Monday, November 28, 2005

To impose or not

I've been enamoured with Bhutan ever since I saw the superb film Travellers and Magicians at the Pusan International Film Festival two years back, and took part in the question and answer session with the director - dressed in his monk's robes.

2년전에 부산국제영화제에서 매우 뛰어난 <여행자와 마법사>란 영화를 보고 (승님의 옷을 입는) 감독과 문답 회의에 참가했을 때부터는 부탄에 반했다.

Now here's something else to think about from the mountain kingdom.
여기 산맥에 있는 왕국에서 생각할 만한 게 일어났다.

Is it democratic to impose democracy? Can you choose not to choose your government? These paradoxical conundrums are usually confined to discussions involving drunken students and tiresome academics (or is that the other way round?). But now they have emerged for real in Bhutan, where the Wangchuk dynasty has ruled as an absolute monarchy since 1903.

The Dragon King, Jigme Singye Wangchuk, announced earlier this month that he wants to give his people the gift of a democratically elected parliament. The trouble is, they don't want it. Where now they have a united country with a widely loved leader, they fear they will get a divided country with parties and factions pursuing their own interests. Looking at western democracies, they have a point.

So it seems whatever happens, the country will have a legitimacy gap. Keep the monarchy and the people will not have any choice about what policies their leader pursues; impose democracy and they will have been denied their choice of political
system. Whatever you choose, you have no choice.

Saturday, November 26, 2005

Countries visited / 가본 나라들

Obviously not my main reason for going, but two weeks in China dramatically changes this map, doesn't it?

물론 간 주요한 이유가 아닌데 중국에 이주일 있는 게 이 지도를 극적으로 바꾸는다, 그렇지?


(create your own countries visited map)

The age-old adage that 'a change is as good as a rest' is so beautifully true.^^

'변화는 휴식만큼 좋다'라는 속담이 정말 사실이네.^^

Wednesday, November 16, 2005

Vibes / 느낌

Before you teach a class, or write a report card, or give a presentation, or step out the door, take in something positive and uplifting.

수업을 가르치거나 성적표를 쓰거나 보고하거나 방에서 나오기 전에 긍정적이고 정신을 앙양시키는 걸 받아들여라.

Try a quick dip into one of the following. (Please, don't start reading through everything, it only waters down the individual messages. Be different: try thinking about one thing at a time, in some depth.)

다음은 좀 해봐라. (모든 걸 읽지 말고 한 번에 하나씩 신중히 생각해라.)

InspirationPeak / WorldOfInspiration

Have a great day, wherever you are.

여러분 어디든지 있어도 좋은 하루 보내라.

Wednesday, November 09, 2005

a far more interesting place for world news

Wednesday November 2, 2005
Shocked Englishman Steve Windless found doctors had left more than a metre of wire in his body during surgery 10 years ago after a bit suddenly poked through the side of his neck as he was driving.

Tuesday October 18, 2005
An Austrian resort claims bookings have flooded in after it banned young children - while still letting dogs in. Hotel Cortisen owner Roland Ballnere said dogs were better trained and did not vandalise his hotel.

Friday October 14, 2005
Chips that store music could one day be built into breast implants. One breast could hold the MP3 player and the other the music collection. BT futurology, who developed the idea, say it could be available within 15 years.

Visit Oddspot.

Tuesday, November 08, 2005

Two Giant Fat People / 두명의 거대하고 살찐 사람

If I were Jesus, nothing would rub me up the wrong way more than all those people doing idiotic and cruel things "in the name of Jesus Christ". No, I'm not religious, though I do have a set of personal principles I live by. That said, I love this uplifting little poem by the Persian poet Hafiz.

"Two Giant Fat People"

God
And I have become
Like two giant fat people
Living in a
Tiny boat.
We
Keep
Bumping into each other and
L
a
u
g
h
i
n
g
.
하나님과
내가 아주 작은 배에서
살고 있는
두명의 거대하고 살찐 사람처럼
되었는데
우리
서로 계속 중돌하고

EFL - Ice-breakers

Breaking the ice with some classes might require a sledgehammer, but I find that the sooner learners in a class feel comfortable with each other, knowing that their opinions will be valued and mistakes tolerated, the sooner they can start enjoying the class.

I find most of my students seem to have no desire at all to hang out with their classmates outside class (too busy, terrible at socialising, "But I'm here to learn, not meet people!" and similar excuses) and given half a chance ignore them in class too. However, if learners in a classroom don't make the effort to get to know each other, there's little a teacher can do with the class.

Given the fundamental importance of the ice-breaking stage, my general rule is to spread it over two classes (I see classes for 50 minutes every day.). Everyone has their own little stash activities for this. Here's mine.

Day 1
Preparation: gather together about half a dozen things you feel say something interesting about you. (I use things like my Korean cookbook (in Korean), the capo for my guitar (What is it??), a handful of postcards from back home, a novel in French, and (low denomination!) banknotes from some of the countries I've visited.)
1. Basic Introductions: everyone's name, jobs or degree courses, main interests and whereabouts they live. All this information should be written clearly (and in bright colours!) on folded pieces of paper that will be kept on the table for the next few lessons. To be friendly and co-operative, they can work in pairs to make these for each other; and then introduce each other to the class.
2. Hand out the objects you've prepared and get them into small groups to discuss what they think each thing says about the teacher. After they've passed round all the objects, ask the class for suggestions (most objects aren't difficult to figure out, but accept all guesses as possible). When you've had all comments in, better point out which guesses were right and which wrong, otherwise you might end up with misconceptions from the start. (Like the one student of mine who for two months thought I was actually French!)
3. If you have long enough you could go into a Needs Analysis discussion from here, or ask them to write about that individually for homework.

Day 2
Preparation: make a sheet of intriguing questions! (One each or one between two. If you like, you can collect these in after the class so as not to waste paper.) The questions should all be up-beat and show real curiosity about the other person's values, interests and feelings. They can also be cheeky, flirtaceous, philosophical, whatever does it for you. (Lots of examples below.) About a dozen should give plenty of choice and ample opportunities to talk themselves and learn about each other.
1. Introduce this as an antidote to the tedious "Where are you from? What do you do?", and that they'll be rated on two things while they're getting to know each other better: listening and how much they can remember about their classmates, and the use of follow-up questions to keep the conversation going. Give out question sheets and don't interrupt unless called. This activity works best in small groups or pairs.
2. When they've had sufficient time, they can take it in turns telling the class the most interesting things they've learnt about the person/people they've talked to. If you have time, others can ask follow-up questions. Recommend that people who have something in common, or even the whole class, should go for a coffee (or tea) afterwards.

~~~~~~~~~~
Example questions (Choose about a dozen. Tailor them to your class. Change wording or add definitions at the bottom of the question sheet if needed. Questions alone look dull - add a few pictures.)
What's your earliest memory?
Do you cry at sad films?
What's your worst habit?
In your opinion, what's the most important thing the opposite sex needs to learn?
What's your favourite thing to do to have fun and what attracts you to it?
A genie grants you one wish - what would it be?
What do you think is your most attractive feature?
Choose two words to describe yourself.
Who do you admire most in the world and why?
Which sense is most important to you?
Do you believe monogamy works?
What's your favourite thing to do on a date?
What's your biggest ambition?
What's the most beautiful thing you've ever seen?
I'm very slim. How can I put on weight?
What type of guy/girl do you go for?
Do you often get drunk?
What do you think of acupuncture?
What do you want for Christmas?
What's your favourite season, and why?
What comes to mind when I say "vacations"?
You fall in love with someone from another country - would you consider marriage?
Do you keep many secrets?
What comes to mind when I say "culture"?
What's your favourite TV in your country, and what's your favourite foreign one?
Are there any attractive men/women in your workplace?
How do you like to spend quiet time by yourself?
Would you date yourself?
If you could be the star of a film, what kind of film would it be?
Can you lend me a dollar?
What would you most like to find out?
Did you ever go on a school trip when you were younger?
What's your favourite place to eat?
Have you ever had a pen pal? Would you like one?
What were you like when you were younger?
Describe your ideal day.
What can you tell me about your country's culture?
What's the furthest you've ever been from home?
Do you have any role models?
What can you tell me about your best friend?
What comes to mind when I say "love"?
Tea or coffee?

Saturday, November 05, 2005

군대 / We're in the army now

I've officially been on holiday since Wednesday. So for the last few days I've had the time to flick through the pages of my Korean newspaper of choice, the Hankyoreh. I've especially been following an intelligent four-part special report on the socio-psychological effects military service (2 years; compulsory) has on Korea's young men.

‘군대를 갔다 와야 사람 된다’는 말이 있다. 과연 군대는 우리나라 젊은 남자를 어떻게 변화시킬까?

실제 조사를 해 보니 군대는 이들을 더욱 보수적으로 만들고 가부장적인 사고방식을 강화하는 데 영향을 주는 것으로 드러났다. <한겨레>는 임상심리학연구소 ‘더 트리그룹 리서치클리닉’(대표 조용범)과 함께 군대 경험이 심리·사회적 영역에서 한국 남자에게 어떤 영향을 끼치는지를 분석하고자 최근 두 달 동안 20대 남성 240명을 대상으로 다양한 심리검사를 벌였다. 이런 경험과학적 연구방법을 통한 조사는 우리나라에서 처음이다.

There's a saying that, "Going to the army makes you a man." In reality, how does military service affect the young men of Korea?

In fact, upon investigation it has been found that the effects of the army are that it makes them all the more conservative and intensifies patriarchal views. For the last two months the Hankyoreh, with the co-operation of a research centre for clincal psychology, The Tree Group Research Clinic, has embarked on a socio-psychological examination of 240 men in their 20s, for the purposes of analysis, on the influences the military service experience imparts on Korean men. This investigation is the first in Korea to address this experience using scientific methods of enquiry.
For anyone interested, the above extract is from the first article of the report "The Army makes (Conformist and Patriarchal) Men", and today's piece "the experts talk" was a solid summary:
권인숙 명지대 교수(여성학) ‘대한민국은 군대다’ 저자
“군기 때문에 인권침해 안돼…성희롱 ‘왜’ 안되는지 이해시켜야”

조용범 박사(임상심리학) 더 트리그룹 리서치클리닉 대표
“조직에 순응 ‘단지 귀찮아서’…지적욕구 저하는 국가적 손해”

정곤양 대령 국방부 인사근무과장
“제대뒤 원만해지고 EQ(감성지수) 높아져…민간협력으로 문제 풀 것”

Kwon In-suk, professor of Gender Studies at Myeongji University and author of 'Korea is an Army': "We must not allow human rights infringements for the sake of military discipline ... must make it clear why sexual harassment is wrong"

Dr. Jong Yong-beom, clinical psychologist and representative of The Tree Group Clinic: "They conform in organisations 'only because it's a hassle' ... that intellectual appetites fall is a national loss"

Colonel Jeong Gon-yang, head of personnel at the Ministry of Defence: "After being discharged they are more well-rounded and their EQ is higher ... we'll sort out the problems through civilian co-operation"
Hmm, for some reason I prefer this stuff to the slushy Korean pop and sleep-inducing business news in the Korea TimesHerald.

Friday, November 04, 2005

EFL - Exhuming Sapir and Whorf

This time an article entitled "Why we are as good or bad as our language" from the Guardian Education pages. (Link at bottom of post.)

I disagree with parts of the article, but I've picked out what could be of use to me and my learners.

All of us have ways of identifying someone as "arrogant", "serious", "nice", gifted with a "sense of humour" or "dull", "boring". ... The point is, we have ideological codes for distinguishing between "good" and "bad" language use. ... [for evaluating] ways of using language: on particular genres and styles, varieties, accents. ... [A] variety of English that would carry prestige in Nairobi can carry stigma in London or New York.
Stressing cultural differences is rarely productive, above all as it tends to create a gap between 'us' and 'them'; and where English is concerned it also raises the issue of cultural and linguistic imperialism. But also unhelpful is simply ignoring how people use their languages, the pronunciation and tone of voice, which words/phrases are appropriate in different contexts. Exploring why differences in use exist can help learners gain a deeper insight into other cultures and develop their socio-pragmatic skills.

I've always been fascinated by the way people's body language, intonation, choice of words, and even the overall personality they give off tend to change when they switch from one language to another, or from one social group to another. Our identities, it appears, are our way of fitting in.

Full article.

EFL - Anti-TOEIC rant / 反TOEIC

The TOEIC test...

Does it help learners gain confidence in using English?
Does it help them lower their anxiety and relax?
Does it motivate learners in a positive and constructive way?

Does it help them relate to the language, making the content of their learning relevent and interesting?
Does it cater to all learning styles and provide a good variety of input material?
Does it raise interest in the language, people, cultures, and in learning?

Does it improve cultural awareness or socio-pragmatic skills?
Does it help learners build an understanding of which words and phrases are appropiate in given contexts?
Does it enable learners to deduce the meaning of new words from a clear context?
Does it allow them to learn words related to their own needs and interests, so they can use it to communicate on these topics?
Does it give them practice of negotiating meaning, or of conversation strategies?

Does the over-enunciated speech (free from background noise) in the listening section help learners understand real, unscripted speech at a natural speed?
Does this emotionless speech improve their recognition of tone of voice and thereby the feelings of the speaker?
Does it help them understand and produce nuances of intonation?

Does it help learners express themselves in the language?

~~~~~~~~
As far as I can tell, the TOEIC doesn't measure any of the above skills, thus there is logically no reason for teachers to cover them in a TOEIC class or for learners to try to learn them while studying for the test. However, these skills are ones the average Korean language learner is desperately missing - in my opinion, largely due to very limited knowledge of modern teaching methods and the persistance (and widespread misuse) of godawful tests such as the TOEIC.

I would suggest that for the vast majority of Koreans this test is simply a huge waste of time, money and effort, and any serious language learner would do well to avoid it like the proverbial plague.

The people I've met with the highest TOEIC scores almost invariably speak a stilted and completely unnatural variety of English which in real-life may be an obstacle to effective communication. They also tend to have either low self-confidence or an over-inflated sense of their English ability.

In the short-term, TOEIC might get you a job but, as bad language and learning habits from it become fossilised, it may damage your chances of aquiring a good level of natural and useable English.

My other article on the TOEIC is here.

EFL - Ironing out the wrinkles

There are a few problem words my students get stuck on time and time again. Here are a few of the most common ones:

blame and critise

A common Korean problem is the use of the word blame, when the speaker means criticise. We can blame the makers of Korean-English dictionaries.

CRITICISE verb - to express disapproval of someone or something.
BLAME verb - to say or think that someone or something did something wrong or is responsible for something bad happening.

나무라다 (tell someone off)
비난하다 (criticise)
[실수.잘못에 대해] 책망하다 (blame)

fun and funny

So many EFL learners get these two confused, especially the main meaning of each. Not surprising really as they're very similar-looking!

FUN noun [U] - pleasure, enjoyment, amusement
FUN adjective [before noun] - enjoyable
FUNNY adjective - amusing; causing laughter

즐거움 / 재미 (fun - noun)
즐거운 / 유쾌한 (fun - adj)
우스운 (funny)

examples
Have fun (= Enjoy yourself)! 즐겁게 지내!
I really enjoyed your party - it was such good fun. 재미있었네!
She's great fun to be with. 그녀는 같이 있으면 진짜 재미있어.
It's no fun/not much fun (= not enjoyable) having to work on Saturdays.
a fun-loving girl 잘 노는 여자 / 장난기가 있는 여자
There are lots of fun (= enjoyable) things to do here. 여기 할 즐거운 게 많다.
Do you know any funny jokes?
It's a really funny film. 진짜 웃기는 영화다!
It's not funny - don't laugh! 우습지 않는 것인데 웃지 마!

lecture and class

I get mildly offended every time I get a well-meant compliment from students on my 'lecture'. I assure you I try my upmost not to lecture anyone. In English these have very different connotations.

CLASS noun -
1 a group of students who are taught together at school, college or university:
2 a period of time in which students are taught something:
LECTURE noun -
1 a formal talk on a serious or specialist subject given to a group of people, especially students:
2 an angry or serious talk given to someone in order to criticize their behaviour

수업 (class)
강의 / 강연; 설교 (lecture)

Which class are you in this year?
She gave the whole class extra homework for a week.
My last class ends at 4 o'clock. 4시에 내 수업이 끝나는데.
I was told off for talking in class. 수업 중에 나는 떠들었기 때문에 꾸짖받았다.
I missed my aerobics class yesterday. 어제 에어로빅 강좌에 결석했다.
We went to a lecture on Italian art.
Who's giving the lecture this afternoon?
My dad gave me a lecture on the evils of alcohol last night.

Thursday, November 03, 2005

Hiking in Korea

Autumn's here. The leaves are reluctantly changing to match the colourful fashions of the season. Soon the numbers of hikers on every mountain in the city will surge. Hence this quick rundown of essential hiking wear in Korea, just so you don't feel left out...

Soft, professional hill-walking boots. (2nd best: trainers.)
Brightly-coloured knee-length socks. (Optional.)
Loose tracksuit-like trousers (perhaps tucked into socks).
A tight long-sleeved T-shirt with a multi-pocketed body warmer over the top.
Gloves. (Even in summer.)
Ski-pole style adjustable professional walking pole. (Don't worry that it's more of a hassle than a help - it looks the part!)
A small, school-trip style rucksack.
Professional sports sunglasses. (Optional.)
For men, a baseball cap and (optionally) a towel hanging round your neck.
For any woman over 35, a welding mask,... I mean, huge sun visor.

EFL/Korean - Anatomy 102

Here's the second half of the anatomy class I started last Sunday. Thank you for your patience, folks! 지난 일요일 시작된 해부학 수업(!)의 후반부는 여기다. 기다려서 감사합니다,에~

to arm
to provide yourself or others with a weapon or weapons: [누굴] 무기로 무장시켰다
Nobody knows who is arming the terrorists.
I armed myself with a baseball bat and went to investigate the noise.
They are currently arming for war.
NOTE: The opposite is disarm.

to provide yourself or others with equipment or knowledge in order to complete a particular task: 대비하다 / 준비하다
She armed herself for the interview by finding out all she could about the company in advance.
I went to the meeting armed with the relevant facts and figures.


to arm-wrestle 팔씨름(을) 하다
play a game where two people place the elbows of their right arms on a table, hold hands and then try to push the other person's hand down onto the table

to elbow DISAPPROVING
to push someone rudely with your elbows so that you can move or have more space: [남]을 팔꿈치로 밀어제치다 / 밀어내다
He elbowed his way to the front of the crowd.
They elbowed the onlookers aside.


to hit someone with your elbow, sometimes as a sign to make them notice or remember something: [무엇을 기억나기 위해] 팔꿈치로 남을 치다
She elbowed me in the ribs before I could say anything.

to hand [+ two objects]
to put something into someone's hand from your own hand: [무엇]을 넘겨 주다 / 건네 주다
The waiter smiled politely as he handed me my bill/handed my bill to me.
Please read this memo carefully and hand it on (to your colleagues).

to hand-pick
carefully choose for a special job or purpose: 엄선하다 / 정선하다
a hand-picked audience

to palm
to make something seem to disappear by hiding it in the palm of your hand as part of a trick, or to steal something by picking it up in a way that will not be noticed: [무엇]을 손바닥에 숨기다
I suspected that he had palmed a playing card.

palm sth off phrasal verb
to give away something, or persuade someone to accept something, because you do not want it and you know it has no value: [나쁜 물건]을 [누구]에게 떠맡기다
She tried to palm her old car off on me.

to knuckle down phrasal verb INFORMAL
to start working or studying hard: 열심히 일하기 시작하다
You're going to have to really knuckle down (to your work) if you want to pass your exams.

to finger
to touch or feel something with your fingers: [무엇]에 손가락을 대다
She fingered her necklace absent-mindedly as she talked.

to thumb a lift INFORMAL
to stand near the edge of a road and hold out your hand with the thumb raised as a signal for a vehicle to stop and take you somewhere: 히치하이크(를) 하다
We thumbed a lift to London.

thumb through sth phrasal verb
to turn the pages of a book, magazine, or a document quickly and only read small parts of it: [무엇]을 급히 훑어보다
"Have you read the report?" "Well, I thumbed through it quickly on the train."

thumb your nose at sb/sth
to show a lack of respect: [남]을 비웃다
He has thumbed his nose at authority all his life.

to stomach [usually in negatives, 주로 부정문에서]
to be able to accept an unpleasant idea or watch something unpleasant: [무엇]을 참다
He can't stomach the idea that Peter might be the next chairman.
She found the violence in the film hard to stomach.


to skin
to remove the skin of something: [짐승]의 가죽을 벗기다 / [무릎.손]을 생채기내다
The hunters skinned the deer they had killed.
I skinned my knee (= hurt my knee by rubbing skin off it) when I fell down the steps.

to flesh sth out phrasal verb
to add more details or information to something: [무엇]을 더 충실하게 만들다 / 구체화하다
These plans need to be fleshed out with some more figures before the committee votes on them.

to bum around phrasal verb INFORMAL
to spend time being lazy and doing very little: 빈둥거리며 세월을 보내다
I wish you'd stop bumming around and start looking for a job.

to bum around/about (somewhere) (TRAVEL) phrasal verb INFORMAL
to travel around in different places or in a particular area, with no plans, no job and little money: 빈둥거리며 여행하다
After college she spent a year bumming around the States.

to bum SLANG
to ask someone for something without intending to pay for it: [누구]에게서 담배를 얻어 피우다 / 차를 얻어 타다
Could I bum a cigarette off you?

butt in phrasal verb INFORMAL
to interrupt a conversation or discussion or someone who is talking: 주제넘게 나서다
He kept on butting in with silly comments.

to balls (sth) up phrasal verb (UK 英) OFFENSIVE
to spoil something by making a mistake or doing something stupid: [무엇]를 완전히 망치다
Trust me to balls up the interview!

to cock sth up phrasal verb (UK 英) SLANG
to do something wrong or badly: [무엇]를 실수하다 / 망치다
David cocked up the arrangements and we ended up missing the reception.
"How did the exam go?" "Terrible - I panicked and really cocked it up."


to leg it (UK 英) INFORMAL
to run away in order to escape from something: 급히 걷어 도망치다
They legged it round the corner when they saw the police coming.

to knee
to hit someone with your knee: [누굴] 무릎으로 치다
She kneed him in the groin.

to shin up
to climb something such as a tree, using your hands and legs to move along quickly: [나무]에 기어오르다
Several of us shinned up lampposts so that we could see over the crowd.

to foot INFORMAL
to pay an amount of money: [셈]을 치루다 / 부담하다
His parents footed the bill for his course fees.
They refused to foot the cost of the wedding.
The company will foot her expenses.


to toe/tow the line
to do what you are ordered or expected to do: [통제.명령.당규]에 복종하다
He might not like the rules but he'll toe the line just to avoid trouble.
Ministers who refused to toe the Party line were swiftly got rid of.


to sole (a shoe)
to put a new sole on a shoe [구두에] 새 밑창을 대다

to heel [Heel!] [개를 향해] 따라와!
exclamationsaid to a dog to order it to come and stand next to you or to walk close beside you as you walk

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Yes, I'm aware there are more, mainly of a sexual nature. On that note, I'd recommend a trip to Amsterdam...