Learning Korean

[BWL]

I found this blog for learning Korean:

http://www.talktomeinkorean.com/category/blog/

It does seem to have a hip pop-culture feel to it, since so much of Korean culture is being exported overseas thanks to glittery K-pop. I must have heard PSY's "Gangnam Style" at least 10 times while I was in France, on TV on the radio and heaven knows where else!

[Czarownica]

Korean popculture got pretty popular in the West in the recent years. K-pop and Korean dramas have a lot of fans. That makes Korean a very popular language to study. I think Talk to Me in Korean is one of the most popular language learning blogs right now. It seems to be quite interesting.

[linguaholic]

The korean culture is getting really popular in China as well. However some Chinese people still don't like Koreans that much..one reason for that is that apparently, some Koreans claimed that Confucius is Korean hehe:=)

[BWL]

The Chinese have been feeling uneasy with their neighbours the Koreans and the Japanese for centuries! And now that Korean pop-culture is being exported, the tensions and rivalries will be flaring up!

I was at a party in Bordeaux last year and coincidentally someone decided to play some hot new video clips from Youtube. The first one was, you guessed it....PSY's Gangnam Style! I told my French friends that one of the reasons I left Asia was so that I could avoid watching and listening to him over and over again!

[Czarownica]

Too bad, because he really was everywhere last year Gangnam Style was really popular in Poland, too. Our TV even had a famous Polish singer dance the Gangnam Style dance on the New Year's Eve for  some reason. 

I actually quite like this song :angel:

[BWL]

Too bad, because he really was everywhere last year Gangnam Style was really popular in Poland, too. Our TV even had a famous Polish singer dance the Gangnam Style dance on the New Year's Eve for  some reason. 

I actually quite like this song :angel:

See what I mean!  the Koreans are conquering the world in a way that no one could possibly imagine! Yes, it's pleasant to listen to the first dozen times but in Asia, this song was ruling the airwaves for the past year and a half, so you can imagine how bored my ears are!  :frozen:

[leahcim132]

Sweet! I always wanted to learn Korean so this is great! Thanks a bunch.

[Czarownica]

So... What is the best possible way to get started with Korean, from the very basics? I can read/write Hangul, but nothing else. Getting started is always the most difficult thing... x_X I'd be grateful for some website/textbook recommendations.

[Beverly]

It's getting super popular in Indo with the KPOP and the Korean drama.I always feel that it's easier to learn through watching movies at same time taking online classes. I watched some of the Korean drama and just picked up a bit here and there. It helps with the pronunciation and the accent as well. I usually go to gooddrama.net for all my mandarin,Japanese and Korean drama movies.

[Meera]

I haven't started Korean, but it's on my very long list of languages I love KPOP, and Korean dramas and I also like some Korean movies. Here in Philadelphia we get two free Korean channels and for some reason I really like watching them and I like how Korean sounds.

[Pink Glitter]

Its great when people take interest in other cultures and language  :grin:It just concerns me when we look at it as fad or trend , and people don't stop to really get and good understanding or appreciation. When POP culture gets a hold of something they the turn it into to something kitschy are sometimes not very true to authenticity.

[leila kyla]

Thanks for the link! I've been looking for some good Korean language learning resources. The reason why I want to learn Korean is because I like watching Korean drama series too (Boys Over Flowers anyone?). I don't think you need to learn Hangul first though. I suppose you can learn to speak it first and then follow it up with Hangul (like side by side learning). Listening to iTunes podcasts might help too (https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/learn-korean-koreanclass101.com/id262223371).

What do you guys think about PSY's Gentleman? Did it live up to Gangnam Style?

[canoe]

The popularity of Korean (which is still relatively small compared to other main languages like Chinese) has come along a long way probably due to its export of Korean dramas, kpop, etc. I feel like Korean may be easier to learn than Japanese or Chinese simply due to the fact that Korean contains much fewer "letters" than Japanese or Chinese. In this way, Korean is much more similar to English and may be more approachable than say, Chinese which has thousands of different characters. Japanese is difficult since they use both Japanese characters along with Chinese characters which number in the thousands.

[xxxxxx]

Currently I am studying Korean language as part of my stay here in their country. Although learning the language is not that easy especially the pronunciation of the words I should be serious in studying for my own sake while staying here. Most of the Koreans does not know how to speak English so a foreign man in this place should be the one to adjust not only to their language but as well to their culture.

[Bill_H]

I speak German and Hungarian, but I am a living testimonial of the capacity of a person to lose a language if it's not practiced. I lived and taught English in Seoul for four years (20 years ago), and at that time I could speak some Korean. I bought a book, hired tutors, and made a genuine effort to master the language. I even had a circle of friends who did not speak English, and I used to go out with them regularly and spend entire evenings speaking nothing but Korean. And what of it can I speak today? Hardly anything.  Just "hello" and a few nouns.

[Aishe]

I've been trying to learn the alphabet just so I can formulate and sound out words even without knowing what it means. It'll be really useful to be able to read road signs when I'm there over Christmas period!