This book is a highly readable introduction to Korean pronunciation for students at all levels of proficiency. Beginners will find the information and practice they need to cross the threshold of intelligibility in Korean, while more advanced students will have the opportunity to fine-tune their pronunciation and improve their comprehension. The Sounds of Korean focuses on the most challenging features of Korean pronunciation. Careful attention is paid to the way in which a sound's pronunciation can be modified in different contexts. The first part of the text consists of an overview and chapters on vowel and consonant sounds in Korean, adjustment processes that modify speech sounds in different positions within words and phrases, and the role of prosody in expressing meaning and emotion. The practice exercises that follow are paired with the various contrasts and adjustment processes discussed earlier. These exercises, recorded in MP3 format by two native speakers (male and female) from Seoul, give students systematic, focused exposure to natural colloquial speech that represents the way Korean is actually spoken in the real world.

This is a guide to Korean language usage for students who have already acquired the basics of the language and wish to extend their knowledge and organise accumulated bits of information into a comprehensive picture. It is designed to promote the fluency and accuracy vital to effective communication, provides excellent coverage of proverbs, idioms, and sound symbolism, is tailored to the needs of the English-speaking user, and will be invaluable to anyone requiring up-to-date guidance on points of grammar and vocabulary. Unlike conventional grammars, it highlights those areas of vocabulary and grammar which cause most difficulty to English speakers. Special attention is given throughout the book to the appropriateness of different language styles in various situational contexts. Clear, readable, and easy to consult, it is essential for all those who wish to take their Korean beyond the beginner's level.

This is an introduction to Korean pronunciation for students at all levels of proficiency. Beginners should find the information and practice they need to cross the threshold of intelligibility in Korean, while more advanced students will have the opportunity to fine-tune their pronunciation and improve their comprehension. This book focuses on the most challenging features of Korean pronunciation. Careful attention is paid to the way in which a sound's pronunciation can be modified in different contexts. The first part of the text consists of an overview and chapters on vowel and consonant sounds in Korean, adjustment processes that modify speech sounds in different positions within words and phrases, and the role of prosody in expressing meaning and emotion. The practice exercises that follow are paired with the various contrasts and adjustment processes discussed earlier. These exercises recorded on an accompanying CD by two native speakers (male and female) from Seoul, give students systematic, focused exposure to natural colloquial speech that represents the way Korean is actually spoken in the real world.

Vocabulary learning is the single most important component of second-language acquisition. In cases where the second language is unrelated to the learner's native tongue, this task presents special challenges because there are typically few clues in a word's form to assist in learning and remembering its meaning. This book offers a solution to this problem for students of Korean. The Handbook is the first ever "root dictionary" of Korean designed for second-language learners. Useful for students at all levels, it contains more than 1,500 vocabulary lists consisting of words built from a shared root. These lists offer a unique and efficient way for students to acquire new words. Upon encountering a word, students can consult the lists for its component roots and discover many other semantically related words built from the same elements. An introduction provides an overview of Korean vocabulary and detailed instructions on how to use the word lists. A pronunciation guide outlines the major principles determining the pronunciation of compounds and other multipart words in Korean.