find out about this.” To his disappointment, the historian accompanying the hunting party included these words in the annals, in addition to a description of the king’s fall.“

LMFAOOOOOO rip to that guy

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kaxen

“In another instance, Taejong was recorded to complain about a recorder who eavesdropped on him behind a screen and followed him to a hunt behind a disguise.” (from wikipedia)

Apparently old timey Korean historians aggressively want to write everything down. 

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KOREAN NUMBERS QUIZ

Short Guide:

일 = 1

이 = 2

삼 = 3

사 = 4

오 = 5

육 = 6

칠 = 7

팔 = 8

구 = 9

십 = 10

백 = 100

Questions & Answers Below:

1 to 100

31 = 삼십일

45 = 사십오

62 = 육십이

84 = 팔십사

76 = 칠십육

93 = 구십삼

28 = 이십팔

59 = 오십구

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flaneuserie

Get Familiar with “Fois”

Fois is a feminine noun that means “time” or “instance” or “occasion,” depending on the context, and is used in many idiomatic expressions. Here are some expressions to help you get familiar with fois.

la fois // the time; the instance; the occasion une fois // once; one time deux fois, trois fois, etc. // twice, three times, etc. une fois, deux fois, trois fois, adjugé ! (auction) // going, going, gone! une/deux fois par semaine/an // once/twice a week/year une fois tous les deux jours/semaine // once every other day/week

deux/trois fois moins de // two/three times less deux/trois fois plus de // two/three times more (or as much) deux/trois fois sur cinq // two/three times out of five 2 fois 3 font 6 // 2 times 3 equals 6

à la fois // at the same time; all at once autant de fois que // as often as; as many times as bien des fois // many times cent fois annoncé // often proclaimed cent fois mieux // a hundred times better cent fois pire // a hundred times worse cent fois répété // often repeated cent fois trop // a hundred times too; far too

cette fois-ci // this time cette fois-là // that time des fois (informal) // sometimes des fois que (informal) // just in case; there might be encore une fois // once more; once again; one more time l'autre fois // the other day

la dernière fois // the last time la première fois // the first time la seule fois // the only time la toute première fois // the very first time maintes fois // many times peu de fois // rarely; a few times plusieurs fois // several times si des fois… (informal) // if perhaps… une nouvelle fois // once again une seule fois // only once; only one time

avoir cent/mille fois raison // to be absolutely right avoir trois fois rien // to have hardly any money; to have hardly a scratch être deux/trois fois grand-père/grand-mère // to be a grandfather/grandmother two/three times faire deux choses à la fois // to do two things at once frapper quelqu'un par deux fois // to hit someone twice payer en plusieurs fois // to pay in several installments payer en une seule fois // to pay all in one go, make a single payment

préférer cent fois faire (Je préférerais faire…) // to much rather do (I’d much rather do…) s'y prendre à/en deux fois pour faire quelque chose // to take two attempts to do something/tries to do something s'y prendre à/en plusieurs fois pour faire quelque chose // to take several attempts to do something/tries to do something y regarder à deux fois avant de // to think twice before y regarder à plusieurs fois avant de // to think very hard before

Ça va pour cette fois. // I’ll let you off this time. / Just this once. C'est bon pour cette fois. // I’ll let you off this time. / Just this once. C'est trois fois rien ! // Don’t mention it! Encore une fois non ! // How many times do I have to tell you no! Il était une fois… // Once upon a time… Il y avait une fois… // Once upon a time…

Je te l'ai dit cent fois. // If I’ve told you once, I’ve told you a hundred times. Non mais, des fois ! (informal) // Do you mind! How dare you! / You must be joking! Revenez une autre fois. // Come back some other time. Tu me diras une autre fois. // Tell me some other time. Une fois n'est pas coutume. (proverb) // Just the once won’t hurt. Une fois que (quelque chose aura lieu), on peu/je vais… // Once (something has happened), we can/I’m going to…

Source: ThoughtCo.

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hangukkie

Miscellaneous Everyday Korean Vocab! (Informal) - 다양한 일상 한국어 어휘! (반말)

그럼 난 이만 - I’m gonna get going (then).

이만자야겠다 - I think I’m gonna go to sleep now.

이만가야겠다 - I think I’m gonna go now.

출구는 이/저 쪽이야 - The exit is this/that way.

이런건 식은 죽 먹기지 - This is a piece of cake (literally: this is like eating cold porridge).

식은 죽 먹기였어 - It was a piece of cake.

무슨 개 소리야? - What is this bullshit?/What are you saying?

난 이제 자유야! - I’m now free!

영어도 백범 맞는데 - I even got 100%/full marks/a perfect score in English.

거짓말이야 - It’s a lie.

사랑했나봐 - It must have been love.

사랑하나봐 - It must be love/I think it’s love.

비켜 - Move out the way/Step aside/Coming through.

버스에서 내려라 - Get off the bus.

이래 봬도... - Even though I look like this.../Even though you think I am...

방에 콕 박혀있다 (abbreviated to: 방콕) - I’m stuck in my room.

알겠지? - You know that right?/Okay?/Got it?

실패했어 - I failed.

동영상 - Video/Moving Image.

영상 - Still Image/Picture (also used to abbreviate 동영상 so it can also mean video).

진짜로? - For real? (can be cutely said as 진짜루?)

뭐 설레는거 없어?! - There’s nothing exciting?!

같이 사는 남자들은? - You’re living with men?

육조 물 받아놨어 - I put water in the bathtub/I ran a bath.

육조 - Bathtub (noun ONLY).

목욕 - Bath (noun).

목욕하다 - Bathing/Bathe (verb).

하겠냐?! - Would you do it?!

같이 사는 사람들 이름도 몰라! - I don’t even know the name of the people I live with!

멍청아! - Idiot!

모른채로 - Without knowing.

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Korean Grammar - Same Vowel Elision(동음 탈락)

Hi! This is Admin Hyun.

Today’s grammar I want to introduce is ‘same vowel elision’(동음 탈락). Same vowel elision is not an irregular conjugation. Under the conditions, it always happens.

A phenomenon where an ending(어미) that starts with ‘-아’ or ‘어’ follows after verb’s or adjective’s(용언) stem(어간) that end with ‘-아’ or ‘어’, and as a result, the same vowel ‘아’ or ‘어’ is repeated(comes consecutively), one of the same vowels is omitted(elision)

ㅏelision (ㅏ 탈락)

  • + 서 🡪 가서(go and-)
  • +   🡪 가(go)
  • + + 다  🡪 갔다(went)
  • + 서 🡪 차서(kick and-)
  • +   🡪 차(kick)
  • + + 다  🡪 찼다(kicked)

ㅓ elision (ㅓ 탈락)

  • + 서 🡪 건너서(cross the street and-)
  • +   🡪 건너(cross the street)
  • + + 다 🡪  건넜다(crossed the street)
  • + 서  🡪 나서서(take the lead and-)
  • + 🡪 나서(take the lead, step ahead)
  • + + 다  🡪 나섰다(took the lead)

Keep in mind that if the stem ends with a consonant, same vowel elision doesn’t take place. For example,

  • 먹 + 어  🡪 먹어(eat)
  • 먹 + 었 + 다  🡪 먹었다(ate)
  • 잡 + 아  🡪 잡아(catch)
  • 잡 + 았 + 다  🡪 잡았다(caught)

Elision of vowels is a kind of ‘elision of phoneme(음운)’. Not only vowels but also consonants are subject to elision. For example, if in 딸(daughter)+님(honorific ending), ‘ㄹ’ is omitted when it is followed by ㄴ and becomes 따님(honorific form of daughter). Elision of phoneme is one of many ‘changes in phoneme’ which include alteration, elision, addition and contraction.

Written by Admin Hyun

Edited by Admin Yu

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오답

SV: Ett felaktigt svar

EN: A wrong answer

FR: Une réponse incorrecte

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Beginners Japanese textbooks

So I get a lot of questions here and on Instagram about the books I use for Japanese and what I would recommend to beginners. So I thought I’d put together a little list of books I would suggest you start off with as a beginner in Japanese (these are all books I have used myself or had/would consider using) Obviously I’m not saying you need all of these books, pick one and see how it goes (although I do recommend using more than one resource)! I may do another post like this for intermediate learners if there’s enough interest (with the textbook series they will take you to a higher level, but this is just recommendations as a starting point) ^^ 

Japanese From Zero Series

Genki Series

Japanese For Busy People Series

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Genki Lesson 2 Part 1

これ  それ  あれ   どれ

These words are used to describe things we do not know the names of.

これ - refers to something that is right by you (the speaker) ‘this one here’

それ - refers to something that is close to the person you are talking with ‘that one by you’

あれ - refers to something that is distant both from you and the person you are talking with ‘that one over there’

どれ - used when you do not know “which” item it is ‘which one is it?’

この  その  あの  どの

More specific than the words before, when we know the name of what is being spoken of. These words must always be before a noun.

この -  refers to something that is right by you (the speaker) ‘this …. here’

その -  refers to something that is close to the person you are talking with ‘that …. by you’

あの -  refers to something that is distant both from you and the person you are talking with ‘that …. over there’

どの -  used when you do not know “which” item it is ‘which …. is it?’

ここ  そこ  あこ  どこ

These words are used for places, to be used when giving directions or pointing something out.

ここ -  refers to something that is here, by you (the speaker) ‘here it is’

そこ -  refers to something that is there, close to the person that you are talking with ‘there by you’

あこ -  refers to something that is over there, distant both from you and the person you are talking with ‘it is over there’

どこ -  used when you do not know “where” a place is ‘where is ….?’

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Hey everyone, if you’re looking for Japanese textbooks but can’t afford them, here’s a Google Drive folder full of PDFs of textbooks like Genki, Tobira, Japanese for Busy People, Integrated Approach to Intermediate Japanese, and even the Dictionary of Japanese Grammar series. 

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Catford’s translation shifts VS language learning 

I’m not going to grace your eyes with some fancy definitions of translation theories. Believe me, the fancier/smarter something sounds, the worse it is to understand. Instead, I’ll try to present a brief and easy-to-comprehend explanation and examples. 

I majored in translation, and while I thoroughly don’t enjoy it, I find some strategies and theories extremely useful in language learning. 

Check out this post to learn more about the application of translation theories in language learning. 

John Catford’s TRANSLATION SHIFTS. 

 First things first, what are shifts? 

to exchange for or replace by another: change (Merriam-Webster)

In translation, they refer to changes/shifts in language form. 

There two types of shifts:

  1. LEVEL SHIFTS
  2. CATEGORY SHIFTS

LEVEL SHIFTS

Simply put, the target language doesn’t have a corresponding word but a grammatical construction. We replace grammatical constructions with words or vice versa.

Off-topic
Halliday states that language is realized at 4 different levels: lexis, phonology, graphology, and grammar. I’m not sure if graphology can influence a language learning process, but lexis, grammar, and phonology surely can. I mean, graphology (the way we write) can definitely slow down the whole process (looking at you Japanese! You and your kanji… ugh). Studying phonology (comparing sounds in different languages), on the other hand, can help you work on your accent (studying phonetics would be even better in this case).

To put things into perspective, let’s look at some examples:

I’m working  VS  Teraz pracuję  

Present Continuous indicates that the action is happening NOW. We don’t need to add the word now because the tense alone is enough. 

In Polish, you must add the word TERAZ (now) to show that the action is happening now. The verb alone could indicate Present Simple as well. 

We changed the PRESENT CONTINUOUS to TERAZ. GRAMMAR -> LEXIS 

My car has been repaired VS Moje auto zostało naprawione

Here, we have the Present Perfect Tense in its passive form and “zostało + adjective (naprawione),” which indicates passive voice in Polish. GRAMMAR -> LEXIS 

CATEGORY SHIFTS 

which consist of changes in:

  • Structure (syntax)

It refers to changes in word order. Polish is a very flexible language. We can start sentences with adjectives, verbs, nouns, or even adverbs. In English, unless we need to emphasize something, we start sentences with nouns.  

  • Class (parts of speech) 

Adjectives change to verbs, or nouns to verbs, etc.

I’m thirsty (adjective) VS Chcę (verb) mi się pić (verb)

I want (verb) a dog VS Inu ga hoshi (adjective)

  • Unit (sentences, clauses, phrases, words, morphemes)

Some languages are wordy (Polish is) and some are rather concise and flexible when it comes to word-formation. Japanese is a perfect example here. 

Ikigai (single word) VS a reason for being (phrase)

Mono no aware(phrase) VS a whole description because we can’t even put the meaning into one sentence

Nii-chan (word) VS older brother (phrase)

  • Intra-system changes 

It refers to grammatical constructions that are present in both languages but are used differently. In Japanese, plural nouns are technically non-existent. The context will tell you if we talk about one thing or many things. However, we can create plural nouns when we talk about animate objects. The concept of plural nouns does exist but is used differently in Japanese and English. 

Bonnie –tachi VS Bonnie and friends/and others

In Japanese, we used a suffix indicating that there is more than one person, but in English, we used an extra plural word to show it. 

So, how this knowledge can help you?

  • It will help you ask better questions in class.
  • Understanding how your native language works will speed up your learning process tremendously.
  • If comparing languages is your favorite language learning method, Catford’s translation shifts can give an idea where to start and what to notice.
  • If you’re a teacher, it can help you explain some grammatical phenomena.
  • If you help others learn your native language, you’ll be able to explain grammatical issues, or at least give examples.
  • You’ll speed up your translation abilities.

References 

Halliday, M.A.K. 1961. Categories of the theory of grammar.

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linghxr

Language Resources Masterpost

Today I am sharing with you guys all my collection of language textbook pdfs :D They are mostly for Russian and Mandarin, but I have a few Korean resources too. Please note that I have not personally used all of these books, so I cannot vouch for their quality. If any of the links are broken, please let me know! All links are to dropbox files.

Mandarin

Russian

Korean

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beretheiv

guys, I don't know if this'll be helpful or not, just a reminder that every year, many languages and dialects are becoming endangered and extinct... most of them don't get documented or get their dictionaries so, peeps like us and future peeps will not even know what they sounded like, their vocabulary, etc. and it makes me sad af

if you know someone who's like one of the last remaining speakers of their native language, try to get them to help you preserve it? if they're elders they probably aren't good at using technology these days...

so, not that i'm forcing you guys but think about how awesome it'll be for you to do that! you can use this platform called memrise and you can post there your own language to teach others and stuff, or you know, if you don't want to do that, why not make a blog or website solely dedicated to that language?

come on, let's do something to make sure less-known and less-spoken languages will at least leave a mark on this world, even just a small reminder that it existed, and which better place to put it than the internet? you know what they say, when you post something on the internet, it stays on the internet FOREVER AND EVER HAHAHAHAHA

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