Suitable for students of all levels, this book provides a general description of the Korean language by highlighting important structural aspects whilst keeping technical details to a minimum. By examining the Korean language in its geographical, historical, social and cultural context the reader is able to gain a good understanding of its speakers and the environment in which it is used. The book covers a range of topics on Korean including its genetic affiliation, historical development, sound patterns, writing systems, vocabulary, grammar and discourse.
The text is designed to be accessible, primarily to English-speaking learners of Korean and scholars working in disciplines other than linguistics, as well as serving as a useful introduction for general linguists. The book complements Korean language textbooks used in the classroom and will be welcomed not only by readers with a wider interest in Korean studies, but also by Asian specialists in general.
1. Korea: History, Culture and Language 2. Sounds and their Patterns: Phonology 3. Writing Systems: Hankul and Hanca 4. Words and Fixed Expressions: Vocabulary 5. Sentences and their Structure: Grammar 6. Beyond Sentences: Discourse 7. North and South Korea: Language Policy and Planning
Biography
Jae Jung Song teaches linguistics at the University of Otago, New Zealand. He has contributed to international journals including Lingua, Linguistics and Oceanic Linguistics. He is the author of Causatives and Causation (1996) and Linguistic Typology: Morphology and Syntax (2001).
'Song's book is a great addition to the literature of Korean language and linguistics' - Sung-ock Sohn, Acta Koreana, Volume 10 Number 1, 2007
