Spoken World: Korean- A Complete Course for Beginners (Living Language) Review

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Spoken World: Korean- A Complete Course for Beginners (Living Language) ReviewIt used to be that anyone learning Korean had to go on a treasure hunt to find learning materials. Now that Korea is emerging as a global economic player, learners of Korean are in the enviable position of having too many language learning choices.
Living Language products are sold as no-gimmick learning materials. There are no tricks, no cuteness, just you and the language. The new World Languages series features a fairly thin book and a set of six CDs.
First, the good. The CDs are excellent. The Korean speakers are clearly understandable and they speak at a pace that is easy for a non-native to follow but not so slow that they sound odd. Three of the CDs are meant to be used with the book, the other three are meant as refreshers that can be used without the book.
The book teaches the Korean script (Hangeul) immediately. This alone sets it apart from many of the major Korean language releases. Learning the Korean alphabet is easy and essential to full fluency. The first few lessons have Romanization but it disappears later in the book.
There is good emphasis on casual speech, a topic notably lacking is most Korean learning material. Most books confine themselves to -imnida and -saeyo endings. This book teaches casual speech fairly early, an excellent move. After all, making friends is an important part of language learning and who wants to talk to their friends the same way they would talk to their boss or grandmother?
The exercises are also good. The suggestion of starting a journal in Korean is a wonderful idea and has helped me greatly. Admittedly, my journal does not make for very gripping reading (mostly concerned with work, weather and what I bought today) due to a limited vocabulary, but it gives great practice in actually using Korean. And your beginner's mistakes will be a fun thing to laugh about with your Korean speaking friends once you become fluent.
Now for the not so good. The book is very light on the grammar. Irregular verbs are skimmed over and conjugation is not as well covered as I would have liked. I found myself constantly referring back to my other two Korean books, Beginner's Korean (Hippocrene Beginner's Series) and Elementary Korean (Tuttle Language Library) to find answers to very basic questions.
The vocabulary section is anemic. You are asked to make a Korean journal but they don't include the word for journal? Hmm.
So, it it worth the money? It depends on your finances. If you are on a budget, I would recommend one of the two books mentioned earlier. They are both good as stand-alone textbooks. If you have the money to spend, the recordings are well worth the price of the set. The culture notes included in the book are also good. It will make a worthy addition to your Korean language bookshelf and will supplement your other material.
I would NOT recommend purchasing this set as your lone Korean language learning material. The grammar and vocabulary sections are just too thin to be of much help to a beginner.
Spoken World: Korean- A Complete Course for Beginners (Living Language) OverviewThis simple and effective introduction to Korean will teach you everything you need to speak, understand, read, and write in Korean.This program assumes no background in the language, and it explains each new concept clearly with plenty of examples, making it ideal for beginners or anyone who wants a thorough review.Living Language Korean includes:·A course book and six audio CDs·Two unique sets of recordings, one for use with the book, and a second for use anywhere to review and reinforce·Natural dialogues, clear grammar notes, vocabulary building, and key expressions·Plenty of practice, both written and recorded·Notes on culture, cuisine, history, geography, and more·Real life "discovery" activities and internet resources·An extensive two-way glossary

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