FSI Korean Headstart Course
What is Korean Headstart?
The Headstart courses were originally created by the US Defense Language Institute to provide military personnel with a way to learn the languages of the countries where they were posted. The focus is on learning the necessary words and phrases for effective communication rather than trying to acquire an in-depth knowledge of the language and its grammar.
Korean Headstart was first published in 1984 and consists of eight language units made up of three or four lessons each. Every unit is based on a particular situation that you might encounter in Korea, such as shopping or asking for directions, and teaches you the necessary language required to deal with that situation confidently.
The course is also accompanied by extensive audio recordings that give you all the instructions you need while also helping you perfect your Korean pronunciation.
There is also a further module that deals with the Korean writing system. This is considered optional, but since Korean writing is quite easy to master, students are also encouraged to try.
Finally, there is a comprehensive introduction to Korea and Korean culture that, although now a little dated, contains a wealth of information concerning Korean customs and life in the country.
How can you use Korean Headstart?
Since the Headstart courses were designed for autonomous study, you can work through these materials in the way they were originally intended.
After studying the section at the beginning concerning the pronunciation of the language, you can then study Units 1-8 in the order you choose. Start each unit by reading the objectives, then listen to the audio and follow the instructions it gives you.
The new language for each section will be presented in the form of a dialog, after which you will find exercises for practicing and internalizing what you have learned.
After this, there is a section called “Say in Korean” that prepares you for the Self-Evaluation Quiz – and if you can complete “Say in Korean” without any problems, you can then check your knowledge with the quiz.
Communication rather than grammar is considered key in this course, and although you will find some grammar notes, you don’t need to memorize them. Rather, the notes are there for you if you find them useful – but if they’re not useful for you, there’s no need to worry.
This course is designed to be flexible, so you should work through it at your own speed and in a way that allows you to gain the maximum benefit from the materials. If you find that something works for you, then that’s the best way to study.
You may find the course is a little heavy on terms related to the military, but don’t feel you need to remember everything – instead, just focus on the language you think is most relevant to you.
Taking it further
Of course, you can’t learn any language from books alone, and as soon as you can, you should take your new Korean skills and try them out in the real world. Look for native speakers to practice with so that using Korean becomes a part of your daily life – and if you travel to Korea, try to speak Korean at every opportunity. Then, when you do this, you will quickly see how much Korean you already know.