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mike in brasil
Joined: 09 Jun 2003
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 Posted: Fri Jun 27, 2003 6:54 am Post subject: Is Hangeul easy to learn to speak, read, write? |
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I�m here in Brazil, psyching myself for koming to Corea next year. Yesterday I started studying the alfabet, damn, it looks easy! But I love studying languages. . .
Anywho
I was curious to know how long it took you folks to learn the lingo. What is easy about it, what�s difficult about it, etc.
Any funny stories to tell inre learning it? |
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The Great Wall of Whiner
Joined: 24 Jan 2003
Location: Middle Land
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| Posted: Fri Jun 27, 2003 6:16 pm Post subject: |
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Well, to read it is pretty easy once you learn the alphabet. It usually takes a serious person about an hour to learn how to read Hangeul.
However, it's like being able to read French, German, or whatever. Sure you can know how to say something, but to understand what it means is a different matter completely.
The grammar is all ass-backwards too. Instead of saying "Can you please give me some milk?" you end up saying "Some milk give to me please." So you learn "Yoda-Language" in no short time.
The hardest parts are vocabulary and sentence structure. Now my biggest problem is past tense/future tense, which I have just about grasped. I'm at the point where I can say just about anything to anyone. It's my LISTENING skills which need developing. |
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Mashimaro
Joined: 31 Jan 2003
Location: location, location
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| Posted: Fri Jun 27, 2003 6:38 pm Post subject: |
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| The Great Wall of Whiner wrote: |
| I'm at the point where I can say just about anything to anyone. It's my LISTENING skills which need developing. |
Sounds like almost every American I've met! 
p.s. I'm not suggesting you are american |
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FierceInvalid
Joined: 16 Mar 2003
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| Posted: Fri Jun 27, 2003 6:46 pm Post subject: |
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Proper pronunciation is very difficult, there are a fair few sounds that don't occur in English. The reason you've probably come across different spellings for places (eg. Cheju/Jeju, Pusan/Busan, Kangnam/Gangnam, etc.) is that in reality in Korean the sounds are neither of the above Roman representations, but rather about halfway in between the two. The double letters and the "l/r" letter can be tough as well.
You're on the right track, though. Learning to read before you even come here is a good call. It will help. |
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The Great Wall of Whiner
Joined: 24 Jan 2003
Location: Middle Land
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| Posted: Fri Jun 27, 2003 7:09 pm Post subject: |
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mashimaro wrote:
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| Sounds like almost every American I've met! |
I'm Canadian. Close enough..  |
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The Great Wall of Whiner
Joined: 24 Jan 2003
Location: Middle Land
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| Posted: Fri Jun 27, 2003 7:13 pm Post subject: |
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FierceInvalid Wrote:
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| The reason you've probably come across different spellings for places (eg. Cheju/Jeju, Pusan/Busan, Kangnam/Gangnam, etc.) is that in reality in Korean the sounds are neither of the above Roman representations, but rather about halfway in between the two. |
Actually a lot of times it's because the old way they romanized Korean has been replaced in the last few years. Many smaller towns still have the old style.
My text book uses the old romanization which writes Jeju-Do as: Chechu-Do.
There are many other examples. But you're right as far as some letters being a sort of cross between the two, which makes romanization so tough. |
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rapier
Joined: 16 Feb 2003
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| Posted: Fri Jun 27, 2003 10:26 pm Post subject: |
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Korean?-WAAAY too many syllables!! Yesterday i counted the number of syllables in a few basic english words, compared to their Korean equivalents.
Theres on average, 3 times as many syllables in korean. Its a mouthful, and wears me out. It makes any tentative attempts to please your fellow workmates, by speaking their language, a daunting task.
Even the most commonly used words are a mouthful! Check this out!
"HI" = "An-yong-ha-se-yo"
"And" = "Ku- ri-go", "ku- da-mi".
"With" = "wa-ham-geh".
English, due to several foreign invasions and influences, has gradually simplified in form and structure. Not so Hangul. I found the word for stepladder the other day, get this- "In-hun-dak-dak-sak-da-ri".
Incidentally, whats the longest Korean words you guys have come across? |
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gang ah jee
Joined: 14 Jan 2003
Location: city of paper
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| Posted: Fri Jun 27, 2003 10:48 pm Post subject: |
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| rapier wrote: |
"HI" = "An-yong-ha-se-yo"
"And" = "Ku- ri-go", "ku- da-mi".
"With" = "wa-ham-geh".
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"HI" = "An-nyeong!"
"And" = "wa/gwa, ha-go"
"with" = "rang/i-rang"
how long have you been here sir?
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| "In-hun-dak-dak-sak-da-ri". |
IMO this is a much better word than 'stepladder'. Try saying it.
longest word i can think of - deu-ro-ga-shyoss-ot-gess-sum-ni-da = '(someone honourable) would have gone in (and exited)'
OP, hangeul is just the name of the alphabet. common mistake amongst foreigners here is thinking it's the name of the language. The language itself is called 'Han-gung-mal' (speech) or 'Han-guk-oh' (entire language).
the biggest headache for the new learner is 'patchim' - the way the final sound in a syllable combines with the first sound in the next syllable changing both of them - if you studied any linguistics korean has a truckload of assimilation and other phonemic rules. the grammar is complex but very logical. Go hard and fast on basic pronunciation rules and grammar and everything else will come from there.
a lot harder than portuguese, so be prepared. if you're serious it takes a lot of sustained effort.[/quote] |
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Tiger Beer
Joined: 07 Feb 2003
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| Posted: Sat Jun 28, 2003 12:40 am Post subject: |
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I LOVE THE KOREAN ALPHABET!
Reading/writing is extremely easy!!! Thats the most fun part for me.. and the alphabet can be learned very quickly!
Pronounciation isn't all that hard..
The hardest, most difficult part is the grammar.. and how to say what in what word order...
Having lived in Brazil for 6 months with Portuguese.. I picked up ALOT of Portuguese.. and later alot of Spanish as well.. fairly easy and quickly.. because so many of the vocabulary words are so similar.. and I can think in an English sentence, and just substitute new vocabularly words in place, etc..
Something about Korean though.. even though I learn words and phrases.. its hard for me to string a new sentence that I haven't learned.. maybe I just haven't got to that level yet.. but grammar and word order of a sentence just throws me off alot..
However, the Korean alphabet is great.. very easy, very scientic, and best of all, its phonetic!! (just like spanish) - meaning every symbol written is pronounced exactly as its written (totally unlike English).. |
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FierceInvalid
Joined: 16 Mar 2003
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| Posted: Sat Jun 28, 2003 1:20 am Post subject: |
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Tiger Beer wrote:
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| every symbol written is pronounced exactly as its written (totally unlike English).. |
Whoa, whoa, whoa...granted, English is much worse than Korean is in this regard, but Korean is far from being an exact sound-spelling correlation, largely due to the aforementioned Patchim. Look at "Jongno" for example - it's actually spelled "Jongro". This is just one of a bazillion examples. |
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William Beckerson
Guest
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| Posted: Sat Jun 28, 2003 1:36 am Post subject: |
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Reading and writing are a dream
Trying to tell the difference between the 18 -200 similar sounding vowels is the pain. |
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The Cube
Joined: 01 Feb 2003
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| Posted: Sat Jun 28, 2003 1:59 am Post subject: Re: Is Hangeul easy to learn to speak, read, write? |
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Last edited by The Cube on Sat Nov 29, 2008 3:38 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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stalinsdad
Joined: 25 Jan 2003
Location: Jeonju
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| Posted: Sat Jun 28, 2003 10:38 am Post subject: |
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| Why learn? No Koreans ever listen to what u say anyhow! If your out for a meal even if your fluent they'll ask the Korean for clarification. Do yourself a favour and learn a useful language. Oh and by the way I know lots of excellent Korean speakers who have not the slightest idea of what really is going on in this country, learning the culture is just as important! |
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waterbaby
Joined: 01 Feb 2003
Location: Baking Gord a Cheescake pie
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| Posted: Sat Jun 28, 2003 11:26 am Post subject: |
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| stalinsdad wrote: |
| Why learn? No Koreans ever listen to what u say anyhow! |
Oh please. I was out for dinner tonight and had several of the staff converse with me, solely in Korean. My mom and pop shop across the road converse with me regularly, solely in Korean. These are just a few examples in my neighbourhood. No Koreans? That's a big call...
| stalinsdad wrote: |
| If your out for a meal even if your fluent they'll ask the Korean for clarification. |
For a start, that would be you're... not your...
I'm not offended by Koreans deferring to the Korean in my group. I'm not fluent in Korean, not even close to it, but hey, I've been in Australia and other English speaking countries with Koreans who speak very good English and where I am the person deferred to by staff because of my Caucasian status. Why take such offence to this?
| stalinsdad wrote: |
| Do yourself a favour and learn a useful language. |
Hmmm, I was thinking that Spanish would serve me really well in Korea 
| stalinsdad wrote: |
| Oh and by the way I know lots of excellent Korean speakers who have not the slightest idea of what really is going on in this country, learning the culture is just as important! |
What exactly is going here in this country that those excellent Korean speakers have missed? Enlighten us all, please... |
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Canuck
Joined: 05 Apr 2003
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| Posted: Sat Jun 28, 2003 6:13 pm Post subject: |
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"HI" = "An-yong-ha-se-yo"
"And" = "Ku- ri-go", "ku- da-mi".
"With" = "wa-ham-geh".
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"HI" = "An-nyeong!"
"And" = "wa/gwa, ha-go"
"with" = "rang/i-rang"
how long have you been here sir?[/quote]
No no no. How long have YOU been here? What pisses me off the most is when people correct others and then are wrong.
The word for hello for example. If you had been here for even 5 minutes you would know that Anyeong haseyo is the word for hello. So is Anyeong, however your version is the lesat polite version of hello, while rapier gave the polite verion. Do you say "anyeong" to people older than you? Then you must come off like a real impolite *beep*. What? You didnt know about the different levels of formality in Korean? HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN HERE?
And: kurigo is the word for and. As is hago. He wasnt wrong. Why do you think he was? HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN HERE? |
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