[Korea] Self Taught Korean

Discussion in 'Off Topic Area' started by Coges, Jun 11, 2009.

  1. Coges

    Coges Valued Member

    Hey Guys and Gals,

    Is it possible to teach yourself Korean without too many outside influences? If so, to what level are you able to reach by yourself?

    Also are there any texts that you have found better or worse?

    I have two main texts for reference. They are Elementary Korean and Continuing Korean. I have only just started and am looking to progress quickly. I understand that personal lessons or a class environment is always going to be better but this is my only option at the moment.

    Cheers,

    Cameron.
     
  2. Studude67

    Studude67 The hungry fighter

    When i first started studying myself i had no internet and no money for classes so i bought a the book 한국어회화 (Korean conversation) by 고려대학교 민족문화연구소 the ISBN for it is: 89-7155-000-7

    i found this book very helpful to start me off with some basic conversation, i also bought myself a good Korean dictionary which i used to find words that i didnt know. At the time when i started studying from the book however i already knew how to read and write Korean.

    I also bought another book from that series which was just titled 한국어 (Korean language) that was also useful and i recently gave it to a friend of mine who started studying.

    By studying on my own and just asking questions to my Korean friends i maganed to pick up the most basic of phrases but i could never really have proper everyday conversations with people, that only came when i started to study at language school.

    I would agree that it is much better if you can get to a language academy of some sort, but i guess that would be tough in Australia. My Korean completely changed once i started studying at school as you can meet other like minded people and dicuss things only in Korean, it is when you must only use the language that it really starts to sink in.

    The problem i found with studying alone was always motivation, i could be motivated and study for days on end and then not pick up the books for weeks. Therefore maybe its good that you post questions etc here in the forum or find another Korean language forum so that you can practice and keep the motivation and willingness to learn alive. I am always looking for discussion on Korean because i myself am also always wanting to improve.
     
  3. Thomas

    Thomas Combat Hapkido/Taekwondo

  4. Coges

    Coges Valued Member

    Thanks very much for the replies.

    In understand what you're saying about the motivation Studude67. I have done that exact thing where I spend an hour every night studying and then life gets in the way and I don't look at it for weeks. At the moment I can read (understanding very little) and write and have most of the basic terminology down. I'm still getting the whole writing in Hangul thing down as well. The characters are fine but it's remembering how to form certain words that is difficult.

    Also, as far as classes go there aren't too many on offer here in Melbourne that would be accessible to me. That might be something to look at in the future.

    Thanks for the links Thomas. I'll be sure to check them out.

    I do have access to the Pimsleur Korean stuff. Do you guys have any opinions on this? I have found so far that it is aimed at a travelling American business man who wants to drink beer and pick up single Korean women. Now don't get me wrong, if I were a single man, and American, it may be alright but it doesn't strike me as something that is useful for more than the pronunciation.

    Outside of that I'm making sure to watch plenty of Korean movies and eat at restaurants to use some simple conversation but I'll be sure to keep you updated.

    Cheers.
     
  5. Bruce W Sims

    Bruce W Sims Banned Banned

    Hmmmmmm....... you bring up an important point. There is much to be said regarding why a person chooses to learn a foreign language. For myself, I have not had much use for street slang and pick-up lines. But, in any case, the greatest challenge to learning aforeign language is committing to a regular investment of time and resources. Certainly some programs come highly recommended and others are rather simplified. What makes a difference is whether a person finds time.....on a regular basis.... to do the work necessary to become reasonably fluent. For myself, Chinese, Japanese and Korean are not as difficult as one might imagine. Then again, I am not looking to relocate to these cultures. Also, my own research tends to be rather specific to Korean martial practices. Put me in a room with some other specialty such as medicine, computers or finance and I would be completely lost.
    Lastly, I think its important to remember that the Korean language has at least 6 dialects, which means that a person who uses one of the well-known books or tape programs will learn (effectively) "cosmopolitan" or "diplomatic" Korean which would then need to be modified as one moves farther and farther away from Seoul. The same goes for travel to North Korea, which also has its own dialect.

    Just some thoughts.

    Best Wishes,

    Bruce
     
  6. Coges

    Coges Valued Member

    It is interesting you say that Bruce. I personally want to learn to be able to communicate when I travel and also plan to study Hap in Korea at some stage. My needs I don't believe will ever reach a business level although it would be nice to have that level of proficiency.

    Having said that I believe pick up lines and street slang to be of the upmost importance:rolleyes:
     
  7. klaasb

    klaasb ....

    The people in Korea who speak dialect (satori) will have no problems understanding standard Korean. All material you might need for study is written in standard Korean any way, so it shouldn't be a problem at all. The chances of you visiting North Korea in the next few years seem very small to me ;)
     
  8. Coges

    Coges Valued Member

    That's good to know. Any yes, the chances of me ending up in North Korea is quite slim unless I happen to take up journalism along the North Korea-China border.
     
  9. klaasb

    klaasb ....

    If you do, let me know and I will join you :D
     
  10. AndyT

    AndyT Valued Member

  11. Bruce W Sims

    Bruce W Sims Banned Banned

    I try not to judge the North Koreans based on how their leader or their military represent things. There is a sense that I get that the people of North Korea are probably a rather "no-nonsense" strain based on what they have endured over the generations. All the same, I would hope that they differ from the sabre-rattling ditz-s in government the way many Americans differed from the Bush-Cheney Administration of the last 8 years.

    Here is the States we have been blessed to have had a return to intelligence and civility with the Obama Administration. In the recent Iran election it sounds like the common people there want the same thing. I wonder if the new leader in North Korea will bring some level of engagement between NK and the rest of the world. Hope springs eternal.

    Best Wishes,

    Bruce
     
  12. Coges

    Coges Valued Member

    Hey Andy,

    I've had a chance to look at some of the Rosetta Stone stuff before. Although I've read of many people haveing success in this was I don't think it quite fits my learning pattern. I'm very much a read, write and repeat kind of person. That's generally the way things get stuck in my head.

    Having said that, it was through Rosetta Stone that I first learnt the Korean for plane. I'm not sure how to spell it but if you come across it you could imagine how different Fantasy Island would have been in Korean.

    Cheers,

    Cameron.
     
  13. Coges

    Coges Valued Member

    You seem to be eternally optimistic Bruce. Not that I'm a pessimist but unfortunately do not share the same hope for NK. It's really quite sad that a nation of people need to suffer for the opinions of a few. I too hope that the new leader (when officially selected) will bring change but fear that his influences will be far too narrow to result in much. Also, how is a 26 year old expected to run a nuclear armed country?
     
  14. MunSan

    MunSan Valued Member

    Okay, 전 하와이에서 돌아와봤어요! Well, I've been back for two weeks, actually -- I just haven't gotten around to posting until now. :whistle:

    But, Kim Jong-il is a megalomaniac; I thought that he completely ran the show over there? When his son assumes power, if he happens to be a "weak" leader, won't that cause the entire political infrastructure to collapse, allowing the Republic of Korea to slip right in? Has Kim Jong-il really trained anyone else to be an effective leader in his or his son's place? I really am quite ignorant of North Korean politics, so please enlighten me.

    Speaking of enlightenment...satori? :D Just kidding. Close -- you were thinking of saturi (사투리). Yes, while it's true that most non-standard Korean speakers would be able to understand you, I don't think the same can be said of those living on Jeju Island, where the difference in dialect is strongest. Although I've only ever heard standard speakers tell me that they can't understand most of what Jeju-do inhabitants say, so I'm not entirely sure if it's the same the other way around.

    As far as books go, I would strongly recommend purchasing "Handbook of Korean Vocabulary: A Resource for Word Recognition and Comprehension," by Miho Choo and William O'Grady. You need to already be familiar with Hangul and how it's pronounced, because this book is a little different from other vocabulary books. It is a "root dictionary" (and I think the only one of its kind with regard to Korean), because it lists many Chinese (Sino-Korean) and Native Korean root words, followed by the most common words or phrases that include each root, in order of decreasing compound transparency. It's a brilliant and fun way to increase your vocabulary since it helps you recognize the connections between similar words. Plus, you can learn a little Chinese while you're at it! ;)
     
  15. klaasb

    klaasb ....

    My romanization skills aren't what they used to be ;)

    The Jeju dialect has words that are completely different from standard Korean. Much like Welsh is very different from standard English.
     
  16. Coges

    Coges Valued Member

    Hey MunSan,

    I personally don't pay too much attention to North Korea's politics either. Until Bruce's post I didn't even know there was a next in line.

    Thanks for the recommendation on the book. I've got two texts and a simple dictionary at the moment but am building a list for when I can branch out and get some more resources.

    Cheers.
     
  17. Studude67

    Studude67 The hungry fighter

    i think you mean 돌아왔어요 as in you came back not 돌아와봤어요 as in you tried to come back~

    잘갔다왔어요? >.<
     
  18. Studude67

    Studude67 The hungry fighter

    i think you mean 돌아왔어요 as in you came back not 돌아와봤어요 as in you tried to come back~

    잘갔다왔어요? >.< 나도 언젠가 하와이에 가야겠다!~
     
  19. Bruce W Sims

    Bruce W Sims Banned Banned

    Just a comment off to the side:

    I don't have much optimism where the politics of the world is concerned. From what I have seen, power tends to encourage the idea that not getting caught is the same as not doing wrong. Where I look for bright spots in the future is with Mr. Joe Average and his family. The "Joe"-s I have known mostly seem to know what it means to work for something, never seem to be too far from Life as it really treats Humans, have a basic understanding of right and wrong and will endure some pretty tough conditions---up to a point. By comparison, governments tend to live in worlds of churning-for-its-own-sake.

    Right now the NK government has one of the largest armies on the planet because thats the easiest way to have a smaller "in-group" control a larger "out-group" by use of fear and intimidation. Where the tipping-point comes in is that place where the players begin to realize that the chaos of change can never be as bad as the prospect of on-going abject misery for the foreseeable future. FWIW.

    Best Wishes,

    Bruce
     
  20. MunSan

    MunSan Valued Member

    I could have sworn that a Korean friend once told me that, by adding 봤다 to verbs, it means "to have (done something)." Apparently, I misheard? How would I say that I "have done" then?

    "One of these days, I'll have to go to Hawaii too!" Isn't that what you said? Wow, this is really interesting -- I was wondering how to say it like that. I already knew that the basic way to say I "have to do" or "should do" is either 해야 돼요 or 해야 해요. So then, to put it in future tense and say "will have to do," it's as simple as dropping 하다/되다 and replacing it with the future tense verb 겠다? Is it proper to have a space there, like the space in 해야 돼요, or does it really matter? Or, am I wrong on both counts -- is 가야겠다 short for 가야 하겠다?

    여행이 너무 재밌었어요! 아뇨...완벽했어요. 대학교후에 그건 사실 필요했어요.
     

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