E305/505
Korean Language and Culture
Discussion Questions
on Han.gul, The Korean Alphabet
- What are the three types
of writing system mentioned on the video on the Korean script Han.gul?
Is there any other kind of writing system in the world? What writing system
do you know of?
- What type of writing
system is Han.gul among the three types? How is Han.gul compared with the
writing systems of the other East Asian languages, that is, Chinese and Japanese?
- When was Han.gul invented?
What had the medium of written communication been before Han.gul was invented?
- How was Han.gul invented?
By whom?
For what purpose? Why needed? What cultural effect was envisioned by its creator?
- What is the history of
the various names of the Korean Alphabet?
What are their meanings and what
do they imply regarding its status?
- What are the characteristics
of Han.gul?
Why is Han.gul unique compared to other writing systems?
How is the Korean Alphabet different
from the other alphabets like the Roman Alphabet? (Cf. The Pitman's Shorhand)
- Consonant letters can
be grouped together by a common basic graph. What do those basic graphs represent?
Within each group, what do the shapes of the symbols reflect?
- What are the advantages
and disadvantages of Han.gul?
- Was Han.gul a creation
or borrowed from other writing systems?
Ahn (1997) claims that the designing principles of Han.gul adopted the 'Six
Principles of Writing' of Chinese characters, namely Liushu. What are the
six priciples of Liushu?
According to Ahn (1997), what principle or principles of the six underlie
the design of the basic consonants and vowels of Han.gul?
According to Ahn (1997), what principle or principles of the six underlie
the design of the derived or combined characters of Han.gul?
- Try to learn Han.gul
(the Korean alpabet) for fun: http://www.indiana.edu/~koreanrs/hangul.html