Match up the following

3. Language

The spoken Korean language has a history as old as its people. However, the Korean written language, Hangul, has only been in existence for about five and a half centuries. Before Hangul Koreans expressed their spoken language in writing, using Chinese Characters. Chinese and Korean are two very different languages. Chinese is written using individual ideographs or characters, each with its own meaning. There is no alphabet and thousands of these characters must be memorized to be considered literate. Much study was required to master these characters and it was very difficult far all, but the elite, to devote enough time to become literate. In the early part of the 15th century King Sejong, one of Korea's wisest rulers, decided to develop a simple alphabet that could be quickly learned by all his people. He assembled a group of scholars and directed them to devise such a writing system. After years of effort they produced Hangul in 1443, originally, a simple 28 letters alphabet which was later reduced to 24 letters: 10 vowels and 14 consonants. This simple phonetic alphabet could be learned quickly and eventually became popular with the masses.

Hangul is the Korean alphabet not the Korean language. Foreigners sometimes make the mistake of saying they are learning to speak Hangul. A person does not speak the alphabet (Hangul) but can learn to speak the Korean language (Hankuk Mal).

Vocabulary

Chinese character – китайский иероглиф literate – грамотный

assemble – собирать

45

scholar – ученый

to devise – придумывать vowel – гласный звук consonant – согласный звук eventually – в конце концов

3. Painting

The oldest extant Korean paintings are on the walls of tombs from the Tree kingdoms period; depicting the departed, fantastic Shamanist guarding deities, and lively scenes of hunting and dancing. The tradition of Buddhist iconography is preserved to this day on the walls of temples throughout the country.

Although originally influenced by the Chinese tradition, Korean painting gradually developed a style of its own. "A Dre am visit to Peach Blossom Land" by An Kyen, "Puppies" by Y: Am, "Wrestling" by Kim Hong-Do, "A beautiful Woman" by Shin Yun-Bok, "Cavalry Mounts" by Chang Sung-Op are representative Choson Dynasty works at distinctively Korean character. At the same time, folk painting was creating its own artistic world from the primordial theses of country life, an unschooled art combining realism with whimsy.

Later, both folk and Western art greatly influenced such modern Korean painters as Pak Su-Gun, Kim Ki-Ch'ang and Kim Won.

Answer the questions

1.Where can one see the oldest Korean painting? What do they depict?

2.Whose tradition was Korean painting influenced by?

3.What are the primordial theses of folk painting?

4.Do you know any modern Korean painters?

4. Literature

The 12th century "Samguk Sag" is the main historical record of the Three Kingdoms. The 13th century "Samguk Vusa" is a storehouse of myths, legends, folk tales and narrative songs. Ho Chung's "Tonguibogam" is the bible of traditional Korean medicine.

The first works of fiction written in Korean rather than in Chinese were "The Story of Hong Kilton" and "The Story of Hungbu and Nolbu". These are moralistic tales of the lives of common people, as are the later works "The Story of Ch'unhyang", the classic Korean love story, and "The Story of Shim jong", a table of exemplary filial piety.

The 19th century saw the sub-mergence of the classical by a tidal wave of Western and Japanese influence. During the period of Japanese colonial rule, however, resistance poets such as Haw Yong-Un, Yi Yuk-Sa and Yun Tong-Yu