@lingosteve The main point I'm trying to make is that language learners should be, by definition, skeptical of words and open to critical discussion like scientists in search of truth. I really appreciate that you express your views so consistently and that you're open to critique. I don't have to agree with your actual decision to use the word "linguist" to describe your language learning, to be in agreement with the way you learn languages or handle yourself as a linguist.
@orangeroomstudios I use the word the way most people use the word in English. A linguist as someone who speaks several languages well, is the only kind of linguist I am interested in. That is my truth. I am not interested in linguistics, and few people are. You have a different view of how the word should be used, very much a minority view. Fine. I am not going to change your mind, nor you mine.
Btw, I think people are indeed fair to question your use of the term "linguist" in reference to yourself. You may be accurate that the word originally refers to a student of language, but what self-proclaimed student of language, having supposedly studied the implications of such words, would use them with such carelessness or indifference to how they're perceived? This title is really no different than Benny's "fluent in 3 months" claim...
@orangeroomstudios People may question whatever they want. Most native speakers of English use the word "linguist" to mean someone who is good at speaking languages. The dictionary records that as the most common usage. That is how I use the word, the way most people do. The word fluent means "capable of using a language easily and accurately" according to Mirriam_Webster, and that is how most people understand the term. Benny does not achieve this in 3 months.
@lingosteve People define words as they please or according to any book, standardized or sacred, they find most convenient. Honestly, I'm not concerned with the fact that you (and Benny) have products to sell, and brands to develop, nor the possibility that your claims could be misleading people; my concern is more with the almost authoritarian nature of autodidactic language learning which seems to be exempt from the skepticism and humility that the very study of its words naturally demands.
@orangeroomstudios My use of the word "linguist" is not intended to be misleading . I prefer the word "linguist" to the word polyglot which few speakers of English have ever heard of. You are free to question anything I say with as much skepticism as you want. I do not delete comments here unless there is vulgarity. I am not sure, however, what point you are trying to make. Do you feel that I should not express my views, or at least apologize for them?
The BBC must also be guilty of misleading as recently they published a review of the book "Babel No More" where they refer to polyglots and hyperpolyglots as linguists - the layman's understanding of the word.
Also the Chartered Institute of Linguists in the UK must be misleading their members as the institutes's qualifications are in bi-lingualism, translation and interpretation. In the UK Chartered status is conferred by the Queen and is a recognised professional body by the government and accredited to award diplomas to students.
A member of the CIoL, ie a translator or interpretor, is therefore recognised as a "chartered linguist."
@lingosteve No problem. According to their mission statement they are the professional body for practitioners of languages. On their website they also refer to linguists as people who "use languages" and on their "find a linguist" page they list translators, interpreters and language tutors.
Thanks for the CIoL info. To be clear, I'm not accusing Steve of misleading anyone, although you may agree that the "layman" who doesn't know "polyglot" may indeed be likely to have an incomplete understanding of "linguist".
The word choice just invites a healthy degree of skepticism expected of modern language learners.
Btw, I hope the BBC and The Queen haven't been so far removed from the table of rational criticism that we can't doubt their authority here?
@orangeroomstudios Doubt the Queen? Good heavens!!! One of the fascinating things about languages is how they change over time and how words can mean different things to different people. I know before I started watching Youtube I had never heard the term polyglot and would have just called them linguists, or multi-linguals.
As linguist isn't a protected profession or name, unlike lawyer, accountant, or medical doctor, it is open to greater interpretation when in general use.
Hyunwoo is realy friendly and cool. KyongEun, too. They have Iyagi on their website, which you may be interested in (or maybe what they have submitted to LingQ). I am learning from them, and I like that they really reach out to the community and will help you and correct you.
Hi Steve, I've been studying Korean for three years but haven't really checked out any great Korean literature. Do you know who the classic Korean writers are, or what works deserve to be read.
i agree the technical linguistic stuff doesn't help w/ learning korean. however, korean is a rather technical language, which is exactly why it is among the easiest to learn. and i love Talk To Me In Korean. they do a great job. big plus to you for getting them on bored. and i disagree that you can't nail down Korean. nailing down Korean, and probably any other language, has mostly to do with understanding the culture. i know chinese and it doesn't help much with korean, it just gets confusing.
heheh yey i caught on korean after watch their dramas with subtitles i found hyun wo shi's afterwards hehehe talk to me in korean was fun you know there are app on phones that teach you korean and chinese if you have a droid that heheheh i donno about the i phone stuff :-D
Anyway, enough of that sorry, yes compared to English we have many homonyms, that even with the exact spelling, not just sino-korean (that is Korean that comes from Chinese) but also native korean. 배[Bam] can mean stomach or boat. 이자[Ija] can mean pancreas or (fiscal) interest. The former are both native korean words, but in the latter one is a sino-chinese, so when you 'must' distinguish them you put chinese in brackets. 이자(利子): interest, or just 이자. 이 자 can also mean 'this guy.' We live fine.
Yeah, that was a nice site, I approve. 7 or 8 meanings.... well I can't say no, though I think it's an exaggeration. See, this is called a homonym, and you could just say there are many homonyms in Korean. Linguistic voculabularies are made to make this sort of explanation easier not to make your life harder.
I'm fascinated by languages, and grammar particularly. I've studied many languages, though I'm not a polyglot. The technical aspect of languages fascinates me ... but I only speak one language other than my native english!
So I agree with you in pretty much everything I've heard you say in these videos - if you want to learn the language, forget the technicalities, the best way to learn is to read, and get in there and get your hands dirty!
I just want to say I am a long time watcher and thanks for all the videos you always make Steve, they are always great, insightful and inspire me. Don't let some of those idiots discourage you (which i know you dont). Thank you and I hope you continue for a long time to come =]
For intermediate/advanced learners of Korean, I can HIGHLY recommend the audio book (Young-il's Audiobook) that is available for purchase in the Talk to me in Korean store. It's very entertaining and it also comes with a full transcript (and translation). And no, I don't get any of the money from the sales, I'm just a happy costumer.
I like talk to me in Korean!! I find it really useful! I have to say I do like lingQ, but I do find it still in Beta phase! But the amount of Korean only content really useful!! I do like your website! But I don't like the lack of grammer but I don't mind looking else where for that! And so learning vocab off your website useful!
i use talk to me in korean also they also have lesson for beginners also which i am on but im getting better i love that web site i go on it all the time
Often try to look for short easy stories in other languages - too much English on the cds is definitely one of the most frustrating wastes of time. Enjoy stumbling across this sort of language video...
watch?v=3n9Khr-ut_0
Their "word relay" videos also seem like a neat idea I hadn't come across.
Steve, thank you so much for taking your time to make this video. As you know I love learning other languages too and I am trying my best to provide as many different types of learning material to meet different needs by different learners, and I always thought you would find this "Iyagi" series that we are posting at LingQ interesting, and I'm glad you did! I'm looking forward to see more people using LingQ for their Korean learning, too. Thank you!
interesting content (both learning and normal ) = extremely important if you don't live in that country without it what's the point? excellent vid as always!
This is fantastic! I was going to mention him in a reply to your last video about resources but I'd figured you'd already heard of each other (he's quite accomplished in a few languages himself). I'm a huge fan of his. I have to say, I might start learning Korean JUST because it's on lingq and with Hyunwoo's lessons on there now it's even better. I thank you both!
@lingosteve The main point I'm trying to make is that language learners should be, by definition, skeptical of words and open to critical discussion like scientists in search of truth. I really appreciate that you express your views so consistently and that you're open to critique. I don't have to agree with your actual decision to use the word "linguist" to describe your language learning, to be in agreement with the way you learn languages or handle yourself as a linguist.
orangeroomstudios 3 days ago
@orangeroomstudios I use the word the way most people use the word in English. A linguist as someone who speaks several languages well, is the only kind of linguist I am interested in. That is my truth. I am not interested in linguistics, and few people are. You have a different view of how the word should be used, very much a minority view. Fine. I am not going to change your mind, nor you mine.
lingosteve 3 days ago
what is your native language?
And what do you think is the best way to pick up a language?
Do you recommend rosseta stone or a similar program?
aarontwhite 4 days ago
Thanks for your ink to "Talk to me in Korean"!
Btw, I think people are indeed fair to question your use of the term "linguist" in reference to yourself. You may be accurate that the word originally refers to a student of language, but what self-proclaimed student of language, having supposedly studied the implications of such words, would use them with such carelessness or indifference to how they're perceived? This title is really no different than Benny's "fluent in 3 months" claim...
orangeroomstudios 4 days ago
@orangeroomstudios People may question whatever they want. Most native speakers of English use the word "linguist" to mean someone who is good at speaking languages. The dictionary records that as the most common usage. That is how I use the word, the way most people do. The word fluent means "capable of using a language easily and accurately" according to Mirriam_Webster, and that is how most people understand the term. Benny does not achieve this in 3 months.
lingosteve 4 days ago
@lingosteve People define words as they please or according to any book, standardized or sacred, they find most convenient. Honestly, I'm not concerned with the fact that you (and Benny) have products to sell, and brands to develop, nor the possibility that your claims could be misleading people; my concern is more with the almost authoritarian nature of autodidactic language learning which seems to be exempt from the skepticism and humility that the very study of its words naturally demands.
orangeroomstudios 4 days ago
@orangeroomstudios My use of the word "linguist" is not intended to be misleading . I prefer the word "linguist" to the word polyglot which few speakers of English have ever heard of. You are free to question anything I say with as much skepticism as you want. I do not delete comments here unless there is vulgarity. I am not sure, however, what point you are trying to make. Do you feel that I should not express my views, or at least apologize for them?
lingosteve 4 days ago
@orangeroomstudios @lingosteve
The BBC must also be guilty of misleading as recently they published a review of the book "Babel No More" where they refer to polyglots and hyperpolyglots as linguists - the layman's understanding of the word.
MrScotchpie 4 days ago
@orangeroomstudios @lingosteve
Also the Chartered Institute of Linguists in the UK must be misleading their members as the institutes's qualifications are in bi-lingualism, translation and interpretation. In the UK Chartered status is conferred by the Queen and is a recognised professional body by the government and accredited to award diplomas to students.
A member of the CIoL, ie a translator or interpretor, is therefore recognised as a "chartered linguist."
MrScotchpie 4 days ago
@MrScotchpie Thanks, I did not know that.
lingosteve 4 days ago
@lingosteve No problem. According to their mission statement they are the professional body for practitioners of languages. On their website they also refer to linguists as people who "use languages" and on their "find a linguist" page they list translators, interpreters and language tutors.
MrScotchpie 4 days ago
@MrScotchpie @lingosteve
Thanks for the CIoL info. To be clear, I'm not accusing Steve of misleading anyone, although you may agree that the "layman" who doesn't know "polyglot" may indeed be likely to have an incomplete understanding of "linguist".
The word choice just invites a healthy degree of skepticism expected of modern language learners.
Btw, I hope the BBC and The Queen haven't been so far removed from the table of rational criticism that we can't doubt their authority here?
orangeroomstudios 3 days ago
@orangeroomstudios Doubt the Queen? Good heavens!!! One of the fascinating things about languages is how they change over time and how words can mean different things to different people. I know before I started watching Youtube I had never heard the term polyglot and would have just called them linguists, or multi-linguals.
As linguist isn't a protected profession or name, unlike lawyer, accountant, or medical doctor, it is open to greater interpretation when in general use.
MrScotchpie 3 days ago
@MrScotchpie Fair enough! :)
orangeroomstudios 3 days ago
or do you live in europe?
aarontwhite 5 days ago
@aarontwhite Vancouver BC
lingosteve 4 days ago
like what state?
aarontwhite 5 days ago
Where do you live?
aarontwhite 5 days ago
Hyunwoo is realy friendly and cool. KyongEun, too. They have Iyagi on their website, which you may be interested in (or maybe what they have submitted to LingQ). I am learning from them, and I like that they really reach out to the community and will help you and correct you.
teatimeoclock 5 days ago
Hi Steve, I've been studying Korean for three years but haven't really checked out any great Korean literature. Do you know who the classic Korean writers are, or what works deserve to be read.
omsct 5 days ago
@omsct I may know more when I get back to Korean.
lingosteve 4 days ago
So Steve, it's now Feb 2012. How is your Korean now?
rfwelsh 6 days ago
@rfwelsh I still haven't done anything, been on Russian and Czech. We'll see when the flame is kindled again.
lingosteve 5 days ago
@lingosteve Thanks for the prompt reply. No point in studying something you aren't passionate about. Your Russian must be coming along nicely...
rfwelsh 5 days ago
i agree the technical linguistic stuff doesn't help w/ learning korean. however, korean is a rather technical language, which is exactly why it is among the easiest to learn. and i love Talk To Me In Korean. they do a great job. big plus to you for getting them on bored. and i disagree that you can't nail down Korean. nailing down Korean, and probably any other language, has mostly to do with understanding the culture. i know chinese and it doesn't help much with korean, it just gets confusing.
ImChallin 1 month ago
I also like language learning and I am not interested in lingustics. In the university the "introduction to linguistics" was the most boring subject.
amanogawamakoto 2 months ago
I'm improving my english listening skill by hearing you talk about learning korean! :D
smLeft 2 months ago
heheh yey i caught on korean after watch their dramas with subtitles i found hyun wo shi's afterwards hehehe talk to me in korean was fun you know there are app on phones that teach you korean and chinese if you have a droid that heheheh i donno about the i phone stuff :-D
IzzyIsmGal420 9 months ago
Dear Steve,
For any Korean you first meet, you will remain a ye / ke (yega, yeneun, kega, keneun ; words used for close friends or animals)
As Michael Breen says in "The Koreans", for THEM you are a non-person...
Anyway, the country as absolutely nothing to offer.
(people who say they love Korea just love their business in Korea or their sex life in Korea : NOT Korea for itself !)
Now, if you are the foreign language learner freak you seem to be, go on...
YunaBonbeurre 1 year ago
@YunaBonbeurre
forget the "first" !
you are a YE/ KE for ever
and your Korean wife/husband won't correct the ill-manered Korean (a pure pleonasm) who uses those words to qualify you in front of her/him
Koreans love swimming with each other in that big stinky bath of ignorance ; we can't do much for them, even through foreign language teaching
YunaBonbeurre 1 year ago
Great to hear about someone living life to the fullest!!! Do your thing Steve, you're totally inspiring me through your experiences~
AmericajinYumi 1 year ago
Sorry that was [Bae] and not [Bam] and it can also mean pear. My mistake.
한국어 재밌게 배우세요
LinguistTroubadour 1 year ago
Anyway, enough of that sorry, yes compared to English we have many homonyms, that even with the exact spelling, not just sino-korean (that is Korean that comes from Chinese) but also native korean. 배[Bam] can mean stomach or boat. 이자[Ija] can mean pancreas or (fiscal) interest. The former are both native korean words, but in the latter one is a sino-chinese, so when you 'must' distinguish them you put chinese in brackets. 이자(利子): interest, or just 이자. 이 자 can also mean 'this guy.' We live fine.
LinguistTroubadour 1 year ago
Yeah, that was a nice site, I approve. 7 or 8 meanings.... well I can't say no, though I think it's an exaggeration. See, this is called a homonym, and you could just say there are many homonyms in Korean. Linguistic voculabularies are made to make this sort of explanation easier not to make your life harder.
LinguistTroubadour 1 year ago
I'm fascinated by languages, and grammar particularly. I've studied many languages, though I'm not a polyglot. The technical aspect of languages fascinates me ... but I only speak one language other than my native english!
So I agree with you in pretty much everything I've heard you say in these videos - if you want to learn the language, forget the technicalities, the best way to learn is to read, and get in there and get your hands dirty!
Deorca 1 year ago 4
@Deorca i second everything you just said!
yalls4 1 year ago
You get to know the ..... language or the girl ;)
vinbelgium 1 year ago
I just want to say I am a long time watcher and thanks for all the videos you always make Steve, they are always great, insightful and inspire me. Don't let some of those idiots discourage you (which i know you dont). Thank you and I hope you continue for a long time to come =]
SummerKingdom 1 year ago
This has been flagged as spam show
You're a great person!
speedproductions797 1 year ago
You're really encouraging me to try new languages. Thanks.
seigaru830 1 year ago
For intermediate/advanced learners of Korean, I can HIGHLY recommend the audio book (Young-il's Audiobook) that is available for purchase in the Talk to me in Korean store. It's very entertaining and it also comes with a full transcript (and translation). And no, I don't get any of the money from the sales, I'm just a happy costumer.
Moolle 1 year ago
You are a really interesting guy, Steve. And ever4one is an awesome guy, too. What a great collaboration.
AndreR241 1 year ago
I like talk to me in Korean!! I find it really useful! I have to say I do like lingQ, but I do find it still in Beta phase! But the amount of Korean only content really useful!! I do like your website! But I don't like the lack of grammer but I don't mind looking else where for that! And so learning vocab off your website useful!
Norinay 1 year ago
i use talk to me in korean also they also have lesson for beginners also which i am on but im getting better i love that web site i go on it all the time
doodoofish2 1 year ago
Often try to look for short easy stories in other languages - too much English on the cds is definitely one of the most frustrating wastes of time. Enjoy stumbling across this sort of language video...
watch?v=3n9Khr-ut_0
Their "word relay" videos also seem like a neat idea I hadn't come across.
mediteight 1 year ago
Steve, thank you so much for taking your time to make this video. As you know I love learning other languages too and I am trying my best to provide as many different types of learning material to meet different needs by different learners, and I always thought you would find this "Iyagi" series that we are posting at LingQ interesting, and I'm glad you did! I'm looking forward to see more people using LingQ for their Korean learning, too. Thank you!
ever4one 1 year ago 21
Damn you videos are awsm an the learn technik too!!
Tim7421 1 year ago
haha! Your "beautiful woman" analogy was very funny.
DopeSpace9 1 year ago
and gradually you'll get to know ...the language
interesting content (both learning and normal ) = extremely important if you don't live in that country without it what's the point? excellent vid as always!
yuriythebest 1 year ago
This is fantastic! I was going to mention him in a reply to your last video about resources but I'd figured you'd already heard of each other (he's quite accomplished in a few languages himself). I'm a huge fan of his. I have to say, I might start learning Korean JUST because it's on lingq and with Hyunwoo's lessons on there now it's even better. I thank you both!
jmichaelrout 1 year ago
@jmichaelrout Thank you Jerrod for the support!!! I really appreciate it! ^_^
ever4one 1 year ago
whoa, im the first to leave a message.
arivas713 1 year ago