The Korean language has many different cultural linguistic aspects. Most of them are very new to me even though I'm Asian. My cultural customs differ from the Korean ones so it was really nice to learn something different.
I guess we can start with introductions. Formality is taken very seriously in the Korean culture and that speaks directly to how they greet one another. The lower person of the two greeters bows first and says "pleased to meet you" while it is the senior of the two who extends their hand for a handshake. If you are not classmates or very close friends, Koreans address each other by position titles such as "professor," "director," and such. Speaking formal is the default until you are given permission to speak informally if you are the lower person.
I read about how Koreans in public don't interact much with strangers and this can cause a misunderstanding of Koreans being rude. Say for instance, someone accidentally pushes me, Koreans won't say a word about it and just move on with their way. This "indifference" is not because Koreans aren't nice, this kind of behavior stems from the traditional Confucian teaching of the propriety in the five sets of human relationships- which strangers is not a part of. I'm glad I cam across this because the American culture is so much the opposite that I'm sure this will be a culture shock when I go to South Korea.
The Korean sense of time is that you are able to arrive 30 minutes late without giving offense (in an informal setting). I find this very difficult to fathom because I really love and appreciate timeliness. Hopefully when I go abroad I won't have to encounter this ever hahaha.
Also, in my research communication in a business setting is more apt to be "less is more" and they appreciate directness and conciseness. Business wise, being on time is a must as it shows respect to who you are meeting with.
Those are some of the key points to the linguistics in Korean.
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