Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Adventurer]

A friend of mine claims that he had less trouble in other countries using hand gestures to explain what he wanted in China and other countries where he didn't speak the language without a problem. He said it is not the same in Korea. I would like him to be wrong, but I have had the same experience. Also, if your pronunciation is slightly off, they won't register in many cases what you're saying. It seems very common. Are those ways of communicating, in terms of using hand gestures (I don't mean swearing), alien to Korean culture. I have no clue. I am not Korean, but things I would have done in other countries don't seem to work very well here. I'm beginning to think using your hands for communication is not part of this culture.

[RACETRAITOR]

I've never had a serious problem with hand gestures other than the "come here" one.

Chinese seems like a tougher language in terms of pronunciation because if you emphasise the wrong words it messes up the sentence completely.

[pkang0202]

So, one day I walked by one of my classes and I stuck out my tongue and pulled down the skin right under my right eye with my index finger. I've seen this expression on people and cartoons.

Well, I do it as I'm walking by. Next thing I know, like 2 or 3 elementary kids run out of the classroom and start yelling obscenities at me. Of course, I had to put them in their place.

How bad is that expression? I thought it was just like sticking your tongue out at someone. Kind of a "nanana naaa naa" action thats a little mocking but not offensive.

[Qinella]

[mnhnhyouh]

I think this may be because Cantonese, Mandarin, Vietnames, Khmer, Lao, Tibetan, and I think Burmese, are all tonal languages. So saying the same with with different rising and falling tones gives it different meanings.

I have a real problem learning words in all those languages, and am finding Korean and have found Hindi (both non-tonal, like English) much easier.

h

[alpope23]

The second best laugh I've gotten in Korea came after a particularly vile lunch at my high school. I felt the stirring and rumbling and, being experienced, headed for the canteen to buy some bumwad. Bad luck. The young girl who could speak a little English was off that day. It was Grandmother behind the counter. probably pushing 165 years old and just a sweet old woman. There was no paper in sight I could point at.
"Toilet paper?" I asked.
"Moolah"
I then made the unrolling hand motion and thee reacharound verticle swipe! She laughd so hard she cried and gave me a pack for free!

The best laugh was at a bus stop. Wanting to fit in I hocked up a big loogie and spit it on the sidewalk. It just happened to hit a pigeon in the head. The pigeon fell over and went into some kind of seisure. An old man at the bus stop found this funnier than 11 hours of the 3 stooges!