1. Introduction to the Korean language

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Introduction to the Korean Language

Welcome to our e-book course, the Basic Korean Course. This course is designed to help you take your first steps in learning Korean, a fascinating and increasingly relevant language on the global stage. In this introduction, we'll explore the history, structure, and unique features of the Korean language.

Origins and History

The Korean language, known in Korea as 'Hangugeo' or 'Hangul', is the official language of South Korea and North Korea. With roots going back over 2000 years, Korean is a language isolate, meaning it has no direct relationship with other languages. However, throughout history, Korean has been influenced by Chinese, Japanese, and more recently, English.

The modern Korean script, known as Hangul, was developed in the 15th century during the reign of King Sejong. He wanted to create a writing system that was easy to learn and accessible to everyone, in contrast to the Chinese characters that were in use at the time, which required years of study to master.

Korean Language Structure

The Korean language is an agglutinative language, which means that words are formed by combining morphemes, which are the smallest units of meaning. Korean sentence structure is usually subject-object-verb, which can be challenging for speakers of languages ​​like English where the structure is usually subject-verb-object.

Korean has a complex honorific system that reflects hierarchy and respect in Korean society. Depending on who you're talking to, you may have to use different forms of verbs and pronouns. While this may seem intimidating at first, it is an essential part of the Korean language and offers a fascinating insight into Korean culture.

Unique Features of the Korean Language

One of the most distinctive features of Korean is its writing system, Hangul. Unlike Chinese characters or the Latin alphabet, Hangul is a phonetic writing system. Each Hangul block represents a syllable and is composed of at least one consonant and one vowel. This writing system is considered one of the most scientific and efficient in the world.

Another unique feature of the Korean language is its speech-level system. Depending on the degree of intimacy and the difference in social status between the speaker and the listener, different levels of speech are used. This can be challenging for Korean learners, but it is an important part of the language and reflects the importance of hierarchy and respect in Korean society.

In summary, learning Korean is an exciting journey that not only lets you communicate with over 75 million people around the world, but also gives you deep insight into a rich and fascinating culture and society. We hope this course is your first step on that journey, and we look forward to helping you discover the beauty of the Korean language!

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22. Korean alphabet - Hangul