Korean Language or Hangul
is spoken by an estimated 75 million people or more, not only in North and South Korea but also in parts of China, Japan, Soviet Union, United States and even the rest of the world. The basics of the this Language are similar to the South East Asian languages in that you write from the right to the left and from the top to the bottom but it is considered that Korean is much simpler to learn.
There are two principal formats for written Korean which is Hanchu and Hangul. The best way to learn writing in Korean is to get familiar and understand Hanja first, which is really a supplementary language that is perfect for understanding phrases and idioms. This is especially useful for people who read a lot since most of the Korean newspapers uses this language.
Linguistic have categorized the Korean language in the Altaic language family which includes the Turkic, the Mongolic and the Tungus-Manchu languages.
King Sejong the Great commissioned and helped create the Korean alphabet Hangeul during the 15th century. Before developing this writing system, King Sejong studied several different writing methodology before he and the Joseon scholars settled with one that was based more on phonology and followed a theory that divided each syllable into initial, medial and final phonemes.
Hangul which consisted of 10 vowels and 14 consonants can now be combined to form numerous syllabic groupings. There are now 6 primary regional dialects that are spoken by men and women in Korea. Each and every single one is intelligible with the other, meaning that people now have no trouble communicating and understanding one another. It is a simple yet systematic and comprehensive.
Hanguel is easy to learn and write and this has greatly contributed to Korea's high literacy rate. The only exception is probably those residing in Jeju Island. Two of the principal boundaries that restrict the use of a dialect will be mountains and seas but mostly you will find that the country's dialects have been mixed and intermingled.
So, why learn the Korean Language?
More and more people are interested to learn the Korean language. Why? Well, apart from the growing popularity of the Korean TV dramas, movies and the kpop buzz, it is very convenient if you know how to speak the language should you decide to travel for either business, work, vacation or even for the bargaining and haggling power when you shop!
One cannot discount the economy in Korea especially when it ranks eleventh in the world economy and third in Asia. This means that if you know how to speak the language on top of your skill, you will have that extra edge that is needed for you to rise above all other competition in the market.
Knowing the Language will also help you enjoy the beautiful country of South Korea and understand more of its history, culture and people. With all these in mind, it is best to to be prepared and give yourself the challenge of getting to know Korea more by learning the Korean Language now!
