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Highly recommend book for Korean ?

  Tags: Korean | Book
 Language Learning Forum : Language Programs, Books & Tapes Post Reply
16 messages over 2 pages: 1 2  Next >>
Everything
Diglot
Groupie
France
Joined 4481 days ago

87 posts - 167 votes 
Speaks: French*, English
Studies: Spanish

 
 Message 1 of 16
10 February 2012 at 1:14pm | IP Logged 
Hi :)

I'm learning Korean and I wonder what is the most recommend book (with audio CDs) for a
beginner. I'm a big fan of Assimil but some people told me that the Korean one is poor.
So anyway, here is some books, just tell me what you think about them :

- Korean Made Easy
- Survival Korean
- Barron's Mastering Korean
- Colloquial Korean
- Teach Yourself Korean
- Korean Essential vocabulary for beginners
- Active Korean
- Making out with Korean
- Elementary Korean
- Korean Grammar is use

One of them look like Assimil ?
(without romanization)

Thanks.
2 persons have voted this message useful



이희선
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Australia
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56 posts - 97 votes 
Speaks: English*
Studies: Russian

 
 Message 2 of 16
10 February 2012 at 1:50pm | IP Logged 
I don't think any of these books are really like Assimil.

If you are truly a beginner, and these books are what is available to you, I would probably look into:

Korean Made Easy (Published by Darakwon right?) OR Survival Korean (if its the one by Stephen Revere) OR Active
Korean, or even Elementary Korean as they are written more for the self-study method. Just need one, not all of
them.

Never heard of Barron's Mastering Korean or looked at the Colloquial Korean but who knows, they could be good.

The old version of Teach Yourself Korean was rubbish because it didn't handle the Hangeul/Romanisation well at
all. They may have changed it in the updated version.

Not sure what book you are referring to when you say Korean Essential Vocabulary for Beginners.

Making out in Korean is A) Slang B) Doesn't seem to have a CD and C) Might get you slapped if you speak to
Korean speakers using only stuff you learned from that book.

Korean Grammar in Use is good but is more of a grammar reference than a self-study book. Has an audio CD of
sentences but there aren't any conversations. Comes in two levels - Beginner (yellow color) and Intermediate
(green color)

(edited for a grammar error, doh!)


Edited by 이희선 on 10 February 2012 at 2:00pm

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GREGORG4000
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Senior Member
United States
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307 posts - 479 votes 
Speaks: English*, Finnish
Studies: Japanese, Korean, Amharic, French

 
 Message 3 of 16
10 February 2012 at 5:48pm | IP Logged 
College Korean and Intermediate College Korean have adequate recorded dialogues and lists of vocabulary. The Speaking Korean books are also pretty good.
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Everything
Diglot
Groupie
France
Joined 4481 days ago

87 posts - 167 votes 
Speaks: French*, English
Studies: Spanish

 
 Message 4 of 16
11 February 2012 at 11:00am | IP Logged 
Thanks :)

Quote:
Not sure what book you are referring to when you say Korean Essential Vocabulary
for Beginners.


My mistake, it's Korean Essential Vocabulary for Foreigners :
http://www.hanbooks.com/koesvo60forf.html

Quote:
Never heard of Barron's Mastering Korean or looked at the Colloquial Korean but
who knows, they could be good.

Somebody told me Barron's Mastering Korean was a renewed version of FSI.

Quote:
Korean Made Easy (Published by Darakwon right?) OR Survival Korean (if its the
one by Stephen Revere) OR Active
Korean, or even Elementary Korean as they are written more for the self-study method.
Just need one, not all of
them.


Thanks. Do you know where can I see some samples of these books, I would like to know
how it looks like. I mean, not just the cover.


1 person has voted this message useful



liddytime
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Senior Member
United States
mainlymagyar.wordpre
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693 posts - 1328 votes 
Speaks: English*, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, Galician
Studies: Hungarian, Vietnamese, Modern Hebrew, Norwegian, Persian, Arabic (Written)

 
 Message 5 of 16
11 February 2012 at 4:48pm | IP Logged 
Everything wrote:
Thanks :)

Quote:
Never heard of Barron's Mastering Korean or looked at the Colloquial Korean but
who knows, they could be good.

Somebody told me Barron's Mastering Korean was a renewed version of FSI.


[/QUOTE]

Not renewed. It is exactly the same FSI course that you can get free online. It is worse actually because the book
is shrunk down by about 40% from the original.

People bash FSI Korean, but I actually like it in combination with other methods. It is a huge brain workout if you
can get past the poor audio and the male speaker's frightening voice. (he sounds like he is yelling at you like a
drill sergeant!) What do you want for free though??

Living Language Korean is "OK" as is Pimsleur. I use the 3 of these in combo with stuff on the web and it seems
to be going alright.

I don't think the Korean Assimil is bad at all. Especially if you speak French. Use it in combination with some of
the other methods and it should be fine.

Even better yet!   Help translate it into English for the rest of us!!! Hint Hint...... ( kidding, there is no way the
Assimil lawyers would allow that to happen :-( ...)

Edited by liddytime on 11 February 2012 at 4:51pm

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Everything
Diglot
Groupie
France
Joined 4481 days ago

87 posts - 167 votes 
Speaks: French*, English
Studies: Spanish

 
 Message 6 of 16
11 February 2012 at 6:37pm | IP Logged 
I'm trying to download the Korean Made Easy MP3 at
http://www.darakwon.co.kr/koreanbo
oks/main.html
but it doesn't work (get a pop-up that doesn't show anything).
Anybody know how to find it ?

Thanks for telling me about Barron's Mastering Korean. Good to know.

Yeah, first time I hear someone say nice things about Assimil. My English is not good
enough to be able to translate from French to English anyway. Lucky Assimil :°

I have a sample of Assimil Coréen in front of me. The French translations sound weird
but it does not look that bad. What about the new version available ?
I think I'll buy it anyway.

Edited by Everything on 11 February 2012 at 6:54pm

1 person has voted this message useful



liddytime
Pentaglot
Senior Member
United States
mainlymagyar.wordpre
Joined 6009 days ago

693 posts - 1328 votes 
Speaks: English*, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, Galician
Studies: Hungarian, Vietnamese, Modern Hebrew, Norwegian, Persian, Arabic (Written)

 
 Message 7 of 16
11 February 2012 at 10:56pm | IP Logged 
Everything wrote:
I'm trying to download the Korean Made Easy MP3 at
http://www.darakwon.co.kr/koreanbo
oks/main.html
but it doesn't work (get a pop-up that doesn't show anything).
Anybody know how to find it ?.


Hmmmmm...
Yeah, I couldn't get it to work either.....bummer...
1 person has voted this message useful



Everything
Diglot
Groupie
France
Joined 4481 days ago

87 posts - 167 votes 
Speaks: French*, English
Studies: Spanish

 
 Message 8 of 16
13 February 2012 at 9:03am | IP Logged 
Quote:
Hmmmmm...
Yeah, I couldn't get it to work either.....bummer...


Here is the solution : contact dongho2@darakwon.co.kr. The guy will send you the
MP3 files by email. It worked for me :)


1 person has voted this message useful



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