Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Old Gil]

I find that Koreans will use 한글 at times when they are referring to Korean, the language (한국어/말). When I say 한글쉽는데한국말어려워 i get met with blank stares, like I'm talking gibberish unless I say something like 쓰기숴워요 all the while making exaggerated writing motions.

I'm under the impression that it means "Korean script". I mean even the syllable 한 come straight from 韓 (han2) so it's not even like they're trying to avoid using the Chinese derived words. I guess because it was a native invention that they just lump it in with language that existed for hundreds of years before it's existence? I don't know. Has anyone else encountered this?

[BoholDiver]

I just say 쓰기가 쉬운데 But I don't think Korean is very hard as compared to other languages.

[thurst]

the actual language is called "hangukeo" or "hangukmal". you can add -eo to the end of any country to mean the language. hangul is specifically referring to the script.

people are probably confused bcuz you're not adding subject/object markers on hangul so it sounds like you're speaking like a caveman to them.

[ajgeddes]

I think most people back home would be confused too if someone said writing A's and B's was easy but the language was hard.

[zappadelta]

[NightSky]

without guaranteeing this is right, I'd say something like:

sseugi nun shipta, malhagi nun oryowayo...

or hangukmal hanun-kot oryowayo, sseunun-kot shipta.

[zappadelta]

Yea, you can spell it out however you want, but pronunciation/intonation are very important in Korean

[Privateer]

[Old Gil]

Actually the sentence was just an example , in each phrase there's only one noun phrase I don't think my omitting the topic/subject marker is the problem. I just think it's conceptual, but either way thanks for the tips.

[Underwaterbob]

Put yourself in their shoes. If someone mentioned to you offhand: "The English alphabet is easy. The English language is hard." in somewhat more broken English, would you understand right away not having had the exact experience with the Korean alphabet and language?