Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Masta_Don]

If the rumors that are floating around right now - the immigration policy changes, the replacement of foreign teachers with Koreans, etc. - holds true, then I think we'll finally see what I think Korea should have been striving for all along: Konglish.

Korea's biggest problem is that they want the world to adapt to them instead of having to adapt to the rest of the world. It's a matter of pride it seems. Unfortunately, they don't have much to entice the rest of the world to becoming Koreanized. But to be a global player Korea has to make some concessions. Hence, all of us teaching English here.

We spend all this time here, working hard (an assumption), but the pay-off is so little once you go outside and hear all the please-uh's and lunch-ee's. They refuse to think in English. It seems that everything is put back into Korea characters before they say anything. It's that cultural identity sneaking up again. When I try and speak Korean, I think in Korean, since that's going to be the most accurate pronunciation. I had a co-worker ask me how to spell 'v' in Korean. I told her it wasn't possible. So she wrote down 버이 or some nonsense since she had to have something. And that's what they teach the kids, and with the hierarchy here, who are the kids to second guess, their compatriot Korean teacher, or some white dude?

So what's a good compromise? LET THEM SPEAK KONGLISH. Get us out of the class and fill it with Korean teachers - who all make the same mistakes, amirite? That alone shows something's emerging - and let them go to work on these kids. Let them have their uh's and ee's and misconjugated verbs. Hell, just use time order words to show if something is past, present or future. Set up their own set of rules, their own new splinter language, and they'll be able to communicate (enough) with the English world but still have their own distinct language. Call it the second coming of Hangeul.

It's worked in Singapore, the Philippines, Jamaica and elsewhere. So I say, pighting!

[billybrobby]

[Ilsanman]

It's not exactly a proveable point, but I agree. At least the KOreans who live here. I have not met enough overseas to know.

[HapKi]

Anyone who has studied even a little in World Englishes would know that the OP is at least partially right. Put an English speaker from India in a room with an English speaker from Europe, and they're going to understand each other.
Konglish may be a stumbling block, but it's not going to make or break a conversation. Communicative competency will overcome.

[Young FRANKenstein]

[cdninkorea]

[normalcyispasse]

So, basically you want to develop a Korean pidgin. I shall call this language Koreole.

[Return Jones]

Actually, it's 브위. Check out a random cyworld page and the caption under any picture with the V sign will likely say "브위!"

[Privateer]

[Young FRANKenstein]

[Scotticus]

[jajdude]

[Return Jones]

[mercury]

It all comes down to this:

Does Korea need English, or does the English world need Koreans.


I think that the big giant up north is the reason they are learning English.
Call it panic, call it preparation, anyway you put it this country has a fear that will not go away, and the people are trying to get any 'weapon' they can to defend themselves whenever China wakes up and becomes a functioning world power. RIGHT ON THE DOORSTEP of Korea. How scary is that?

[tanklor1]