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Commonly misunderstood English words
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Lazio



Joined: 15 Dec 2010

PostPosted: Wed Dec 12, 2012 12:04 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Christmas as a whole is completely misunderstood in Korea.
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schwa



Joined: 18 Jan 2003
Location: Yap

PostPosted: Wed Dec 12, 2012 12:22 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Christmas means many different things to many different people. Is there a common standard?

One widespread Korean take on it is interesting though: a romantic day for couples who are dating. Movie theaters do big business.
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Privateer



Joined: 31 Aug 2005
Location: Easy Street.

PostPosted: Wed Dec 12, 2012 10:13 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Updated List

Almost. Kdef: most or almost all. Edef: nearly.
Ballad. Kdef: a folk song. Edef: it has a wider meaning.
Band . KDef: A plaster or band-aid for dressing wounds. EDef: A group of several people, often musicians
Body language. They think it means gestures, i.e. using your body to talk. It actually means what your body says whether you mean it to or not.
Bromide. Kdef: poster. Edef: chemical used in photography.
Cider. Kdef (possibly Jdef or whatever too, but irrelevant, because it's not Edef): Lemon-lime soda. Edef: 1. Unfiltered, raw apple juice; 2. Fermented apple juice containing alcohol.
Classic. Kdef: classical (music). Edef: historically memorable, setting a standard.
Coating. Kdef: plastic lamination. Edef: any covering layer.
Condo. Kdef: a membership resort. Edef: an owned apartment.
Crazy. Kdef: a severe insult referring to a mental disorder. Edef1: mad or insane. Edef2: a slang word referring to something you admire.
Cunning Kdef: cheating or copying work. Edef: sly or clever in a devious way.
Cup. Kdef: any vessel for drinking out of. Edef1: drinking vessels of the type used for tea, or disposable paper or plastic ones. Edef2: sports trophies similar in type to medieval drinking vessels.
Dung. Kdef: general term for excrement. Edef: term for animal excrement.
Enjoy. Kdef: to do something for the purpose of pleasure only, especially have a sexual relationship. Edef: to derive pleasure of happiness from something.
Expect. Kdef: look forward to something. Edef: expect something.
Event. Kdef: a promotional sales event, or any time when you do something special in order to make an occasion. Edef1: an occurrence or happening. Edef2: a social gathering or activity.
Famous. Kdef: having a good reputation or name. Edef: when a good many people have heard of something.
Friend. Kdef: a close acquaintance one's own age, or nearly. Edef: a close acquaintance of any age
Friendly. Kdef: a word describing behaviour between friends. Edef: a word describing welcoming and sociable behaviour to all and sundry, particularly those who are not yet one's friends.
Follow. Kdef: to copy someone's actions or work. Edef: to go after someone or something.
Funny. Kdef: fun or interesting. Edef1: amusing. Edef2: peculiar.
Glamour. kdef: big breasts. edef: um...
Hacking Kdef: cheating or copying work. Edef: accessing someone's computer without their permission.
Handle. Kdef: steering wheel. Edef: broadly. something designed to be grasped by the hand, but never a steering wheel.
Hard. Kdef: difficult or arduous, but also the feeling of suffering you get in a difficult or tiring situation. Edef1: difficult or arduous. Edef2: firm.
Health. Kdef: health club. Edef: condition of the body.
Hips. Kdef: the buttocks. Edef: the hips.
Hometown. Kdef: your place of origin, including town, area, district, or neighbourhood. Edef: Your town of origin only.
Hunting. Kdef: cruising to meet members of the opposite sex. Edef: killing wild animals.
Individualist. Kdef: one who does what they want without regard to society or other individuals. Similar to 'selfish'. Edef: one who sets their own goals and relies on themself to achieve them, irrespective of whether they conform to social norms, but respecting other individuals' rights.
Knit. Kdef: a general term for a sweater. Edef: a term used in trade for certain types of knitted sweater, but not as a general term.
MacGyver. Kdef: multipurpose pocket knife. Edef: old TV series/character.
Marathon: kdef-any distance running race. Englishdef- a 26.2 mile race.
Meeting. KDef: A date; blind date; night on the town; often with sexual overtones. EDef: 1. A gathering of staff, employees, or associated people to discuss issues of mutual interest. 2. The temporary coming together of any two or more objects, persons or materials.
Menu. Kdef: a dish or item on a menu. Edef: a list of dishes available at a restaurant.
Nice to meet you! Kdef: a phrase you use whenever you see someone you know. Edef: a phrase you use the first time you meet someone.
Night. Kdef: night club. Edef: when the sky is dark.
Oh you are so poor. Kdef: an expression of sympathy, e.g. if you are sick. Edef: an observation that you have no money. 'You poor thing' would be the correct phrase.
Oil. Kdef: petroleum oil or gasoline. Edef: oil (lubricant)
One-piece. Kdef: a dress. Edef: a style of swimsuit. (I have seen certain types of dress referred to as one-pieces in English department stores but as a trade term rather than for general use)
Outside. Kdef: any place outside your home. Edef: anywhere out in the open. If you were working in an office all day, you were not 'outside'.
Overeat. Kdef: vomit or throw up. Edef: eat too much.
Padding. Kdef: outerwear filled with down or synthetics. Edef: the stuff that pads something.
Panty. Kdef: male or female undershorts. Edef: (panties) short underpants for females.
Pension. Kdef: A rental house in the countryside. Edef1: A fund collected after retirement. Edef2: A small hotel in Europe (from the French)
Please understand me. Kdef: please accept my excuse or behaviour. Edef: The title of a book by David Keirsey.
Pot boiler. KDef: A suspense thriller. "I like pot boiler". EDef: A low quality play, opera, film, novel or other work of art.
Prepare an item. Kdef: get an item you need in order to get ready for something else, e.g. prepare spoons (for a picnic) Edef: make an item ready, e.g. prepare sandwiches (which need work, as opposed to spoons, which don't).
Promise. KDef: Meeting, meetup, appointment. "Sorry I'm busy on Saturday. I have a promise". EDef: 1. A serious agreement, contract, or commitment made to another person or persons.
Running. Kdef: sleeveless T-shirt. Edef: moving faster than a walk.
Sharp. Kdef: A mechanical pencil. Edef: Having a pointy tip or cutting edge.
Sofa. Kdef: either sofa or armchair. Edef: sofa only.
Soso. Koreans think it means OK. In reality westerners rarely say this and if they do, it means very mediocre.
Stamina. Kdef: sexual stamina only. Edef: staying-power in all contexts, especially sport.
Stand. Kdef: lamp. Edef: many meanings, never lamp.
Time. Kdef1: time. Kdef2: a plea for more time. Edef: time.
Toast. Kdef: grilled egg sandwich. Edef: toasted slice of bread.
Too Kdef1: also. Kdef2: very. For example, "I'm too hungry... let's go eat." Edef1: also. Edef2: overly or to an excessive degree. E.g. "I'm too hungry to concentrate".
Training. Kdef: fitness training only, or exercise in general. Edef1: any activity designed to teach you a practical or vocational skill. Edef2: physical exercise in preparation for a sporting event.
Until. Kdef: 'by' meaning 'no later than'. E.g. "I'll finish the work until 6". Edef: 'until' meaning 'at but not before'. E.g. "I won't finish the work until 6".
Veranda. Kdef: a glassed-in utility room. Edef: a large open porch.
Villa. Kdef: a small walk-up apartment. Edef: an upscale country house.
Walker. Kdef: army-style boots (popular among teens these days). Edef: walking support.
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ArgentineDreams



Joined: 09 Sep 2011

PostPosted: Wed Dec 12, 2012 12:34 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

What about the word dirty? i have heard some of my students say it when i believe another word should have been used
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ursus_rex



Joined: 20 Mar 2004
Location: Seoul, ROK

PostPosted: Wed Dec 12, 2012 9:28 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

diet

Korean - diet includes exercise and healthy lifestyle
English - the kinds and amounts of food you eat.
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Privateer



Joined: 31 Aug 2005
Location: Easy Street.

PostPosted: Sun Dec 16, 2012 11:53 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Touch your nose. Kdef: tap your nose a few times. An iterative action. Edef: place your index finger on your nose and hold it there. An inceptive action.
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Privateer



Joined: 31 Aug 2005
Location: Easy Street.

PostPosted: Sun Jan 20, 2013 4:29 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Not sure if this is generally misunderstood, but I just had a misunderstanding due to this one:

Road. Kdef: any established route for traveling, including roads, paths, trails, etc. Edef: a paved road on which motorized vehicles can travel. Not including hiking trails.
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EZE



Joined: 05 May 2012

PostPosted: Sun Jan 20, 2013 5:01 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Privateer wrote:
Event. Kdef: a promotional sales event, or any time when you do something special in order to make an occasion. Edef1: an occurrence or happening. Edef2: a social gathering or activity.


Kdef2: The happy ending at the end of a massage.

I saw some cards laying on the ground in Seoul and when I picked a couple of them up, there were scantily-clad women in suggestive poses pictured on them. They each had a phone number listed and in addition to a lot of Korean script, they each also said "Massage and Event" in English.
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alongway



Joined: 02 Jan 2012

PostPosted: Sun Jan 20, 2013 6:18 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Privateer wrote:
Not sure if this is generally misunderstood, but I just had a misunderstanding due to this one:

Road. Kdef: any established route for traveling, including roads, paths, trails, etc. Edef: a paved road on which motorized vehicles can travel. Not including hiking trails.


You've apparently never heard of a dirt road, or critical thinking
at some point you just become an absurd caricature of yourself. Here is the actual english definition: "A wide way leading from one place to another, esp. one that vehicles can use." it's not even a requirement that vehicles can use it.


Quote:
I saw some cards laying on the ground in Seoul and when I picked a couple of them up, there were scantily-clad women in suggestive poses pictured on them. They each had a phone number listed and in addition to a lot of Korean script, they each also said "Massage and Event" in English.

a great number of the terms that have shown up in here have clearly been Konglish terms that aren't actually used in English. Even if they're written in English, they're intended for consumption by Koreans and its stylized in English letters simply for aesthetics. English teachers have been making lists of Konglish terms for as long as they've been coming here, and there is a great difference between a word that is used as Konglish in Korean and English words that Koreans have trouble actually understanding properly like a term like "play", which most adult English speakers associate a sexual connotation between adults while Koreans use a dictionary and translate 놀다 and then ask random foreigners to "play" with them. That would be an actual example of an English term that Koreans misunderstand. While I have heard some Koreans assume, in English, that Konglish terms have identical meanings, it's not a universal misunderstanding, and all of these are extremely subjective to begin with since it all depends heavily on education level as most common Konglish confusion can be cleared up in a lesson or two of Konglish doesn't really mean the same thing.
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Privateer



Joined: 31 Aug 2005
Location: Easy Street.

PostPosted: Sun Jan 20, 2013 11:40 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

alongway wrote:
Privateer wrote:
Not sure if this is generally misunderstood, but I just had a misunderstanding due to this one:

Road. Kdef: any established route for traveling, including roads, paths, trails, etc. Edef: a paved road on which motorized vehicles can travel. Not including hiking trails.


You've apparently never heard of a dirt road,


Have you ever heard of an 'off-road vehicle'? What kind of vehicle would you choose for a dirt road?

alongway wrote:
or critical thinking


This may be apparent to you, but not to anyone else.

alongway wrote:
at some point you just become an absurd caricature of yourself.


Whereas you've been one from the start.

alongway wrote:
Here is the actual english definition: "A wide way leading from one place to another, esp. one that vehicles can use." it's not even a requirement that vehicles can use it.


I recognise that there is a broader definition of 'road', but the primary sense in which it is used these days is the one I described. If you want to give constructive criticism, you could just point out that the Edef as given needs amendment.

alongway wrote:
Quote:
I saw some cards laying on the ground in Seoul and when I picked a couple of them up, there were scantily-clad women in suggestive poses pictured on them. They each had a phone number listed and in addition to a lot of Korean script, they each also said "Massage and Event" in English.

a great number of the terms that have shown up in here have clearly been Konglish terms that aren't actually used in English.


If you've been following the thread, you should know we're specifically excluding terms that aren't used in English.

alongway wrote:
Even if they're written in English, they're intended for consumption by Koreans and its stylized in English letters simply for aesthetics. English teachers have been making lists of Konglish terms for as long as they've been coming here, and there is a great difference between a word that is used as Konglish in Korean and English words that Koreans have trouble actually understanding properly like a term like "play", which most adult English speakers associate a sexual connotation between adults while Koreans use a dictionary and translate 놀다 and then ask random foreigners to "play" with them. That would be an actual example of an English term that Koreans misunderstand. While I have heard some Koreans assume, in English, that Konglish terms have identical meanings, it's not a universal misunderstanding, and all of these are extremely subjective to begin with since it all depends heavily on education level as most common Konglish confusion can be cleared up in a lesson or two of Konglish doesn't really mean the same thing.


As stated before, Koreans can use English words however they please when talking amongst themselves, but if they use English words to English speakers in an altered sense then this can cause misunderstandings. That's why I'm attempting in this list to stick to words used in English that cause problems rather than all Konglish - a distinction you seem to get.

The point about level of education and/or level of English is a fair one. In my experience, the types of words listed here are often misunderstood even by seemingly fluent English speakers. Obviously, truly advanced levels will have fewer misconceptions, but these are a minority. For the broad majority of Koreans speaking English - the 'median' level perhaps - these misunderstandings need to be addressed.

One reason for making this list is that teachers need to be aware of these misunderstandings if they are going to deal with them. The difference between Edef and Kdef can be subtle or not come up in class - and then one day you find yourself on a hiking trail, ask a Korean which way the road is, and get sent off in completely the wrong direction.
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alongway



Joined: 02 Jan 2012

PostPosted: Sun Jan 20, 2013 11:51 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

[qoute] Have you ever heard of an 'off-road vehicle'? What kind of vehicle would you choose for a dirt road? [/quote]
Have you never been outside the city? dirt roads which are made for normal vehicles and not "off-road" vehicles are quite common. off-road vehicles originally were meant for places where there were no roads or nothing more than wheel ruts.

I see little to no evidence that Koreans would ever commonly refer to hiking trails as roads. Not even in Korean is 길 used in conjunction with 하이킹, 코스 gets thousands upon thousands of results while 길 gets very low double digits.
In all my years here I've never heard any random Korean call anything other than a road a road, so it is neither a translation nor konglish error, so I can't see your basis for claiming this as some kind of common misconception. Your prattling on about tapping vs touching a nose is just beyond the pale.

Quote:
If you've been following the thread, you should know we're specifically excluding terms that aren't used in English.

The few lists I've seen compiled thus far in the thread have been heavily laden with Konglish, often Konglish I've never even heard Koreans carry over, while a few do actually get carried over and sometimes used inappropriately.
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Privateer



Joined: 31 Aug 2005
Location: Easy Street.

PostPosted: Mon Jan 21, 2013 12:29 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

alongway wrote:
Quote:
Have you ever heard of an 'off-road vehicle'? What kind of vehicle would you choose for a dirt road?

Have you never been outside the city? dirt roads which are made for normal vehicles and not "off-road" vehicles are quite common. off-road vehicles originally were meant for places where there were no roads or nothing more than wheel ruts.


Note that said dirt roads are intended for motorized vehicles. They're still not footpaths. You're kind of reinforcing my point, although, to be fair, you're right that roads don't need to be paved - even though the prototypical image we have when you say 'road' includes asphalt.

alongway wrote:
I see little to no evidence that Koreans would ever commonly refer to hiking trails as roads. Not even in Korean is 길 used in conjunction with 하이킹, 코스 gets thousands upon thousands of results while 길 gets very low double digits.
In all my years here I've never heard any random Korean call anything other than a road a road, so it is neither a translation nor konglish error, so I can't see your basis for claiming this as some kind of common misconception.


I did say I wasn't sure about this one, so maybe it doesn't belong on the list. Given your record of indignantly denying plain facts, however, I'm not going to delete it just yet.

alongway wrote:
Your prattling on about tapping vs touching a nose is just beyond the pale.


Ask an English speaker to touch his or her nose and see what they do. Now ask a Korean student and see what they do.

FYI, Steven Pinker distinguishes 5 ways in which actions can be conceived of in time:

1. 'Activity': for an event that is durative and atelic (i.e. it lasts in time and lacks an inherent endpoint).
2. Momentaneous: takes only a moment.
3. Telic: for actions with no fixed beginning but a terminating moment by definition.
4. Iterative: when the same action gets repeated over and over.
5. Inceptive: for the inception of states.

Got anything to say besides name-calling?

alongway wrote:
Quote:
If you've been following the thread, you should know we're specifically excluding terms that aren't used in English.

The few lists I've seen compiled thus far in the thread have been heavily laden with Konglish, often Konglish I've never even heard Koreans carry over, while a few do actually get carried over and sometimes used inappropriately.


Don't know what you're talking about.

And, btw, since when does 'play' have a sexual connotation among English speakers?
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alongway



Joined: 02 Jan 2012

PostPosted: Mon Jan 21, 2013 12:51 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Quote:
And, btw, since when does 'play' have a sexual connotation among English speakers?

At some point I've got to wonder if you're actually a native speaker or whether or not you've actually got any real world experience at all, because it might explain some of the things you've come up with in this thread.

Unless there is an obvious game or sport involved, native speaking english adults do not refer to 2 adults hanging out as "playing". To do so would imply there was a sexual component to the activity. Children play together, adults don't unless a game is involved.

However, in Korean the verb 놀다 is used for "hang-out" which is dictionary translated to play.

If you're in a club a young girl walks up to you and says "Do you want to play with me?"
what meaning do you take from that? You think she's got a go-stop deck in her back pocket?

You might want to actually try getting out and experiencing how native speakers use the English language and barring that hit google to see how they associate certain words with ideas and see how the language is actually being used.

Quote:
If you've been following the thread, you should know we're specifically excluding terms that aren't used in English.

But you're still including a great amount of Konglish, with even stupider english definitions
Quote:
Ballad. Kdef: a folk song. Edef: it has a wider meaning.
Band . KDef: A plaster or band-aid for dressing wounds. EDef: A group of several people, often musicians

Yeah, no it has just as wide a definition in Korean, like 성시경's album called "The Ballads", it isn't folk songs. I don't know if you've looked band up in the dictionary lately but it's got a lot more meanings than that, and band is just konglish for bandage. Band-aid is an actual brand-name, it refers to the same thing. You might find this definition of band interesting: "a thin, flat strip of some material for binding, confining, trimming, protecting, etc"
Kind of like what a 밴드 does..

Quote:
Crazy. Kdef: a severe insult referring to a mental disorder. Edef1: mad or insane. Edef2: a slang word referring to something you admire.

The kdef is not any different than the English one. They mean the same thing. They difference is that Koreans see that meaning as a bigger insult than English speakers do. It has nothing to do with misunderstanding the meaning of the word, that's a discussion of what that meaning has to that particular culture.

I could go on, but it's pointless since you're so out of touch on the fundamental meaning of various words and seem to have no concept of how native speakers use things like "cup", which is a discussion we've already had. You obviously don't have the critical thinking skills to think broadly or take into account that native english speakers come from a wide variety of cultures and origins and to bother to apply that to your list. How you think that will create something that would actually benefit anyone is about as idiotic as your claim that Koreans would apparently never use the word "night" to mean actual night and only use it to mean nightclub.
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