Introduction

Although Korean is classified as a language isolate, many theories have been proposed to explain its origin. The most prominent of these are those that connect Korean to the Altaic languages of Central Asia, which include Turkish, Mongolian, and the Tungusic (for example, Manchu) languages of Siberia. Others would argue that Uralic languages (Hungarian and Finnish) and Korean should be included in this macrofamily. Although not conclusively proven, this affiliation is accepted by the majority of Korean linguists and is thought to be likely by Western linguists as well. According to the opposing theory, Korean is related to the Dravidian languages of southern India or to Austronesian languages.

The best way to speak a language is through the conversation method itself. And to achieve that you are required to train yourself rigorously to listen better. It’s very simple, you cannot soeak something you have heard properly!

1. Listen Carefully

Listen to as many relevant audio resources as you can find online to improve your listening skills. Learn by listening to as many audiobooks as you can get your hands on. Listen to the audio clips several times to make sense of what you’re hearing, then intuitively follow it up with a reading of the transcript and then listen to the audio again to assess and correct your listening. Remember, we can’t speak if we can’t properly listen! As a result, only when your listening skills are strong will you be able to speak the language. Use a variety of online resources and tools, such as Memrise, Anki, Korean podcasts online, news, and many others, to help you catapult yourself from beginner to expert.

2. Improve your listening by watching videos

Watch Korean films with English subtitles and English films with Korean subtitles, and try the shadowing technique, in which learners repeat the dialogues of Korean speakers in order to learn the Korean accent and become acquainted with the pitch and tone of the Korean language, all in order and at the same time. This will also help you train your ears to recognise the Korean language when many languages are being spoken at the same time. The entire idea is to basically create an immersion environment by surrounding yourself with Korean speakers.

3. Engage with a Native Speaker 

You could engage in conversations with a native Korean speaker in and around your neighbourhood; by volunteering for Korean community service; or by going shopping in Korean grocery stores – where you’d be forced to read the Korean labels off the items and speak to the other Korean customers and outlet staff, and if you’re lucky, you might be able to find a conversation.

If none of these options are available near you, I recommend looking for conversation partners online. You could use sites like Hello talk Tandem, conversation partners, language partners, and italki to find a native Korean speaker.