Missionary Grammars and the Language of Translation in Korea (1876–1910)

Book excerpt: Missionary Grammars and the Language of Translation in Korea (1876−1910) embraces the Enlightenment period in Korea (1876−1910) after the opening of the so-called Hermit Nation in describing the Korean language and missionary works. This book includes a comprehensive analysis and description of works published at that time by John Ross (1877, 1882), Felix-Clair Ridel (1881), James Scott (1887, 1893), Camille Imbault-Huart (1893), Horace Grant Underwood (1890, 1914), James Scrath Gale (1894, 1903), and Annie Laurie Baird (1911) with the particular focus on missionary activities, linguistic practices, grammatical content, and the language of translation from Korean into a native language. The topic of missionary grammar was raised by Otto Zwartjes (2012, 2018) with a focus on South America, North America, and Portuguese missions in Asia and Africa. Still, so far, Korea had not been mentioned, and there has been missing content about missionary grammar in Korea. A necessary study has been made within the framework of AMG (Average Missionary Grammar). The author has concluded that missionary works played an essential role in the formation of further linguistic research in Korea. The Greek-Latin approach applied by Western missionaries to the language is still relevant in the grammatical description of the Korean language. This book will primarily appeal to Korean language educators, researchers, and historical linguists. Postgraduates interested in missionary grammar will also benefit from the content of this volume.