Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Gollywog]

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?

[aka Dave]

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.

[joshuahirtle27]

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.

[Ethan Allen Hawley]

[OiGirl]

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.

[gwhitey09]

no. they don't.

[Ya-ta Boy]

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

[Gollywog]

Ya-ta Boy wrote:

[blackjack]

[Bigfeet]

[Young FRANKenstein]

[Captain Corea]

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

Yup, those would be the ways I see Koreans using English.

[Ya-ta Boy]

[i4NI]

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!

[billybrobby]