Mr. Choi is teaching Korean to students, but he is also offering a very basic class to staff and faculty at Africa University this month. I decided this was a good chance for me to learn a bit about the Korean language. Although the symbols for the Korean alphabet look a bit like Chinese or Japanese characters, we’re told that Korean has a much simpler alphabet. Theoretically, that makes it easier to learn, but I’m not convinced. In trying to learn the Korean alphabet over the last two week’s, I have great difficulty in remembering which letters the various lines or shapes represent. In fact, it’s dawned on me that I’m dyslexic with regard to the Korean alphabet.
This has given me a new understanding of why many American children have trouble with dyslexia, and with this I now have much greater sympathy for them. It’s hard to remember what all the strange lines and shapes mean!
