Korean Job Discussion Forums

Len8 · Joined: 12 Feb 2003 Location: Kyungju

Koreans are resistant to change. They get in their groove and don't wont to know that there might be something else other than what they are comfortable with. It's part of their mindset. and to think that there might be otherwise would be stressful and something they wouldn't want to deal with.

Hence their fixation on American English. To consider another English would be too taxing for their personalities.

keithinkorea · Joined: 17 Mar 2004

A Korean guy the other day tried to tell me that 'British English' was a dying language, I basically laughed at that, how stupid. 'Airplane' is a freaking ugly word, do people in north America study 'airnautics'?, honestly how did America get to the moon first??? Ahh it was the German rocket scientists.

I have a good friend who is a mathematics genius and semi illiterate when it comes to written English, the guy gave up 'airnautics' and now earns lot of cash consulting for American software companies, still I dont think he's ever been on an airplane and this guy was doing his PHD in astrophsyics, a proper rocket scientist.

I teach American and British spellings in class, both should be known. America is not the bee all and end all of the wonderful English language. It is important as teachers to teach the kids what they need to know, they should be aware of all the different flavours of the wonderful language we speak.

American accent can be pretty annoying, especially when people are too loud and have no manners. English accents can be annoying when they come from rich people with awful manners, fox hunting idiots for example.

It's about time that people realise that American English is not all that! That British English is not snobby. That not all Americans are rapist nutters.

Be nice people.

gmat · Joined: 29 Jan 2003

hari seldon · Joined: 05 Dec 2004 Location: Incheon

Here's a fun vocabulary site for confused Yanks:
http://www.effingpot.com/

Yu_Bum_suk · Joined: 25 Dec 2004

I like the British reporter who told George Bush that he should tell Prince Charles that he likes his pants.

desultude · Posted: Sun May 15, 2005 5:52 pm Post subject:

joe_doufu · Joined: 09 May 2005 Location: Elsewhere

Zyzyfer · Posted: Sun May 15, 2005 8:08 pm Post subject:

Heh, yea, Aussie place names are invariably a trip. Melbourne sounds shorter than Blackburn. Cairns sounds like something food comes in. And some of those Aboriginal place names...yea.

The differences are interesting to me. I never try to get volatile over the stuff, and simply try to pick up bits and roll with it. But then I read threads like this and am glad I haven't been out on the piss with anyone who feels the needs to correct my Yankee arse.

Grotto · Joined: 21 Mar 2004

Technically they dont

dogbert · Joined: 29 Jan 2003 Location: Killbox 90210

Ya-ta Boy · Joined: 16 Jan 2003 Location: Established in 1994

I'm curious about the Zee/Zed thing.

Why is 'z' the only consonant that needs a second consonant in its name? Nobody says 'A', 'Bead', 'Cede', 'Deed', 'E', 'Feed', etc. So why Zed? Historically, where did the 'd' come from?

I also question the need to teach beginners specifically that there are variations in spelling and grammar in English based on nationality. A general statement that it happens seems to be enough to me. They will run across specific examples later. In the beginning, don't they just need to learn how to make sentences? (When you study Korean, do you learn all the regional variations?) I really wonder whose needs are being met when class time is spent on whether 'color' has a 'u' in it or not. In my limited experience, very few 10 year olds write business letters.

tzechuk · Joined: 20 Dec 2004

Yu_Bum_suk · Joined: 25 Dec 2004