Name: Lee Soo Jin

Title: Glimpse of Korean Language

Specific purpose: To inform the audience about Korean language from its origin, alphabet and
basic words.
Thesis statement: I will talk/ discuss 1. Origin of Korean language from its history and family,
2. Korean Alphabet, and 3. Basic Korean words.

I. Introduction

The informative speech will start with a Korean dance and sing number taken from
Girls Generation (So Nyeo Shi Dae) entitled, “Run Devil Run.” The purpose of it is
to encourage the audience in learning the language. Hearing a Korean song can make
them more interested in the topic, also, they will be entertained.

Do you want to learn Korean? Are you a K-Pop lover? D you want to become a
polyglot? Friends, I tell you, now is the right time to learn.

안녕하세요. 어떻게 지내? 나는 선생님 Soo Jin 입니다. 오늘은 우리의 첫번째
한국어 수업입니다. Did you understand me? Well, I had just spoke Korean and
here is the meaning of it, “Hello. How are you? I am teacher Soo Jin. Today is our
first Korean class. ”

II. Body

I. Origin

A. History

The Korean language is spoken by more than 70 million people, primarily

in North and South Korea.
 The Korean alphabet was invented in 1444 by King Sejong of Joseun
dynasty. The alphabet was originally called Humin jeongeum or “The correct
sounds for the instruction of the people,” but has also been known as
Eonmeun (vulgar script), and Gukmeun (national writing). The modern name
was coined by a linguist called Ju Si-Gyeong. In North Korea, the alphabet is
known as 초선 글 (joseon geul).

During the 19th and 20th centuries a mixed writing system combining
Chinese characters (Hanja) and Hangul became increasingly popular.

B. Family

The relationship between Korean and other languages is not known though
some linguists believe it to be a member of the Altaic family languages.
Grammatically Korean is very similar to Japanese and about 70% of its
vocabulary comes from Chinese.

II. Korean Alphabet

Most English speakers think Korean has thousands of characters, like
Chinese, but it actually has a very simple and logical alphabet, which you can
learn in a few minutes. There are 14 basic consonants and 10 basic vowels
which are all phonetic. Letters that have similar sounds also have similar
shapes.
The first step in learning Korean is to learn Hangul. Hangul is the name of
the Korean alphabet.
Now, let’s learn the proper way of pronouncing the alphabet. Remember,
the sounds of some consonants change depending on whether they appear at
the beginning, in the middle, or at the end of a syllable.
 Silent
in
initial
positio ng

III. Basic Korean Phrases

Who wants to go to Korea? Well, here are some handy words that you
need to know. First, I will syllabicate it. Second, I will read it just the way
Koreans do and for the third time, kindly read it with me.

English Hangul Pronunciation

Hi! 안녕 하세요. An-nyŏng haseyo.
Yes. 네. Ne.
No. 아니요. Aniyo.
Welcome (to greet 환영합니다. Hwan-yeong-ham-ni-da.
someone)
Thank you! 감사합니다! Kam-sa-ham-ni-da!
Hey! Friend! 야! 친구! Ya! Ch'in-gu! (informal)
My name is _________. 저는 ____임니다. Chŏ-nŭn_____imnida.
See you later! 나중에 봬요! Na-jung-e bwae-yo!
Good bye! 안녕히 가세요! An-nyŏng-hi ga-se-yo!
IV. Conclusion
Korean language is easy to learn you only need patience and
determination. Now that you already know the origin of Korean language, its
alphabet and some basic words, perhaps, you’re already interested in Korean
culture just the way I do. Thank you. 감사함니다.
Bibliography:
Simon Ager (2011). Retrieved from http://www.omniglot.com/writing/korean.htm on February
26, 2011
Retrieved from University of Wisconsin-Madison (Department of East Asian Languages and
Literature) (http://learningkorean.com/lesson/kclassindex.asp) on February 26, 2011
_________. Retrieved from http://thinkzone.wlonk.com/Language on February 26, 2011
_________. Retrieved from http://www.koreanclass101.com/ on February 26. 2011
_________. Retrieved from http://www.zkorean.com/hangul on February 28. 2011
_________. Retrieved from http://www.koreandictionary.net on February 28, 2011