Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Corporal]

Perhaps this is only because I had makkoli with tonight's supper, but I find myself sitting here wondering why some animal names are the same in Korean as they are in English. Kangaroo, gorilla, penguin, to name just a few. Yet perfectly good English named animals like seagull and whale become talmaegi and gorae. Why is this? I shall puzzle over it until I find the answer. It's quite perplexing to me. I want to know.

[Corporal]

And moreover, why is kimchi so expensive if you have to buy it at the store? This country has more kimchi than it knows what to do with, so why does it cost 5000 won for a measly two pound bag.

Rice too. You would think that rice would be cheap in Asia.

[whatthefunk]

Koreans don't have their own name for gorillas and stuff because there are no gorrilas, kangaroos and penguins in Korea. When they first encountered these animals, they just adopted English names. At least thats my take on the situation.

Why is Kimchi expensive? Because it can be. Its a known fact that koreans must eat kimchi at least once a day. If they don't, they melt. So, the big Kimchi companies charge an arm and a leg for this life giving month old cabbage.

[camel96]

Rice is cheap in Asia. Just not Korea. I'm guessing it's a way that the Korean government protects their woefully inefficient rice farmers.
And for the love of crumbcake Corp...stop drinking NOW...!
You sound like you're about to blow a neuron or something....

[just because]

I've found that if things are located in Korea or known to Koreans before last century they'll have Korean names. If they have become common knowledge this century they have konglish names.

[posco's trumpet]

[schwa]

Cheap kimchi -- seek out ajummas selling homemade in bulk in the markets. 2000 won will get you a generous bagful & its much fresher & tastier than the factory product.

[Zyzyfer]

Rice is expensive in Asian countries that don't have a lot of land to grow it.

[waterbaby]

I've always wondered why Korea is Korea and not Hangkuk, why Japan is Japan and not Nippon, why Italy is Italy not Italia and why the hell Australia is Australia and not Hoju

[The evil penguin]

I know that "monkey" is "wonsungi" in korean.

The kids here were calling me "wonsungi sonsaengnim" for a month before I had it translated. And i thought they were being respectful.........

Its the hairy arms, they can't get enough..........

[mokpochica]

Are kangaroo and gorilla really English words? A lot of these sorts of words are borrowed from other languages for speakers of English too. I would bet that kangaroo is from a native language of Australia.

There's really no such thing as 'pure' English or 'pure' any language. They all mix.

I thought that a lot of Korean words I heard were Konglish too until I realized that some were k-Deutchean, etc. Korean uses borrowed words from the most convenient source like many others. English is just so pervasive now though that it's because the most obvious first choice to borrow words from.

[whatthefunk]

[OiGirl]

[crazylemongirl]

My question for the evening, is why if I show the a slight glimpse of flesh I get russian screamed at me all day. But if I dress down I get called a pig.

*sigh*

C LG

[Clutch Cargo]

I can't vouch for it's validity but I was told that 'Kangaroo' was Australian Aboriginal for "I don't know what you mean."
E.G
Captain Cook "What is this unusual creature's name?"
Aboriginal person "Kan-ga-roo"