Travel with Angela Lansbury: How Singapore AIrlines Introduced Me To UTalk Language Learning Inflight and the Korean word for three

Back in 2005 Singapore Airlines had Berlitz language learning on the flights. With about 12 hours sitting metaphorically glued to a seat in front of a screen, seemed like a good time to pick up a new language.

I did not make fast progress. However, I was disappointed when the system stopped.

Imagine my joy when I discovered language learning had come back. this time with a system I did not know, called UTalk. I had a choice of several languages. I started with the most challenging, Korean. Did I learn anything? Yes, only one word, but it was important. I now know that the word for three in Korean is Sam. The Chinese and Japanese share the same word for three, San. (I learned the Japanese, Ichi, Ni, San, Shi. Sam, like same, like uncle Sam. This was the first evidence that some, not all, of Japanese and Korean and Chinese words could be similar.

The Chinese and Japanese signs are mostly the same. Think of the no smoking symbol, which is read by the English as no smoking. The French will look at the same sign and get the message, which they translate in their heads into French.

English - Korean

Three - sam

Korean - English

sam - three

Useful Websites

Airline Passenger Experience magazine

https://apex.aero/magazine/

https://apex.aero/articles/watch-learn-flight-language-lessons-put-words-passengers-mouths/

Duolingo

Memrise

My Language Exchange

https://www.mylanguageexchange.com/