I am really improving my reading Korean. I don't know whether it's just an illusion or not. But I am reading fairytales - Andersen, Perrault, Grimm and so on and I am understanding quite a lot. Of course I have the English translations. But I still think I am improving my understanding of Korean grammar especially grammar of prose.
I am not picking up that much new vocabulary however. But the vocabulary I have learned by doing a little study has helped considerably. I am applying the grammar rules that I have learned from Korean Grammar in Use to the understanding of the Korean sentences in these books.
Jack and the Beanstalk was really understandable - the comic I mean which had mostly dialog.
The fairytales are very good because there is a mixture of dialog and prose.
If I continue reading lots and lots of books, not trying to get bogged down in the difficult parts overly, I think my progress will continue.
I think the key is to read short stories and short comics with the English translations. With the comics I am picking up useful expressions. I won't be able to use them in speaking but I will understand the expressions immediately when I see them again in reading or when listening.
It is starting to become more fun. I still can't read stuff for teenagers however. And I can't read stuff without translations. But I still think I am making progress more than before. I remember I couldn't read a page of comics without getting a headache even with translations.
I think studying Korean Grammar in Use, Using Korean, and the vocabulary in the Magic book for Korean children really helped me. Now I feel very confident about reading. My listening of dialog is also getting better. Of course I don't understand too much of what they say in sageuks but I am picking up a lot in contemporary dramas.
So because of the lack of immersion, I am concentrating on reading. Even though speaking is important, reading is also essential to have as a skill. I am getting better I really think and I no longer go into glazed eye mode when I see Hangeul.
I really am surprised. I think I've passed a milestone. I am "getting" Korean grammar. I do find it's much more complex than English grammar.
The good thing about the fairytales is that there is a lot of repetition.
I am taking advantage of the fact that there is an English-learning craze in Korea and that means there is a lot of material in the Korean children's section of bookstores. Instead of using these books to learn English, I am using them to learn Korean. So I think this is the way to go instead of looking for books that teach Korean. I have all the Korean grammar books I need at this stage: Korean Grammar in Use, Using Korean, and Korean Grammar for International Learners. Between them they cover a lot of ground. I think I am ready to look into Using Korean and Korean Grammar for International Learners.
I am not ready to speak or write but I plan to read reams of easy material that doesn't stretch me too much and that doesn't contain lots of new or hard vocabulary. Easy does it. So long as I am reading at a moderately rapid pace and am enjoying the reading, it's all good.
That's the purpose of these children's books - to encourage children to read. The fairytales are really great. I am reading fairytales that I am not familiar with and skipping the others. I think I will also get Aesop's fables from the bookshop. The fairytale books are really cheap - only about 10 dollars each and they will last me a fairly long time. With the comics though, I finish them in two hours and so they seem a waste of money.
I think I will read more, and then will learn some vocabulary and then study a bit more grammar - I will revise Korean Grammar in Use, go through the useful chapters of Using Korean, and then start on Korean Grammar for International Learners. I feel ready to tackle more difficult grammar at this stage. I am especially interested in improving my understanding of the passive tense.
Whatsmore I am enjoying the studying a lot more (as I have said). It no longer seems an unfathomable mystery to me, the Korean language.
I think this is because I am climbing out of the beginner stage. It's a good feeling to make this kind of progress.
I think the more exposure and the more hours I spend reading Korean the more quickly I will progress. It's a matter of reading and reading. Even though my reading aloud is slow and my intonation and pronunciation awful, voiceless reading is not too bad.
Long sentences can be a bit hard to understand however. I think at this stage I have most of the material I need and I do not really need to buy much more material. I looked for vocab books that taught advanced vocab but didn't like most of them. I think I have to do the memorization of more vocab if I am to progress onto the next stage and be able to read material aimed more at adults.
So studying grammar, memorizing vocab, reading Korean with English translations available has led me to make a big leap in reading ability.
