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How do adult Koreans actually use English?
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Gollywog



Joined: 14 Jun 2008
Location: Debussy's brain

PostPosted: Sat Jul 19, 2008 5:54 am    Post subject: How do adult Koreans actually use English? Reply with quote

We all know students and parents think learning English is important, for getting into a good high school, a good college and getting a good job. Whether this translates to actually studying hard is another matter.

I have run into some adult Koreans who speak pretty good English, sometimes very good. Some of them go abroad as part of their job.

But what about the average adult Korean? How do they actually use English in their daily lives, and not just on their jobs?

I got to wondering because I see no indication that any of my co-teachers actually use English outside of the classroom, aside from "official" Korean programs to further English education. They do not read books in English for pleasure, they do not watch television in English for pleasure, they do not watch movies in English, they do not listen to music in English, they do not read the news in English, they do not research information on the Internet in English. None of them, at least not voluntarily. I have pushed them into watching a movie or two, and a book or two. But I get the impression that more often than not they just pretend to have watched it or read it.

Now, there are some Koreans who buy movies in English. Just stand around long enough in EMart by the movie section and you will see this. So I don't want to over-generalize from my limited encounters.

But the question does have a bearing on our students' motivation, or lack thereof.

How have you seen Koreans use English?
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aka Dave



Joined: 02 May 2008
Location: Down by the river

PostPosted: Sat Jul 19, 2008 6:12 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

The average adult Korean... Do you study Korean? It's hard, man. The average adult American can't speak Spanish, which is a phonetic language, easy to learn. In fact, the average adult American speaks English on a similar level as my Uni. seniors (okay I'm exagerating, but not by far).

The average adult Korean can't speak English. The languages are hugely different and it's natural.

Gollywog, I think you really need to study Korean to know what these students are going through. Our languages are radically different.

And as far as speaking English amongst Koreans, this is difficult because it's fundamentally unnatural. When I was in a graduate French dept. all the Americans were completely fluent in French (all had lived in Fracophone countries for at least a year or 2 or were French), but oustide of class we spoke English to each other because it seemed more natural and less of a pose.

I do realize this is an issue with my students and I encourage them to have "English groups" where they practice their English amongst themselves. It's a work in progress.
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joshuahirtle27



Joined: 23 Mar 2008

PostPosted: Sat Jul 19, 2008 6:18 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

My Korean co-teacher spoke english ONLY to the guy he took his computer to to get fixed. This would have been okay except it was a KOREAN shop and the guy spoke back to him in KOREAN.
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Ethan Allen Hawley



Joined: 04 Jun 2006

PostPosted: Sat Jul 19, 2008 6:42 am    Post subject: In one word: Reply with quote

Quote:
But what about the average adult Korean? How do they actually use English in their daily lives, and not just on their jobs?


Status.
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OiGirl



Joined: 23 Jan 2003
Location: Hoke-y-gun

PostPosted: Sat Jul 19, 2008 7:22 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Some might have English-speaking foreign friends, belong to international centers, KOTESOL (where most business is conducted in English,) or attend English-language worship congregations. Other than that, I've seen very little practical use for English in Korea. And yeah, many of those things might be engaged in to learn English. You know, the field of TENOR.
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gwhitey09



Joined: 26 Jun 2007
Location: seoul

PostPosted: Sat Jul 19, 2008 12:56 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

no. they don't.
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Ya-ta Boy



Joined: 16 Jan 2003
Location: Established in 1994

PostPosted: Sat Jul 19, 2008 1:05 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Why would one Korean in Korea speak English to another Korean (outside of those conversation groups where they go to practice English)?
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Gollywog



Joined: 14 Jun 2008
Location: Debussy's brain

PostPosted: Sat Jul 19, 2008 1:52 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Ya-ta Boy wrote:

Quote:
Why would one Korean in Korea speak English to another Korean (outside of those conversation groups where they go to practice English)?


I don't know. You tell me.

I didn't say anything about speaking English in Korea.

If you actually read my original post, I talked about using English in their daily lives: things like reading books, news articles, watching movies, listening to music (songs), heck, even reading a recipe or browsing the web. The beauty of English is that it opens you up to information, ideas, and entertainment from outside Korea, form all over the world. Even those Koreans who have a good mastery of English do not seem to be availing themselves of this opportunity. Why learn English if you don't want to use it?
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blackjack



Joined: 04 Jan 2006
Location: anyang

PostPosted: Sat Jul 19, 2008 4:57 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Quote:
Now, there are some Koreans who buy movies in English. Just stand around long enough in EMart by the movie section and you will see this. So I don't want to over-generalize from my limited encounters.


Maybe they are using the korean subtitles that come with dvds sold in Korea?

Koreans don't generally use english or for that matter have any need for english, hell they can even teach english entirely in korean.

News? what happens outside of korea isn't important, if it affects korea then it will be on the korean news

music? listening to music and understanding it in a different language is hard for anyone but the very advanced (unless it is generic pop and then the korean stuff is better any way Laughing )

recipes? why would you want to cook non korean food, it is unhealthy and will give you cancer.

Remember if it doesn't affect korea then it is not important and if it does it will be translated, 95% of koreans do not need english[/list]
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Bigfeet



Joined: 29 May 2008
Location: Grrrrr.....

PostPosted: Sat Jul 19, 2008 6:34 pm    Post subject: Re: In one word: Reply with quote

Ethan Allen Hawley wrote:
Quote:
But what about the average adult Korean? How do they actually use English in their daily lives, and not just on their jobs?


Status.


Yep. It's not just about practical use. It's also used as a status symbol, something to differentiate one Korean from another.

Americans used French in the late 1800s and early 1900s for this same purpose. You were more "cultured" if you know French.
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Young FRANKenstein



Joined: 02 Oct 2006
Location: Castle Frankenstein (that's FRONKensteen)

PostPosted: Sat Jul 19, 2008 8:17 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Gollywog wrote:
Why learn English if you don't want to use it?

It's got nothing to do with wanting to learn it. Most Koreans don't, and in fact, would rather not if given the choice. Ask them. They will tell you they "must" study English, so they will pass the TOEIC with a good score. Their job requires a good score. That's it. Even if their job has NOTHING to do with English and they will never use it in the day to day commission of their job, the company uses it as a measuring stick for hiring practices and for promotion.

When I was forced to learn French, I didn't want or care to use it in my daily life either... and half my hometown was of French descent. It wasn't until I had been studying it beyond the "forced to study it" years in school that I learned to appreciate and *GASP* like the language before I started doing things like reading French novels or watching French TV shows or whatever.

Forced to study it = don't want anything to do with it
Choose to study it = more willing to enjoy it for its own sake

It's the same in Korea.
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Captain Corea



Joined: 28 Feb 2005
Location: Seoul

PostPosted: Sat Jul 19, 2008 8:35 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Travel
Studying overseas
Business with overseas partners/clients
Reading materials
Friendship

Yup, those would be the ways I see Koreans using English. Smile
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Ya-ta Boy



Joined: 16 Jan 2003
Location: Established in 1994

PostPosted: Sat Jul 19, 2008 9:42 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Quote:
If you actually read my original post


You're right. I stopped reading your posts closely after the first few. I found they all tended to be variations on bashing Korea.
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i4NI



Joined: 17 May 2008
Location: Seoul

PostPosted: Sat Jul 19, 2008 10:16 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I love going to a place, and seeing a girl run off because she's "scared" of English and off to get another coworker to deal with us... except we were going to speak in Korean anyway!
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billybrobby



Joined: 09 Dec 2004

PostPosted: Sat Jul 19, 2008 11:59 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

OiGirl wrote:
Some might have English-speaking foreign friends, belong to international centers, KOTESOL (where most business is conducted in English,) or attend English-language worship congregations. .


studying english is one thing, but worshipping it seems excessive
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