Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Blueberry]

For those of you that speak Korean well and have been here for a while, is this form of humor popular here? I just seem to see a lot of frying pans banged on heads, or a joke delivery then a laugh. Are there some Korean shows or personalities that excel at the straight-faced delivery such as maybe The Office, Flight of the Conchords, or maybe Trailer Park Boys?

I'm trying to work one of these into a lesson in an "Idiom English" class, is the reason I ask. And depending on their familiarity with the style, I'd be adjusting the lesson accordingly in pace. Thx.

[yoda]

My experience has been that deadpan goes over the heads of any but the ones who have studied abroad for lengthy periods of time. They will take most of what you say literally I'm guessing.

[roadwork]

[T-J]

Generalizing here, I know there are exceptions.

The dead pan delivery does exist. The biggest difference I have found is that sarcasm and satire is next to non existent. Korean humor mostly consists of either a form of slap stick, self depreciating humor, or word play, puns. The first is easy to pick up on because it is so physical and visual. The second requires obviously, significantly more than a rudimentary knowledge of the language and culture to be in on the joke.

[I'm no Picasso]

It exists to the point that I've actually got two students I've nicknamed Dead Pan. Took me a while to catch on, as I don't understand much Korean, and they're so good at it that I didn't realize they weren't being completely serious, until I started paying more attention to the reactions of the students around them to what they were saying.

Since getting to know them better, and having them speak to me more in English, I've confirmed it beyond a shadow of a doubt. Can't speak for the media at large, due to the not understanding much Korean thing, but the concept is not lost on my students at least....