Learn about Korean culture while improving your language skills!Korean Folktales for Language Learners introduces 36 traditional Korean folktales in parallel Korean and English versions along with detailed notes and exercises aimed at beginning/intermediate language learners. The book is perfect practice for first- and second-year Korean students but is sure to entertain anyone wishing to learn about Korean culture.
This elegantly illustrated volume is designed to help language learners expand their vocabulary and grammar. Free online audio recordings of the Korean versions are available online to help students improve their pronunciation and comprehension skills. The stories are divided into three parts that gradually increase in length and complexity as the reader's language skills improve.
The charming stories include:
- The Tiger with the Frozen Tail-- To save himself from being eaten, a wily rabbit persuades a hungry tiger to break a hole in the ice of a frozen river and fish using his tail. When the hole freezes, the tiger is trapped and the rabbit is safe.
- The Shepherd and the Fairy― The Great Jade Emperor's youngest daughter falls in love with an earthly shepherd boy who plays beautiful music on his pipe. She escapes from Heaven to marry him, but her father finds her and turns her into a goldfish. The shepherd boy sits by the pond playing music to the goldfish until he dies of a broken heart.
- The Money in the Cauldron― When a burglar breaks into the house of a poor scholar, he finds that there is nothing to steal. The burglar feels so sorry for the scholar that he leaves money for him in an empty cauldron. When the scholar finds the money, he puts a note on his gate asking the person who left it to reclaim it. The burglar is so impressed by the poor man's honesty that he gives up stealing for good.
These folktales jump off the page, complemented by cultural notes and discussion questions that further reinforce understanding of the stories. This is the perfect anthology for older Korean learners and children alike!
