This study was carried out focusing on aspects of use of Korean past-tense adnominal endings with Thai learners as its subjects.
One of grammatical features that learners who learns Korean as their second language acquire relatively slow and have d...
This study was carried out focusing on aspects of use of Korean past-tense adnominal endings with Thai learners as its subjects.
One of grammatical features that learners who learns Korean as their second language acquire relatively slow and have difficulty with acquisition is adnominal forms. As other foreign leaners whose native languages are quite different from Korean, Thai learners not only have difficulty with the acquisition of Korean adnominal forms but also make many errors in actual use due to linguistic traits of their native language.
Thai, as it has different linguistic lineage from Korean, presents very different linguistic traits compared to Korean. As grammatical features that do not exist in Thai are being frequently used in Korean, Thai who learns Korean faces great deal of difficulty when using such grammatical features. Adnominal forms of Korean also falls under this category. There is no grammatical feature in Thai that is equivalent to adnominal forms of Korean. Furthermore, adnominal endings of Korean show complex aspects both morphologically and semantically. Particularly, in case of past-tense adnominal endings among adnominal endings, there exist three types and each of them are used in different situations. Therefore, Thai leaners have double burden of using grammatical features that do not exist in their native language and in a completely different system compared to their own language. Therefore, even if Thai learners study Korean for a long period of time, they face great difficulty communicating in Korean as they cannot get accustomed to adnominal endings, especially three types of past-tense forms, and frequently make errors in using past-tense adnominal endings. Also, even if they get accustomed to past-tense adnominal endings, they frequently make errors in using them due to the error in the understanding of the tense by using same tense with their native language which should have been used accordingly with the situation.
This study examined how Thai Korean learners use the past-tense adnominal endings. Particularly, in order to examine which past-tense adnominal forms they have difficulty with use, a survey that examines aspects of use of past-tense adnominal endings was distributed to Korean native group and Thai Korean learners. Then, the difference between Korean native group and Thai Korean learners was compared based on the analysis result of the survey. Also, in order to examine the difference and progress in use of past-tense adnominal endings based on the proficiency of Thai learners, they were each divided into highly advanced and intermediate group and the result of both groups were compared and analyzed. The subject of the study includes 17 learners who is currently studying at level 4 or returned to Thailand after completing the study at level 4, 17 Thai students who go to graduate school in Korea studying in Korean, and 17 Korean natives. The study was carried out by distributing the survey to learners and Korean natives from Oct. 27th to Nov. 7th 2012. In order to examine the use of past-tense adnominal endings, the survey composed of 6 questions for each of past-tense adnominal ending ‘-deon’, ‘eot/atdeon’, and ‘-(eu)ㄴ’ totaling 18 questions and the questions were drawn referring to the preceding studies on adnominal forms and result of preliminary study. Questions were drawn in that the situation is proposed first and then most appropriate past-tense adnominal ending among three types be selected. The participants were also asked to explain the reason behind their selections.
Why Thai learners make errors in using past-tense adnominal endings ‘-deon’, ‘eot/atdeon’, and ‘-(eu)ㄴ’ could be explained with two reasons as a result of the study. First, it was due to the fact that learners could not fully grasp the difference in grammatical function of each form as they could not comprehend the function of each of past-tense adnominal endings or they have incorrect understanding on their meanings even if they do grasp their functions. Also, it is due to the fact that they do not know which function of which past-tense adnominal endings they should use to correctly respond to question as they cannot grasp the context given in the question even if learners fully grasp the function of past-tense adnominal endings and understand their functional differences. Errors made on ‘-deon’ among past-tense adnominal endings were mostly caused by the first reason and errors made on, ‘eot/at/yeotdeon’ were mostly caused by the second reason. In regards to ‘-(eu)ㄴ’, however, there were errors caused by both first and second reasons. Thai learners made most errors on ‘eot/at/yeotdeon’ among three types of past-tense adnominal endings.
There was not much difference based on the proficiency and difference in progress between highly advanced and intermediate Thai Korean learners and both groups faced difficulty in using past-tense adnominal endings. The cause for errors, however, was examined to be a little different between two groups. In regards to learners at intermediate level, they were examined to make errors due to lack of experience although they use past-tense adnominal endings with great grammatical cautions because they just started learning the grammar, the practice was diversely carried out only in learning environment, and they did not have much opportunity to use them in actual settings. Highly advanced learners, on the other hand, were examined to make errors because they are confused or forgot about grammatical rules as they effortlessly use them in actual settings without thinking about proper grammars rather than deeply recollecting on what they have learnt and use them with caution as they have not been reviewing grammars since it has been a while since they have completed Korean language course where they only learnt Korean at language institute and others.
The significance of this study lies in the fact that it focused on the use of Korean past-tense adnominal endings of learners nearly for the first time in the field of Korean education. Also, I believe that more advanced follow-up studies will be carried out based on the limitations that were revealed through this study. I do hope that this study can become a starting point to draw one's attention on the use and understanding of Thai learners on Korean past-tense adnominal endings that have not been dealt much in the field of Korean education.
|
