SDLC 110 Cultural Post #2

[Jessica Crouser]

Formality and informality exist in every language, and even though I'm not always conscious about it, I use very different phrases in English depending on the formality of the situation. In Korean, it definitely exists. I probably could have guessed this before I even started looking at textbooks, just knowing that East Asian cultures in general tend to emphasize speaking respectfully to elders and those superior to you. This is the case for the most part in the U.S. too, you likely wouldn't speak the same way to your boss or grandma that you would to your friends or siblings. As I could've guessed, immediately during my online practice with Korean I was learning to say things either "humbly" or not. There's even a different word to refer to yourself whether you're using the plain form or the humble form, and English definitely doesn't go this far with formality. Since being aware of to whom you're speaking matters a lot in Korean, this adds a whole extra layer to learning the language. However, knowing these differences will be crucial for the situations in which I would like to use my Korean, i.e. with my family and while traveling to South Korea.