I was wondering, "what makes up the Korean language?" I find Korean to be a very unique language that sounds different than both Japanese and Chinese, but it turns out some Korean words have originated from Japan and China. It makes sense, though. Since Korea is situated next to Japan and China, it is likely that Koreans added Japanese or Chinese words into their language because of their constant contact. The Korean vocabulary consists of approximately 30% native, 65% Korean (Chinese-character based) and 5% loanwords.
One of the first cultural phrases I heard about was "pap mogoso?" Have you eaten? This is a common phrase Koreans use. It's actually used as a "how are you" or "hello" type of greeting. This wasn't anything too foreign to me. Indian people will ask something similar when they say hello, but in Korea, it seems to be more of a "how are you" type of question.
Another cultural thing I'd like to talk about is kinship terms. In America, we don't really use any sort of term to refer to our siblings or our cousins. We just call everyone by their names. In Korean, there are several kinship terms that are used very frequently. Some examples are "oppa," "unnie," "hyung" and "noona." "Oppa" is a term that is used by girls and it basically means older brother, but it is also used to refer to any older male that you are close with like a friend or boyfriend. The other three terms kind of work the same way. "Unnie" is used by girls and it means older sister. "Hyung"(older brother) and "noona" (older sister) are the male equivalents of "oppa" and "unnie."
As for body language, there are several things I've noticed. I'll keep my observations solely on greetings. It is customary to bow when you greet someone. The lower the bow, the more respect you show for the other person. Handshakes are common mostly among men. However, Korean handshakes are a bit different. It is important that you support the hand your are using to shake with your other hand. One should make sure to support their right hand with their left hand when shaking hands.
My goals for week 4 and 5 are to learn how to order food at a restaurant. I know in Korea many people eat beef and there are many dishes with beef in it. I don't eat beef, for religious reasons and would like to avoid accidently eating it when I am abroad in the fa;;. So, I want to learn how to order food and to ask whether or not something has beef in it. As for activities, I'm not sure what I want to do. I usually learn best through memorization and repeating. I think watching Korean tv or movies or listening to music will definitely help me with my pronunciation and vocabulary skills. I could try translating a song, something simple. In order to evaluate my success, I'd like to practice speaking with my other Korean friends because they will honestly tell me whether I've improved or not in any way.
Comments