Study on the Han-Geul Education in Elementary School

Abstract

Being phonetic alphabet with its consonants and vowels, Han-Geul has syllabic representation and function as Kana of Japan. This is why our ancesters learned Han-Geul with the table of basic syllables, the combination of basic consonants with basic vowels, followed by lectures. In reading books, they have enlarged their capabilities concerning to the combined syllabic letters by means of combination of basic syllable with final consonant(s), that of glide l (j) and that of semivowel ㅗ/ㅜ (w). Consequently, the table of basic syllables has been considered as a fundamental knowledge of teaching and learning Han-Geul as the multiplication table is considered indispensable in mathmatics. This tradition has been maintained since the invention of Han-Geul on 1443 and it continued until the first half of 20c. And the textbooks of Korean of late 19c and manuels of our language during Japanese occupation were elaborated on the base of this tradition. But this traditional method of Han-Geul education had to be replaced, after Indipendance on 15th Aug. 1945, with another one which was based on alphabet-contered-teachingmethod. Nevertheless, consonants and vowels, word s or phrases cannot be regarded as the basic unit of teaching Han-Geul in initiation course, since syllables constitute the basic structure of our language. For that reason, the alphabet-centered-teaching-method utilised during 1945~1948 and the phrase-centered-teaching-method employed afterward until 1981 have produced elementary-education-received-illeterates. An epoque-making event on 1982 is that table of basic syllables finally has their place at the end of Good Life' textbook volume 1. The newly adated subject Good Life' is for the 1st and 2nd grade children of elementary school and it is actually a co-ordination of three ancient subjects such as Korean, Ethics and Sicial Science. Although we have the table of basic syllables for the present, teaching phrases containing letters with final consonant(s) without any initiation course still remains a difficult problem. Initiation course of Han-Geul such as traditional one found in the textbooks of the period from late-19c to mid-20c must be introduced at the very beginning of Good Life', otherwise, it would be necessary to develop new materials. After then, we can expect efficient Han-Guel education