Wah~ you really butchered that phrase, didn’t you?
Tuesday, July 1st, 2008Language.
I find it so charming that foreigners can seriously slaughter a common phrase in Korean and still get a nice “한국말 잘 하시네요!”. You just don’t have that in America. Or France for that matter.
In America, even though we recognize that there are more cultures and languages represented here than any other country, we still don’t do so well in being forgiving with our language. We tend to have a mindset that if you are in America, you must speak English. The use of any other language is often subtly considered sub-par, if even acceptable.
It’s a little uncomfortable to admit all that, sure. But Americans haven’t exactly been politically correct despite our long standing history of immigration.
Phonology seems to be be a big part of what is desirable of an English speaker. Oh sure, syntax and a knowledge of the lexicon is nice, but having a heavy accent? “Geez! Go back to <fill in the country of your choice>!” If the supposed critical period (or sensitive period depending on whom you subscribe to) has already come and gone in terms of phonology, then why should foreigners even attempt to learn a new language if they will only receive blank stares are unnecessarily loud Americans in return?
So how come I can smile like an idiot with my electronic phrasebook clasped tightly, sweating bullets, all the while unintentionally murdering this poor taxi driver’s native language and STILL get a compliment? Not sure. Perhaps it goes to show Korea’s understanding of its place in the world. Mandarin Chinese holds the coveted “Most Spoken Language in the World” title with English proudly clutching the silver medal… and the little-country-that-could Korea ranked 22nd. Well, at least they still get to go out for pizza after the game.
Perhaps Koreans really are aware of their small presence in the world. Of course, venturing outside of Seoul might change your mind. It’s not so much the ethnocentricity of it, but there is something almost charming about the 아저씨 who thinks only of life inside Korea.
However, when a foreigner does indeed start to grasp the fundamentals of the Korean language and begins to venture outside of the phrasebook, a whole new set of standards exists. “Well, if this guy can say THAT, then he better well say it using 존댓말.” Granted, this can be a bit stressful at times but knowing that I got through the whole newbie phase unscathed is still something to be proud of. All things considered, I feel that Koreans can be more sensitive to the linguistic needs of foreigners when compared to Americans. Perhaps because of the close proximity and influence (scandal!) of China and Japan?
Many Americans feel uncomfortable when a language other than English is spoken in their presence. There’s that pestering , paranoid thought of “I wonder what they’re saying about me” or “At least have the decency to say it in English!” or even “Can’t this wait until I’m not in the room?”. Koreans, by and large, on the other hand will try their best to communicate even though speaking in English for some can be quite possibly more stressful than meeting new in-laws. Non-Korean in-laws.
Too far?
Regardless of the reason, as a newcomer to the language - rejoice - and be at ease! Most Koreans will likely know more about your language than you know about theirs so sit back, relax, and read those .pdfs!
Thoughts?
Posted by Matthew in How Koreans Do It |
July 1st, 2008 at 5:34 pm
I’ve been thinking about this very subject quite a lot recently. I think Americans should be required to learn at least one foreign language in school, and it should start early. It makes me sick when I see how lacking in tolerance some are. I started studying Spanish, the only language offered at my high school, as soon as possible. I stayed in it for three years and it really opened up my world. Even being able to understand a few things someone is saying is an amazing feeling. I guess the mentality is “Why do I need to learn? Everyone else is learning English.” You may not NEED to, but why not WANT to? To show interest and respect for someone else’s culture? Things to improve character sadly aren’t incorporated into the American curriculum. I’m really grateful that Koreans are so understanding when foreigners try to speak the language, but sometimes I just don’t know what we did to earn that kind of courtesy! That being said, I’m off to study, study, study so I don’t “butcher” my Korean. ^_^
July 1st, 2008 at 8:11 pm
When I went to high school, they offered Spanish, French, German and Latin. (I took everything but the German.) I thought those were already limited choices, and we started late (8th grade). Now, I’m looking into teaching French in high school (different state), and when I asked what other languages were offered, I was met with a mild cynical sneer and told, “Spanish.” Hoo boy.
Sometimes people are impressed that I have studied a few off-the-beaten-path languages, but for the most part, people react to me as if they can barely hold back the words, “What on earth do ya need to do that for?”, accompanied by a dismissive shake of the head. At this rate, people like us will soon be hunted down and burnt at the stake. Ok, maybe I’m exaggerating slightly. But then again, maybe not!
July 6th, 2008 at 2:18 pm
Maybe there’s something to this old joke (I think this is how it goes… I might be mangling this joke. If so, could someone provide the “real” version?)
“What do you call a person who can speak three languages? Trilingual.
What do you call a person who can speak two languages? Bilingual.
What do you call a person who can speak only one language? An American.”
I’m not saying this to be boastful, but my Korean is probably better than the vast majority of the English teachers here in Korea– and that’s really not saying much (I don’t say foreigners, because I don’t want to lump myself in with the Asian migrant workers, who are in a different situation. My native language, English, is a merit here. For them, their native language is a drawback. They must learn some Korean to do their jobs).
I’ve known and heard about English teachers who have worked and lived here for upwards of five years, and their vocabulary is limited to 고맙습니다 and 맥주 하나 주세요. If your native language is English, you can live in Korea quite well without learning Korean– and most don’t. So, I find people are surprised when I speak even a little bit of Korean. Even if I make a mistake, it’s still startling and flattering for them to hear Korean come out of my mouth.
My Canadian-accented Korean is “cute,” as opposed to invitations for such comments as “미국으로 돌아가라!”.
I have been in a convenience store with an American friend, right before we left for a hiking trip at 설악산. The clerk saw my friend’s giant bag, and asked “어디 가세요?” After eventually puzzling out the meaning of this question, my friend (who has tried studying Korean, but will be the first to admit her Korean is really awful) answered “설악산… 가” I told her afterwards that she should have added the “polite” 존대: “설악산(에) 가요.” I explained that the way she said that was quite rude, but she said she was just happy to be understood. I bet those clerks weren’t offended– they probably thought it was “cute” that she tried to answer in Korean, and her little breach of 존댓말 was “cute,” too.
Of course, if I ever spoke to my boss using 반말, I’d probably get a prompt smack in the head– and I’d deserve it. He knows the level of my Korean, and such a “mistake” would be just rude: not cute at all.
July 7th, 2008 at 7:33 am
I used to get the 우리말/한국말 잘 하네 approval from various people during my travels to Korea. But I wonder if a foreign speaker of Korean is considered to be “fully” competent (whatever that is) only when one no longer hears this approval and the conversation continues like any other?
As an aside, I’m a subversive guy when it comes to language, so I imitate one of my teacher’s style of speaking English (e.g. extremely noticeable accent) with my close friends, and they go along with it. Soon enough, they start to use my teacher’s idiosyncratic idioms (yest, becaust I making) when we converse [they love them, btw], which just confuses the heck out of any interlopers. And we “codeswitch” back and forth.
July 10th, 2008 at 1:39 pm
Yeah I hear you Ed. Once you get confident in a certain situation and appear secure, all cuteness and praise go out the window. I mean really though, that’s good - I should speak properly so I suppose I don’t mind when Korean people correct me. I just miss the days when I knew 5 fixed phrases - ah~ those were the good ol days
July 13th, 2008 at 11:20 am
I totally disagree with you. I live in NYC and come into contact with a lot of ethnicities and you are very off base.
First of all, when a person lives in America for years and still doesn’t speak English, Americans have a right to say something. When a visitor comes and asks for directions to Chinatown or WTC, I understand where they are coming from. I am more than willing to help them out and I love to, in fact. Many people in NYC are willing to help. It is those who LIVE in America and don’t care to learn anything that pisses people like me off.
Second of all, I am very aware of politeness forms. The other day I said the informal word for goodbye in Korean (i am a beginner!) on accident and when i realized my mistake, I felt awful. I am not learning Korean to butcher the language. That is disrespectful.
Thirdly, it is rude to have a long conversation with someone in another language in front of someone who doesn’t speak the language and who is supposedly part of the group. It is a different story if I am on a bus and there is a group of girls talking in another language. What can I do then? But when I am at work and 5 women are speaking Hindi and I am the only one in the room that doesn’t speak it, it is kind of rude. I know they aren’t talking about me bc I am friends with all of them, so why can’t they just speak English?
July 13th, 2008 at 9:24 pm
Melissa…
I appreciate your frustration with both circumstances. Living anywhere for a long time SHOULD mean that you can speak the language. However, SHOULD is often not reality. Especially for migrant workers in the US who may do just fine in their world getting around. Secondly, they may not have easy access to English instruction.
However, I don’t agree with you on your second point, about being on the “fringe” of another converstaion. That is frustrating, yes.. and it represents my daily life here in Korea. However, most of my co-workers are not proficient enough in English to change their whole convseration just for my benefit. They do make an effort to include me if they can, but I cannot fault them for it.
However, your scenario is maybe a bit different if they other people ARE fluent in English. But even then, I suspect they are simply more comfortable speaking in their native language. Bilngual people usually have a preference, even if they’ve grown up speaking 2 languages. People who learned as an adult probably always prefer their native language. It isn’t a bad thing at all! In fact it sounds like a great opportunity to learn some Hindi!
July 14th, 2008 at 5:13 am
Austin씨,
Thank you, THANK YOU, for expressing several of my sentiments regarding Melissa’s post.
Melissa, there’s more to it than just simple communication when people use another languages with each other - one major part of it is that they use their languages to form a cohesive social identity with others of the same group. Since your coworkers are presumably native Hindi speakers, for any one of them to suddenly switch to English just to accommodate you during their lunch conversation might have some adverse social consequences for them, e.g. the person to suddenly codeswitch to English might be considered a “sell-out” - or worse. Please read something from Ana Celia Zentella, one of the authorities on the social effects of codeswitching.
Also, consider this - not too long ago (late 60’s), when my parents migrated to the US from the Philippines, bilingualism/multilingualism was considered a hindrance in the process of learning English (which we now know is far from the truth). Two of my sisters were native speakers of Japanese and Ilokano (that’s an interesting mix). When they got to the US, my oldest sister had to go to remedial English classes under the advice of her teacher, who told my parents that they should no longer speak their native languages to their children in order to avoid “confusion”. They suddenly stopped speaking their Philippine languages to the kids - they only spoke English from that point on. (They still speak Tagalog or Ilokano with each other, though.) And now, here I am, feeling that a vital part of my heritage has been taken away by outdated social policy (I can understand a lot of Tagalog, but I can’t speak it).
“It is a different story if I am on a bus and there is a group of girls talking in another language. What can I do then?”
This disturbed me the most - this implies that in optimal circumstances, you should have been able to do something about this situation. But since you have neither the means nor the authority, you can only resign yourself by accepting the circumstances as they are, to your apparent dismay.
It is this type of “English Only” sentiment that sets a dangerous precedent. It has been done before on an unofficial (but socially popular) basis - I can only pray that this does not become officially recognized policy. Please seriously consider that.
The British comedic genius Eddie Izzard has some hilarious yet poignant things to say about bilingualism, btw: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1hJQsvoY6VU