Korean Job Discussion Forums

[shikha]

Hi:

I am starting teaching in January and I want to learn some basic Korean before then. Does anyone have any recomendations of good instructional books/cds I could try? Thanks,

Shikha

[mithridates]

Well, if it's for online learning there's a whole list of resources here:

http://wiki.galbijim.com/Online_Korean_learning_resources

For books and CDs though I couldn't say as I've done just about everything online for the past few years. I remember most things by Living Language (I think) being pretty good when I did Japanese.

[crazylemongirl]

I like the Seogang set of books. They are realy good.

[noguri]

I really like the Rosetta Stone CD course for the computer. It is NOT really intended as a substitute for a true textbook. And it DOES require you to be able to read hangul letters, even just barely [as in my case]. And it is a bit pricey. But I feel it is worth it because it will really help your pronunciation. You'll find yourself able to utter coherent sentences by rote. This cd course is also a powerful vocabulary builder. It is really fun for me, I found it feels almost like playing a video game. On the other hand, it won't get you really conversing autonomously, nor will it enable you to master grammar. Read customer reviews of rosetta stone on amazon.com before you buy. Read the reviews of ANY language, not just korean, because the criticisms of the software are valid for ALL rosetta stone products, whether arabic or korean. But anyway, I love this software and I recommend it as a great way to have some "fun" learning a language at home.

[SPINOZA]

I like 'Survival Korean' by Stephen/Steven Revere. Some of the grammar stuff is too hard for me still but that book was great for nailing the very basics. Having said that, I could already read before I bought that book, so it may be more difficult than I suggest, I dunno.

OP - what do you mean by 'basic Korean'? Just Hi, bye, thanks, ordering things like food and drinks, some alphabet or more (like numbers, introducing yourself, simple requests, asking 'do you speak English?' etc etc etc)?

In my view, attempting to learn any more than a few consonants and vowels, hi, bye, thanks, ordering stuff from now til January when (presumably) you're not in Korea (and cannot practise) is rather unnecessary and optimistic, but it's up to you obviously. It's definitely a good idea to learn the rock-bottom minumum though to save you the embarrassment of using English like I did on my first few days. It's difficult - keep it really simple at first and possibly for your first couple of weeks here. Many teachers I know have got by in Seoul for 4 months with only 5 phrases (some not even that).

[endo]

Watch out for the language courses offered at the Universities. At EWHA they spent basically no time on speaking. The most important thing when learning a new language.

Waste of money!

[Son Deureo!]

I was very happy with Elementary Korean and its sequel Continuing Korean by Ross King. They are pricey, and will not tantalize you with pretty pictures, but they give very thorough yet easy to understand explanations of grammar and the writing system. There are also lots of written exercises to help reinforce the grammar and vocabulary. These may not sound like the most fun books to use, but they are an excellent starting point.

I'd also recommend the fun, and free Sogang University virtual Korean course. You'll have to register before you use it for the first time, but it's always free. It has lots of animated cartoons with dialogues plus games and puzzles to help you learn. The lessons go from beginner to high intermediate level, but I felt that the beginner lessons went a little fast, and the grammar explanations were not always very good. It's still definitely one of the best resources available online.

[Lizara]

[n3ptne]

To the OP:

I was in your shoes two months ago... I have an Aunt whose been living in Korea for 34 years, and the father of my best friend taught here for 20 years... it's where he met his wife, my friends mother. I asked them the same question and they both told me the same thing, "Don't waste your time, wait until you get [t]here, let the Koreans teach you".

I took their advice and am glad I did... I'm two months into my job, I have 7 lessons a week, I can read and write the language rather well, and have, according to them, a very natural pronounciation.

Had I started studying beforehand I feel as if my disposition towards the language would have been tainted by the language books/tapes, which, despite the fact I use both, are inconsistent with the natural pattern of indigenous Koreans.

I know you want to get a headstart, and all I can say is hold tight... wait until you get here. I have 5 lessons a week with the owner of my hagwon (I asked him to arrange lessons for me, he replied that he would teach me), and I cannot speak highly enough of the arrangement. He has taken to teaching me Korean (once he found out how dedicated I was to learning) as a point of his personal honor, and as we spend 5hrs a week 1-1, we've become quite good friends, he even treats me to lunch once or twice a week. This friendship has cascased over into my job, and as he genuinely likes me (or so I hope), when I ask for something or voice my opinion on a job related matter... he is most apt to accomodate.

No gaurantees that you end up with a boss as great as mine, but heres hoping. If I were you, I'd try to work something out with a similar arrangement.

[Hater Depot]

My advice -- don't wait. If you can sound out words, say hello, please, and thank you, and know some food words, your first few weeks will be much easier.

http://www.langintro.com/kintro/ is a great site for these basics. It got me reading pretty quickly.

Elementary Korean is a great book, but moves slowly. You might also want to consider Active Korean; it's a good complement because it has a lot more writing exercises and dialogues. And, I've put together my own document of 'survival Korean', PM me if you want it.

Good luck!

[jacl]

Start by learning the writing along with basic words and phrases. If you learn the writing then you'll learn Korean faster.

Any basic phrase book will help in staring. The "Lonely Planet" one which I have is helpful to a certain extent, but there may be better ones out there. They give you the english pronunciation, but if you learn Korean writing, you won't need the English pronunciation after a bit. The "Lonely Planet" one teaches how to pronouce Korean writing quite well.

Another suggestion is johnwasham.com. It's pretty good.

[mithridates]

I also advise not waiting. I came here for the first time with my Korean at an intermediate level and that let me hang out with all Koreans right from the start. Had I known nothing upon arrival I would have had to either spend months at a time not being able to talk to anyone (and probably go insane) or be restricted to English or Japanese friends, which could have distracted me. I think everyone serious about the language should try their best to get to a reasonably self-reliant level before they arrive.

[SPINOZA]

[RachaelRoo]

I also recommend Elementary Korean by Ross King. It comes with a CD that I think is pretty good, and the first lesson is all about basic expressions that you will use. You can just read along and mimic the CD before you get here and that'll give you a good start.

[Satori]

I recommend a book called "Speaking Korean" by Dr Kim. Its very thorough.