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For Gavin, Henry and Georgie, with love — Danielle Wright
To Isaac for all his help, joy and love — Helen Acraman
Pronunciation Guide
In Korean:
Some of the sounds in the Korean language are like English sounds, but there are some differences that are important to remember.
a always sounds like it does in the word “father.”
ae together make a sound that combines “ah” and “ee” to make a sound that that is a little like the “a” sound in “make.”
e always sounds like it does in the word “bend.”
eo together make a sort of “uh” sound like in the word “mother.”
eu together make a sound that rhymes with “book.”
eui together make a sound that rhymes with “gooey.”
i always makes an “ee” sound, like in the word “piece.”
o always sounds like it doe s in the word “post.”
oe together make a sort of “oi” sound, a little like in the word “point.”
u always sounds like it does in the word “blue.”
we always sounds a little like in the word “way,” and also a little like in the word “wet.”
wi sounds like the word “we.”
yeo sounds makes a “yuh” sound, like in the word “yuck.”
Most of the consonants sound like they do in English.
A single b sometimes has a soft p sound, but bb has a hard b sound.
A single d sometimes has a soft t sound, but dd has a hard d sound.
A single g sometimes has a soft k sound, but gg has a hard g sound, like the word “goat.”
A single j sometimes has a soft ch sound, but jj has a hard j sound.
r and l sound sort of alike. If you curl your tongue against the roof of your mouth and try to make the l or r sound, you will hear the sort of sound these letters make in Korean.
kk sounds a little harder than a single k does.
si is pronounced “she.”
ss sounds a little harder than a single s sound. In some of the syllables in these rhymes, the ss has more of a t silent.
tt sounds a little harder than a single t sound.
ContentsIntroductionButterfly by UnknownLittle One by traditional songOur House by traditional songIsland Baby by In-hyeon HanHere, There by Suk-kyeong KimLand of Goblins by UnknownMonkey’s Bottom by traditional songCotton Candy by Geun JeongWild Geese by traditional songSpring in My Hometown by Weon-su YiTwirling Round by traditional songLittle Fox by traditional songHalf Moon by Geuk-yeong YunLand of White by Seong-gyun Kim
How to Download the Bonus Material of this Book.
1. You must have an internet connection.
2. Click the link below or copy paste the URL to your web browser.
http://www.tuttlepublishing.com/korean-english-nursery-rhymes-downloadable-cd-content
For support email us at [email protected].
Translations by Jenny Wang Medina and Binna Lee, except for “Here, There!” and “Cotton Candy,” also with help from Stephen Epstein. Additional translation support and cultural assistance from Paul and Yvonne Jeong. Edited by Danielle Wright. Thanks to Jenny Wang Medina for additional research and help with KOMCA clearances. Tranliterations of these rhymes adhere to the Revised Romanization System of Korean.
Introduction
Where in the world would you find a potty training rhyme about a monkey’s bottom and the weird and wonderful shapes its poo makes? For me, it could only be Korea. This is just one of many rhymes that capture a childlike side to Korean culture that is fun-loving and original.
Many of the rhymes I have chosen involve children singing together or with their parents. For example, “Here, There” is a lovely rhyme for a mother and child to sing to each other. Others, like “Our House” and “Little One” get children up and moving, with so many of these rhymes involving collaboration, some even ending with a “Rock, Paper, Scissors” game to decide who will be out or in for the next round.
I also found beautiful lullabies in Korean. One of my all-time favorites is “Island Baby,” which speaks to the modern reader, yet is steeped in history. Others, like “Spring in my Hometown,” carry a theme common in many international collections of nursery rhymes – a love for what we call “the green grass of home.”
Lovely young voices sing all the songs in both Korean and English on the accompanying CD. For the Korean language versions, we have kept the focus on the language itself, but the English language versions demonstrate the call-and-response nature of many of the rhymes.
The Korean national writing system is called Hanguel and is written with spaces between words, a feature not found in Chinese or Japanese. Traditionally, Korean was written in columns, but now is usually written in rows—from left to right, top to bottom.
Recently, I read a sign on a blackboard outside a café in Auckland with the words: “We all smile in the same language.” North and South Koreans also share the same spoken language, although each calls it by a different name—Hangungmal in South Korea, and Chosŏnmal in North Korea. Hopefully, this common language bond and the rhymes they once shared as children will, one day, bring them together again.
