Cultural Post #2 - SDLC 110

[Arnanto Januri]

Formality is one of the key highlights in the Korean language. With its various levels of formality, it adds to the complexity of the language. The honorifics of the Korean language has strong ties with its culture. There are three different levels of formality in Korean. The first one being the most polite and formal (deferential), then the standard polite form, and lastly the informal form. It is necessary to address people who are older in a different way than you do if speaking to a friend. The deferential form is used when talking to people who are older and have authority over you. The standard polite form is used when talking to an older person who has an equal status as you are. And lastly, the informal form is used when speaking casually to a friend. Since the Korean culture really emphasizes honorifics, it is very important to stress my learning process into the area of formality in the Korean language.