In this blog post, I will summarize my academic efforts, club activities, collaborative experiences, and reasons for applying to the Department of Linguistics in the format of a personal statement.
Academic Efforts and Reading
In my first year of high school, English was the subject I wanted to excel in the most. However, while I maintained a grade of 2 or higher in other subjects, my English grades were consistently 3 or 4, which caused me great concern. I tried various study methods on my own, but since my grades did not improve satisfactorily despite my efforts, I sought a systematic approach to learning through reading. The books I read were primarily study guides focused on English learning methodologies or on fundamentally improving language learning itself. As I read, I shifted my perspective from simply focusing on the subject of “English” to understanding the essence of “language” as a phenomenon. In fact, many proponents of English learning methods were linguistics majors, so I began consulting linguistics-related books based on their recommendations. The book that left the deepest impression on me at the time was Ferdinand de Saussure’s *Course in General Linguistics*. This book changed the misconceptions I had held about language and English. I had believed that English could be studied simply by memorizing and underlining key points, much like mathematics or science. However, as I read about linguistics, I learned that language consists of both internal and external elements, which led me to re-examine the issue of language notation based on writing systems. Through this process, I encountered various perspectives, including the uniqueness of linguistic signs, the immutability and variability of signs, the geographical diversity of languages, the spread of language families, and the identification of ancient linguistic prototypes through diachronic linguistics. I realized that because internal meaning and external symbols are separate in language, one cannot simply interpret the symbols; effort is required to grasp the meaning, and in that process, vocabulary and reading comprehension are learned together. Furthermore, through linguistic research, I compared the usage of not only English but also various other languages that use the alphabet, naturally preparing myself to grow into a linguistics major.
Campus Activities, Interview Preparation, and Motivation for Application
Language Club Activities Promoting Proper Language Use
During high school, I was active in a language club with a long-standing tradition. Before joining the club, I had relatively poor language habits—such as swearing when bored or teasing friends with sarcastic remarks—and I even thought mixing foreign words into my speech was cool. Through my club activities, I recognized the problems with these language habits and made an effort to improve them. Our club’s goal was to guide the entire student body toward dignified language use, and to achieve this, we planned various activities that provided guidelines for correcting improper language habits. First, in collaboration with the school newspaper club, we ran a column to share knowledge on proper Korean usage. Since the school newspaper is distributed to every classroom, reaching the entire student body quickly, it had a significant promotional impact. Through this regular column, we created and published examples of correct spelling and appropriate colloquial usage. We received feedback that many students read our articles and subsequently corrected their spelling mistakes or reconsidered their use of foreign words. In addition to the newspaper, we launched a campaign during the club presentation period, specifically focusing on reducing severe profanity and personal attacks online. We held a contest for slogans promoting language refinement, created signs, and carried out campaign activities. The winning phrases from the contest gained popularity among students, leading to tangible improvements in language usage. Furthermore, together with club members, we explored works of modern and contemporary fiction, poetry, and song lyrics that used proper language and writing. We selected and ranked beautiful Korean words that were at risk of disappearing, and published our findings in the school newspaper. Each semester, we continued our efforts to expand the club’s scope and enrich its content by planning activities with fresh ideas.
Study Group for Language and Literature Department Admissions Interviews
During my senior year of high school, I firmly decided to major in Language and Literature. While researching relevant universities, I organized a study group with a small number of friends who were also aiming for the same major. Although our target schools differed, we shared the same academic focus and decided to prepare together for the in-depth interviews of the early admissions process. Preparing for these interviews alone was very difficult, so the group study was a great help. The five of us formed a team to share information, gathering necessary materials from department websites, the library, and relevant books. When needed, we sought advice from our Korean language teacher and received book recommendations. We studied by reading excerpts from academic texts on topics such as basic linguistics, sociolinguistics, humanistic linguistics, and contrastive linguistics. Selective reading involves reading only the necessary parts rather than the entire text; since linguistics books are voluminous, we photocopied key sections for use. I visited the National Library of Korea to consult introductory texts on basic linguistics and extracted relevant content from those books based on the types of interview questions. Topics covered in my interview preparation included the difference between linguistic ability and language usage ability, characteristics of children’s language acquisition, signifier and signified, and synchronic and diachronic studies. I also delved deeper into the differences between first language acquisition and second language acquisition, universal grammar, and studies on Korean speech patterns and dialects. Through this study, I was able to effectively prepare for the in-depth interview.
Motivation for Applying to This Program and Preparation Process
My interest in linguistics began with a chance reading, and Saussure’s Course in General Linguistics opened a new academic path for me. Among many linguists, I admire Saussure and have read several of his works. When reading, I did not rely solely on self-study but collaborated with friends aspiring to the same major to discuss and share information. Through interview study groups, I was exposed to books on basic linguistics and comparative linguistics, and the experience of selecting a topic and discussing it was a great help not only in preparing for the in-depth interview but also in deepening my knowledge of linguistics. I studied linguistics through self-study and collaboration with peers, preparing by finding materials and engaging in discussions on my own rather than relying on private tutoring or cram schools. The appeal I felt while studying linguistics lies in the inherent fascination of the discipline itself. I was particularly impressed by the fact that language varies according to regional characteristics, age, social class, gender, and honorifics; furthermore, investigating a language—including its standard form and dialects—provides data that allows one to understand the characteristics, culture, and history of the social groups that use that language. The fact that analyzing specific conversations through dialect surveys allows one to glimpse into the lives, life stories, and even the cultural capital of language users clearly demonstrates the appeal of linguistic research. In particular, I am deeply interested in how a single language can influence the very existence of groups and communities, and I aspire to grow as a researcher studying the identity of linguistic communities and the rights of minority language groups. While theoretical research, such as that on universal grammar, is important, I also wish to contribute as a researcher participating in cultural movements—such as raising awareness about languages being lost by minority groups and promoting literacy among groups that have language but no writing system.
