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1. Embed this notice
   Yohan Yukiya Seseㆍ사요한・謝雪矢 (youronlyone@c.im)'s status on Tuesday, 21-Nov-2023 15:56:22 JST Yohan Yukiya Seseㆍ사요한・謝雪矢

   The #Hangul (#Korean writing script) lessons provided by #Duolingo is confusing if you're coming from English, or any Romance languages.

   1. Different pronunciations.
   2. Reliance on transliterations.
   3. The focus on "lesson" achievements will throw a new student into semi-advance instead of starting with root letters.
   4. Lack of explanations why (a) the pronunciations are different for the same letters or combination of letters (block); and (b) why the transliterations are similar in some cases.

   Examples:
   go 거 official transliteration is "geo"; pronunciation "go"
   go 고 transliteration "go"; pronunciation "gu"

   It's much better to hide the transliteration (not a feature though) and focus on pronunciation, otherwise, it'll be confusing.

   Maybe in the advance levels it is clearer. But by the time the student reaches that, they probably learned the wrong pronunciations and rules; or gave up already.

   The good thing I found, they teach the proper stroke.

   #language #Hangugeo

   • Embed this notice
     Yohan Yukiya Seseㆍ사요한・謝雪矢 (youronlyone@c.im)'s status on Wednesday, 22-Nov-2023 13:36:12 JST Yohan Yukiya Seseㆍ사요한・謝雪矢

     in reply to

     Another #Duolingo reaction / feedback, re: learning #Korean.

     Because they rely on transliteration to teach students how to read #Hangul (Korean writing script), it gets confusing as you learn more root letters.

     For example:
     ㅓ - eo
     ㅗ - o
     ㅜ - u
     ㅡ - eu

     In Duolingo, the transliteration "do" can be 두 or 도. To know the difference, you have to carefully listen to the pronunciation. The problem is, they use two female and one male voices each with different pronunciations.

     However, in one such lesson you are asked to pick the correct Hangul for "do", with no pronunciation offered of what particular "do" it is. Again, emphasis on transliteration.

     How can a student know the correct answer when 두 and 도 are in the options, and both were used before in earlier lessons?

     Back to pronunciation, depending on the speaker (and rules that Duolingo didn't explain), ㅓ(eo) and ㅗ (o) can also sound as ㅜ (u) and ㅡ (eu).

     Conclusion:
     1. If you want to learn to recognise Hangul, then Duolingo is good. There also teach you the proper strokes.
     2. But if you want to learn pronunciations and words and rules, get a lesson from native Koreans language teachers.

     You see, Duolingo claims "scientists" were involved in creating their lessons but I don't see any sign scientists were involved. No logic in their lessons.

     And I agree with the native Korean language teachers, if you rely on transliterations instead of learning it the natural way, you're setting yourself into disappointment and hardship.

     You have to know the pronunciation. When you see Hangul characters, your mind should process it that way, not transliterating it first.

     The official transliteration of Korean is geared towards linguists instead of pure pronunciation. A linguist understands why 가가 is pronounced "kaga" but is transliterated as "gaga". Or why 도 is pronounced "pu" but is transliterated as "do".

     In other words, if you're a regular student and you rely on transliterations, you'll be confused and will think it is hard.

     When you see 마마 your brain should naturally process it as such 마마. Your brain should never transliterate it first before you can understand it. 마마 means "your highness" and is transliterated and pronounced as "mama"; it doesn't mean "mother".

     Learn to read Hangul, after that move to learning from native Korean language teachers, not Duolingo.

     #language #Hangugeo

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     Yohan Yukiya Seseㆍ사요한・謝雪矢 (youronlyone@c.im)'s status on Thursday, 23-Nov-2023 03:19:12 JST Yohan Yukiya Seseㆍ사요한・謝雪矢

     in reply to

     • wlf_warren

     @wlf_warren It depends. I mean, as a Xennial Filipino, I came from an era wherein we still used levels of honorifics or respect other than "po" and "opo".

     For example: "salamat" (thank you).

     "Salamat po ng marami" - very respectful and very formal.
     "Maraming salamat po" - respectful and less formal
     "Salamat ng marami" - usually used if you see the other person as an equal yet more formal.
     "Maraming salamat" - same as previous but less formal.
     "Salamat" - neutral; usually used for those younger than you, your friends, or lower in hierarchy.

     If you add "age" it becomes:
     "Salamat po ng marami sa inyo" - very respectful, very formal, usually for used when someone is higher in rank, social status, or a stranger.

     So, if you came from this era, Korean honorifics and respectful sentences and words will come easier. But for those who grew up in the West where "thank you" simply means "thank you", it will indeed be very hard.

     Re: male and female pronunciation and choice of words. In a way, it is similar to Japanese and in hierarchical words. Similarly, if you are a Filipino from the Xennial generation or earlier, it should be easier. Tagalog did have gender-specific words, but alas, that's an era not even me encountered. My grandparents used to use those words (or probably Kapampangan since they're originally from Pampanga and Bataan).

     It really depends. Personally, if one understands Filipino then study Japanese first before you jump to Korean, and before attempting Mandarin or Cantonese. Of course, that's just my own advise based on my experience.

     My younger brother had a similar path, Japanese, then Korean, then Mandarin, then Cantonese. My cousins either Mandarin or Cantonese first or Japanese first, before they started Korean and other languages.

     Oh. Having came from a family of linguists has nothing to do with learning languages. It's all on your personal effort. Don't get discouraged. Find what works for you. Filipino and Japanese are syllabic so it's easier for me, my brother, and some of our cousins to "branch out" to Japanese first.

   • Embed this notice
     wlf_warren (wlf_warren@pebble.social)'s status on Thursday, 23-Nov-2023 03:19:13 JST wlf_warren

     in reply to

     @youronlyone > part of the reason why Hangul is harder to converse in. What about honorifics, and how much do they play a part in the pronunciation by Male or Female pronunciation of words

   • Embed this notice
     Yohan Yukiya Seseㆍ사요한・謝雪矢 (youronlyone@c.im)'s status on Thursday, 23-Nov-2023 03:21:32 JST Yohan Yukiya Seseㆍ사요한・謝雪矢

     in reply to

     • G.C.

     @r_c_ Exactly!

   • Embed this notice
     G.C. (r_c_@pebble.social)'s status on Thursday, 23-Nov-2023 03:21:33 JST G.C.

     in reply to

     @youronlyone I tried and had to give up using Duolingo to learn Korean in the end. I felt I was getting nowhere