Learn Korean

General Information

The basic approach of our program is to emphasize the use of practical spoken Korean. For this reason, from the first day, speaking and listening are practiced at natural speeds. Artificially slowing the speed actually makes understanding more difficult in the long run. Students are therefore able to communicate easily with native speakers at the level of vocabulary and grammar attained. The program prepares the student with the skills needed to function in Korea. By focusing on practical language use, students are able to actively participate in situations which they can expect to encounter in their travels. Throughout the course, listening and speaking are stressed and the student has ample opportunity to take part in meaningful classroom dialogue. The small class size also promotes this opportunity and allows the instructor to give individual attention to each student.

Research in the area of second language acquisition suggest that the most suitable process for acquiring a language begins with listening followed by speaking, reading and finally writing. At WAL we follow this process.

Korean, a non-European language, is quite different from English. The time needed to master the language is much longer than that of European languages. At WAL stress is placed on the quality rather than the quantity of language skills.

Textbook for levels 1 & 2 : Soohee Kim, Emily Curtis, and Haewon Cho,You Speak Korean! ParadigmBusters Publishing, 2003. Textbook and Workbook.

Korean I

30 hours of instruction/5 weeks

By the end of this intensive five-week session, students will be able to function minimally in Korean and understand many facets of Korea's unique culture. Students are immersed in Korean, except for limited times specified for cultural and grammatical notes in English. During the session, participants learn the Korean alphabet and its pronunciation, numbers and the calendar. Students will also learn basic greetings and how to ask questions using interrogatives. Shopping and family life are topics of this level.

Chapters: 1-6
This course may be taken for 4 quarter units of university credit.

Korean II

30 hours of instruction/5 weeks
Prerequisite: Completion of Korean I or instructor's permission.

This course begins with a review of all the materials covered in Korean I. Korean II would be a good place to start for those who have been away from the language for any length of time, but who already have some basic grammar and vocabulary. By the end of this course, students will be able to speak properly. Emphasis will be placed on how to use different types of speech appropriately; honorific, polite and neutral speech are distinguished and used in examples from everyday life. The use of English is discouraged in the class. Students learn basic Korean characters, how to make small talk, and many other situational conversations.

Chapters: 7-12
This course may be taken for 4 quarter units of university credit.

Audio tapes are available to enrolled students for a refundable deposit.