Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Bryan]

I'm taking a Korean language class at my university, but my professor and all Koreans I've asked so far have not been very helpful in explaining the sound of the double consonants and getting them to stick. Usually they just make the sound while reading the letter, which isn't enough to stick it in my memory.

For example, there are like three "k/g" sounds, and if someone says a word and expects me to spell it I'll often get them wrong.

So is there any device that is particularly useful in memorizing the sound?

An equivalent sound from an English language word for some of them would be useful to me maybe, if there is a resource with that online. "K" and "T/D" sounds I have most trouble distinguishing between.

[billybrobby]

The trick is that they are not aspirated. That is, no breath comes out of your mouth when you say them.

The normal letters (ㄱ,ㄷ,ㅂ) are slightly aspirated (and slightly more when they appear at the beginning of a word than in the middle), the 'hard' letters (ㅋ,ㅌ,ㅍ) are extra aspirated and the double letters (ㄲ,ㄸ,ㅃ) are not aspirated. They also have a little extra punch.

[blackjack]

as far as I know the answer is no. Even koreans get it wrong. However with practice you will make less mistakes.

[Jandar]

Try shortening the trailing vowel.

bbang

bang

[i4NI]

The only way you will get used to these sounds is repetition. There really is no equivalent sounds in English and these sounds might even be unique for Korean as well.

I have plans to make a computer program where people can practice hearing the difference between the three versions. You have to be able to hear the difference before you can properly pronounce all of these. It will have a lot of stuff useful for people trying to learn Korean, then I'll expand it to other languages. Just need to find some other programers who are interested as well.

Also spelling can be tricky because of consonant assimilation rules that will make a ㄱ sound like a ㄲ for example.

[billybrobby]

[PeteJB]

For me words like 싸움 are impossible. 쌀 too. It always sounds like 사움 and 살 to Koreans. Sometimes I get them right, such a 써, 쓰.. but the ㅆ and ㅏ just escape me every time. It's quite frustrating because it's the only double consonant I can't pronounce or distinguish.

[Eedoryeong]

I've been having success as a westerner speaking those double consonant sounds by elevating the pitch of the vowel in the syllable containing those double consonants. The thing that I've noticed is:

1. Most Koreans do it (raise the pitch a bit, for example try to get a Korean to pronounce 가까와요)

2. No Koreans teach that such a thing actually occurs.

3. Whenever I do it, I'm immediately understood in Korean by other Koreans. Whenever I don't do it and try to achieve it other ways, I get blank stares.

I think it's about the pitch, guys.

Like this:

_ - _ _

가까와요

Pedagogy purists be damned, it's all about the PI-OTCH! (the pitch).

Try it for yourself.

[i4NI]

가까워

[samd]

My friend who did a beginner's course at Yonsei said they had them hold a small piece of paper in front of their mouths while they said the sounds. The paper should move a lot during the aspirated consonants, somewhat during the "barely" aspirated ones, and not move during the unaspirated ones.

Another friend of mine who grew up here told me to hold the air behind the tongue by tensing it, and that seems to work for me most of them time.

[i4NI]

^ I've used the same technique before too. Works well.