KOREAN DISCOURSE AND GENRE

Materials for Intermediate/Advanced Korean

Based on the National Standards

Susan Strauss and Jiyun Kim

The Pennsylvania State University

Unit 1: The Lunar New Year

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 DISCOURSE AND GENRE IN KOREAN
INTRODUCTION
The Standards for Korean Language Teaching have recently been developed and published through
ACTFL (American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages). They center on five basic concepts,
referred to as the 5Cs: Communication, Cultures, Connections, Comparisons, and Communities and are
intended to replace the more mechanical and artificial categories of proficiency, commonly known as
the “4 skills” of listening, speaking, reading, and writing. The 5Cs of the Standards shift the focus
away from the “skill” of language and instead highlight elements of language that are linked to peo-
ple and culture and discourse. At the same time, the Standards provide teachers and learners with
specific, concrete sets of goals to strive for in learning and teaching Korean.

The units developed in this series, Korean Discourse and Genre, are designed to complement existing
pedagogical materials for Korean. They contain authentic, media-based samples of actual language
used in Korea by Koreans for specific interactional purposes: television programs (e.g., talk shows,
reality shows, news, weather reports), radio programs, films, internet-based discourse (interviews,
reviews, blogs, news items, recipes), and the like.

The focus of our units is on Discourse and Genre. Discourse relates generally to language and how lan-
guage is used in these various communicative contexts. Genre refers to the specific ways in which
particular features of language combine to create a certain type of discourse, e.g., conversation, ex-
pository writing, formal interview, recipes, weather reports, diary entries, and so forth. We provide
instances of actual Korean discourse within various genres of language use. Each language segment is
followed by a vocabulary list that provides definitions or approximate English equivalencies of po-
tentially unfamiliar words, all listed in the same order that the words appear in the text.

The goals of the units are to raise teachers’ and students’ awareness of and sensitivity to specific
language patterns in oral, written, and technology mediated communication as they occur within
particular types of discourse genres. More importantly, the materials provide activities for teachers
to use in their classrooms—activities that are designed to match the goals and standards as set forth
in the Standards for Korean Language Learning:

GOAL 1 COMMUNICATION
Communicate in Korean:
• Provide and obtain information, express feelings, exchange opinions. (INTERPERSONAL)
• Understand and interpret written and spoken Korean on a variety of topics. (INTERPRETIVE)
• Present information, concepts, and ideas to an audience of listeners on a variety of topics. (PRESEN-
TATIONAL)

GOAL 2 CULTURES
Gain Knowledge and Understanding of Korean Culture:
• Demonstrate understanding of the relationship between practices and perspectives of Korean culture.
• Demonstrate understanding of the relationship between products and perspectives of Korean culture.

GOAL 3 CONNECTIONS
Connect with Other Disciplines and Acquire Information:
• Reinforce and deepen knowledge of other disciplines through the Korean language.
• Acquire information and recognize distinctive viewpoints that are only available through the Korean
language and culture.

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GOAL 4 COMPARISONS
Develop Insight into the Nature of Language and Culture:
• Demonstrate understanding of the nature of language by comparing Korean with other languages that
students know.
• Demonstrate understanding of the concept of culture by comparing Korean culture with other cultures
that students know.

GOAL 5 COMMUNITIES
Participate in Multilingual Communities at Home and Around the World:
• Use Korean both within and beyond the school setting.
• Show interest in becoming life-long learners by using Korean for personal enjoyment and enrichment.

This shift in foreign and second language education, from the four skills to the 5Cs, will allow for
greater flexibility in learning tasks. It will also encourage more authentic and robust uses of lan-
guage, both in the classroom and beyond. Students will be exposed to a greater variety of discourse
samples in the target language and consequently will also be asked to produce a greater variety of dis-
course.

Our materials represent early steps toward these goals, by providing authentic Korean language
samples and a wide variety of activities that can be used in the classroom (and outside). These activ-
ities are designed to help students achieve a multiplicity of goals as noted above, with a natural inte-
gration of Korean grammar and culture within the 5Cs. The activities are also designed to help
teachers become more sensitive to language-related issues as they pertain to discourse and genre.

The central theme of Units 1 – 4 are major Korean holidays: 설, 보름, 단오, and 추석. The units
open with a brief description of each holiday and its importance within Korean culture. Each unit
then relates these events to other issues in Korean daily life: traditional culture, foods, health and
well-being, cultural values and practices, family, travel, weather, etc. Each unit provides a variety of
discourse genres, e.g., expository writing, narrative, recipes, e-mail, interview, chat, blog, and have
students interact within these various genres. The final section of each unit discusses the specific
types of discourse genres used as text in the unit, and isolates particular features of each genre for
further study.

We hope you find these materials useful. Please direct questions, comments, and other feedback to:
Center for Advanced Language Proficiency Education and Research (CALPER), Korean Project, c/o
Professor Susan Strauss, The Pennsylvania State University, 305 Sparks Building, State College, PA
16802, email: sgs9@psu.edu

NOTE TO INSTRUCTORS: Our units are designed to stimulate students’ thinking about the Kore-
an language and Korean people and culture. Each activity is centered on multiple goals and sub-goals
within the 5Cs noted above. The units provide ideas for students to use Korean in various genres of
discourse (e.g., expository writing, interviews, conversation, e-mail) and to interact at various levels
(e.g., with other individuals, in small groups, and in full class contexts). Please feel free to supple-
ment these assignments with your own goal-specific tasks so that they best fit the needs of your
classes. We provide a blank box at the end of each segment for you to create your own assignments
based on these or related issues.

Note: Copyright 2011 by CALPER and The Pennsylvania State University. All rights reserved. No part of the
data or content of this unit may be reproduced without explicit permission from the Center for Advanced
Language Proficiency Education and Research and the authors and no secondary materials may be developed
from this data or content.

Funding: This project is funded by the U.S. Department of Education (P229A200012).

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CENTER FOR ADVANCED LANGUAGE PROFICIENCY EDUCATION AND RESEARCH (CALPER) – THE PENNSYLVANIA STATE UNIVERSITY
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 Discourse and Genre in Korean
Unit 1: 설날
This unit centers on 설날, the Lunar New Year, the most important holiday to Korean peo-
ple. The unit is divided into four sections.

Section 1: Overview of the holiday, including traditions that are associated with it.
• Brief essay on 설날 (See Appendix I for translation)
• A description of the 설 memorial service table, with photographs and a list of the
various foods that are included
• Ideas to Think About and Develop Further
• Assignment

Section 2: Preparing food for 설날

• A glimpse into Royal Cuisine (See Appendix II for translation)
• Ideas to Think About and Develop Further—Korean Cuisine, 설날 and beyond, Korean
Lifestyles: tradition and modernism
• Assignment

Section 3: Recipe for 떡국

• Recipe and list of ingredients (See Appendix IV for translation)

• Ideas to Think About and Develop Further
• Assignment

Section 4: Genres and their discursive features

• Discussion of the various genres included in this lesson
• Identification of features of each genre and grammar discussion
• Ideas to Think About and Develop Further
• Assignment

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SECTION 1: 설 AND ITS TRADITIONS
Below, you’ll read a brief description of 설 including when it takes place, the types of activ-
ities that are related to the holiday, the importance of the holiday to Korean people, and a
preview of symbolic foods that are a major part of this holiday celebration.

Text 1

설날

새해의 첫날인 음력 1월 1일은 대한민국 최대의 명절 ‘설’이다. 설날의 세시풍속

으로는 차례, 덕담 나누기, 떡국 먹기, 복조리 걸기, 윷놀이, 널 뛰기 등 여러가지
가 있다.

설날 아침 일찍 각 가정에서는 제상에 설 음식을 차려 놓고 차례를 지낸다. 차례

를 마친 뒤, 조부모, 부모에게 절하고 새해 인사를 올린다. 가족끼리 아랫사람이
윗사람에게 절하는 것을 ‘세배’라고 한다. 세배가 끝나면 차례 음식으로 아침 식
사를 한 후에 친척과 이웃 어른들을 찾아가서 세배를 드린다. 세배를 받은 어른
들은 아이들에게 덕담을 해주고 세뱃돈을 준다. 세배를 할 때에는 오른손을 왼손
위에 놓고 큰절을 하며 ‘새해 복 많이 받으세요’ 라고 이야기 한다. 또한, 예로부
터 한국인들은 설날을 전후해서 흰 가래떡과 떡국, 만둣국을 먹는 풍습을 이어왔
다. 설날에 길고 하얀 가래떡을 먹었던 것은 몸과 마음에 그릇된 욕심이 없이 흰
떡처럼 깨끗하고 때묻지 않길 바라는 마음에서 유래한다고 한다.

이처럼 한국인들은 국민 최대의 명절인 설에 가족과 친지가 함께 모여 다양한 설

날 음식과 민속놀이, 설 풍습들을 되새기며 공동체의 결속을 강하게 한다.
(Original text by Jiyun Kim)

VOCABULARY

음력 lunar month
최대 the biggest, the most important
명절 national holiday

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 세시풍속 traditional customs and activities
차례 ancestor memorial rites
덕담 well-wishing remarks
복조리 fortune (bamboo) strainer
걸다 to hang
윷놀이 a game of 윷
널 traditional seesaw game
뛰다 to jump
여러가지 various kinds
제상 a table spread with ritual food
마치다 to finish
뒤 after
조부모 grandparents
절하다 to bow down
인사를 올리다 to greet elderly people
끼리 between, among
아랫사람 young people (lit. lower people)
윗사람 elderly people (lit. higher people)
가래떡 cylindrical rice cake
만둣국 dumpling soup
몸 body
마음 heart, mind
그릇된 wrong
욕심 greed
때묻다 to become dirty
바라다 to hope, to wish
유래하다 to originate
함께 together
모이다 to gather
다양한 various
풍습 customs
되새기다 to remember, to bear in mind
공동체 group
결속력 solidarity
강하게 하다 to make something (or someone) strong

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 복조리 윷

떡국 만둣국

As we have read, 설날 is an extremely important holiday to Korean people. It is one of the

many holidays that have maintained a large number of ancient traditions: from traditional
games and symbolic artifacts to familial and culinary rituals and the demonstration of sin-
cere respect to elders. True celebration of this holiday requires strict adherence to these tra-
ditions and rituals.

Below you will find a photo of the traditional and symbolic foods for the 설 table, together
with the names of each food. For more information on how to set the table, visit
http://cafe.naver.com/loveofbundang.cafe?iframe_url=/ArticleRead.nhn%3Farticleid=2312
5&.

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ACTIVITIES

1. Symbolism of foods for the 설 table:

(a) Conduct an internet search to find out more about the symbolism of foods that are
placed on the 설 table. Conduct this search in Korean.
• List the foods and provide a brief description about the symbolism of each.
• Make notes about why is each food item is included on the 설 table.
• What does each food represent?
• What aspects of Korean culture do these symbols reflect?

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 NOTE: Do you find consensus among your sources concerning the symbolism of each
food? If so, indicate the significance of each food under the heading “symbolism” in
the right column below. If not, think about exactly where and how the symbolic signifi-
cance differs from source to source. Take notes for later use (see item B. below).

FOOD NAME SYMBOLISM

(in Korean) (why is it on the table?)

_________________ ______________________________________________

_________________ ______________________________________________

_________________ ______________________________________________

_________________ ______________________________________________

_________________ ______________________________________________

_________________ ______________________________________________

_________________ ______________________________________________

_________________ ______________________________________________

_________________ ______________________________________________

_________________ ______________________________________________

_________________ ______________________________________________

_________________ ______________________________________________

_________________ ______________________________________________

What do these symbolic foods reflect about Korean culture more generally? Determine
broader cultural themes that these foods are indicative of.

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

(b) More on 설 food symbolism: Building on your findings in (a), think about the types of
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 symbolism that you find in the foods for the 설 memorial table. Organize your notes
concerning those food items where most sources concur about their symbolic values and
those where you find variation.
• Why is there divergence in thought? That is, why are some types of foods
straightforwardly clear concerning their symbolic meanings and others less so?
• Think about holidays in other cultures where foods are symbolic, e.g., Passover
seder foods in Judaism. How do these food-based symbols compare and contrast?
What do these symbols reflect about each group’s culture and sets of values and
belief systems?

(c) Celebrating 설: Interview a key pal or a Korean friend/acquaintance in Korean about

how his/her family celebrates 설날. Before you do so, be sure to have your notes at
hand with vocabulary that you might need for all traditional customs and games.
• Does your key pal’s (or your friend’s/acquaintance’s) family follow the tradi-
tions in the way you read about in the introductory paragraph? If not, in what
way(s) do they differ from the description?

(d) New Year’s celebrations—across cultures: Conduct a cross-cultural study of New Year’s
celebrations in other countries of the world. It might be interesting to focus on coun-
tries like the United States, where cultural tradition plays a minor role, if any at all, and
juxtapose your findings with countries like Japan, China, and Iran, where tradition is
still maintained, or religions like Judaism where the New Year’s celebration (Rosh
Hashana) is a part of the High Holydays (together with Yom Kippur).
• When in the year does the New Year occur and is celebrated?
• How are family relationships considered within the celebrations?
• How is food a part of the celebration? What do those foods represent?
• What other types of symbols may be related to New Year celebrations (e.g., Per-
sian New Year, called Nowruz, includes symbols such as goldfish, mirror, coins,
etc.)?

(e) If possible, interview members of those cultures for their views on the topic. You can al-
so use films to illustrate your point, e.g., The White Balloon, from Iran, and other films in
which the New Year celebration in a particular culture or country is foregrounded.

(f) Using the celebration of 설날 and the New Year’s celebrations that you investigated in
other countries as a departure point, write a composition in Korean in which you an-
swer the following questions:
• Is the maintenance of cultural ritual and tradition a burden or a blessing?
• What types of cultural values are retained by the culture in question or lost due to
modernization and globalization?

(g) Prepare a 10-minute oral presentation (in Korean) for the class that expresses your posi-
tion with regard to the issues that you wrote about in (f). Use illustrative audio/visual
materials (Powerpoint, photographs, film clips, internet video).

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FURTHER ASSIGNMENTS
__________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________

SECTION 2: PREPARING FOOD FOR 설날

A Glimpse into Royal Korean Cuisine:
한복려, a descendant of a royal chef, shares with us her personal experience of 설 and ex-
plains briefly about how to prepare and serve traditional 설날 foods. She is a well-known
chef in Korea today. Her specialty is Korean traditional food, particularly from the 조선
Dynasty royal court cuisine. In 2007, 한복려 was named “the 38th intangible cultural asset”
of Korea. She currently operates two restaurants in Seoul, 지화자 and 궁연. Her mother
and sister are also well-known chefs specializing in Korean traditional food.

A reporter from the online newspaper Chosun.com interviewed 한복려 in February, 2011.
(출처: http://danmee.chosun.com/site/data/html_dir/2011/01/31/2011013101242.html)

Below you will find the reporter’s introductory comments, followed by the text of his inter-
view with 한복려. Even though this was an interview, her responses are represented here
in narrative form, rather than in an interview format.

Text 2

The voice of 한복려

새해를 맞아 가장 먼저 차려내는 떡국은 지역마다 다른 자연 환경과 전통에 따라

맛도 다르다. 맛도 모양도 서로 다른 각 지방의 떡국과 명절이면 늘 상에 오르는
대표 음식까지 어머니의 손맛을 그대로 물려받은 요리 연구가들이 만든 새해 상
차림을 소개한다.

궁중음식연구원 한복려 원장의 서울·경기식 상차림

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“설날을 맞이하기 위해 그 옛날 안주인들은 섣달 마지막 한 주를 매우 분주하게
지냈습니다. 설빔, 세찬상 준비 중에서도 가장 먼저 하는 것은 정월 내내 먹을 가
래떡을 만들어 알맞게 굳혔다가 썰어 물에 담가두는 것이랍니다. 움에 묻어둔 무
와 배추를 꺼내 나박김치를 심심하게 담가 익히고 떡국 상에 올릴 장김치도 담았
죠. 궁중요리 전승자였던 어머니의 영향으로 저희 세 자매는 어렸을 때부터 이런
설 준비에 익숙했지요. 더구나 궁중음식은 특별한 정성과 솜씨가 필요한 음식이
많아 음식 한 가지를 준비하는 데 배 이상의 시간과 노력이 필요했답니다. 서울·
경기식 세찬상에는 떡국을 비롯해 만둣국, 절편, 전, 편육, 누름적, 떡찜, 육회, 수
정과, 장김치 등을 올렸어요. 간단한 떡국상이나 만둣국에는 배추김치와 전, 편육
으로 상을 차리고 수정과나 식혜 한 그릇을 나중에 올리죠. 술을 낼 때는 술안주
가 될 수 있도록 전, 누름적, 찜, 잡채, 편육, 육회 중 서너 가지를 올립니다. 갈비
찜 대신 구이를 만들기도 했는데 쇠갈비로 찜을 만들어 이를 다시 구워낸 음식으
로 찜의 부드러움과 구이의 특유한 맛을 한꺼번에 맛볼 수 있는 독특한 조리법이
지요. 떡국은 국물이 맛있어야 하는데 소의 사골이나 양지머리, 사태 등을 오래
고아서 미리 만들어둡니다. 육수는 양지머리나 사골로 냈는데 사골 육수는 뼈를
오랫동안 여러 차례 고아서 미리 준비해둡니다. 국물을 내는 데 사용했던 양지머
리는 건져서 얇게 썰거나 가늘게 뜯어서 양념해 얹으면 되지요.”

1. 편육과일겨자채 한복려 원장 떡국용 떡과 지단

2. 갈비찜 구이
3. 떡국

VOCABULARY

맞이하다 to welcome
차려내다 to set something to serve someone
지역 regions
마다 each, every
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 자연 nature
환경 environment
전통 tradition
따라 according to
맛 taste
모양 shape
지방 regions, provinces
늘 all the time
상 table
오르다 to be served on (the table), to mount
대표 representative
손맛 (lit. hand taste) cooking skills
그대로 fully, as is
물려받다 to inherit
요리 연구가 chef (lit. cooking researcher)
상차림 table setting
소개하다 to introduce
옛날 in the past
안주인 (women) homemakers (lit. inner-host)
섣달 the twelfth month of the lunar calendar
마지막 the last
매우 very
분주하게 busily
지내다 to spend time
설빔 new clothes for the New Year, a gala dress worn on New
Year’s Day
세찬상 table set for New Year’s day
준비 preparation
정월 1st month in the lunar calendar
내내 throughout the whole period of time
알맞게 appropriately
굳히다 to harden something
썰다 to slice
담가두다 to let something sit in liquids
움 hole
묻어두다 to bury something and let it stay for a while
무 radish
배추 Chinese white cabbage
꺼내다 to take something out
나박김치 a kind of 김치 that contain a great amount of liquids
심심하게 blandly
담그다 to make (김치)
익히다 to let something ferment
장김치 a type of 김치 that uses bean paste

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 궁중요리 royal court food
전승자 successor
영향 influence
자매 sister
익숙하다 to be used to, to be accustomed to
더구나 moreover
특별한 special
정성 effort from the heart
솜씨 skill
필요하다 to be necessary, to require
배 double
이상 more than
시간 time, hour
노력 effort
경기 경기 province in Korea
비롯하다 to begin, to originate
나중에 later time
내다 to serve
술안주 side dishes for alcohol
서너 가지 two to three kinds
다시 again
부드러움 softness
특유한 unique, special
한꺼번에 all at once
맛보다 to taste
국물 soup (base)
양지머리 brisket of beef
사골 beef bones
사태 shank of beef
고다 to boil for a long time
뼈 bones
여러 차례 many times
건지다 to take something out of water
썰다 to slice
뜯다 to tear apart, to pluck
양념하다 to marinate
얹다 to put something on top of another, to perch something on

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 수정과 식혜

ACTIVITIES
1. Main dishes, side dishes, and 김치: List the various types of MAIN dishes that
한복려 mentions, followed by the various types of SIDE dishes. Also, what are the various
types of 김치 that she mentions?

MAIN DISHES

__________________________________________

__________________________________________

__________________________________________

__________________________________________

__________________________________________

SIDE DISHES

__________________________________________

__________________________________________

__________________________________________

__________________________________________

__________________________________________

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 TYPES OF 김치

__________________________________________

__________________________________________

__________________________________________

__________________________________________

__________________________________________

2. Project work: Korean cuisine (e.g., Confucianism, street vendors, fusion) In

groups of 2-3, produce a 10-minute video or a 30-minute Powerpoint presentation (in Ko-
rean) on an aspect of Korean cuisine that interests you deeply.

(a) The following is a link to a 5.5-minute video clip on South Korean cuisine. Zoom – Ex-
ploring South Korean Cuisine (Euronews):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LyXCOE2UEyc&feature=fvwrel You will also find
the entire transcript of the video in Appendix III. The clip provides a nice overview of
Korean’s culinary culture, including:
• Influence of Confucianism
• Chefs of the Royal Court and the role that these chefs played once the monar-
chy was abolished (early 1900s)
• Street food stalls
• 떡
• Modern chefs (e.g., SooJin Kim)
• Temple cuisine (Buddhism)
• Korean fusion

(b) Watch the video, and take notes about particular elements of Korean cuisine that you
might like to research in depth. Do this as an individual brainstorming session, and take
copious notes so that you can discuss these ideas later with your classmates. Some ex-
amples might include:
• Confucian influence on Korean culinary culture
• street food culture (compared with Japan, US, Central America, etc.)
• 떡 and its history and significance in Korean cuisine
• Korean temple cuisine
• Korean fusion cuisine (compared to American fusion, Japanese fusion, and so
forth)
• Korean eating utensils—metal chopsticks and spoons: its history
• Royal Chefs in Korea and their specialties
• modern Korean food culture—including TV cooking shows
• any other topic that intrigues you

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(c) Compare your “interest lists” as a full class activity.
• Find out which students have similar interests as you
• Form groups of 2-3 students to narrow down the topic and assign research roles
to each student
• Articulate the TITLE and PURPOSE of the presentation
• Determine which students will be specifically responsible for which elements of
the project
• Write down each student’s responsibility, as a “contract,” and articulate your
goals for the final project.

(d) Research the topic using AT LEAST 3 PRINT SOURCES (in Korean). Also, feel free to use
as many internet sources as you like to best illustrate your points.

(e) Present your project work to the class.

3. Tensions: modernity vs. tradition (pair work, essay): In Section 1 of this lesson,
you explored the tensions in various societies between tradition and modernity, with a fo-
cus on New Year’s celebrations, traditions, symbols and so forth.

(a) Continue your line of thinking, with Korea (more generally now) as your particular focus.
• What are the tensions between tradition and modernity that seem to be at play
in Korean society?
• Do these tensions affect older generations differently than younger generations?
• In what areas of Korean society do Korean nationals seem to witness shifts
from the traditional to the modern? Possible areas to think about: language,
clothing, media (TV, radio), popular culture, religion, family values, food, etc.

(b) Pair work: Discuss your opinions in Korean with one classmate. Have notes about your
own feelings ready and take notes about your classmate’s feelings.

(c) Write an essay (in Korean) in which you express your opinion on this topic, making sure
to support your views with concrete examples.

4. Internet research on royal chefs from other countries (e.g., Britain, Thailand):
discuss findings in class. The reading for this lesson is based on the narrative (told in an
interview format) by a descendent of a Royal Korean chef, 한복려.

(a) Conduct internet-based research (in Korean) to find out more about her life, cooking
style, specialties, and so forth.

(b) Then, conduct research on royal chefs from other countries, e.g., British royal chefs, Thai
royal chefs like Krongjit 'Kacie' Chatuparisoot), and so forth. Investigate the types of
cuisine that each chef is known for, and compare and contrast the royal cuisines of oth-

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 er nations with Korean royal cuisine. What types of culinary issues are most preferred
and valued in each culture? For example:
• menu items (main dishes, side dishes, desserts)
• presentation (colors, shapes, table settings)
• flavors and flavor combinations (salty, sweet, bitter, natural, fermented)
• table manners (if noted)
• and so forth

(c) Be prepared to discuss your findings in Korean.

FURTHER ASSIGNMENTS

__________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________

SECTION 3. RECIPE FOR 떡국

Here you’ll find a good recipe for making 떡국. At first glance, it might not seem that com-
plicated, but for a delicious 떡국 you’ll find that it takes a good deal of practice.

Text 3

떡국 만드는 법

재료

썬 가래떡 2.2 lb*, 양지머리 14.1 oz, 우둔살 3.52 oz, 대파 1대, 달걀 1개, 석이버
섯 3장, 국간장 적당량, 실고추·식용유 약간, 물 20컵

쇠고기 양념 간장 2작은술, 설탕·다진 파·참기름·깨소금 1작은술씩, 다진 마늘 작

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은술, 후룻가루 약간

만드는 법

1 양지머리는 적당한 크기로 썰어 분량의 물을 붓고 장국을 끓인다. 떡은 어슷하

게 썰어 냉수에 씻어둔다.

2 우둔살은 도톰하게 썰어 잔칼질을 한 후 0.2×0.3×1.6 in로 썰어 쇠고기 양념을

하고, 대파는 고기와 같은 크기로 썰어 각각 꼬치에 꿰어 식용유를 살짝 두른
프라이팬에 지져둔다.
3 달걀은 노른자와 흰자를 분리해 지단을 부쳐서 가늘게 채 썬다, 실고추는 짧게
끊고, 석이버섯은 뜨거운 물에 불린 후 돌돌 말아 채 썬다.

4 ①의 장국은 국간장을 넣어 색을 내고 소금으로 간을 맞춘 뒤 떡을 넣어 한소

끔 끓인다.
5 떡이 부드러워지면 그릇에 담고 위에 산적, 지단, 실고추, 석이버섯 채를 올린
다.

* The metric system using kilograms, grams, and centimeters in the original text were
converted to the U.S. system of measurement: pounds, ounces, and inches.

(출처:
http://danmee.chosun.com/site/data/html_dir/2011/01/31/2011013101242.html)

VOCABULARY

재료 ingredients
적당한 appropriate
크기 size
썰다 to slice, to cut
분량 portion
붓다 to pour
장국 soup
끓이다 to boil
어슷하게 on an angle, diagonally
냉수 cold water
씻어두다 (씻다+두다) compound verb: to wash something
and set aside
도톰하게 a little thickly (ef. 두툼하게 – more thickly than
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 도톰하게)
잔칼질 scoring (n.)
양념 marinade
각각 respectively
꼬치 skewer
꿰다 to skew
살짝 slight(ly)
두르다 to gently pour, to sprinkle
지져두다 (지지다+두다) compound verb: to grill or sautée
and set aside
노른자 yoke
흰자 white of an egg
지단 thin egg pancake type of dish
부치다 to panfry
가늘게 thinly
채 썰다 to slice and chop
끊다 to cut
뜨거운 hot
불리다 to let something sit in water so it fully rehydrates,
bloats
돌돌 말다 to roll
색을 내다 to color
간 appropriate saltiness
맞추다 to balance
한소끔 끓이다 to boil something until it thoroughly boils
부드러워지다 to become soft or gentle
담다 to put
채 thinly chopped slices

떡국용 떡 개성지방의 ‘조랭이 떡국’

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ACTIVITIES
1. Verbs and adverbs for cooking in Korean—starting an inventory. Begin an inven-
tory of the verbs and adverbs that relate to cooking procedures, by listing the ones that you
find first in this recipe—provide the English “translation” next to each entry. Then, review
the narrative/interview with 한복려 to add to your basic list.

VERBS
Korean English (‘translation’)

_________________ __________________________

_________________ __________________________

_________________ __________________________

_________________ __________________________

_________________ __________________________

_________________ __________________________

_________________ __________________________

ADVERBS
Korean English (‘translation’)

_________________ __________________________

_________________ __________________________

_________________ __________________________

_________________ __________________________

_________________ __________________________

_________________ __________________________

_________________ __________________________

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2. Mini-project work: cooking terms (verbs and adverbs) in Korean and English.
(a) In small groups, interview your classmates to find out what his/her favorite Korean
foods are—choose everyday foods, so that we can compare to everyday foods in other
cultures below.

(b) Make a comprehensive list of the Korean dishes, and categorize them according to
whether they are: main dishes, side dishes, or desserts. Then, do the same with the eve-
ryday foods that your classmates enjoyed as they were growing up.

(c) Locate two recipes in Korean for each dish. You’ll probably need to use a dictionary for
some of the ingredient names, as well as for the verbs and adverbs that refer to cooking
procedures.

(d) Continue to build your inventory of verbs and adverbs that are used in describing food
preparation procedures.

(e) In your groups, in English, try to come up with an analysis of the types of verbs that are
used in Korean in this context. What types of actions are foregrounded by the verbs and
adverbs? Categorize these expressions according to the focus/outcome of the action:
• cutting technique
• shape
• size
• color
• heating
• and so forth

(f) To the extent possible, find recipes from North American or European dishes that are
similar to the Korean recipes that you’ve found—similar in terms of what the overall
dish. Conduct a similar analysis of English verbs and adverbs used in the recipes. As you
look at these constructions, what do you learn about the Korean language in general and
Korean cooking terms in particular?

(g) Share your findings with other groups in a full class discussion (using both English and
Korean).

3. Make your own cooking video in Korean: Recipe and English demonstration of how
to prepare 떡국. This video demonstrates in detail how to prepare 떡국:
http://www.maangchi.com/recipe/ddukguk

(a) Using this video and the Korean recipe above as a model, make your own video on how
to prepare a Korean dish. Do this in Korean, and be sure to use vocabulary from your
lists in A and B above to accurately describe the process.

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FURTHER ASSIGNMENTS
__________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________

SECTION 4: GENRES AND THEIR DISCURSIVE FEATURES

In this unit, we have provided samples of THREE types of texts, or GENRES:

• Expository writing (description of 설날 in Section 1, introductory paragraph

of the interview with 한복려).
• Oral interview, semi-formal narrative (text of the interview-generated narrative
by interview with 한복려).
• Recipe for 떡국.

Each has its own set of discursive features that help us to recognize what type or genre of dis-
course this is.

That is, in the case of EXPOSITORY WRITING, when you read the description of 설날 in
Section 1 and the introductory paragraph of the interview with 한복려 you find some
common elements in the following areas:

PURPOSE of writing: to introduce something factual.

STANCE of author: neutral, not involving the reader (through questions, in-
teractional particles).

USE OF GRAMMAR: preponderance, if not exclusive use of the –다 form as the

verbal ending.

새해의 첫날인 음력 1월 1일은 대한민국 최대의 명절 ‘설’이다.

맛도 모양도 서로 다른 각 지방의 떡국과 명절이면 늘 상에 오르는 대표 음식까

지 어머니의 손맛을 그대로 물려받은 요리 연구가들이 만든 새해 상차림을 소개
한다.

Now let’s have a look at the same three categories as they apply to the ORAL INTER-
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VIEW/NARRATIVE with 한복려:

PURPOSE of the talk: to explain some of the traditional food practices asso-
ciated with the celebration of 설날.

STANCE of speaker: modulating between authoritative, friendly, and quasi-

interactional with her interviewer

USE OF GRAMMAR: preponderance, if not exclusive use of the deferential –

ㅂ니다/–습니다 and polite –요 forms

설날을 맞이하기 위해 그 옛날 안주인들은 섣달 마지막 한 주를 매우 분주하게

지냈습니다.

궁중요리 전승자였던 어머니의 영향으로 저희 세 자매는 어렸을 때부터 이런 설

준비에 익숙했지요

In the case of the RECIPE, we find again the use of the –다 form as the verbal ending.
We again need to consider the following three categories:

PURPOSE of the writing: to explain how to make 떡국.

STANCE of writer: very neutral, objective

USE OF GRAMMAR: preponderance, if not exclusive use of the –다 form as

the verbal ending.

떡은 어슷하게 썰어 냉수에 씻어둔다.

Any time we look at discourse or genre, it is important to always consider these three main
categories:

• the PURPOSE of the discourse

• the STANCE of the writer or speaker
• the USE OF GRAMMAR

These categories tell us a lot about the discourse. For example, is the writer or speaker try-
ing to sound neutral? Is the writer or speaker trying to relate personally in some way with
the reader or listener? Is the writer or speaker trying to express a personal opinion or atti-
tude about someone or something?

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ACTIVITIES
1. Thinking about grammar and stance. In the few text excerpts that we provided above,
we can see that certain grammatical forms, especially those that are related to the VERBAL
ENDINGS, bear a relationship to the stance (i.e., attitude, position) of the speaker or writer.
That is, by using certain grammatical features, the speaker or writer is attempting to sound
a particular way: neutral or objective, friendly, authoritative, upset, angry, judgmental, and
so forth.

In the interview text with 한복려, we find instances of all three verbal endings: the –다
form, the deferential –ㅂ니다/–습니다 form, and the polite –요 form.

The introductory paragraph uses the –다 form—It is illustrative of typical written dis-
course.

The interview/narrative text, being a SPOKEN text, uses a different kind of verbal ending.
In this text, we find a mixture of both the deferential –ㅂ니다/–습니다 and polite –요
forms.

(a) First, locate each of the three types of verbal endings. You might want to highlight each
with a different color. Just on the basis of these verbal endings, can you get a sense of
the stance of the writer or speaker?

(b) As you read through this text, what is your sense of the author’s feelings about the dra-
ma? While she mentions some feelings explicitly, she implies others.

(c) In the SPOKEN interview/narrative, in addition to the polite form –요, do you also find
a stance-marking particle just before the sentence ender –요? If so, which one?

• Which of the sentences end with the –다 form?

• Which of the sentences end with the deferential –ㅂ니다/–습니다 form?
• Which of the sentences end with the polite –요 form, with no additional parti-
cle?
• Which of the sentences end with the polite –요 form, with an additional parti-
cle?

(d) Visit the CALPER website for the Korean Grammar in Discourse and Interaction series and
read UNIT 2: Honorific Speech Levels:
http://calper.la.psu.edu/publication.php?page=korgram There, you will find some con-
crete guidance concerning how to possibly analyze Korean speakers’ use of honorific
speech levels in oral discourse, and what each of the two types of verbal endings means
(i.e., the deferential –ㅂ니다/–습니다 and polite –요 forms).

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(e) Write up your analysis of the verbal endings in the interview text with 한복려. Do this
in English.

(f) Compare your findings with your teacher in a full class discussion. Based on yours and
your classmates’ findings, try to formulate a “rule” ‘that best describes the situations
when each of the 3 verbal endings is used.

FURTHER ASSIGNMENTS

__________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________

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 Appendix A
설날
Lunar New Year’s Day
January 1st of the lunar calendar, the first day of the New Year, is 설—the most important
holiday in Korea. Among the customs for 설날 are a variety of events that include such
activities as ancestor memorial rites, exchanging well-wishing remarks, hanging bamboo
fortune strainers (often referred to as the “ladle of good luck”), playing the game of 윷 (a
Korean traditional board game with sticks), and 널뛰기 (seesaw jumping).

In the early morning of 설날, every family conducts memorial services in honor of their
ancestors by setting 설 (short for ‘설날’) food on a special table. Following the ritual,
young people bow to their parents and grandparents to respectfully give New Year’s greet-
ings. This act of bowing that young people do to elderly people is called 세배. After com-
pleting the 세배, the family eats the food they prepared for the service for breakfast, and
then they go visit relatives and elderly neighbors to give them 세배. The elderly people who
receive 세배 give well-wishing remarks and 세배 money to children. When you are doing
세배, you put your right hand on your left and kneel down to bow while saying “Please have
a lot of fortune in the new year.” Also, from ancient times, Koreans have been maintaining
the customs of eating white cylindrical rice cakes, rice cake soup and dumpling soup before
and after 설날. It is said that the reason Koreans eat the long and white cylindrical rice
cake originates from their wishful heart to want to be pure and untainted, just like white
rice cake, without unrighteous greed.

In this way, Koreans, on their most important national holiday 설, gather together with
their family members and relatives and strengthen their solidarity by performing and re-
membering various kinds of 설 rituals and events—making 설 food and playing tradi-
tional games.

Appendix B
The voice of 한복려
떡국 (rice cake soup) is served at the very first part of the meal to welcome the New Year.
떡국 can have different tastes because of the types of natural products and traditions that
vary from region to region. We introduce a New Year’s food menu (lit: table sets), which in-
cludes 떡국, the taste and presentation of which may differ regionally. You’ll see the rep-
resentative menu for food that is always on family tables on this holiday, from the chefs
who directly inherited their mothers’ cooking skills (lit: hand taste).

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The royal court food researcher: food menu for 한복려, 서울-경기
“In order to welcome 설날 women (lit: inner owners) long ago were very busy during the
last week of the twelfth month of the lunar calendar. Among such holiday preparations in
our family, included new clothes and 설 food, the very first thing we had to do was to
make the cylindrical rice cake. We had to be sure that it was appropriately hardened, and
then sliced it, and let it sit in water. We took out our radish and lettuce that had been buried
in the ground (to start the fermentation process) and made bland 나박김치. We then let it
become fermented. We also made 장김치 to set on the table with 떡국. Because my
mother was a successor of the royal food court, we three sisters were accustomed to this
type of 설 preparation from our early childhood. Moreover, since there are many kinds of
royal court food that require extra effort and skills, we needed to put in more than double
the time and effort to prepare for one kind of food. On the 설 table for 서울 and 경기,
we put dumpling soup, 절편, 전, 편육, 누름적, 떡찜, 육회, 수정과, and 장김치, along
with 떡국. For a simple 떡꾹 or dumpling table, we put lettuce 김치, 전, and 편육, and
then later put a bowl of 수정과 or 식혜 (for dessert). When serving alcohol, you choose
two to three dishes to serve, such as 전, 누름적, 찜, 잡채,편육 and 육회 as side dishes.
We used to make 구이 instead of 갈비찜, which is a dish that you first make it as 찜 us-
ing beef ribs, and then grill them again. It is a special kind of recipe through which you can
taste the softness of 찜 and the special taste of 구이 at the same time. The soup for 떡국
must be tasty, so you make it beforehand by boiling the soup bone, briskets, and the shank
of beef for a long time. You can remove the brisket you used for making soup from the pot
and slice or tear it thinly, and then marinate it to put on top of 떡국.

Appendix C
Transcript of Zoom—Exploring South Korean Cuisine
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LyXCOE2UEyc&feature=fvwrel
Zoom – Exploring South Korean Cuisine – uploaded by Euronews, 8/18/2009.
(viewed and transcribed, April 15, 2011).

Known as the “Land of the Morning Calm,” South Korea is a country in which tradition and
modernity come face to face. The Capital, Seoul, with its 11 million inhabitants, is the cen-
ter of excellence for the full range of South Korean cuisine. As anthropologists tell us, in an
ever-changing world, food is one of the characteristics of a society that changes the most
slowly. South Korea is no exception.

Joo Youngha, Ethnologist: (translated)

“During the Chosen Dynasty, which lasted more than six centuries, we were very influenced
by the Confucian thinking of the Chinese Yu-An and Ming Dynasties. The bases of good ta-
ble manners were set out then, and it’s in this period that the cuisine of the Royal Court was
also established.

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Confucianism preached modesty, simplicity. People lived frugally, except during big festi-
vals, when sumptuous banquets were the order of the day. “

The daily Korean diet is based on rice, often served with soup and kimchee, or fermented
seasoned cabbage. Soy sauce is an essential ingredient. Many side dishes cover the table.

Over the centuries, rare ingredients and specialties from countries around the world, ar-
rived at the Royal Court. Their recipes were a secret known only by the chefs of the Palace.

When the monarchy was abolished at the beginning of the 1900s, the Royal Chefs, resisting
unemployment, spread the dishes they once cooked for the King to local restaurants in are-
as like this one, Insadong.

Here, we also discover another facet of South Korean cuisine, the street food stalls. With
appetizers to suit a variety of tastes ranging from the sweet but salty and the sweet and
sour, this type of cuisine appeared for the first time during the last century, at the time of
the Japanese occupation.

Today, this is part of a daily ritual: ttok, a traditional sweet rice cake, eaten during a lunch
break and while window shopping.

Spreading the Korean cuisine around the world, that’s the mission taken on by SooJin Kim.
To achieve her aim, she simplified recipes and above all, made the final result look more aes-
thetically attractive. Influenced by French and Japanese cuisine, she’s opened a cooking
school. She’s also starred in television programs and is a consultant on films.

Always open to innovation, she never forgets to praise the beneficial effects of the national
dish, kimchee.

SooJin Kim, chef and food consultant (translated):

“Kimchee contains many enzymes and minerals. It’s good for the skin, it doesn’t make you
fat. And, it’s been scientifically proven to contain many elements which help prevent colon
cancer. “

Another facet of South Korean fare is the so-called temple cuisine. That is, the dishes eaten
by the Buddhist monks in the country. They’re simple, based on green vegetables, grains,
and soya. They’re never too salty or spicy. Strong flavors risk disturbing a monastic way of
life, devoted to meditation, compassion, and discipline.

There is no decoration. The temple cuisine must nourish the body and the spirit.

Another type of Korean fare is the fusion cuisine. It’s an attempt to reconcile East and West,
to harmonize the benefits of the Oriental cuisine with the ease of the Western world.
People are seated on chairs at tables, rather than on cushions. Rather than bringing out dif-
ferent dishes all together and eating them at the same time, the courses are served one by
one.

CENTER FOR ADVANCED LANGUAGE PROFICIENCY EDUCATION AND RESEARCH (CALPER) – THE PENNSYLVANIA STATE UNIVERSITY
30
Only the chopsticks remain, made out of metal, not wood, according to the Korean tradition.
Joining them are spoons for certain dishes.

The Land of Morning Calm strives to reconcile two very different spirits: It is torn between
extreme modernity and a history thousands of years old. Obsessed by competition and con-
sumerism, it is always searching for efficiency and absolute precision.

But one thing is difficult to deny: South Korea has already reached the pinnacle of beauty.

Appendix D
How to make 떡국
Ingredients
2.2 pounds of sliced cylindrical rice cake, 14 oz. brisket, 3.5 oz of beef round, 1 large green
onion, 1 egg, 3 heads of tree ear mushroom, soy sauce, thinly sliced red hot pepper, 1 tsp. of
vegetable oil, 1.25 gallons of water

Marinating sauce for beef

2 tsps soy sauce
1tsp each of: sugar, chopped green onion, sesame oil, sesame salt, minced garlic
a dash of ground black pepper

How to make
1. Slice the brisket in an appropriate size and boil it in the water. Slice the rice cake di-
agonally and rinse the slices in cold water.
2. Slice the beef round thick, approximately 0.2 x 0.3 x1.6 in, and marinate the slices in
the sauce. Slice the green onion the same size as the beef round, skew the slices, and
grill them in a pan with a small amount of vegetable oil.
3. Divide the yellow and white of the egg, make 지단, with the egg sections and thinly
slice the 지단. Cut the thinly sliced red pepper short. Put the mushroom pieces in
hot water, then roll them and slice.
4. Add soy sauce to the soup base in 1. for color, salt to taste and boil for a few more
minutes.
5. When the rice cake becomes tender, place it in individual bowls with the soup. Float
the meat, 지단, thinly sliced hot pepper and sliced mushrooms on top for each bowl
of 떡국.

CENTER FOR ADVANCED LANGUAGE PROFICIENCY EDUCATION AND RESEARCH (CALPER) – THE PENNSYLVANIA STATE UNIVERSITY
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