[KS] KSR 2001-06: _Modern Korean: An Intermediate Reader_, by Nam-Kil Kim

[Stephen Epstein]

_Modern Korean: An Intermediate Reader_, by Nam-Kil Kim.  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://www.iic.edu/thelist/review/ksr01-06.htm