Language Study

Over the last month I have been taking language classes at the local community center to try and gain an understanding for the Korean language. In that time I have made multiple acquaintances in the class. All of the women are foreigners who have married Korean men, their ages range from 18 to 40+. The women are from Russia, China, the Vietnam peninsula (general) and Uzbekistan. My favorites are the pregnant Cambodian women in the class. Several weeks ago two of them sat in the front of the classroom and continued to get up and force their way (awkwardly) through the four rows of tables. Every time they walked by I would rub the bulging pregnant belly. They would smile and continued to leave the room. After about the fourth belly rub, they did not get up again.

Often times I vaguely know what we are discussing since the entire class in in Korea. The Vietnamese women chatter faster than the speed of light in a language that I cannot even begin to dissect. Simultaneously the Filipino woman in the back of the classroom openly belches mid vocabulary review. I have managed to begin reading (very basic) texts such as signs and public notices. I have slowly moved on to reading websites and single vocabulary words. There are several grammar rules that I often forget such as "o" after a vowel in the second position creates a "ng" sound. Regardless it is coming along.

If you are looking to improve your Korean or are planning a trip soon here are some helpful language tools. Some of these require a Korean browser (do not run on Firefox, or need a Korean version of an OS to run)

• http://www.interedu.go.kr/ : provides information about the basics of Korea such as greetings, numbers, letters etc. They start out at the pre-school level which is exactly what you need to understand the Hangul alphabet.

• http://hompi.sogang.ac.kr/korean/ :an online resource from Sogang University to help with language development. It is automated and like many of the other sites requires flash or some kind of shockwave software.
  

• http://www.mct.go.kr/koreanthroughenglish/index.htm : this is one of my favorite sources for language rehearsal. It has very basic vocabulary and explains character placement and written order, it is broken into chapters.

• http://www.langintro.com/kintro/ :this link provides a diagram of body parts as well as audio files to help with pronunciation.

• http://onlinelearning.lingnet.org/korean/default.htm :for speakers that are at the intermediate level the Korean Defense Ministry has devised their own website to correspond with Korean course work.

• http://www.learnkorean.com/lesson/kclassindex.asp

Other stuff

• http://www.dlibrary.go.kr/NEL_ENG/Index.jsp :Korea has established an entire online library of many government and otherwise paper documents. While there has been controversy over free speech and expression in academic circles there is still a lot of information in the public sector. Granted it is in Korea, but can easily be translated through many online translators. The English on the website is not correct, you will notice this about many things in Korea. Try and decipher what they are saying and run with it.

• http://lmp.ucla.edu/Search.aspx?doBasicSearch=true :UCLA has composed a rather extensive list of language books, dictionaries and language tools that are available on the market right now.

Happy learning!