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Rofpo
Joined: 12 Jun 2013
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 Posted: Thu Aug 08, 2013 6:03 pm Post subject: Question for those with kids |
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So, I'm riding the infamous #1 line trying to tolerate the stench when I see this Waegook sitting with his obviously mixed son and they are chatting away in Corean. I found this quite odd and sad.
I wonder if others out there with kids could shed light on this.
Do you speak Corean with your kids and if so why? Why not enforce an actually useful language. Seems like a wasted effort to fit in where you will never be truly accepted. And for what?
Look forward to your responses. |
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edwardcatflap
Joined: 22 Mar 2009
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| Posted: Thu Aug 08, 2013 6:09 pm Post subject: |
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| Agreed. Better to try and bring them up bilingual. Just curious, but why not spell Korean with a 'K' like everyone else? |
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Captain Corea
Joined: 28 Feb 2005
Location: Seoul
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| Posted: Thu Aug 08, 2013 6:17 pm Post subject: |
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I've met a lot of parents here with "mixed" kids... and there are various approaches to this. Some seem to think it's better to start with one language until it's "solidified" and then bring in a second. Others go with each parent speaking their native language.
I know that the second one has worked well for my family, but I'm not keen on criticizing the other approach. So long as it plays out in the end, all the power to 'em. |
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byrddogs
Joined: 19 Jun 2009
Location: Shanghai
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| Posted: Thu Aug 08, 2013 6:30 pm Post subject: |
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| Captain Corea wrote: |
| So long as it plays out in the end, all the power to 'em. |
Could you elaborate on this some more? What exactly do you mean by that? I am assuming bilingualism and the means to get there. |
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World Traveler
Joined: 29 May 2009
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| Posted: Thu Aug 08, 2013 6:59 pm Post subject: Re: Question for those with kids |
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| Rofpo wrote: |
| I see this Waegook sitting with his obviously mixed son and they are chatting away in Corean. |
What age was the son? I'm surprised. Most lifers with Korean kids can't speak the Korean language. Maybe the guy wanted to practice his Korean. Nothing wrong with that. |
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Rofpo
Joined: 12 Jun 2013
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| Posted: Thu Aug 08, 2013 7:03 pm Post subject: |
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| But to what end? Bilingual in an obscure language? What use will it be when you move back for their schooling? |
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optik404
Joined: 24 Jun 2008
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| Posted: Thu Aug 08, 2013 7:04 pm Post subject: |
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| Grow some balls and ask him. |
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seoulsucker
Joined: 05 Mar 2006
Location: The Land of the Hesitant Cutoff
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| Posted: Thu Aug 08, 2013 7:18 pm Post subject: Re: Question for those with kids |
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| Rofpo wrote: |
Why not enforce an actually useful language. Seems like a wasted effort to fit in where you will never be truly accepted. And for what?
Look forward to your responses. |
I think Korean is pretty useful in Korea. 
And as far as the "being truly accepted" thing, I'm totally comfortable with the level of acceptance I've earned/achieved here after 10 years. My wife loves me, my family loves me, I've earned the respect and trust of countless friends and coworkers. I fit in like a mofo here.
Yeah, I'll never be accepted as a "Korean" but when I see how Koreans treat other Koreans outside of their social circles that doesn't really bother me. If you get over yourself and understand that aspect of Korean culture then yearning to be "accepted" by strangers, institutions, and people who have little to no effect on your daily existence is the real waste of time. |
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ttompatz
Joined: 05 Sep 2005
Location: Kwangju, South Korea
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| Posted: Thu Aug 08, 2013 7:26 pm Post subject: |
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| Rofpo wrote: |
| But to what end? Bilingual in an obscure language? What use will it be when you move back for their schooling? |
And what obscure language would that be?
Seems to work well in Korea where the child has dual citizenship.
My, how ethnocentric your views are.
Spoken like a true monoglot.
And just because he was white does not mean is is a teacher or an English speaker. Perhaps he was a Russian Engineer, a Finnish technician, or French railroad specialist.
Bet you're still sitting back home in as well and not riding the Seoul subway.
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Rofpo
Joined: 12 Jun 2013
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| Posted: Thu Aug 08, 2013 7:41 pm Post subject: |
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| I've no doubt it's useful in Corea. But since almost all people with kids will be returning home for their children's education, as opposed to the unthinkable, my question remains; isn't it time wasted? |
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ttompatz
Joined: 05 Sep 2005
Location: Kwangju, South Korea
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| Posted: Thu Aug 08, 2013 7:51 pm Post subject: |
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I've no doubt it's useful in Corea. But since almost all people with kids will be returning home for their children's education, as opposed to the unthinkable, my question remains; isn't it time wasted?
You mean Korea isn't their home?
You're assuming that returning to the west is necessarily preferable?
Why would staying here be unthinkable?
To many, going to the US borders on the "unthinkable" else why are you here (or at least pretending to be here)?
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Who's Your Daddy?
Joined: 30 May 2010
Location: Victoria, Canada.
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| Posted: Thu Aug 08, 2013 7:54 pm Post subject: |
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| OP do you know what country the "Waygook" was from? Maybe he was from, say, Uzbekistan. |
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Seoulman69
Joined: 14 Dec 2009
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| Posted: Thu Aug 08, 2013 8:16 pm Post subject: |
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Maybe the father is trying a "Korean when we're outside, other language when we are at home" system.
| Quote: |
| Do you speak Corean with your kids and if so why? Why not enforce an actually useful language. Seems like a wasted effort to fit in where you will never be truly accepted. And for what? |
I don't see teaching his son Korean as a waste of time. I see it as something that will allow the boy to do more things than if he could just speak one language.
Good luck to the both of them. |
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FriendlyDaegu
Joined: 26 Aug 2012
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| Posted: Thu Aug 08, 2013 10:31 pm Post subject: Re: Question for those with kids |
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| Quote: |
| I wonder if others out there with kids could shed light on this. |
I’ll try. Here's the points I'd add to the discussion:
Maybe he's not going back 'home'. Korea is a better place for many.
Perhaps he's like me and believes that being able to speak Korean is the best thing one can do to make success for themselves here. How many immigrants do you know in your home country that have 'made it' without learning the language?
Perhaps the kid's mother doesn't speak English and Korean is the family language. I know two married couples like this.
Try forcing a forcing a Korean kid to speak English to his bilingual expat father. It's not easy. |
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Nolos
Joined: 23 Oct 2011
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| Posted: Thu Aug 08, 2013 11:25 pm Post subject: |
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| Captain Corea wrote: |
I've met a lot of parents here with "mixed" kids... and there are various approaches to this. Some seem to think it's better to start with one language until it's "solidified" and then bring in a second. Others go with each parent speaking their native language.
I know that the second one has worked well for my family, but I'm not keen on criticizing the other approach. So long as it plays out in the end, all the power to 'em. |
That's utter BS CC and you know it. Just like you. |
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