The Best Textbook Series for Learning the Korean Language by the Leading Experts in Korea —The National Institute of the Korean Language and Language Education Institute at Seoul National University Originally consisted of three volumes, Korean through English series was first published in 1992 and has widely been used as easy yet educational textbook series for foreign learners of Korean. In 2012, the new edition is published in two volumes, keeping the major learning objectives as the previous version and meeting new trends and learners' needs. Book One is designed for beginners who start to learn Korean as a foreign or second language for the first time. The textbook is to help the learners understand the fundamental system of Korean letters (hangeul) and acquire basic vocabulary and grammatical items. Book Two, which is forthcoming, targets intermediate learners who should advance their Korean language skills to the upper level. The textbook is to help them become more confident of using the Korean language with accuracy and fluency. The current revision has been made by Sang-Oak Lee who wrote the original version and Seungmie Lee at the Language Education Institute of Seoul National University. Systematical Organization to Fit for the Learners' Level and Needs Korean through English Book One, designed for beginners, consists of 25 lessons. Lessons 1 through 4 are devoted to introduction and practice of the Korean alphabet, hangeul, and also include writing and reading exercises with detailed stroke orders to help students familiarize themselves with hangeul. Lessons 5 through 25 are made up of Vocabulary, Pronunciation, Conversation, Grammar, and Exercise. Several lessons include Information at the end of the lesson and it is supplement to help learners understand Korean culture more deeply. In the beginning of every lesson, the new vocabularies of the lessons are accompanied by a short gloss in English. These glosses provide a general idea of the meaning of the words of following conversation part. A brief pronunciation guide to Korean words singles out vocabulary items which are unusual or which have proven particularly difficult for English speakers. In the Conversation section, every effort has been made to provide both realistic and interesting dialogues. They have chosen to focus more on the everyday-life and modern cultural features which the students are more likely to encounter. The authors have also included varied notes on Korean culture and language that are necessary in learning Korean. The Grammar items covered were also selected according to their high-frequency of occurrence in modern Korean and the explanations are presented in English. Copious Exercises give students opportunity to practice and use the new vocabulary and grammar presented in each lesson. Besides, the cultural columns on Korea are supplements to help students understand important aspects of Korean culture that would be unfamiliar to most foreigners. The "Information," when possible, picks up the theme of the main text and is designed to enhance the understanding of traditional culture and modern society of Korea.

Provides a good overview of the Korean language in a readable way, without neglecting any important structural aspects of the language.

The World through English is an English textbook for primary students. The objectives of developing the book is not only to help your students to learn English, but also to introduce them to some cultural and social differences of the world societies. Both you and your students can find written and audio texts that display several different cultures from different parts of the world, such as from Ireland, the USA, South Korea, China, Japan, Caribbean Islands, African Continent, as well as from Indonesia. The goal of presenting such texts is to indirectly help the students to be aware of and to accept such cultural and social differences so that they can grow their sense of being tolerant to others. The book is designed based on Kurikulum 2013. There are six units in this book which are arranged based on the competencies of Kurikulum 2013 and the level of difficulty of the language skills and components attached to each theme in each unit. Each unit is equipped with two reading texts and an audio text that have suitable exercises to accompany the texts. Explanations about tenses and sentence structures are also provided with abundant examples for the students which are arranged based on their suitability to the theme of each unit and their level of difficulty. The written and audio texts, as well as the exercises, provide opportunities for the students to enrich their knowledge and to develop all of their four language skills, that are reading, writing, listening, and speaking. Teachers can still explore the materials given in the book by offering self-developed activities to match their students’ proficiencies and learning situations.

The 'Korean wave' in music and film and Korea's rise to become the twelfth economic power in the world have boosted the world-wide popularity of Korean language study. The linguistic study of Korean, with its rich syntactic and phonological structure, complex writing system, and unique socio-historical context, is now a rapidly growing research area. Contributions from internationally renowned experts on the language provide a state-of-the-art overview of key current research in Korean language and linguistics. Chapters are divided into five thematic areas: phonetics and phonology, morphology and syntax, semantics and pragmatics, sociolinguistics and psycholinguistics, and language pedagogy. The Handbook includes cross-linguistic data to illuminate the features of Korean, and examples in Korean script, making it suitable for advanced students and researchers with or without prior knowledge of Korean linguistics. It is an essential resource for students and researchers wishing to explore the exciting and rapidly moving field of Korean linguistics.

This volume critically examines the phenomenon of “English fever” in South Korea from both micro- and macro-perspectives. Drawing on original research and rich illustrative examples, the book investigates two key questions: why is English so popular in Korea, and why is there such a gap between the ‘dreams’ and ‘realities’ associated with English in Korea? These questions are explored through the eyes of English-Korean translators and interpreters, who represent the professional group most intensely engaged in the zeal for English language mastery. Macro-perspectives focus on historical factors leading to the rise of English, with English-Korean translation and interpreting as a key theme. Micro-perspectives explore the dreams that individuals attach to English and the ways in which they imagine it can transform their lives, and contrast these dreams with the stark realities felt on the ground. The gaps between these dreams and realities are explored from various angles, which include commodification, gender and neoliberalism. The book thus offers fresh insights on how the phenomenon of “English fever” has been created, reproduced, and sustained from both historical and contemporary viewpoints. From the reviews: This is an important study of how English is experienced in one country, Korea. A very insightful analysis of the interlocking of historical factors influencing the status of English, and the interlocking significance of class, gender, aesthetics, myth-making, and the role of the media and competitive commodification. The study is based on competent use of relevant theoretical approaches, solid fieldwork, and a personal capacity to draw complex threads together. It demonstrates how language policy can be analysed in a stimulating way that has major importance beyond the borders of Korea. Language ideologies are brought to life effectively. Robert Phillipson, Emeritus Professor, Copenhagen Business School, Denmark

This volume covers state-of-the-art research in the field of crosslinguistic approaches to the psychology of language. The forty chapters cover a wide range of topics that represent the many research interests of a pioneer, Dan Isaac Slobin, who has been a major intellectual and creative force in the field of child language development, linguistics, and psycholinguistics for the past four decades. Slobin has insisted on a rigorous, crosslinguistic approach in his attempt to identify universal developmental patterns in language learning, to explore the effects of particular types of languages on psycholinguistic processes, to determine the extent to which universals of language and language behavior are determined by modality (vocal/auditory vs. manual/visual) and, finally, to investigate the relation between linguistic and cognitive processes. In this volume, researchers take up the challenge of the differences between languages to forward research in four major areas with which Slobin has been concerned throughout his career: language learning in crosslinguistic perspective (spoken and sign languages); the integration of language specific factors in narrative skill; theoretical issues in typology, language development and language change; and the relationship between language and cognition. All chapters are written by leading researchers currently working in these fields, who are Slobin's colleagues, collaborators or former students in linguistics, psychology, anthropology, and cognitive science. Each section starts with an introductory chapter that connects the themes of the chapters and reviews Slobin's contribution in the context of past research trends and future directions. The whole volume focuses squarely on the central argument: universals of human language and of its development are embodied and revealed in its diverse manifestations and utilization. Crosslinguistic Approaches to the Study of Language is a key resource for those interested in the range of differences between languages and how this impacts on learning, cognition and language change, and a tribute to Dan Slobin's momentous contribution to the field.

This two volume handbook provides a comprehensive examination of policy, practice, research and theory related to English Language Teaching in international contexts. More than 70 chapters highlight the research foundation for best practices, frameworks for policy decisions, and areas of consensus and controversy in second language acquisition and pedagogy. The Handbook provides a unique resource for policy makers, educational administrators, and researchers concerned with meeting the increasing demand for effective English language teaching. It offers a strongly socio-cultural view of language learning and teaching. It is comprehensive and global in perspective with a range of fresh new voices in English language teaching research.