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--></style><title>KSR 2004-05: _Korean Composition_, by Pong Ja
Paik, J</title></head><body>
<div><i>Korean Composition</i> by Pong Ja Paik, Ji Young Kwak, and Ji
Hyoun Choi, 2002. Honolulu: University of Hawai'i Press. 334 pages.
(ISBN 0-8248-2477-6).</div>
<div><br></div>
<div>Reviewed by Gerard Krzic</div>
<div>Ohio University</div>
<div>krzic@ohio.edu</div>
<div><br></div>
<div><i>Korean Composition</i>, by Pong Ja Paik, Ji Young Kwak, and Ji
Hyoun Choi, is a welcome addition to the growing collection of Korean
as a Second Language (KSL) textbooks. The text is advertised as the
"first book in English for students of Korean language aimed not
only at enhancing their writing skills and overall linguistic
competence, but also at organizing and developing their ideas and
thoughts with grammatically, stylistically, and culturally correct
expressions." The authors are true to their intent:<i> Korean
Composition</i> is a fine textbook designed to develop the writing
skills of KSL learners across a variety of genres.</div>
<div><br></div>
<div>The text was written under the auspices of the Korean Language
and Education Center (KLEAR) as part of the KLEAR textbook series.
Prior to publication, the text was field-tested in KSL classes at the
University of Hawaii, and based on student feedback, was revised to
include English translations of the model writings and table of
contents. Members of KLEAR further refined the chapters by adding new
grammatical patterns and a Korean-English glossary.</div>
<div><br></div>
<div><i>Korean Composition</i> is intended for college-level students
who have completed at least beginning and intermediate levels of
Korean or approximately five hundred hours of instruction. For
students who are using the KLEAR Integrated Korean series, this text
is recommended for those who have completed Advanced Intermediate 2.
The text is based on the "Guided Writing" method of
instruction, a methodology that provides students with ample structure
to develop and organize their ideas in a coherent, culturally
appropriate manner.</div>
<div><br></div>
<div>The text is divided into two sections: "Essential
Composition" (<i>gibon jangmun</i>)[1] and "Advanced
Composition" (<i>gogeup jangmun</i>). The five chapters in
the Essential Composition section help students learn to write essays,
diaries, letters, documents (including memoranda, invitations, cards
and envelopes, and resumes), and expository writing about topics such
as recreation, hobbies, and customs. The advanced section
consists of five chapters to help students write descriptive
compositions (impressions of literature, film and travel), poetry,
newspaper articles, academic writing, and summaries. Two other
sections at the end of the text include "Steps of Composition"
and "Styles of Writing" (<i>jangmunui gwajeong</i> and<i>
pyohyeon bangbeop</i>). Appendices include English translations of the
model texts. In total, there are forty units in the book.</div>
<div><br></div>
<div>The general structure of each unit in the chapters includes the
following format. First, students are provided with a brief
introduction on "How To Write" the specific genre (e.g.,
diaries, letters, articles, etc.). Then, each unit begins with a list
of approximately forty words, phrases, and idiomatic expressions to
help students generate vocabulary and ideas to incorporate in their
written work. The next two sections include useful grammar patterns
and a practice component with guided question prompts, pictures,
graphs, and paragraph completion exercises.</div>
<div><br></div>
<div>The above exercises are arranged in "ascending order of
difficulty." The introductory exercises are designed to
prepare the students for their writing task through a dialogue with
the instructor. The grammatical suggestions and question prompts
are provided to help students draft their paragraphs. The final
step is for students to compose a complete creative piece of
writing.</div>
<div><br></div>
<div>The content of the text is exemplified in Chapter One, Unit Four
titled "Misunderstanding." At the beginning of the
chapter, the students learn that the rhetorical pattern of written
Korean follows a structure termed "<i>kiseungjeongyeol</i>"
(i.e., introduce an issue, elaborate it, turn it in a decisive
direction, offer a conclusion)[2]. Then, in the unit vocabulary,
the learner is introduced to approximately forty lexical items such as
"<i>pyeonggyeon</i>" (bias), "<i>geobukhada</i>"
(to be awkward), and "<i>chunggo</i>" (advice). Three
sample grammatical structures (i.e., must: " -<i> dorok
hada</i>"; pretended: -<i>neun/(eu)n cheokhada</i>" ;
almost: "-<i>(eu)l bbeonhada</i>") with examples follow.
This grammatical preparation is followed by a "practice"
section with a series of questions in Korean to guide the writer:
1) Have you ever misunderstood another person? 2) Why did you
misunderstand that person? 3) How did you resolve that
misunderstanding? Etc. Based on this practice, students
begin their first writing task: narrating a personal experience
involving a misunderstanding. The next writing task is an analysis of
a dialogue illustrating a cultural misunderstanding between a Korean
and an international student who has been asked too many personal
questions in a Korean social setting. Finally, the teacher can exploit
either a series of pictures depicting a cultural scene on a bus in
Korea or a model composition to elicit an essay about cross-cultural
misunderstandings.</div>
<div><br></div>
<div> As with all texts for the second language classrooms,<i>
Korean Composition</i> may require modifications by the instructor to
meet the needs and interests of specific learners. For example, some
instructors might find the text overly ambitious with too many genres
of written work, too repetitive in format, and too bland in graphic
presentation. However, these elements can be easily adjusted by
selecting the appropriate units for the students, designing additional
in-class activities (e.g., dicto-comp: composition by dictation) and
supplementing with other material (e.g., from the internet, colorful
brochures) to retain the interests of the young adult learners.</div>
<div><br></div>
<div>Unquestionably, the authors of<i> Korean Composition</i> have
filled a great shortcoming in the KSL literature by providing a
useful, comprehensive text for improving students' Korean writing
skills and awareness of Korean rhetorical patterns. The latter is
perhaps the greatest strength of the text, as students will learn to
develop a "schema" for writing in rhetorical styles that are
culturally and socially appropriate for the Korean context rather than
relying on mental models or translations from their native cultures
and languages. In addition, the range of genres and topics
allows students to engage in social, personal, literary, and academic
writing tasks. Through the use of the guided writing approach,
students are given suitable direction for completing structured
writing tasks while at the same time gaining the confidence to engage
in more creative work. In conclusion,<i> Korean Composition</i> is an
excellent text that should in the library of every KSL teacher and in
the hands of every KSL learner.</div>
<div><br></div>
<div>[1] I've chosen here to use the new Korean government system for
Romanization (except in the case of authors' names).</div>
<div><br></div>
<div>[2] A similar structure for Chinese and Japanese written
discourse is described in J. Hinds (1990), "Inductive,
deductive, quasi-inductive: Expository writing in Japanese, Korean,
Chinese and Thai" in U. Connor & A. M. Johns (Eds.),<i>
Coherence in writing: Research and pedagogical perspectives</i> (pp.
87-110)<i>.</i> Alexandria, VA: TESOL.</div>
<div><font color="#000000"><br></font></div>
<div><font color="#000000">Citation:</font></div>
<div><font color="#000000">Krzic, Gerard 2004</font></div>
<div><font color="#000000">_Korean Composition_, </font> by Pong
Ja Paik, Ji Young Kwak, and Ji Hyoun Choi<font
color="#000000">,<b> </b> (2002)</font></div>
<div><font color="#000000">_Korean Studies Review_ 2004, no. 05<br>
Electronic file: http://koreaweb.ws/ks/ksr/ksr04-05.htm</font></div>
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