Formality and Informality (Korean)
Formality is very important in Korean culture and language. There are usually ways to say almost everything formally and informally, starting with even greetings, which was one of our learning task. Formality is especially important when speaking to elders because formal language shows respect. For example, to say hello to your friends, you can use the informal and simple version of “ahn-young.” But, to say hello to an adult, you add “ha-sae-yo,” to get “ahn-young-ha-sae-yo.” Ending a phrase with “yo” usually turns an informal phrase into formal, although there are exceptions. If a younger person does not speak formally to an older adult, it is considered very rude. As a result, I learned the importance of formality and informality in Korean and made sure to practice this in my daily life.
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