|
 |
 |
|||||||
 | |
|
Living & Surviving in Korea | |
|
The Korean Language
|
|
Don't be overly concerned if you are unable to speak Korean. It is neither required nor expected of you. The majority of Koreans can understand some limited English (written form better than spoken) and many signs, etc. are written in both English and Korean, especially in the larger cities. We also have a language links which give you more details about learning Korean. The Korean language, is classified as a part of the Altaic family, which includes such tongues as Manchurian and Mongolian. It is a highly inflected, polysyllabic and atonal language, with sentence structure that is quite different from English. It is quite similar to Japanese in grammar and sentence structure, and while having no linguistic relationship with Chinese, there are many Korean words borrowed from Chinese. There are different forms used depending upon to whom you are speaking (adult to child, between adults - less formal, between adults - more formal/respectful). Han-gul, the Korean alphabet (history of Han-gul), is composed of 10 vowels and 14 consonants and is quite easy to learn (taking only 2-3 hours to get a very good grasp of it.) This is a major reason that Korea's literacy rate exceeds 95%. Actually understanding what you are then able to read, and being able to converse in Korean, however, is much more difficult. There are some vowel and consonant sounds that English does not have. The consonant letterforms are simplified outlines of the parts of the mouth and tongue used to pronounce them, and the vowel letterforms are associated with elements of the philosophy of the Book of Changes. Today's linguists are impressed by the sophistication of the Han-gul writing system and by the depth of understanding of linguistic principles reflected in its letterforms and orthography. Han-gul is so easy to learn that most Korean children can read and write to some extent even before they enter school. The letters are combined into blocks, each block representing a single syllable. Thus, Han-gul combines the advantages of both an alphabet and a syllabary. Text can easily be arranged either in the traditional vertical fashion, with columns reading from right to left (as in newspapers and old books) or horizontally reading left to right (as in the most modern novel and magazines).
Home
| About Us
| Sitemap
Our Program | Employment Contracts | Terms & Conditions of Employment Information about Teaching in Korea | Living & Surviving in Korea | Useful Links Applications & Contact Details | Korean Employers Application Form Copyright © World English Service Ltd. All rights reserved. Last updated 17/12/2004. Design & development by Karere.
|
Street signs in Korean
Sidewalk and signs
More signs |