5 comments about Elementary Korean (Tuttle Language Library).

1. Thank you for your review and the caution!
   Yes, learn Hangul...after all, it's not like Hanzi :)



2. I put this book in my "Required" list 'cause my most trusted friend who's Korean recommended it for me. He said it's a very good textbook, up-to-date and well structured. So let's say it was approved by a native speaker, and that's very important.
   One thing - it can be a little intimidating for beginners, but don't give up so easily! It's a great textbook so make sure you're making the most of it.
   
   Good luck with your Korean! *^.^*



3. Unlike Rosetta Stone software, which costs an arm and a leg and sucks, this resource is a great learning tool. It's very real world and the pacing is slow enough for a new learner. Love it.



4. As a basic textbook for students, "Elementary Korean" is detailed and besides offering you also some simple exercises for practice basics, it answers "friendly" to many questions and doubts one can have with regard to Korean language. Though it aims to university level learning (and it is effective), you can consider it almost as a kind of friendly "human" teacher, for its "voice" is really nice.



5. I bought this book for self study and spent some months using it.
   
   The structure is quite familiar to whom has already been studying languages, various lessons are divided into a text, vocabulary, grammar notes and excercises.
   
   Talking about the general structure, I think the lessons are too long (an average of about 20 pages per lesson) so that it is difficult to study them in small time portions (takes about a week to cover a lesson). Many lessons cover too many structures and grammar points so that the exercise can't focus on all of them.
   
   Anyway I'd like to analyze the lacking points in each section of an average lesson.
   
   The text is always too short, uses structures that are not going to be covered in the same lesson and in my opinion is something the authors barely took care of being generally frustrating to read and unuseful to memorize.
   
   Vocabulary section in each lesson cover a hundred or more words, the most part of wich never appears anywhere else in the lesson making it pointless to remember the as you're not going to see them anywhere else (it's like studying from a dictionary).
   
   Grammar notes are pointlessly complicated (especially when explaining verb endings) and stress futile points (like when to pause when using certain particles) while leaving the important explanations unclear.
   
   About the exercises, they are overwhelmingly numerous yet poor in variety.
   They are the kind of exercise you may find in a mid-80s textbook, with lots of meaningless writin to do.
   
   This all adds to odd translations and outdated korean spelling.
   
   I would never reccomend this book for studying Korean.
   I know it is one of the few being available in English, however I suggest to buy one of the textbooks that are printed in Korea by one of the many universities that hold korean summer courses.

5 comments about Roadmap to Korean.

1. Roadmap to Korean is a great book explaining the languistic structure, culture, and history of Korea(n). Richard Harris has done a great job explaining the most important parts of the language that no other book has bothered to cover. Harris explains the troubles that English speaks will have with the language and specific differences are explained in an English speaker's point of view. I have read over this book many times since I have been studying Korean and each time I get something else out of it. It is a definite buy for anyone wishing to learn the language or just want to simply learn what it's about. It makes an excellent reference for verb conjugations, phrases, numbers, and much more. If you want to learn Korean, this is the book to start with. You will not be disappointed.



2. This is an absolutely ESSENTIAL item for ANY student of the Korean language, especially those whose native language is English. Why? 1) It bridges a gap no Korean educator has ever thought (or perhaps known how) to address or even acknowledge. 2) It does the job superlatively well.
   While Korea has no shortage of well-meaning and skilled teachers of their language (including several I've had) they invariably fall short in one key area: understanding exactly what obstacles a foreigner faces in learning Korean, and how to help us past them. (In fairness, Korea is still relatively new to the game of exporting their language and culture on a major scale - compared to, say, America or Japan.) Richard Harris turns out to be just the guy for the job; a long-suffering yet enthusiastic student of the language, and a straightforwardly engaging writer to boot.
   Aside from drastically different grammar, most of the roadblocks turn out to be conceptual - areas of culture and living where Koreans and non-Koreans simply think differently, in ways that defy literal translation. (this is a language in which one might ask "How are you?" by saying "Have you eaten?" or "Where are you going?") It's in the illustration of these tricky areas that Harris truly excels; anyone who's spent much time in Korea, such as yours truly, has stumbled into more than one of these minefields!
   Bottom line: if you're learning Korean, BUY THIS BOOK. It'll save you an incalculable amount of time and frustration, and enlighten you about a lot more than just the language in the bargain.



3. This book gives tons of great advice on how to learn Korean. If it were up to me, it would be standard issue for students studying Korean at the Defense Language Institute in Monterey, CA.



4. As a beginner in Korean, I was looking for something more than a dictionary, but with the understanding of an English
   speaking person who has learned Korean. This is it! Richard Harris explains the joys and pitfalls of learning
   Korean in an entertaining way. It's just shy of having a conversation with the author. Very enjoyable learning
   experience!



5. This book has a lot of good information that will probably be helpful in learning Korean, but if you are looking for in depth explanations of grammar systematically, this is not the book for you. I suggest you find a book used in a classroom. The author gives lots of insight into the culture and history of the language and points out a few of the barriers that he had to overcome, but all in all, this book did not help me actually work with the language. He explains the problems that you will have, but he does not actually introduce the grammatical conundrums that bring about those problems. If you have a grammar book to go along this one, that might be a winning couple, but I do want people to know the limitations of this book. It is not a systematic and comprehensive Korean Grammar. You'll have to find that somewhere else.

5 comments about Your First 100 Words in Korean : Beginner's Quick & Easy Guide to Demystifying Korean Script.

1. I am trying to learn enough Korean to be able to function in Korea even if on my own. The words chosen for the flash cards are not much help for what I wanted (unless I am at the zoo). This is a great concept but...if you are like me and want to learn words that will help you communicate in everyday situations save some money and make your own flash cards.



2. It is one of good books for someone who starts to learn Korean.



3. Yhis book seems to be helful but if you do not know
   the language at all it is difficult. But is helps
   to have the explanations to make words and learn the
   symbols to use.



4. Although it appears to be a great learning tool, I didn't learn much from this book as I thought I would. It's funny - vocabulary is what I need and this book just didn't provide me with enough of it. The best part of the this book is the first set of words, and the flash cards in the back. I say the flash cards, because I basically borrowed the idea from the book and made my own flash cards from blank ones I found at my bookstore (4"x1.5" i think) I would write the Korean word on the front with the definition on the back.
   Nice looking, but lacking. Not worth the money.



5. This book is very helpful in demystifying Korean pronunciation.
   The delivery was quick and the book was in perfect condition.

1 comments about Intermediate College Korean.

1. If you already know a lot of Korean, this is is a good textbook. The stories that begin each chapter follow the adventures of Hyun-bae, a US-raised Korean traveling to Korea on summer vacation to perfect his Korean skills. I really liked the first story, with him being so polite to the mother of the crying baby on the plane and the middle-aged man distracting him by asking about his studies.
   
   The grammar explanations are clear, with plenty of examples. Pronunciations of words like chak-ha-da = cha-ka-da are given in Hangul. Some of the grammar exercises were just too hard for me to figrue out, which is the only reason I don't give it another star.

1 comments about Integrated Korean: Advanced Intermediate (Advanced Intermediate, 1).

1. the shipping took one week longer than it ususally does....i've order many things from amazon and other companies and it ONLY took one week for the entire process...Plus I couldn't even track my package... if I didn't love Korean language...I would be a lot more angry.

2 comments about Milet Mini Picture Dictionary: English-Korean.

1. I am the grandmother of a korean toddler. I thought it is very informative for the parents also. Some vocabulary words she can understand. I'm glad I bought it.



2. This dictionary is produced for children, but it is a great book for those just learning Korean to use for common, simple, every-day words.

No comments about Integrated Korean Workbook: Beginning 2 (Klear Textbooks in Korean Language).

5 comments about Making Out in Korean: Revised Edition (Making Out Books).

1. If you only want to buy one Korean phrasebook, then this isn't the one for you. If you're a beginning student of Korean and want something to flip through, then this book can be useful. It all boils down to Chapter 13 - "Lover's Language". My Korean girlfriend had a lot of fun reading through that chapter, and I was doubled over in laughter due to the suprise of what she was saying--and she knew what she was saying because everything is written in English and Korean (using hangul and two romanization forms). Speaking of hangul, just go ahead and learn it--it's easier than the alphabet, and you may actually be understood when you use the book.



2. This is so far the easiest book I have found to be
   able to translate from Korean to English. It is really not a text type book. I believe it is more
   for just understanding everyday language expressions
   better. If you watch any of the Korean Series you
   can pick up on some of the language a little better.
   
   I do not speak the language at all and
   I find it helpful. Probably a great book to take with
   if you are traveling to Korea. (PLEASE NOTE: This
   book does have word explanations that I don't think
   are suitable for Under Age of 17)



3. When I opened up "Making Out in Korean", I opened up to the pages that told me what to say when getting lucky with a lady. I found a lot of the phrases useful and modern, unlike a lot of other Korean phrase books out there. Of course everyone wants to know how to say, "F*** You!" in a different language, but then again we all need to know how to say "You better use a condom!"
   
   It's a useful tool, but you need to incorporate other tools to fully get a grasp on learning the language. Listening to Pimsleur's Korean CD's will teach you nothing but formal conversational tools, so it's good to always add both levels of respect (while speaking) in your vocab!



4. This book contains so many informal, everyday speech phrases that it is hard to deny it's value. I learned how to say the worst things in Korean (sad but true) from this book. But here's the catch.
   The English transliteration is so off it's not even funny. It's almost unrecognizable. You MUST be able to sound out (at least) or (preferably) read Korean in order to gain anything from this book. My reading skills are moderate so I got a lot, but if you cannot sound it out like it's natural, don't waste your money.
   
   Having said that, if you read Korean - get this book - it's filthy!! +___+



5. I'm learning a bit of spoken Korean with a Korean friend. We've gone over some videos we found online, a formal book which gives the full grammar and written language and a few other things. This is her favorite book we've looked at so far, as it actually gives words and phrases as they are used by real, live Korean people. Other books are awfully formal. Formality is important in Korean culture, but understanding people, and making yourself understood is probably more important. One of the other reviewers is quite correct: there is a lot of bawdy stuff in here. If you're religious, you are likely to be offended. However, there are a lot of us who want to be able to say such things in Korean, and as such, this is a valuable resource. It is decidedly non-proper, and it warns you when it teaches phrases which are not obviously off color (lots of "hey dude" kind of things involve calling the other fellow something fairly rude to most Koreans). This isn't a phrasebook for board meetings: it's a phrasebook for making new friends in Korean bars.
   
   One point against it, which may be just a difficulty with Korean in general: the pronunciation guide is quite messed up. It makes very little sense, and sounds nothing like how Korean people pronounce the words. Probably no big deal if you are doing what I am doing, or if you understand the standard English transliteration of Hangul, but if you're just picking this up casually and hoping to make yourself understood, you'd be better off pointing to the helpful Hangul in the phrasebook than trying to sound the words out by yourself.

5 comments about Oxford Picture Dictionary: English/Korean.

1. The book was delivered in time.
   The quality of the book was very good.



2. I'm very satisfied with the condition of the book and fast delivery. I would like to recommend this book to others.



3. This is a much simpler version of Oxford's other language picture dictionaries, but it is very useful.



4. This book was meant for Koreans learning English but the Korean words are under the English words so you can use it both ways. You might think a picture dictionary is for kids but this one is for grown-ups and is VERY well laid out by category. There are quite a lot of words illustrated including verbs, prepositions and nouns as well as adjectives.



5. I loved the idea of pictures to help learning languages..
   
   However disappointed with the use of many words and chapters....
   
   I feel it should be more "general" and geared for my "useful" korean words.
   
   However, when learning Korean... the options are limited...

5 comments about Integrated Korean: Beginning 2 (Klear Textbooks in Korean Language).

1. If you are reading this you are probably aware that good Korean texts are hard to find. Of the Korean learning materials out there I have sampled including the Korean Through English series, College Korean, FSI Tape set & book, and books published by Korean unversities not available in the US, the Integrated Korean series is by far the best. The Integrated Korean series stays away from using the arcane linguistic terminology of College Korean, avoids the oversimplification of KTE, and presents much more natural Korean usage than the textbooks published by Korean universities(including SNU, Yonsei, and Korea U). The grammatical explanations are great, the vocabulary is useful, and the cultural notes are also interesting and pertinent. Audio files for the dialogues are also available online for free on the U of Hawaii publishing webpage.



2. This book is not very well organized and it comes WITHOUT any audio whatsoever. You can download the audio from the Hawaii website BUT - it's only in real audio format which you can only play on your computer with the real audio program. You can't burn the audio to a cd and then listen to it in your car, for example. Or...you can buy the cd for $195!!

   No integrated audio is the first deadly sin for a language book. Worse, the audio situation with this book is an UNETHICAL attempt to rip you off. The University of Hawaii should be ashamed.




3. My wife has been using this book and been very satisfied. I thought the topics for the chapter were very useful, as were the associated grammar patterns and vocab. We're living in Korea and mingle with a lot of Koreans so we're experiencing how Koreans really talk. There's a very helpful link through the University of Indiana Korean language department that correlates with these textbooks. I don't have time to write an extensive review, but this book has been helpful for us as we strive to learn "real Korean" in Korea.



4. What you learn in this book is no-nonsense useful stuff. That's the main point. Right from book 1 there is no romanization, a big bonus. Romanization keeps you from ever learning Hangul.
   
   [Audio files should have been provided in mp3 format. Converters are available, but the resulting audio quality is bearable, not more.]* The vocabulary is too limited to university student life. Try to find 'job', for instance. It's not there, only 'arbeit', something you do while studying. Many words appear once and never again. A few words are not listed in any of the book's dictionaries. The impression is the editors don't have a firm grip on vocabulary matters.
   
   *[Later addition] Now the publisher lets you download mp3 files. It takes forever, but the difference in sound quality is dramatic. This is really great news!



5. if you can find the audio tracks from web and listen to them, and only read the book when you have listened enough but still cannot understand, it seems work well.