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35 of 36 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Better than a lot of books but not the best, November 21, 2001
This review is from: College Korean (Paperback)
First of all, I like this book. That is because its content is very solid and it is well laid-out. The pronunciation rules at the beginning are detailed and correct, and some of the best I have seen. The fact that the book is written in hangul and not roman characters is a definite plus for the serious student. However, I do not back it completely. First of all, the book lacks a comprehensive list of irregular verbs, so the reader is left unsure about how to conjugate any verb not covered in the example sentences. There are verb tables, mind you, but they are far from complete. Second, many of the lessons focus on difficult or obscure words ("continental climate") while not including many that a foreigner living in Korea would likely need (such as the common -l/ul koeyo/kosimnida future form). Thirdly, it is difficult to look things up because the index is not very user-friendly. I have other complaints, but these should suffice to show the inadequacy of this book as a stand-alone reference for anyone thnking of residence in Korea. I recommend Francis Y. T. Park's "Speaking Korean" series. Of all texts I have seen, it is the most practical, the most complete, the easiest to use, and the most comprehensive. It is far more pricey than College Korean, but comparing the two is like saying that a car is more expensive than a bicycle. However, Speaking Korean is a 4-book series, so start with the first book and move on as needed. (...)
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28 of 30 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Finally a book that an English thinker can understand, February 24, 2003
This review is from: College Korean (Paperback)
I've been married to a Korean lady for 18 years now, and lived in Korea for 4 1/2 years. I've had numerous Korean teachers. From my wife, I had learned the alphabet, and over the years had developed a pretty good vocabulary, but one thing has always been missing in my attempts to learn Korean: Someone who understands thinking in English, and so understands how the structure of the Korean language has no equivalent in English, and so becomes practically nonsensical to a native English thinker - even though he may understand all the words. This book is the first book I have found that approaches the Korean language from the perspective of someone who can think in English. For the first time, things that give us problems (Like construction of complex and compound sentences, the difference in the use of different conjunctions that are nearly the same, and translate to the same word in English, complex comparison sentences,etc.) are explained and taught in such a way that the rules make sense to me. I am finding that FINALLY - after 18 years of trying, and after years of being able to understand most of what was spoken to me, but never being able to answer back with more than just childish sentences - FINALLY, I am breaking through the barriers in my understanding and becoming able to read more complex material, speak maturely with my elders in church, write material above a childish reading level, etc. The only thing I could possibly find to criticize the book on is the explanation of pronunciation. I know there is a lot of discussion about how to transliterate the pronunciation (And pronunciation actually varies quite a bit from Seoul to Pusan), but the rules of characters such as ¤¸,¤µ, ¤©, and ¤¡ are just not quite what I normally hear - maybe they cannot be explained without hearing the language from a native speaker. Still, it is a very good book for someone who thinks in English to help them to a point where hopefully they can actually think in Korean. A helpful Korean speaking friend will probably be all the additional help you will need.
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16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
This is arguably the best textbook for learning Korean, January 11, 1998
This review is from: College Korean (Paperback)
This comprehensive textbook intended for beginning or intermediate students of Korean is presented in a logical format divided into twenty-six lessons. Each lesson begins with a short Korean dialogue (which one may translate) and follows with step-by-step linguistic/grammar rules replete with examples. The authors--college proffesors themselves--articulate themselves quite nicely, so that one may work alone with this book and still learn the language. A detailed pronounciation guide is included, and 140 Chinese characters (used in addition to the Korean alphabet) are also introduced. I can guarantee that any serious student using this comprehensive textbook will be reading, writing, and speaking adequate Korean in less than six months.
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