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According to the CIA, the Korean language is one of the hardest languages to learn for english speakers. Korean speakers also have difficulty with english, due to the vast differences in both languages. Korean is either regarded as an Altaic or unclassified language with a subject-object-verb sentence structure. This is very different from english, which uses subject-verb-object structure. One of the most apparent differences in these languages is pronunciation.
Korean, like english, uses an alphabet-like system called Hangeul. The letters are said to resemble the shapes of the mouth, tongue, and teeth when producing the respective sounds. Korean has many sounds that do not exist in english, but also lacks many sounds existing in english as well. Korean lacks the F, V, TH, and Z consonants that exist in english. However, Korean, like many other Asian languages, has trouble distinguishing R from L. The S sound also shifts into an SH when it is followed by certain vowels. The problems unique to Korean include the confusion between B/P, G/K, D/T, and J/CH. This is due to words beginning in B, G, D, and J sounding very similar to their “harder” counterparts – P, K, T, and CH – when beginning words.
Consonants are not the only problems that exist in Korean pronunciation of english. Vowels can also be quite difficult. The lack of the schwa and the A in “cat” are apparent problems. Korean vowels are also more straightforward than english, which has many diphthongs and consonant combinations. Korean words cannot end in D, G, J, and many other consonants found in english. Korean words usually end in vowels or in T, K, N, NG, P, and L.
Intonation is also a problem for Korean speakers. Stress on syllables is often incorrect. For example, “I don't know” may have equal but strong stress on each word. Another big difference is that Korean words are usually pronounced with equal length on each syllable, and the general accent and intonation is quite different from english.
A Korean speaker may pronounce “Can I order a Super Supreme pizza, please?” as “Ken I oh-duh shoo-puh soo-pu-reem pi-ja pu-ri-ju.” The stress may be on “order” or on another unobvious word. Korean (Hangeul) is written in blocks, and many Koreans may be used to writing or thinking of english in these Hangeul blocks. They may disregard the smooth transition that is found in english pronunciation because of this habit. And as noted in the Korean pronunciation of this sentence, the speaker may omit articles since they are not used in Korean.
Korean is also said to be pronounced mostly with the front of the mouth, while english uses many depths of the mouth. For example, pronouncing R in english required the tongue to curl and move back. The Korean R is more similar to a flap, and can resemble a D to non-Korean speakers.
From experience, I believe that these pronunciation errors can be easier to fix when teaching and helping a younger speaker. Young adults and adults tend to have more difficulty with pronunciation, but it can still be improved with practice and guidance.
