Korean for Dummies by Wang. Jungwook.; Lee Hong Read Free Book Online

examples: 05_037188-ch01.qxp 6/24/08 11:06 PM Page 15

Chapter 1: Getting Down the Basics
15
    chong ( chong; gun)
    jeojjok ( juh-jjok; over there)
    jjok-jii ( jjok-jee; memo)
    kkeut ( kkeud; end)
    kkot ( kkot; flower)
    kong ( kong; bean)
    pal ( pal; arm)
    ppalli ( ppal-li; fast)
    ppang ( ppang; bread)
    tang ( tang; bang)
    ttang ( ttang; ground)
    tteok ( tteog; rice cake)
    Telling the difference between s and ss
    Again, the name of the game in pronouncing the s and ss sounds is airflow.
    However, the defining characteristic of these two sounds is that they involve hissing sounds when they are produced, hence their name ‘sibilant.’ The ss sound involves more friction of airflow compared to the s sound. The s sound in the words sound and cinema is like the Korean ss sound. Try saying the words ssal (ss al; rice) and ssada ( ssa - da : cheap) .
    On the other hand, the Korean s sound is closer to an English z sound compared to the ss sound. But, s is quite different from z in English in that the former is voiceless and the latter voiced. Try saying zada first, but then say the z sound imagining that you’ve lost your voice. You should have an s sound that is significantly softer, and also longer, than what you are used to.
    If you have trouble differentiating the two, try pronouncing the s sound twice as long as you would the ss sound. Try these examples:
    ssal ( ss-al; rice), sal ( sal; skin)
    ssada ( ssa-da; cheap), sada ( sa-da; buy) One more thing to know about the s and the ss sound is that when they are combined with an i sound, as si and ssi, they are read shi and sshi , as in these examples: ssi ( sshi; Mr., Mrs., Miss), si ( shi; poem) 05_037188-ch01.qxp 6/24/08 11:06 PM Page 16

Part I: Getting Started
16
    Pronouncing the Korean r,l sound
    If you gullida ( gool-lee-da; roll) your hyeo ( hyuh; tongue) across the cheonjang ( chun-jang; roof) of your mouth, you should notice a flat hard part near the teeth and a ridge where you should notice an incline. When you say d as in day and dog, or l as in lamb and log, your tongue stays on the hard part near your i ( ee; teeth). In the case of l in English, the tip of your tongue touches the alveolar ridge, but when you pronounce an r sound as in run and rock, the tip of your tongue stays behind the ridge on the roof of your mouth, somewhere on the incline.
    The key to pronouncing the Korean r,l sound is to keep only the tip of your tongue on the ridge between the r and l sounds. If you have trouble pronouncing the r,l sound, just think of it as the l sound pronounced by putting the tip of your tongue on the ridge that I was talking about earlier. Try these examples.
    chitsol ( chi - ssol; toothbrush)
    hangari ( hang-a-ree; jar, pot)
    nara ( na-ra; country)
    pal ( pal; arm)
    ramyun ( ra - myun; instant noodles)
    uri ( oo-ree; us, we)
    Muting consonants at the end of a syllable
    When Korean syllables or daneo ( da-nuh; words) end in a g or a d sound, Koreans will mute the g or d sound. More specifically speaking, syllable-final g and d are unreleased sounds. When pronouncing these sounds, the airflow is closed very rapidly. Koreans do this by not letting as much air rush out of their mouths as they would when they would pronounce a g or a d sound at the beginning of a syllable. As isanghan ( ee - sanghan; strange) as this may sound, even English speakers do this when they say the d in good morning.
    For practice, try these examples ( kkeut should sound a lot like good ): kkeut ( kkeud; end)
    chitsol ( chi-ssol; toothbrush)
    chaek ( chaeg; book)
    yok-jo ( yog-jo; bathtub)
    05_037188-ch01.qxp 6/24/08 11:06 PM Page 17

Chapter 1: Getting Down the Basics
17
    hyu-sik ( hyu-sheeg; rest)
    jeojjok ( juh-jjog; over there)
    ttokttok ( ttog-ttog; knock knock)
    badak ( ba-dag; floor)
    Sounding Fluent
    Once you have a grasp of the basic Korean sori ( so-ree; sounds), mimicking the intonation, and cadence of a Korean speaker should take just a jogeum ( jo - geum; little) more work. But this