Teach English in LuozhuAngzi Zhen - Tianjin

Problems for learners in KoreaLearning a second language can be a difficult thing. One of the problems facing a learner is the differences between their native tongue and the language being studied. In my career I have worked with many Korean people studying english. During my exchanges with them I have come to notice some areas that seem to pose problems to their learning. In this paper I will explore the differences between english and Korean and the problems they create. The sounds that form the bases of any language and it alphabet are not universal. Not every language possesses the same sets of sounds or even uses them in a similar manner. The Korean alphabet is called hangul. It was introduced in the 15th century by King Sejong to replace the existing chinese script (called hanja), which few Koreans could read. Hangul consists of 14 simple consonants and 6 simple vowels. Hangul can be written horizontally or vertically, with the horizontal, Latin style much more favored. Koreans are exposed in their daily lives to the Latin script and therefore have no particular difficulties with the english writing system. The problem facing Korean students of english is the reproductions of consonants in individual words. The most significant of these are the /?/ and /ð/ sounds in words such as then, thirteen and clothes, the /v/ sound, which is produced as a /b/, and the /f/ sound which leads, for example, to phone being pronounced pone. The differences between Korean and english are not limited to the alphabet. They are also different in their rules of grammar. In Korean the verb information such as tense, mood and the social relation between speaker and listener is added successively to the end of the verb. This is in contrast with english which makes extensive use of auxiliaries to convey meaning. This causes Korean students some difficulty accurately producing english verb phrases. Another point of grammatical difference between english and Korean is that in Korean verbs are not conjugated using agreements with the verb. This is a possible reason why it takes some learners so long to remember the -s ending in english in the third person singular present simple tense. Reference to the past in Korean is most often accomplished through a single past tense. This causes Korean learners some difficulty when choosing the correct english tense from the several possibilities. Another area of difference is that Korean grammar is heavily influenced by honorifics. Verb endings and choice of nouns, adjectives or pronouns depend on the relative status of the speaker or writer to the listener or reader. Honorifics do not play a major part in the english language, which can make english much easier for Korean to learn than vice versa. It may result, however, in the Korean learner struggling to convey the appropriate amount of deference or assertiveness in his or her dealings with others in english. There are other areas of difference between Korean and english. In the area of phonology, word stress is insignificant in Korean. This is the complete opposite of english. This can cause Korean speakers of english to have a ?flat? quality to their speech. Plus grammatical categories in Korean have no clear relation to those in english. This causes Korean students of english to use a noun or adjective where they should have an adjective or a noun. Also articles do not exist in Korean. Learners have significant and persistent problem with articles in english.