Learn the top five reasons you should be learning to speak Korean right now
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| Tim: 안녕하세요 여러분 "Hello everyone", This is Tim, your Korean host and I am joined in the studio by…. 두두두두… |
| Debbie: Debbie! Hello everyone! Welcome to our All About series where we teach you all about Korea and the Korean language. This is All About lesson 1, Introduction Lesson: Korean. I will be your English host and I'm here to help you guys along the way. |
| Tim: Hey Debbie, I heard today's lesson is “All About”. So, is this lesson ALL ABOUT ME, All About Tim? |
| Debbie: Haha, no, Tim! This lesson is all about your country, Korea, and your native language, Korean! |
| Tim: Oh, I guess I heard wrong... |
| Debbie: Aw, it's okay Tim! As I mentioned earlier, today’s lesson is “all about Korean”. Personally, I’m really excited about this lesson, because as a Korean-American I want to know more about Korea and the language. How about you, Tim? |
| Tim: All about Korean, huh? Hmm, why are you so excited about this lesson? |
| Debbie: Well... first, Korean is a really unique language in a lot of ways. |
| Tim: A really unique language? |
| Debbie: Yes! It has its unique, independent writing system called, ‘Hangeul’. |
| Tim: Hmm... as a native speaker, I don't know what's so unique about it…Can you tell us more about it? |
| Debbie: I guess it’s difficult to see how it's unique if you’re a native speaker, but did you know that the history of spoken Korean is approximately 2,000 years old? |
| Tim: Wow. That’s really old! I’m a native speaker, but I didn’t even know that at all. All I know about Hangeul is that it was invented by King Se-Jong – 세종대왕. |
| Debbie: That’s right, and we'll learn more about it later! |
| Tim: Well, from what you’ve told me so far, I want to know more about Korean. Sorry that I complained earlier. |
| Debbie: That’s okay, Tim. You might not appreciate your native language because you use it all the time. It’s very common! Well let’s not waste any more time, and start learning more about Korea’s rich history, language and culture. |
| Tim: Yes! Let’s begin - “It’s All About Korean!” |
| Tim: Debbie, do you know which language family Korean belongs to? |
| Debbie: Actually, I know this because I’ve been researching it! Many believe that Korean came from the Altaic language group. |
| Tim: Which means…? |
| Debbie: The Korean language is related to Mongolian, Turkish, and Japanese languages. |
| Tim: I see, but you mentioned earlier that Korean is“unique and different”. |
| Debbie: Yes, and that's true. Even though Korean shares its origin in a language family, it has its own unique and independent writing system called, Hangeul. |
| Tim: Can you tell us more about that? |
| Debbie: Sure! The oldest version of the Korean language that is similar to the current form, is believed to be approximately 2,000 years old. This writing system was invented and made public in 1446 by King Se-Jong, the 4th king of the 조선 ‘Joseon’ dynasty. And, did you know? 한글 ‘Hangeul’ is now considered to be one of the “most scientific writing systems'' in the world that can express the widest range of sounds. |
| Tim: Wow…‘Hangeul’ is “the most scientific writing system”! Koreans must thank King Se-Jong for that. 하하~~ |
| Debbie: That’s right. Tim, do you know how many people speak Korean? |
| Tim: I'm not sure... it must be millions! |
| Debbie: Yes, the number is around 78 million speakers, with most of them in Korea. But, apparently, the number has been steadily increasing worldwide. The population of Korean speakers outside Korea is continuing to grow every year. |
| Tim: Yeah! And that’s why we are here today. |
| Debbie: That's right! |
| [About country of origin] |
| Debbie: Let’s go a little deeper now. |
| Tim: Debbie, have you heard about 고조선? |
| Debbie: Ah, the first kingdom in the Korean peninsula! Yes, I’ve heard about it, but I’m not sure when고조선 was established…Was it 2,500 years ago? 3,000 years ago? |
| Tim: Over 4,000 years ago! |
| Debbie: Over 4,000 years ago? That's incredible! |
| Tim: Isn’t it? |
| Debbie: As for location, Korea is situated between China and Japan, which means it has a lot of ties with those countries. |
| Tim: Right. However, Korea has developed its own unique culture in many ways. |
| Debbie: Such as…? |
| Tim: Well, Korean TV shows, movies, music and many more… |
| Debbie: Ah, that's true, the unique characteristics of Korean culture are reflected in many Korean TV shows and movies. I love watching Korean TV shows! |
| Tim: So do many of our listeners outside Korea. |
| Debbie: By the way Tim, Korea has interacted with different cultures from China, Japan, and many more right? |
| Tim: Yes! |
| Debbie: Then, Korea must be going through an economic boom, right? |
| Tim: Yes. Definitely! Since the 1960s, the Korean economy has grown by over 450 times. |
| Debbie: 450 times! Wow! Makes sense, since I've heard that Korea is well-known for having one of the fastest growing economies in the world. |
| Tim: Yes! |
| Debbie: Okay Tim, what are we going to go over now? |
| Tim: The “Top 5 reasons to study Korean”! |
| Debbie: (흥분과 함께) Sounds good! Why don’t we start with number 5 for suspense? It’ll be like a countdown. |
| Tim: Okay. Good idea. Here’s reason number 5: |
| Debbie: Learning Korean can help you learn Japanese as well, because the Japanese grammar is very similar to the Korean grammar, and what’s more, it also helps when learning Chinese, because some of the Korean words actually came from Chinese characters. |
| Tim: Wow. So learning Korean gives you insight into the world of both Japanese and Chinese too! How about number 4? |
| Debbie: Korean is easy to read and write. You can literally master how to read and write Korean within days. You will be able to know a lot of written words just simply by knowing how to read Korean – ‘Hangeul’. |
| Tim: Yes, it's very easy! |
| Debbie: And it's also very beneficial for many English speakers, because many Korean words existing today actually come from English. |
| Tim: Okay next…what’s number 3? |
| Debbie: Are you interested in Korean celebrities and Korean media such as Korean TV shows, movies, and music? If you are, then learning Korean actually helps you enjoy watching and listening to them. Just imagine this – you will come to understand what your favorite actor or actress is talking about because you have studied Korean. |
| Tim: Yes! I feel that way too, when I watch my favorite movies in English. The same thing could happen to you after learning Korean. Great! How about number 2? |
| Debbie: A lot of Korean companies are expanding and operating overseas nowadays… |
| Tim: Which means…? |
| Debbie: Many of our listeners can find career opportunities using their Korean language skills. |
| Tim: Yes! This will be a great addition to your entire career. |
| And… finally the number one reason you should learn Korean is…두두두 |
| (drum roll sound) |
| Debbie: Korea is a great place to live, travel, and work! |
| Tim: What a great number one reason! |
| Debbie: Yes. As we mentioned earlier, there’s a lot of economic growth in Korea and it is still growing! After learning Korean, your experiences living, traveling and working in Korea will be so much richer. And not only that, but the listeners can enjoy the rich culture and language, the beautiful nature, the convenient facilities of the cities, and all the delicious as well as nutritious Korean dishes in Korea. |
| Tim: and much, much more! |
| Debbie: Yes! |
| Tim: Okay everybody. Are you ready to learn Korean? |
| Debbie: What are you waiting for? Get out your pen and notebook, grab your iPod, fire up your computer, or whatever you use to study Korean. |
| Tim: That's all for this lesson - thanks for listening! 여러분 감사합니다~! |
| Debbie: See you next time! |
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