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Smithington
Joined: 14 Dec 2011
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 Posted: Thu Aug 30, 2012 5:25 pm Post subject: "Hello, my English name is Bortak." |
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| Honestly, what's with the goofy "English" names that some Koreans give themselves. Just making up a name doesn't make it your "English name" anymore than calling myself Zarlon while living here makes it my "Korean name". Yesterday I met someone who introduced himself as such and such (can't remember the name exactly) and, baffled, asked him to repeat it, which he did. I immediately told him that his name cannot, in any way, shape or form, be considered his English name. He said he like the name. I said fine, but liking it does not make it English. I told him that I would henceforth be addressing him by his Korean name. I will happily call you Dave, Tom or Min Hyuk, but I will not be calling you Dengar. Konglish I must endure, alongside a thousand occasions of the thoughtless misuse of English in Korea. But I must draw the line somewhere. I draw the line with stupid English names. |
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andrewchon
Joined: 16 Nov 2008
Location: Back in Oz. Living in ISIS Aust.
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| Posted: Thu Aug 30, 2012 5:53 pm Post subject: |
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| I agree, Dengar sounds like a Danish name. Although it could be a good title for a children's story book: Dengar the Dirrigible. Forever in search for buoyancy. And his side-kick Nougart the Know-all, except when it's needed. C'est ne pas d'Angleterre. Absolutment. |
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mayorgc
Joined: 19 Oct 2008
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| Posted: Thu Aug 30, 2012 6:07 pm Post subject: Re: "Hello, my English name is Bortak." |
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| Smithington wrote: |
| Honestly, what's with the goofy "English" names that some Koreans give themselves. Just making up a name doesn't make it your "English name" anymore than calling myself Zarlon while living here makes it my "Korean name". Yesterday I met someone who introduced himself as such and such (can't remember the name exactly) and, baffled, asked him to repeat it, which he did. I immediately told him that his name cannot, in any way, shape or form, be considered his English name. He said he like the name. I said fine, but liking it does not make it English. I told him that I would henceforth be addressing him by his Korean name. I will happily call you Dave, Tom or Min Hyuk, but I will not be calling you Dengar. Konglish I must endure, alongside a thousand occasions of the thoughtless misuse of English in Korea. But I must draw the line somewhere. I draw the line with stupid English names. |
It's not really your place to dictate what is and what isn't a name. I let my kids call themselves whatever they wanted as long as they could spell it.
Doesn't really hurt anyone in the end. |
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r122925
Joined: 02 Jun 2011
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| Posted: Thu Aug 30, 2012 6:08 pm Post subject: |
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The whole concept of "English names" is pointless and borderline offensive (foreigners are too dumb to pronounce/remember our names). Kids? Sure let them have fun with it I guess. But any Korean over the age of 12 or so who introduces themself with an English name just looks silly and childish in my opinion. It doesn't really matter if the name is Dave or Bortak as far as I'm concerned.
I feel the same way about foreigners with "Korean names". It seems to be somewhat less common, but I have met a couple of people who do this. What's the point? |
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viciousdinosaur
Joined: 30 Apr 2012
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| Posted: Thu Aug 30, 2012 6:26 pm Post subject: |
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Wait until you have a class of 25 and none of them have English names and you'll change your tune pretty quick. English names are just easier to remember because they are already programmed in our brains from when we were kids. Names aren't just sounds. We connect the word with other ideas and other people which strengthens our ability to remember them.
Korean names have zero meaning to our brains and are very difficult to memorize, especially the ones with the "hyun, jae, ji, won, yung" syallables that are in like every name. When I've taught large classes I tried learning their Korean names, but after a month of only knowing a couple people's names, I just said "F*ck it" you are all choosing an English name now. And I knew all their names after a couple days.
That's why we have English names. If you've never been in that situation, you are in no place to judge. |
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Who's Your Daddy?
Joined: 30 May 2010
Location: Victoria, Canada.
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| Posted: Thu Aug 30, 2012 6:30 pm Post subject: |
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I think having a English name separates the English speaking person from the Korean speaking person. It isn't MinHyuk speaking English, it is "Dave", MinHyuk is a distinct personality. It continues the idea that Koreans can't speak English, and English is a foreign language not spoken by Koreans.
I agree on the stupid names. It shows how they view the language - as stupid. |
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edsel
Joined: 15 Jul 2009
Location: IRELAND
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| Posted: Thu Aug 30, 2012 6:33 pm Post subject: |
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Wait until you have a class of 25 and none of them have English names and you'll change your tune pretty quick. English names are just easier to remember because they are already programmed in our brains from when we were kids. Names aren't just sounds. We connect the word with other ideas and other people which strengthens our ability to remember them.
Korean names have zero meaning to our brains and are very difficult to memorize, especially the ones with the "hyun, jae, ji, won, yung" syallables that are in like every name. When I've taught large classes I tried learning their Korean names, but after a month of only knowing a couple people's names, I just said "F*ck it" you are all choosing an English name now. And I knew all their names after a couple days.
That's why we have English names. If you've never been in that situation, you are in no place to judge. |
Just print a seat chart with their name it on it. You'd be suprised how quickly the names stick in your mind.
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r122925
Joined: 02 Jun 2011
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| Posted: Thu Aug 30, 2012 6:37 pm Post subject: |
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| viciousdinosaur wrote: |
Wait until you have a class of 25 and none of them have English names and you'll change your tune pretty quick. English names are just easier to remember because they are already programmed in our brains from when we were kids. Names aren't just sounds. We connect the word with other ideas and other people which strengthens our ability to remember them.
Korean names have zero meaning to our brains and are very difficult to memorize, especially the ones with the "hyun, jae, ji, won, yung" syallables that are in like every name. When I've taught large classes I tried learning their Korean names, but after a month of only knowing a couple people's names, I just said "F*ck it" you are all choosing an English name now. And I knew all their names after a couple days.
That's why we have English names. If you've never been in that situation, you are in no place to judge. |
I have been in that situation many times. And I won't say it was easy, especially when I first arrived in Korea, but over time I was able to remember most of the names most of the time (and I've taught as many as 300 students per semester).
You could put more effort into learning them, but it seems you've simply given up.
But I wasn't talking about a classroom setting in particular. If teachers are forcing their students to use English names in class I suppose that's their choice. But why is it that when I meet Korean adults, many of whom probably haven't been inside of a classroom for years, I hear things like "Hello my name is Sally". Even weirder, occasionally I have had people use English names with me even when speaking Korean. I just don't understand it. |
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edsel
Joined: 15 Jul 2009
Location: IRELAND
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| Posted: Thu Aug 30, 2012 6:45 pm Post subject: |
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| I think it also just looks incredibly ignorant to make an English name for a student. Imagine how you would feel if your French,German,Spanish, teacher gave you a name from their country in school because they coundn't be bothered to learn it. It would certainly have pissed me off! |
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Modernist
Joined: 23 Mar 2011
Location: The 90s
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| Posted: Thu Aug 30, 2012 7:04 pm Post subject: |
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| I think it also just looks incredibly ignorant to make an English name for a student. Imagine how you would feel if your French,German,Spanish, teacher gave you a name from their country in school because they coundn't be bothered to learn it. It would certainly have pissed me off! |
That is SUCH BS. When I was in high school, my Spanish teacher DID in fact give me a Spanish name, and all of my classmates. That is not at all uncommon. None of us were offended by it. We knew it wasn't our 'real' name but the point was to get us in the mental mode of speaking Spanish, not English. The names help with the sounds, such as the differing accents and ways of pronouncing vowel sounds.
I give almost all my kids English names [actually, THEY choose them from lists I make]. Almost none of them complain about it, or only as much as they complain about everything else [they are far more annoyed about their seating arrangements, actually]. I tell my CTs to tell them that, in fact, few if any foreigners can pronounce Korean names correctly without significant practice, which is true, so it is more polite and more convenient to have an English name to give as well.
I have a 6G girl named Ji Eun. How many of you can pronounce that correctly, as a Korean would? Her English name is Emily. I know both, usually I call her by the Korean name but she is fine with either. I was demonstrating just the other day how a girl named Yang Hye Jie would have a lot of trouble explaining her name to foreigners [they would think 'Yang' is her given name, they would pronounce it 'Hi-Ji' instead--kids got a good laugh out of that one--and so on]. Then she picked 'Lillian' as an English name and I had her practice saying, 'Hi, I'm Lillian Yang, it's nice to meet you' and it was a nice pragmatic lesson in the ways of the real world.
Choosing ridiculous Warcraft names like Dangar, or names of foods like Salad or Brownie, or names of pets, or names of companies, or names of computer games, is absurd and serves no purpose. You are trying to focus them on how to navigate their adult lives, in which having an English name is a great asset. Personally, nearly every young Korean I've met here has given me an English name, whether Brian or Jessica or whatever. I think it's quite common among Koreans who consider themselves worldly. |
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FMPJ
Joined: 03 Jun 2008
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| Posted: Thu Aug 30, 2012 7:27 pm Post subject: |
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| viciousdinosaur wrote: |
Wait until you have a class of 25 and none of them have English names and you'll change your tune pretty quick. English names are just easier to remember because they are already programmed in our brains from when we were kids. Names aren't just sounds. We connect the word with other ideas and other people which strengthens our ability to remember them.
Korean names have zero meaning to our brains and are very difficult to memorize, especially the ones with the "hyun, jae, ji, won, yung" syallables that are in like every name. When I've taught large classes I tried learning their Korean names, but after a month of only knowing a couple people's names, I just said "F*ck it" you are all choosing an English name now. And I knew all their names after a couple days.
That's why we have English names. If you've never been in that situation, you are in no place to judge. |
Here's what I do in that situation: I LEARN THE DAMN KOREAN NAMES. Seriously, not that hard to memorize 25 pieces of information, even if they're unfamiliar pieces. And guess what? As soon as you've met a couple Hyeonjaes and Jiyoons, you have a frame of reference & it gets even easier. Sack up, I say. |
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Scorpion
Joined: 15 Apr 2012
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| Posted: Thu Aug 30, 2012 7:35 pm Post subject: Re: "Hello, my English name is Bortak." |
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| mayorgc wrote: |
It's not really your place to dictate what is and what isn't a name. I let my kids call themselves whatever they wanted as long as they could spell it.
Doesn't really hurt anyone in the end. |
You're absolutely right. People can call themselves whatever they like, and we should respect that. But that's not the OP's point. You can call yourself Wwzytnklk if you want, but let's not pretend it's your "English name". |
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fermentation
Joined: 22 Jun 2009
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| Posted: Thu Aug 30, 2012 7:43 pm Post subject: |
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| Koreans are obsessed with having English names when learning English or going abroad. People always give me looks when I tell them I didn't have an English name in the US. That being said, I think I could go for something cool like Alduin the World Eater or Odin or something. |
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Steelrails
Joined: 12 Mar 2009
Location: Earth, Solar System
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| Posted: Thu Aug 30, 2012 7:53 pm Post subject: |
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I thought I slayed Dengar with my Sword of Dragon-Slaying+3 while I was prowling the bowels of Neraka. I guess his practice in the dark arts and a timely saving throw has payed off and he has resurrected himself as some Korean kid.
I sympathize with the OP when it comes to movie/fantasy/food names. The English names they use might be used in a professional context. Before you judge the person though, sometimes its their English teacher that has given or endorsed such a name. I knew a couple NETs who would give ridiculous names like that. "Dengar" or "Pixie" or "Michael Jordan" is fine as a nickname and useful as a way to stand out in a casual social setting, but this should only be allowed with someone who has the sense to know when to use it.
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| We knew it wasn't our 'real' name but the point was to get us in the mental mode of speaking Spanish, not English. The names help with the sounds, such as the differing accents and ways of pronouncing vowel sounds. |
In that context I agree, however in the context of giving someone an English name to make it easier or because English names are "better", then I think that that is extremely disrespectful and reveals a fundamental flaw in the person's character.
English names are great if they are bestowed upon request. Nicknames given are fine as well.
But saying Koreans need English names because its too hard for English speakers is insulting to both Koreans and English speakers. Koreans are equal human beings and deserve the respect of being called their name in their language. Demanding that someone change their name to make it easier for someone else stamps the person as 'inferior' and insults their individuality.
At the same time its important to be realistic and understand that an English name can expedite things and make one easier to remember in a crowd.
But yeah, I'd imagine there'd be a huge stink if people's co-teacher and Korean staff labeled us NETs with a Korean name and would only refer to us by that name and showed minimal effort to learn our English names.
It's one thing in the classroom, its another when interacting in the outside world. |
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mayorgc
Joined: 19 Oct 2008
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| Posted: Thu Aug 30, 2012 8:40 pm Post subject: Re: "Hello, my English name is Bortak." |
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| Scorpion wrote: |
| mayorgc wrote: |
It's not really your place to dictate what is and what isn't a name. I let my kids call themselves whatever they wanted as long as they could spell it.
Doesn't really hurt anyone in the end. |
You're absolutely right. People can call themselves whatever they like, and we should respect that. But that's not the OP's point. You can call yourself Wwzytnklk if you want, but let's not pretend it's your "English name". |
Well, my opinion is different on this matter. If an English speaking parent can name their kid Apple or Moon Unit or sage moonblood, then I think a Korean can call himself whatever the heck he wants.
Is Dengar a common English name? Probably not. But just because it's not common doesn't mean it's not an English name.
( Is anybody in Korea calling themselves Wwzytnklk? I doubt it. ) |
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