Foreign Language Reflection

I know three foreign languages (English, Korean, and French) to varying degrees. I have been learning English from the 5th grade while Korean and French were added to my linguistic repertoire only at the bachelor years. In this reflection I discuss some factors that accompany my languages learning process in different time spans of my life. Particularly, I dwell on my experience of English and Korean as I find it the most successful. I also describe my fruitless attempts with French to underpin my speculations on the importance of some factors in my language learning process.

I put English at the forefront of this reflection as it is a part of my life for almost 13 years. Although I started learning English in the 5th grade, my predilection

At the age of 6-7, while watching American clips, I was captivated by the beautiful sound and euphonious flow of English. I was constantly imitating my favorite songs saying “I wish I could understand the meaning”. Also, my mother played an important role motivating me to start learning English. However, it is not particularly what Ortega (2009) and Larsen-Freeman and Long (1991) mention about the parents’ role. My mother did not point out the importance of English or incline me to learn it, again she challenged me by saying “How can you like English and English songs? Perhaps, they sing something bad”. This challenge invigorated me to learn English and refute my mother‘s statement. These two factors were an initial stage of and, consequently, changed into my ‘long-term interest’ (Grabe, 2008) and intrinsic motivation in school. I enjoyed doing the activities especially when we were required to pronounce or read aloud some texts or phrases. The feeling that I am

Comparing to English, where absolutely different factors influenced my motivation, a desire to learn Korean stems mostly from culture. Korean serials and their pop-music piqued my profound interest in Korean culture. Observing their traditions, emotional behavior, and way of living via serials was a turning point in my decision to start learning Korean. I found the Cultural Center where my actual acquaintance with the language and culture began. This center aroused my integrative motivation, which Gardner (2001) defined as a desire to “come closer to the other language community” (as cited in Lamb, 2004, p. 3). I had an opportunity to cook their national dishes, play their games, and learn folk dances. These activities formed a close bond between me and Korean