Korean Through English

Book excerpt: The Best Textbook Series for Learning the Korean Language by the Leading Experts in Korea —The National Institute of the Korean Language and Language Education Institute at Seoul National University Originally consisted of three volumes, Korean through English series was first published in 1992 and has widely been used as easy yet educational textbook series for foreign learners of Korean. In 2012, the new edition is published in two volumes, keeping the major learning objectives as the previous version and meeting new trends and learners' needs. Book One is designed for beginners who start to learn Korean as a foreign or second language for the first time. The textbook is to help the learners understand the fundamental system of Korean letters (hangeul) and acquire basic vocabulary and grammatical items. Book Two, which is forthcoming, targets intermediate learners who should advance their Korean language skills to the upper level. The textbook is to help them become more confident of using the Korean language with accuracy and fluency. The current revision has been made by Sang-Oak Lee who wrote the original version and Seungmie Lee at the Language Education Institute of Seoul National University. Systematical Organization to Fit for the Learners' Level and Needs Korean through English Book One, designed for beginners, consists of 25 lessons. Lessons 1 through 4 are devoted to introduction and practice of the Korean alphabet, hangeul, and also include writing and reading exercises with detailed stroke orders to help students familiarize themselves with hangeul. Lessons 5 through 25 are made up of Vocabulary, Pronunciation, Conversation, Grammar, and Exercise. Several lessons include Information at the end of the lesson and it is supplement to help learners understand Korean culture more deeply. In the beginning of every lesson, the new vocabularies of the lessons are accompanied by a short gloss in English. These glosses provide a general idea of the meaning of the words of following conversation part. A brief pronunciation guide to Korean words singles out vocabulary items which are unusual or which have proven particularly difficult for English speakers. In the Conversation section, every effort has been made to provide both realistic and interesting dialogues. They have chosen to focus more on the everyday-life and modern cultural features which the students are more likely to encounter. The authors have also included varied notes on Korean culture and language that are necessary in learning Korean. The Grammar items covered were also selected according to their high-frequency of occurrence in modern Korean and the explanations are presented in English. Copious Exercises give students opportunity to practice and use the new vocabulary and grammar presented in each lesson. Besides, the cultural columns on Korea are supplements to help students understand important aspects of Korean culture that would be unfamiliar to most foreigners. The "Information," when possible, picks up the theme of the main text and is designed to enhance the understanding of traditional culture and modern society of Korea.