Korean

by Jaehoon Yeon, Lucien Brown

A Comprehensive Grammar is a complete reference guide to Korean grammar. It presents a thorough yet accessible overview of the language, concentrating on the real patterns of use in modern Korean. The book moves from the alphabet and pronunciation through morphology and word classes to a detailed analysis of sentence structures and semantic features such as aspect, tense, speech styles and negation. Avoiding complex grammatical terminology, the Grammar provides practical information regarding how these grammatical patterns are used in real-world conversation. Through the provision of realistic and lively examples, the book presents readers with Korean grammatical patterns in context. An extensive index and numbered sections provide readers with easy access to the information they require. Features detailed treatment of the common grammatical structures and parts of speech clear, jargon-free explanations extensive and wide-ranging use of examples particular attention to areas of confusion and difficulty Korean-English parallels highlighted throughout. The depth and range of A Comprehensive Grammar makes it an essential reference source for the learner and user of Korean irrespective of level. For the beginner, the book offers clear explanations of essential basic grammar points while for the more advanced learner it provides detailed descriptions of less frequent grammatical patterns. Jaehoon Yeon is Reader in Korean and Chair of the Centre for Korean Studies at SOAS, University of London. Lucien Brown is a Research Fellow in the Centre of Korean studies at SOAS, The University of London.

Genres: Language, Nonfiction

496 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2011

Reviews

[Richard · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great resource, covers many aspects of the Korean language.

[Kuu]

i am so sad that i am done with this i want more grammar

[Jascha · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the first Korean grammar I read, so that I don't have anything to compare this with.

It's a good book. I cannot tell if it is missing anything, but the topics covered are well presented, with plenty of examples and a lot of emphasis on honorifics.

A couple of somehow negative notes: examples are, from the very beginning, complex. Which is good, because you are presented with real sentences. On the other hand, it can be hard for a beginner to isolate the important parts.

Second point is that maybe topics are covered too deeply. As a beginner, probably learning the polite (존댓말) and intimate (반말) forms of verbs is more than enough to start with. The quantity of information is, sometimes, overwhelming.