tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9424060.post4323421226256742044..comments2023-09-28T02:51:46.723-05:00Comments on Korean Language Notes: What was the Defense Language Institute (DLI) like?Gerry Bevershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14311939520870098017noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9424060.post-7572708007500364522016-12-27T11:23:39.737-06:002016-12-27T11:23:39.737-06:00My apologies for the late reply! I really apprecia...My apologies for the late reply! I really appreciate you taking the time to answer my questions. Thank you as always for the insights and information about your experiences! You're absolutely right- the younger generations nowadays don't realize how lucky they have it when it comes to accessing information. We've sure come a long way in a relatively short period of time! The advances in technology have now made learning almost anything easier than ever. It's just too bad more people don't use their smartphone or laptop for more than checking Facebook or pictures of cats on Instagram.. Korean Sourcehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11569712266944554245noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9424060.post-24677759387083624722016-11-17T14:10:33.709-06:002016-11-17T14:10:33.709-06:00Hi, Mathieu. Sorry, but I have been kind of busy. ...Hi, Mathieu. Sorry, but I have been kind of busy. Yes, 박정희 was still the president when I first when to Korea in 1977. The atmosphere then was very different. People then were actually afraid to talk politics or to criticize the president. If you mentioned the president or something he had done to a Korean or a group of Koreans in public, they would look around, fearful someone might be listening. Apparently, just criticizing the government then could get you arrested for being a North Korean spy or sympathizer. The expression "낮말은 새가 듣고 밤말은 쥐가 듣는다" was popular back then because people were encouraged to be on the lookout for North Korean spies.<br /><br />One of the main reasons it was hard to practice Korean then was that your average Korean student or businessman was fanatically trying to learn English and stubbornly refused to speak Korean, no matter how bad their English was. I had to go to the marketplace to practice my Korean, and they were often too busy to waste much time on me. Also, I used to go to 다방's and tell Korean jokes to the women who worked there. They were not interested in learning English, so if I bought them a cup of coffee, they would sit down and listen to my silly jokes and laugh at my bad pronunciation. It was hard to talk to a Korean girls because they were afraid of being mistaken for prostitutes.<br /><br />When I got to Korea in 1977, I knew of only two Korean language textbooks for foreigners: "Myongdo Korean I" and "Myongdo Korean II." Later in 1977 or near the start of 1978, Myongdo Korean III came out, and I took a bus to Seoul just to buy it. And just before I left Korea in September 1979, Myongdo Korean IV came out. Books 3 and 4 were supposed to be intermediate texts, but they were not good quality texts. When the Myongdo Institute closed down, they started printing Myongdo Korean books 1 and 2 as "Speaking Korean 1" and "Speaking Korean 2," by Francis Y. T. Park. Yes, there were dictionaries then because Koreans wanted to learn English, so dictionaries were very popular. "Donga" and "Essence" seemed to be the more popular dictionaries. <br /><br />Now, you guys have it easy. You have computers, the Internet, specially trained instructors, and all kinds of Korean textbooks and dictionaries. Also, Koreans are now used to foreigners speaking Korean, and many even expect foreigners to speak Korean. I wish I were 21 again.Gerry Bevershttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14311939520870098017noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9424060.post-62742355329181246182016-10-18T20:56:31.961-05:002016-10-18T20:56:31.961-05:00That was quite the rough start you had with Korean...That was quite the rough start you had with Korean! Not at all a friendly introduction to the language. Interesting that your first teacher was actually a North Korean, although he was obviously not qualified for that job.. <br /><br />I'm the exact same way in that I also need to see things written down to remember them better. I wouldn't do to well in an 'audio only' course like that.. Kind of strange, I suppose, given that I'm a musician by training. Nonetheless, a Pimsleur-type course would not be terribly useful for me. <br /><br />Considering how awful that first teacher and course were, it's amazing that you were so persistent and stuck with the language anyway! It's a good thing that you did, because you have clearly achieved a tremendous amount with it. I suppose you have forgiven your recruiter now for at least pushing you in the right direction (although with a very bumpy start). When did you make your first trip to Korea and what kind of work were you doing? Was it when 박정희 was still in power? I can't even begin to imagine how different the sights and overall atmosphere must have changed now since you first came here! Were you in Korea during the turbulent 80s? <br /><br />I was watching an interview with the Irish translator Kevin O’Rourke where he said that it was very difficult finding chances to practice speaking or even listening around 50 years ago in Korea because most people were not particularly interested in helping him learn, slowing down their speaking or repeating things. Were there any decent dictionaries available at the time? Or was it basically every man for himself? <br /><br />Thank you for the fascinating (and entertainingly written) introduction to your Korean studies! Korean Sourcehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11569712266944554245noreply@blogger.com