Comments on: Korean For Dummies http://learn-korean.info/korean-for-dummies/ a blog for learning Korean with ease Sat, 17 Apr 2010 18:39:14 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.1 By: Justin Holley http://learn-korean.info/korean-for-dummies/comment-page-1/#comment-2687 Justin Holley Wed, 27 Jan 2010 00:58:54 +0000 http://learn-korean.info/korean-for-dummies/#comment-2687 I bought the book in an attempt to learn some of the basics of Korean and found the book rather useless. It doesn't provide any of the background, grammar, alphabet, etc and instead dives straight into conversations. It may be more useful for someone who already knows some Korean and just wants to practice speaking. Rating: 1 / 5 I bought the book in an attempt to learn some of the basics of Korean and found the book rather useless. It doesn’t provide any of the background, grammar, alphabet, etc and instead dives straight into conversations. It may be more useful for someone who already knows some Korean and just wants to practice speaking.
Rating: 1 / 5

]]> By: Marcelo Steffen http://learn-korean.info/korean-for-dummies/comment-page-1/#comment-2686 Marcelo Steffen Tue, 26 Jan 2010 23:06:11 +0000 http://learn-korean.info/korean-for-dummies/#comment-2686 My girlfriend is korean as many of my friends, so that's why I decided to look for different ways to learn Korean. <br />As other languages I've learned, you start with the basics, and the korean's basic is the Hangul, or the Korean Alphabet. This books does not have any word in Hangul, so this is the first bad feature of this book. <br />Another basic is some grammatic, which is not one of the features of this book. <br />This book basically goes through several expressions for typical situations. <br />If you want a tool where you can learn some words and expressions, this is your book, but do not count on any methodology to understand etymologies, neither to understand korean in such way you could create your own phrases. Rating: 1 / 5 My girlfriend is korean as many of my friends, so that’s why I decided to look for different ways to learn Korean.

As other languages I’ve learned, you start with the basics, and the korean’s basic is the Hangul, or the Korean Alphabet. This books does not have any word in Hangul, so this is the first bad feature of this book.

Another basic is some grammatic, which is not one of the features of this book.

This book basically goes through several expressions for typical situations.

If you want a tool where you can learn some words and expressions, this is your book, but do not count on any methodology to understand etymologies, neither to understand korean in such way you could create your own phrases.
Rating: 1 / 5

]]> By: Cesar R. Romero Perozo http://learn-korean.info/korean-for-dummies/comment-page-1/#comment-2685 Cesar R. Romero Perozo Tue, 26 Jan 2010 20:19:04 +0000 http://learn-korean.info/korean-for-dummies/#comment-2685 I already speak three languages, so I have an idea of what learning a language is like. At least for me, the way the book is organized is not particularly helpful. It's basically a book written in English and every now and then it introduces a new korean word. Since the words are not necessarily related, then it's a lot harder to learn the vocabulary than if they were. Also, it doesn't say anything about hangul (the writing) so you would have to learn it on your own, and then basically learn how you write all the word you would have learned with the book. The only reason I'm giving it 2 stars is because _maybe_ some people could actually learn with this book, but I won't settle for that. Seriously, Rosetta Stone is like 1000 times better. Rating: 2 / 5 I already speak three languages, so I have an idea of what learning a language is like. At least for me, the way the book is organized is not particularly helpful. It’s basically a book written in English and every now and then it introduces a new korean word. Since the words are not necessarily related, then it’s a lot harder to learn the vocabulary than if they were. Also, it doesn’t say anything about hangul (the writing) so you would have to learn it on your own, and then basically learn how you write all the word you would have learned with the book. The only reason I’m giving it 2 stars is because _maybe_ some people could actually learn with this book, but I won’t settle for that. Seriously, Rosetta Stone is like 1000 times better.
Rating: 2 / 5

]]> By: David L. Carroll http://learn-korean.info/korean-for-dummies/comment-page-1/#comment-2684 David L. Carroll Tue, 26 Jan 2010 19:38:57 +0000 http://learn-korean.info/korean-for-dummies/#comment-2684 Very good primer for anyone wanting to learn how to speak and understand Korean. In fact, the best guide I've been able to find so far (I studied Korean while I was stationed in Korea and bought several books and tapes, but this guide has been more useful than formal classes I attended). Rating: 3 / 5 Very good primer for anyone wanting to learn how to speak and understand Korean. In fact, the best guide I’ve been able to find so far (I studied Korean while I was stationed in Korea and bought several books and tapes, but this guide has been more useful than formal classes I attended).
Rating: 3 / 5

]]> By: Richard L. Fuller http://learn-korean.info/korean-for-dummies/comment-page-1/#comment-2683 Richard L. Fuller Tue, 26 Jan 2010 18:20:27 +0000 http://learn-korean.info/korean-for-dummies/#comment-2683 Korean for Dummies is a hybrid cross between a phrase/culture book and a Korean textbook. I can see why the book receives both 5-star and 1-star reviews. If you are a complete novice, this book gives you the basic phrases and enables you to hear the language on the accompanying CD. For the academic study of Korean, this is NOT a good supporting textbook. As the introduction states, "Each chapter is organized so that you can look up and say a little something in the many situations that you may encounter while shopping, traveling, eating, and so on." <br /> <br />The book is organized like other dummy books, in digestible-sized portions by situation. The details and the fact that it is in roman letters (instead of the native Hangul script) means an English speaker can use an alphabet they already know and get close enough in pronouncing the words to make sense, but not so close that they sound native. <br /> <br />If I wanted to learn a little Korean for a trip, I would read this book a few times, listen to the CD while driving around, then travel with a smaller phrasebook. If I really wanted to study and learn Korean, I would go with a full language course (Berlitz, Living Language, or Rosetta Stone), or take a formal college course. <br /> Rating: 3 / 5 Korean for Dummies is a hybrid cross between a phrase/culture book and a Korean textbook. I can see why the book receives both 5-star and 1-star reviews. If you are a complete novice, this book gives you the basic phrases and enables you to hear the language on the accompanying CD. For the academic study of Korean, this is NOT a good supporting textbook. As the introduction states, “Each chapter is organized so that you can look up and say a little something in the many situations that you may encounter while shopping, traveling, eating, and so on.”

The book is organized like other dummy books, in digestible-sized portions by situation. The details and the fact that it is in roman letters (instead of the native Hangul script) means an English speaker can use an alphabet they already know and get close enough in pronouncing the words to make sense, but not so close that they sound native.

If I wanted to learn a little Korean for a trip, I would read this book a few times, listen to the CD while driving around, then travel with a smaller phrasebook. If I really wanted to study and learn Korean, I would go with a full language course (Berlitz, Living Language, or Rosetta Stone), or take a formal college course.

Rating: 3 / 5

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