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Nam-Kil Kim, Modern Korean: An Intermediate Reader, Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press, 2000. xi + 398 pages. ISBN: 0-8248-2222-6.

Reviewed by Jaehoon Yeon
SOAS, University of London


[This review first appeared in _Acta Koreana_, 4 (2001): 157-59. _Acta Koreana_ is published by Academia Koreana of Keimyung University.]

Prof. Nam-Kil Kim's Modern Korean -- An Intermediate Reader is a welcome addition to the still small number of Korean language textbooks available in English-speaking countries. While elementary Korean textbooks have been published in considerable numbers recently, the number of Korean intermediate or advanced readers still lag far behind. This book, as the author states, aims to "give the student of modern Korean, sufficient knowledge of a variety of styles and expressions of both written and spoken Korean" (p. vii). As the book was published in 2000, most of its contents and the style of writing are modern, and readers will easily be able to relate them to modern Korean culture and society.

The book consists of 24 lessons and each lesson is divided into 9 different sections, which include main text, dialogues, vocabulary usage (described as 'the usage of new words' in the preface), structural patterns, substitution drill, grammar drill, exercises, Chinese characters, and vocabulary. All lessons start with a main text, on which questions and grammar explanations are based. Chinese characters are introduced only from the second half of the volume.

The main texts are written in an expository or descriptive prose style, and this is sometimes mixed with a conversational style. After each main text, a dialogue is given as a supplement. The content of the dialogue is related to either the content or the topic of the main text. The vocabulary usage section then introduces useful words or expressions selected from the main text. Each vocabulary item is presented with two sample sentences illustrating its usage. The English translation of the sample sentences from lessons 1 to 12 are given at the end of the book. It is not clear, however, why the author did not provide the English translation for lessons 13 to 24, if the English translation section is designed as "an aid to students' self-study." It would have been preferable if an English translation had been provided throughout the book to aid students. A brief structural explanation about the use of a particular expression and examples of pattern sentences are given in the section called structural patterns (munhyeng yensup). The author suggests that the examples of pattern sentences should be memorized by students. Those language teachers who support the recent development of second language acquisition theory, such as the communicative approach or task-based language teaching theory, might not like the author's suggestion of memorizing pattern sentences. I suspect that the author's approach to language teaching may be related to the grammar-oriented or structural pattern-oriented approach. This textbook is developed for use in an intermediate Korean course at the university in English speaking countries, and the reality of the university classroom does not allow us to ignore the importance of structural pattern practice. The author's emphasis on pattern practice is also detected in the section on substitution drills. Some selected patterns are provided in this section to give students a chance to practice using those patterns. The grammar drill section is designed primarily for practicing verb conjugation, verb or noun compound formation, and word derivation. Exercises contain a variety of patterns such as simple questions-and-answers, translation of English to Korean, making up of a dialogue, aural presentations, short compositions, etc. What I like about the English-Korean translation exercises is that the textbook provides Korean patterns, as a clue, which students can then use for their translation work. This should provide students with valuable tools for solving grammar problems. Chinese characters are introduced only from the second half of the text, and approximately 150 characters are introduced in total. At the end of each lesson, new vocabulary are listed to help students in studying each section. Overall, this textbook contains very clear and useful information on grammatical patterns and exercises. Some picky students, however, might make the criticism that the contents of main text are somewhat boring and unchallenging.

Through reading passages in the main texts, students are introduced to the Korean language and customs (lessons 1, 6, 11, 12, 13, 17), folk tales (lessons 7, 15, 21), society (lessons 2, 5, 8, 19, 20), and the people and history of Korea (lessons 3, 4, 14, 22, 23, 24). These are important aspects of learning and understanding Korean, since the cultural and historical background cannot be ignored when learning a foreign language. The vocabulary used in the main texts is explained fully with some example sentences in the vocabulary drill. They are clear, but the explanation and example sentences are somewhat too simple. The same can be said about the grammar explanations and substitution drills.

As each chapter is well-organized and relatively easy to read, the book as a whole was interesting and may be a useful source for improving a student's language skills. This book could certainly be helpful too, if used in the classroom with a teacher. It could also be used as a supplementary textbook for promoting reading skills in intermediate language classes. The English explanations of grammatical patterns, in particular, are detailed and most helpful. This also reflects the author's own interests and specialization in this area. On the other hand, although I have emphasized the importance of traditional culture and historical information in language textbooks, had the main text included more information on modern Korean society and youth culture, it could have been more engaging and interesting to read. Students often find the language textbooks dull. In order to captivate students' interests, the textbook should be as interesting as possible. Some of the exercises presented in the textbook were rather unchallenging as they were heavily based on the main text. Thus, some role-playing scenarios and exercises become repetitive. Furthermore, it is not always easy to give exact and appropriate meaning of the vocabulary from one language to another, and there is no exception in the case of Korean to English. For example, the Korean word 'tayhata' is translated to 'to treat' in the textbook (p. 34), but it is not difficult to see that the usage of 'tayhata' cannot be adquately described by this one word. It would be better if more explanations on the usage of vocabulary were given although, granted, this is no easy task. Lastly, although this is not a contextual comment, I thought that using different fonts of type or diagrams to emphasize some important vocabulary or grammar points might have made the book more effective and easier to follow.

In conclusion, as the author confidently stated in his preface, students can definitely improve reading skills by studying with this book, although I am less convinced about how helpful it will prove to be in enhancing speaking skills. The book should show itself to be most effective when used in the classroom as a teaching aid. Overall, it is a solid and welcome addition to the supply of Korean language textbooks.

 

Citation: Yeon, Jaehoon. 2001
Review of Modern Korean: An Intermediate Reader, by Nam-Kil Kim, (2000)
Korean Studies Review 2001, no. 06
Electronic file: http://koreanstudies.com/ks/ksr/ksr01-06.htm


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