Monday, May 28, 2012

Prosopagnosia

Prosopagnosia (sometimes known as face blindness) is a rare disorder of face perception where the ability to recognize faces is impaired, although the ability to recognize objects may be relatively intact. It usually appears to result from brain injury or neurological illness affecting specific areas of the brain, although more recently cases of congenital or developmental prosopagnosia have also been reported.

Few successful therapies have so far been developed for affected people, although individuals often learn to use 'piecemeal' or 'feature by feature' recognition strategies. This may involve secondary clues such as clothing, hair color or voice. Because the face seems to function as an important identifying feature in memory, it can also be difficult for people with this condition to keep track of information about people.

Some people also use the term prosophenosia, which refers to the inability to recognize faces following extensive damage of both occipital and temporal lobes.

Selective inabilities to recognize faces were reported throughout the 19th century, and included case studies by Hughlings Jackson and Charcot. However, it was not named until the term prosopagnosia was first used in 1947 by Joachim Bodamer, a German neurologist.

He described three cases, including a 24-year old man who suffered a bullet wound to the head and lost his ability to recognise his friends, family, and even his own face. However, he was able to recognize and identify them through other sensory modalities such as auditory, tactile, and even other visual stimuli patterns (such as gait and other physical mannerisms). Bodamer gave his paper the title Die Prosop-Agnosie, derived from classical Greek prosopon meaning "face" and agnosia meaning "non-knowledge".

The study of prosopagnosia has been crucial in the development of theories of face perception. Because prosopagnosia is not a unitary disorder (i.e., different people may show different types and levels of impairment) it has been argued that face perception involves a number of stages, each of which can be separately damaged1. This is reflected not just in the amount of impairment displayed but also in the qualitative differences in impairment that a person with prosopagnosia may present with.

This sort of evidence has been crucial in supporting the theory that there may be a specific face perception system in the brain. This is counter-intuitive to many people as we do not experience faces as 'special' or perceived in a different way from the rest of the world.

There is some debate about the specificity of both face perception and prosopagnosia and some people have argued that it is just a subtype of visual agnosia.

While prosopagnosia is often accompanied by problems with recognizing visual objects, cases have been reported where perception for faces seems to be selectively impaired.

It has also been argued that prosopagnosia may be a general impairment in understanding how individual perceptual components make up the structure or gestalt of an object. Psychologist Martha Farah has been particularly associated with this view.

Monday, May 7, 2012

[Lesson] 네 / 아니요 Yes/No


네 / 아니요
In Korean, “Yes” is 네 [ne] and “No” is 아니요 [aniyo] in 존댓말 [jondaetmal], polite language.
네. [ne] = Yes.
아니요. [aniyo] = No.
But in Korean, when people say “네”, it is not the same as saying “Yes.” in English. The same goes for “아니요” too. This is because the Korean “네” expresses your “agreement” to what the other person said. And “아니요” expresses your “disagreement” or “denial” to what the other person said.

For example, someone asks you “You don’t like coffee?” (커피 안 좋아해요? [keo-pi an jo-a-hae-yo?] in Korean) and if your answer is “No, I don’t like coffee.” you have to say “네.”

Strange?

So it is more accurate to put it this way.
네. [ne] = That’s right. / I agree. / Sounds good. / What you said is correct.
아니요. [aniyo] = That’s not right. / I don’t agree. / What you said is not correct.
Therefore, when you ask “You don’t like coffee?” in Korean, if the person answering doesn’t like coffee, he/she will say “No.” in English but “네” in Korean. And if the person DOES like coffee, he/she will say “Yes.” but “아니요” in Korean.
커피 좋아해요? [keo-pi jo-a-hae-yo?] = Do you like coffee?
네. 좋아해요. [ne. jo-a-hae-yo] = Yes, I like coffee.

커피 좋아해요? [keo-pi jo-a-hae-yo?] = Do you like coffee?
아니요. 안 좋아해요. [aniyo. an jo-a-hae-yo] = No, I don’t like coffee.
커피 안 좋아해요? [keo-pi an jo-a-hae-yo?] = You don’t like coffee?
아니요. 좋아해요. [aniyo. jo-a-hae-yo] = Yes, I like coffee.
커피 안 좋아해요? [keo-pi an jo-a-hae-yo?] = You don’t like coffee?
네. 안 좋아해요. [ne. an jo-a-hae-yo] = No, I don’t like coffee.

You don’t have to worry about the other parts of the sample sentences above. Just remember
that the Korean system for saying YES and NO is different from the English system.

네 is more than just YES or THAT’S RIGHT.
While 네 [ne] is used to express “Yes” or “That’s right”, it is also used as a conversation filler.
If you listen to two Korean people talking with each other, you will hear them saying 네 quite
often, even when it is not intended to mean “Yes”.
So two people can have a conversation like this. Imagine it is all in Korean.

A: You know what, I bought this book yesterday,
B: 네. [ne]
A: and I really like it.
B: 네.
A: But it’s a bit too expensive.
B: 네.
A: Do you know how much it was?
B: How much was it?
A: It was 100 dollars!
B: 네? [ne?]
A: So I paid the money with my credit card.
B: 네...

A: But I still like it a lot because it’s a book by Kyeong-eun Choi, one of the teachers at TalkToMeInKorean.com
B: 네...
So, as you can see from the dialog above, 네 [ne] is a multi-player. It can be:
Yes. / That’s right
but also,
I see. / I got it. / I’m here! (when someone calls you) / I understand. / Ah-ha. / etc...
맞아요.
Because 네 [ne] and 아니요 [aniyo] are focused more on your agreement and disagreement rather than whether something is true or not, and ALSO because 네 can mean “I see.” or “Ah-ha.” as well, Korean people often add this expression, 맞아요 [ma-ja-yo] after 네 [ne].
네, 맞아요. [ne, ma-ja-yo] = Yes, that’s right.
This is in order to express more strongly and clearly that you are saying “You’re right.” rather than sounding like you are just passively listening, while nodding.
네 again.
네 is amazing. It can be many things already, but it can also be “What did you say?”
Suppose someone said something to you but you couldn’t hear the person well or you weren’t paying much attention. Then you can say “네?” [ne?] to mean “Pardon me?” “I’m sorry?” “What did you say?” “I didn’t hear you well.” You can also use “네?” to show your surprise.

A: I bought a present for you.
B: 네? [ne?]
A: I said I bought a present for you?
B: 네?
A: Forget it.
B: 네?

[Lesson] 안녕하세요 Hello


안녕하세요. = Hello. / Hi. / How are you? / Good afternoon. / Good evening. / etc...
안녕+하세요 = 안녕하세요. [an-nyeong] [ha-se-yo]
안녕 = well-being, peace, health
하세요 = you do, do you?, please do
안녕하세요 is the most common way of greeting someone in Korean, and 안녕하세요 is in 존댓말 [jondaetmal], polite/formal language. When someone greets you with 안녕하세요, you can simply greet the person back with 안녕하세요.

Sample Conversation


A: 안녕하세요. [annyeong-haseyo] = Hello.
B: 안녕하세요. [annyeong-haseyo] = Hi.
감사합니다. = Thank you.
감사 + 합니다 = 감사합니다. [gam-sa] [hap-ni-da]
감사 = appreciation, thankfulness, gratitude
합니다 = I do, I am doing
감사합니다 is the most commonly used formal way of saying “Thank you.” 감사 means “gratitude” and 합니다 means “I do” or “I am doing” in 존댓말, polite/formal language, so together it means “Thank you.” You can use this expression, 감사합니다, whenever you want to say “Thank you.” in English.

Sunday, May 6, 2012

Korean National Anthem 애국가 한국국가

동해 물과 백두산이 마르고 닳도록
(Donghae mulgwa baekdusani mareugo daldorok)
Until the day when the waters of the East Sea run dry and Mt. Baekdu is worn down,
하느님이 보우하사 우리나라 만세
(Haneunimi bouhasa urinara manse)
May God protect and preserve our nation
무궁화 삼천리 화려강산
(Mugunghwa samcheonli hwaryeogangsan)
Three thousand Li (unit of distance) of splendid rivers and mountains, filled with Roses of Sharon;
대한사람 대한으로 길이 보전하세
(Daehansaram daehaneuro gili bojeonhase)
Oh Great Korean people, stay true to the Great Korean way!
남산 위에 저 소나무 철갑을 두른 듯
(Namsan wie jeo sonamu cheolgapeul dureun deut)
As the pine on the mountain stands firm
바람서리 불변함은 우리 기상일세
(Baram seori bulbyeonhameun uri gisangilse)
Unchanged through wind and frost, as if wrapped in armour, so will our resilient spirit.
가을 하늘 공활한데 높고 구름 없이
(Gaeul haneul gonghwalhande nopgo gureum eopsi)
The autumn sky is void and vast, high and cloudless;
밝은 달은 우리 가슴 일편단심일세
(Balgeun daleun uri gaseum ilpyeondansimilse)
The bright moon is our heart, undivided and true.
이 기상과 이 맘으로 충성을 다하여
(I gisanggwa i mameuro chungseongeul dahayeo)
With this spirit and this mind, give all loyalty,
괴로우나 즐거우나 나라 사랑하세
(Goerouna jeulgeouna nara saranghase)
In suffering or in joy, love our country.

Saturday, May 5, 2012

Tutorial On How to Sign Up on Me2Day

I thought it was a good idea make a tutorial about how to register on me2DAY. It is also required to listen to vocal clips and do stuff like that!So, it is very simple and fast. Let's see how to do it:



Go on me2DAY.net then click on 회원가입 [register, sign up]



Then on the second button on the bottom (가입하기) that means register, or click on 가입하기 if you want to login.




Then fill up the form, here it is a translation:

미투데이 주소 (your me2DAY URL)
닉네임
(nickname)
패스워드
(password)
패스워드 확인 (repeat password)
이메일
(email)
홈페이지 (선택)
(home page)


[Korean Lesson] Korean Alphabet


The Consonants

Due to the subjective nature of language, pronunciations will vary from region to region as well as person to person.
To hear a sample of the pronunciation of each letter, click the icon to the left of the Korean character. You can then hear its name and pronunciation.

NameHangulPronunciation at the...
Start of a wordStart of a syllableEnd of a word
기역 (giyok)Play audio  ㄱk (kite)g (ghost)k (walk)
쌍기역 (ssang giyok)Play audio  ㄲg (gone)<- same<- same
니은 (nieun)Play audio  ㄴn (now)<- same<- same
디귿 (digeut)Play audio  ㄷt (talk)d (mind)t (hot)
쌍디귿 (ssang digeut)Play audio  ㄸd (dog)<- same<- same
리을 (rieul)Play audio ㄹr (run)<- samel (real)
미음 (mieum)Play audio  ㅁm (mop)<- samem (hum)
비읍 (bieup)Play audio  ㅂp (pool)b (bay)p (lap)
쌍비읍 (ssang bieup)Play audio  ㅃb (bird)<- same<- same
시옷 (siot)Play audio  ㅅs (show)<- samet (hot)
쌍시옷 (ssang siot)Play audio  ㅆs (sun)<- samet (hot)
이응 (ieung)Play audio  ㅇsilent<- sameng (ring)
지읒 (jieut)Play audio  ㅈch (chop)j (jar)t (hot)
쌍지읒 (ssang jieut)Play audio  ㅉj (jim)<- samet (hot)
치읓 (chieut)Play audio  ㅊch (itch)<- samet (hot)
키읔 (kieuk)Play audio  ㅋkh (khaki)<- same<- same
티읕 (tieut)Play audio  ㅌt (tip)<- samet (hot)
피읖 (pieup)Play audio  ㅍp (pit)<- samep (lap)
히읕 (hieut)Play audio  ㅎh (hot)<- samesilent



The Vowels

Due to the subjective nature of language, pronunciations will vary from region to region as well as person to person.
To hear a sample of the pronunciation of each letter, click the icon to the left of the Korean character. You can then hear its name and pronunciation.

HangulPronunciation
Play audio  ㅏah (Rah)
Play audio  ㅓuh (run)
Play audio  ㅗoh (dough)
Play audio  ㅜoo (moon)
Play audio  ㅡuh (brook)
Play audio  ㅣee (meek)
Play audio  ㅐae (at)
Play audio  ㅔeh (met)
Play audio  ㅑyah (yawn)
Play audio  ㅕyuh (yum)
Play audio  ㅛyoh (yodel)
Play audio  ㅠyoo (view)
Play audio  ㅒyae (yak)
Play audio  ㅖyeh (yes)
Play audio  ㅘwah (wand)
Play audio  ㅙwae (wax)
Play audio  ㅝwuh (wonder)
Play audio  ㅞweh (web)
Play audio  ㅚweh (wait)
Play audio  ㅟwee (week)
Play audio  ㅢuey (muey)

 

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