Month: July 2025

LEARN A LANGUAGE — Part 7 — KOREAN

- Jill Leave a comment

Globally, the Korean language is spoken by over 80 million people, primarily in South Korea (51.7 million) and North Korea (26.4 million). Beyond the Korean Peninsula, significant Korean-speaking communities exist due to historical migration, notably China with approximately 2 million speakers. Japan hosts about 500,000 Korean speakers, mainly descendants of Koreans who migrated during the early 20th century. Further abroad, the United States is home to around 1.8 million Korean speakers, with large communities in cities like Los Angeles, New York, and Washington D.C.  Other countries with notable Korean-speaking populations include Russia, with approximately 250,000 speakers, and Canada, where around 218,000 individuals speak Korean (worlddata.info). Australia has a Korean-speaking population of about 102,000, primarily residing in New South Wales. Smaller communities are also found in countries such as Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, and various European nations. These global communities maintain the Korean language through cultural institutions, schools, and media, preserving their linguistic heritage and contributing to the worldwide spread of Korean culture (britannica.com and pathtokorean.com).

In the United States, approximately 1.8 million people speak Korean at home, accounting for about 8% of the Asian American population. This figure includes both U.S. citizens of Korean descent and South Korean nationals living in the U.S (pewresearch.org). Korean is one of the top 15 non-English languages that is spoken in every US state making it to number four on the list of Asian American languages (gala-global.org). The Korean American community is primarily concentrated in metropolitan areas with significant immigrant populations. Notably, about 30% of Korean Americans reside in the Los Angeles and New York metropolitan areas, reflecting historical immigration patterns and the establishment of vibrant Korean communities in these regions. These communities often form tight-knit neighborhoods where Korean is commonly spoken, and cultural traditions are maintained through local businesses, schools, and community centers. Besides California and New York, other states with significant Korean-speaking populations include Hawaii (368,734), Texas (214,854), Washington (187,513), Nevada (178,655), Florida (171,931), Illinois (169,520), New Jersey (150,084), and Virginia (119,925). The growth of the Korean-speaking population in the U.S. has been substantial in recent decades increasing by about 330% between 1980 to 2010.

In the State of Iowa, the Korean-speaking population is somewhere around 3200 speakers and is concentrated in Des Moines and Ames, with Des Moines having the largest community at 860 speakers (census.gov). While both Iowa State University in Ames and The University of Iowa in Iowa City both have Korean Student organizations on campus, the latter educational institution is the only one in the state that provides Korean language and culture courses. And, since 1979, the Korean American Society of Iowa (KASI) in Des Moines has stood “as the sole nonprofit organization dedicated to representing and empowering the Korean and Korean American community within the state of Iowa” (kasiorganization.org). Finally, Scott County, Iowa has only 225 speakers (iowadatacenter.org).

But, according to a 2021 report from the language learning app, Duolingo, Korean is in the top 6 most popular languages to learn around the world (English, Spanish, French, German, Japanese, Italian, and Korean). The surge in interest in learning Korean is largely attributed to the global phenomenon known as the Korean Wave, or “Hallyu,” which encompasses the international popularity of Korean music, films, and television dramas. This cultural movement has significantly increased the number of non-native speakers learning Korean, as individuals seek to engage more deeply with Korean media and culture (linguakorean.com and asiasociety.org). Learning Korean opens doors to various career opportunities, especially in fields like international business, technology translation, and diplomacy. South Korea is home to global giants like Samsung, Hyundai, and LG, making knowledge of the Korean language an asset for professionals looking to engage in the East Asian market (koreatimes.com). Moreover, the U.S. government considers Korean a critical language, offering scholarships and career opportunities in agencies such as the CIA, Department of State, and NSA for individuals with Korean language skills.

Beyond professional advantages, learning Korean allows for a deeper appreciation of Korea’s rich history and cultural traditions. Understanding the language enhances one’s ability to enjoy Korean literature, cuisine, and festivals, fostering a more meaningful connection with the culture. Additionally, as Korean is written using the Hangul alphabet, which is phonetic and logical, it is considered more accessible for English speakers compared to other East Asian languages like Chinese or Japanese (ethnologue.com). So, whether for personal enrichment, cultural exploration, or professional advancement, learning Korean offers a rewarding and enriching experience.

Check out some of the FREE resources available to you at The Library as you begin (or continue) learning Korean. See our online catalog or ask a Librarian for more resources.

COMPREHENSIVE LANGUAGE COURSES:

  

Learn, listen, & speak Korean

Beginner’s Korean with online audio

Mastering Korean. Level one

And, as a Davenport Public Library cardholder, you have FREE access to the language learning program, Mango Languages.

 

FOR A MORE LAID-BACK APPROACH:

 

Korean short stories for beginners: Improve your Korean

Korean short stories for beginners: 20 Captivating Short Stories

Korean folktales for language learners

Korean stories for language learners

Intermediate Korean short stories

Short stories in Korean for intermediate learners

 

IF YOU ARE A VISUAL LEARNER:

Korean picture dictionary : learn 1,500 Korean words and phrases

Korean Hangul for beginners

 

IMPROVING YOUR GRAMMAR:

Korean grammar for beginners

Korean grammar : the complete guide to speaking Korean naturally

 

FOR THOSE WHO PLAN TO TRAVEL:

Korean phrase book & dictionary

Korean at a glance

Korean phrasebook & dictionary

 

NEXT MONTH…  LEARN A LANGUAGE — Part 8 — VIETNAMESE

 

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Murder Runs in the Family by Tamara Berry

- Stephanie Leave a comment

On the run from an ex, former private investigator in training Amber Winslow flees to her estranged grandmother’s house in Tamara Berry’s latest mystery, Murder Runs in the Family. This book combines elements of detective fiction and cozy mysteries to tell the story of found family and the road to forgiveness.

After a blow up with her ex-boyfriend, Amber impulsively heads to Arizona and the retirement community where her estranged grandmother lives. Growing up, Amber’s mother had nothing positive to say about her grandmother and forbid contact between them. It’s a shock when Amber runs to her grandma in her time of need, given all she knows is the woman’s name and where she is currently living. After sneaking into Seven Ponds and dropping in on her grandma, Amber is ready to learn more about Grandma Jade and what caused the massive family fallout.

Before Amber can start quizzing Jade, she is introduced to Jade’s friends and their quirky habits. They each have their own reasons for living at Seven Ponds, but they are all deeply connected. One morning, all of their lives are changed when they learn that one of their friends has been found dead in the group’s podcast studio. That’s right – Jade and her friends are responsible for a successful true crime podcast! Their friend’s death shocks everyone, especially Amber when the authorities are quick to focus on Jade as the murderer. Amber may not know her grandmother well, but there’s no way this eccentric woman would be a murderous villain. Putting her private investigator skills to use, Amber and the other podcast members work to prove Jade’s innocence.

This is a delightfully quirky cozy mystery full of compelling elements. Each character has their own independent backstory that eventually weaves into the plot, while the physical place, the retirement community itself, also plays a role. Bonus: there is a lost tortoise with an adorable name! I hope that the author decides to turn this into a series.

Online Reading Challenge – July

- Stephanie Leave a comment

Welcome Readers!

This month the Online Reading Challenge is focusing on domestic fiction, also known as domestic realism. This genre focuses on everyday lives of ordinary people, particularly the domestic sphere that focuses on families and communities. It strives to show a realistic portrayal of ordinary life in a straightforward way. Our main title for July is All This Could Be Yours by Jami Attenberg. Here’s a quick summary from the publisher:

“If I know why they are the way they are, then maybe I can learn why I am the way I am,” says Alex Tuchman of her parents. Now that her father, Victor, is on his deathbed, Alex—a strong-headed lawyer, devoted mother, and loving sister—feels she can finally unearth the secrets of who Victor is and what he did over the course of his life and career. (A power-hungry real estate developer, he is, by all accounts, a bad man.) She travels to New Orleans to be with her family, but mostly to interrogate her tight-lipped mother, Barbra.

As Barbra fends off Alex’s unrelenting questions, she reflects on her tumultuous life with Victor. Meanwhile Gary, Alex’s brother, is incommunicado, trying to get his movie career off the ground in Los Angeles. And Gary’s wife, Twyla, is having a nervous breakdown, buying up all the lipstick in drugstores around New Orleans and bursting into crying fits. Dysfunction is at its peak. As family members grapple with Victor’s history, they must figure out a way to move forward—with one another, for themselves, and for the sake of their children.

All This Could Be Yours is a timely, piercing exploration of what it means to be caught in the web of a toxic man who abused his power; it shows how those webs can entangle a family for generations, and what it takes to—maybe, hopefully—break free. With her signature “sparkling prose” (Marie Claire) and incisive wit, Jami Attenberg deftly explores one of the most important subjects of our age. – Ecco

Looking for some other domestic fiction? Try any of the following.

As always, check each of our locations for displays with lots more titles to choose from!