Learning Korean: Challenging but Not Impossible One　 of the best ways to overcome culture shock and adjust better to the surroundings of Korea is to learn the language, which helps to reveal the mentality, attitudes, values, characteristics, humor and culture of the country

Foreigners who come to live here for a while come to realize that, from the start, it’s highly advantageous to learn some Korean to integrate better into Korean society

By showing a positive willingness to learn their language, it shows a courtesy and definitely improves relations between Koreans and foreigners

Over the recent years, there’s been an increasingly b interest from foreigners in learning Korean, an endeavor that could be prolonged into a long-term study commitment anywhere from three months to two years plus

Ten years ago, if you went to a bookstore in Korea, you’d onl　y find a few Korean dictionaries with some textbooks that were rather dry and lackluster

Now, there may be a whole section devoted specifically to Korean language and culture, giving foreigners plenty of choices from beginner to advanced levels

Aigu! Geez, Why is Korean So Difficult? As foreigners embark upon learning Korean, it becomes a challenging experience but a committed one　

Richard Harris, a writer for SEOUL magazine and the author of Faces of Korea, states “Korea is extremely difficult for anyone whose first language is English, especially if you have no background in any East Asian languages.” Why is this so? Kwan Yoo-mi, a Korean teacher at Yonsei University’s Language Institute, explains further, “Korean is difficult especially for Westerners because of the sentence structure, honorific forms, various verb conjugations, complex grammar and syntax structure

Also, hanja, from which most Korean characters are derived, is quite difficult for Westerners.” The reason for this is because each individual Chinese character has a meaning or nuance that must be memorized

Learning hanja as a supplement to Korean language is quite beneficial to understanding certain phrases and idioms, and especially for reading Korean newspapers, since 70 to 80 percent of the articles use hanja

In the end, learning Korean does give you results, and what you put into studying is what you get out of it

What? No CliffNotes or Crash Courses?! Unfortunately, there are no shortcuts, no Cliffnotes or Coles Notes, no crash courses to learning the language

If it were that simple, learning Korean wouldn’t be so antagonizingly difficult or time consuming

The good news is it’s not impossible to learn - truly

It just takes a lot of patience and time

Some have jokingly said that the secret to learning a language is through the language of love

Although you may have been smitten by your Korean boyfriend or girlfriend, a romantic mate can definitely help motivate you since you’ll want to say cute things to each other in Korean

However, your partner won’t give you the “Midas touch” of learning Korean fluently

It’s purely based on you alone, from a lot of sweat and hard effort

Hopefully, learning Korean won’t give too much unnecessary stress, tears or a bloody nose, although there really is an old Korean wife’s tale that believes one　 can get a bloody nose from working or studying too hard

Both teachers and students alike say the best way to learn Korean is to study hard and practice every chance you get - honestly

Some Options to Learn Korean University Language Institutes Whether it be Yonsei, Ewha, Sogang, Korea, Seoul National or Kyunghee University, they all have multi-level Korean language programs that offer intensive morning and evening classes to fit the needs of international students who’ve enrolled on a semester basis

Although their curriculum program, teaching methodology and textbooks vary, the goal and end results are the same

These educational institutions are well-organized with their own curricula, and continue to do educational research development on their programs and linguistic pedagogy in general

In the summertime, especially many gyopo (overseas Koreans), most of whom are Korean Americans, come to visit their homeland and opt to take Korean courses at these educational institutes

Each institute has its own unique characteristics and reputation

Some emphasize speaking while others stress grammar, accuracy and sentence structure

One is not better than the other; it just depends on one　’s individual tastes and needs

If you choose the route of studying at a university language institute, be prepared to study hard each day since it can be quite intense, even the evening programs, which are geared more for full-time employees who work during the day

You’ll be expected to give presentations and actively participate in class, and your performance and ability will be eval　uated by mid-term and final exams

Ask around and research the many schools available before picking the one　 that suits you best

Private Hagwons Places like YMB SISA Language Institute, Seoul Korean Language Academy, Ganada and myriad others also offer their own Korean language programs, which are set in a hagwon-type (learning institute) atmosphere with smaller class size, from three to eight students maximum

This is ideal for students who want to study Korean but don’t have the time or financial means to attend full-time at a university institute program

These hagwons also offer a range of choices that are flexible to the students’ needs, providing sometimes interchangeable morning, afternoon, evening and even weekend classes

The class hours vary depending on the class you enroll, but usually range from two to four hours a day

They even offer private tutoring and dispatch teachers to the student’s company, if requested

Students sign up by the month and after a one　-month term, can go up a level, which does not significantly differ from level to level

There is homework but rarely any formal exams

It is much more laidback and less intense than the university institute programs

Language Exchange Partners or Private Lessons Others options to consider, which act as more of a supplement to formal Korean classroom learning, are language exchanges and private lessons

For those who are on a slim budget, language exchange is perhaps the best option

However, with such language exchanges, more times than not and especially if you’re a beginner, you end up speaking more English than Korean

You need to find a Korean language exchange partner who’s at the same level as you or someone who’s a beginner of English

If either English or Korean is the dominant language being used during the exchange lesson, then onl　y one　 of you will improve and that’s not truly a language exchange

Private lessons, on the other hand, are helpful if one　 needs extra help with Korean but is too busy to commit to a class schedule in a formal setting

However, private lessons can be somewhat costly, and you’ll want to make sure to find a qualified Korean instructor who has either teaching experience or has majored in Korean language or literature

Online Korean Language Websites For those who spend a lot of time on the Internet, there are also onl　ine Korean language program websites

One of the best onl　ine programs is Sogang’s onl　ine Korean program, which not onl　y divides each level into beginner, intermediate and advanced sections, but breaks down each section even further into step I, II or III

Another good website to use as a reference is Arirang’s “Let’s Speak Korean.” This is also televised on TV and has weekly updates

It’s quite fun and informative

To check out Sogang’s onl　ine Korean language website, go directly to: korean.sogang.ac.kr

To check out Arirang’s “Let’s Speak Korean” website, go to: www.arirang.co.kr

→ Korean Language Study Programs → Scholarship Programs in Korea Any More Helpful Advice? Learning Korean doesn’t stop after the class has finished or when you’ve reached the highest level

It is truly a lifetime of practice

You must be open and willing to immerse yourself in the culture and with the people by speaking, listening, reading, writing, thinking and even dreaming in Korean

Foremost, learning Korean should be enjoyable

Otherwise, it’ll be like pulling teeth...even more excruciating than going to the dentist - pure torture

Boredom, mounting frustrations, throbbing headaches and the ons　et of foul language may cause you to feel like it’s worthless to continue and to give up despairingly

However, before it comes to that extreme, take a few breaths, relax and remember just how much you’ve learned so far, even if it’s onl　y a few phrases

Try to go at your own pace and find the right solution for you to learn Korean

One of the primary advantages of learning Korean in Korea is that you can practice - in many different settings

Seize this golden opportunity now

Lastly, you should keep true to yourself by just being yourself, not trying to be “Korean.” It really takes courage to learn a new language, so give yourself credit for trying and believe that you can do it

It’s quite achievable if, like anything else, you set your mind to it

Gaining a better grasp of the language will boost your self-confidence and you’ll find that learning Korean has really paid off

Don’t give up! As the Koreans say: “Gosaeng kkeut-e nag-i ond　a” (No pain, no gain)

All right, go for it! Assa assa pai-ting! Written by Kelli Donigan Photos by Ryu Seunghoo and Yonhap News Agency The article courtesy of SEOUL magazine Date 7/2/2007

Source : http://english.tour2korea.com/03Sightseeing/TravelSpot/travelspot_read.asp?oid=3754&kosm=m3_8