Why does this song make me miss Korea?

I don't know, but it reminds me of the Korea I knew in the 1980s, of which I have very good memories.



The Lyrics:

거꾸로 강을 거슬러 오른 저 힘찬 연어들처럼

1 흐르는 강물을 거꾸로 거슬러 오르는 연어들의 도무지
알수 없는 그들만의 신비한 이유처럼 그 언제서 부터인가
걸어걸어걸어 오는 이길 앞으로 얼마나 더많이 가야만 하는지

2 여러 갈래중 만약에 이길이 내가 걸어가고 있는 돌아서
갈 수밖에 없는 꼬부라진 길일지라도 딱딱해진 발바닥
걸어걸어걸어 가다보면 저 넓은 꽃밭에 누워서 난 쉴수 있겠지

3 여러 갈래중 만약에 이길이 내가 걸어가고 있는 막막한
어둠으로 별빛조차 없는 길일 지라도 포기할순 없는거야
걸어걸어걸어 가다보면 뜨겁게 날 위해 부서진 햇살을 보겠지

4 그래도 나에겐 너무나도 많은 축복이란걸 알아 수없이
많은 걸어 가야할 대 앞길이 있지않나 그래 다시 가다보면
걸어걸어걸어 가다보면 어느날 그 모든 일들을 감사해야 하겠지

RAP :
보이지도 않는 끝 지친어깨 떨구고 한숨짓는 그대 두려움 알아요
거꾸로 강을 거슬러 오르는 저 힘찬 연어들 처럼
걸어가다보면 걸어가다보면 걸어가다보면...

Does Heaven repay those who bury 2-headed snakes?

"The Tale of the Two-headed Snake"

When Son-suk Oh (孫叔敖) was a young child (為嬰兒), he went out to play (出遊), but when he returned (而還), he was upset (憂) and would not eat (而不食). His mother (其母) asked (問) the reason (其故).

While crying (泣而), he answered (對曰),"Today (今日), I saw (吾見) a 2-headed snake (兩頭蛇), so I fear (恐) I have no days left before going to death (去死無日矣).

His mother asked (母曰), "Now (今), where is the snake (蛇安在)?"

Answering (曰), "I heard (吾聞) a person who sees a 2-headed snake (見兩頭蛇者) dies (死). I feared (吾恐) others (他人) would also see (又見), so I have already (已) buried it (埋之矣).

His mother said (母曰), "Don't worry (無憂). You won't die (汝不死). I have heard that (吾聞之) if there are those who do good secretly (有陰德者), Heaven (天) repays them (報) with blessings (以福).
-------------------

孫叔敖為嬰兒出遊而還憂而不食其母問其故泣而對曰今日吾見兩頭蛇恐去死無日矣母曰今蛇安在曰吾聞見兩頭蛇者死吾恐他人又見已埋之矣母曰無憂汝不死吾聞之有陰德者天報以福

Is Puberty a Good Time to Start Learning Korean?

A seventh grade girl is attracted to a Korean-American boy and starts learning Korean. Four years later, she becomes the first "non-Korean" to win second place in a Korean speech contest hosted by the U.S. National Association for Korean Schools. Then, after a phone interview with a Korean reporter, the girl is described by the reporter as being able to speak Korean as if it were her mother tongue.

Four years may seem like a long time to learn a language, but when learning Korean, it is not that long, especially if you are trying to learn it outside Korea.

Link to Article

And she is very good.

"If I were a leaf," by Gerry Bevers

If I were a leaf, I'd want to be

One of a sprawling sycamore tree.
Then under my soulful, silent shade,
Young and old could drink pink lemonade.

Summer showers go splitter splatter,
But under me it would not matter.
My friends and I would be broad and green,
Stopping the raindrops while staying clean.

How do Koreans say "to pass the buck"?

The American idiom "to pass the buck" is translated in Korean as 책임을 전가하다. 책임(責任) means "responsibility," and 전가(轉嫁) means "to impute" or "to attribute."

What I find interesting about the Korean expression is that 전가(轉嫁) also means "to remarry" on the part of a women. The Chinese characters literally mean "transfer the wife's marriage."

Unloading your wife onto the back of another man seems like a perfect example of "passing the buck."

Are you a Hypocrite or a Good Deed Doer?

Confucius wrote:

Heaven repays a person who does good with blessings and a person who does bad with calamity. 

 爲善者天報之 以福,  爲不善者天報之 以禍 (위선자천보지이복, 위불선자천보지이화)

爲善者(a do good person) 天報之(Heaven repays him) 以福 (with blessings),  爲不善者(a do no good person) 天報之(Heaven repays him) 以禍 (with calamity).

Based on the above Confucian saying, 위선자(爲善者) can be translated as "a good deed doer," so why do modern day Koreans use 위선자(僞善者) to mean "hypocrite"?

The answer lies with the Chinese characters for 위. Notice that the Chinese character for the 위(爲) in "good deed doer" is slightly different than the 위(僞) in "hypocrite." 爲(위) means "do," but 僞(위) means "lie, pretend" The other two characters are exactly the same: 善 (선 - good), 者(자 - person). Therefore, the Korean word for "hyprocrite," 위선자(僞善者), literally means "a pretend good person."

The next time someone calls you a 위선자, you can reply, "Really? I guess that means I can expect blessings from Heaven."

The Cycle of Life

At Seventy-two or fifty-three,
The Angel of Death is eyeing me.
I do not fear him for I know,
Like flowers and trees, we all must go.

Back to the earth from which we came,
Your dirt and my dirt will be the same.
Our lives as humans may come to an end,
But another awaits just ‘round the bend.

I may come back as a tomato plant,
Or if I’m lucky, a giant elephant.
Life eternal would be a bore,
Nature offers much, much more.

How would you translate 란/이란 in English?

란/이란 is a topic marker similar to 은/는 that attaches to nouns, but is more emphatic than 은/는. It is an abbreviation of (이)라는 것은. The marker 란 attaches to nouns that end in a vowel (eg. 친구란), and the marker 이란 attaches to nouns that end in a consonant (eg. 가족이란).

The marker essentially announces that you are about to define or explain the noun to which it is attached, as the following example shows.

친구란 어려울 때 도와줄 수 있는 사람이에요.

A friend is someone who helps you in difficult times.

Dictionaries often show "as for" as an English equivalent of 란/이란, but normally we would not translate it in English. However, in spoken English, we usually show the emphatic nature of the marker by stressing the noun to which 란/이란 is attached and then pausing before continuing on with the definition or explanation of the noun, as demonstrated below:

A friend--is someone who helps you in difficult times.

In the above example, the boldface type is meant to indicate stress, and the hyphens (dash) are meant to indicate a pause.

Normally, Koreans also pause after the marker 란/이란 before continuing on with the definition or explanation of the word or phrase to which it is attached.

Raising Boys by Gerry Bevers

Twelve year old boys can surprise,
Not as innocent as some surmise.
To a young boy in the spring,
Girls can be a curious thing.

Discarded magazines were the way,
We learned of girls back in my day.
Now the Internet is the teacher,
The female body, the main feature.

Don't trust your son with a computer,
For it can be a mind polluter.
The female body is quite beautiful,
But some sites are just not suitable.

"Genesis" -- by Gerry Bevers

Our God is the Sun,
the creator of life,
the sustainer of life.

His essence is Hydrogen,
the smallest of seeds,
the source of all matter.

Hydrogen begets Helium,
and Helium begets Carbon,
with whom Hydrogen bonds
to give birth to all living things.

The God of our God is Gravity,
the unseen Force of the universe
that brings it all together.

"Snowy Night" by Gerry Bevers

Just beyond my window pane,
Gently falls white winter rain.
Fluffy flakes floating down,
Softly landing without sound.

As my world waxes winter white
Reflecting stars and soft moonlight,
The silent sadness of the lonely night
Fades away into soft delight.

"Please" by Gerry Bevers

I'm battening down the hatches.
And fastening all the sashes.
I just want to be left alone.

Please ask me no questions.
Please make no suggestions.
I just want to be left alone.

No need to worry,
Or to feel sorry.
I just want to be left alone.

I'm not at all bitter,
Just things to consider.
So, please just leave me alone.

"Safety First," by Gerry Bevers

‎"Safety First"

Feel my groin,
Give it a squeeze.
Just don't snicker, please.

Feel her breasts,
And check the rest.
Please do not caress.

Let's fly safe;
Rather be late,
Then the news at eight.

by Gerry Bevers

"Young Heros," by Gerry Bevers

.........."Young Heros"

Young, patriotic, and full of life,
They join to fight for what is right.
With a big smile, a hug and a kiss,
They say "Goodbye" and then say this:

"Don't worry about me. I'll take care."
"I'll return to you from over there."
When the sad news comes, it makes us cry.
Now with God, they never meant to lie.

by Gerry Bevers

A snake 40 to 50 feet long in Korea?

Did you know the Japanese supposedly found and killed a snake between forty and fifty feet long (4, 5 jang – 丈) in Hamheung, Korea in 1906? One jang (丈) is supposed to be ten cheok (척 - 尺), and one cheok is supposed to be about one foot. In pure Korean, cheok (척 - 尺) is written as 자.

The Japanese supposedly burned the snake, which caused a stench so bad that seven Japanese soldiers died that night after vomiting up blood.

Do you always wear your seat belt?

좌석(안전) 벨트를 항상 매세요?

Korean Phychologist Suggests Apolo Ohno "Abnormal" and "Immature"

The Dong Ilbo, which is one of Korea's big three newspapers, has posted an article entitled, "Ohno's Spiteful Actions, Result of Immaturity and Lack of Love?," in which a Korean phychologist suggests that Ohno's "spiteful actions is a result of immature and excessive self devotion and a lack of love."

I will translate the article when I have more time.

Korean Media Distorts Apolo Ohno's Statements

Ever since Apolo Ohno won the silver medal in men's 1,500 short-track on February 13 at the 2010 Vacouver Winter Olympics, the Korean media has been conducting a vicious, unfair smear campaign against Ohno. The Korean media is not only describing Ohno in hateful, unfair language, but they are misquoting and distorting his statements to the English media.

The following is a February 16, 2010 SBS News report on Ohno. It is typical of what is being said in much of the Korean media. SBS NEWS is one of the three big news organizations in Korea.
--------------------------

Anchor: Apolo Ohno, who was the “undeserving” (implied – 어부지리) winner of a silver medal in Men’s 1,500-meter short-track, has made another ridiculous claim that has aggitated our athletes.

Even though he had clearly committed an illegal action, he has made the ridiculous claim that he lost the gold medal because of the interferrence of our athletes.

Reporter Jeong Gyu-jin covers it in Vancouver.

[Reporter]

This is a scene from the men’s 1,500 meter race.

A scene of Ohno grabbing and tugging on the left arm of Seong Si-Baek, as Ohno wedged his way in at the inside corner, has been clearly captured on camera by the SBS crew. The situation lasted close to three seconds.

During the semi-finals, he also used his arm to push Lee Jeong-su, which caused Lee Jeong-su to show an expression of surprise.

Even though these are the facts, in an interview with American media, he said if Korean athletes had not impeded my way, the results could have been a lot different. He also claimed that he had never once grabbed another competitor.

After having said immediately after the race that he had hoped Korean athletes would be disqualified, he is once again aggravating our team.

However, it has become known that he has acknowledged the thoughtlessness of the irratating hand gesture he made after winning the race as a result of our athletes crashing into each other.

[American Short-track Team Coach Jeon Jae-su: It was extremely unsportsmanlike behavior, so I angrily scolded him immediately after the race. And, actually, Ohno has been greatly reflecting on that part, and said he does not know why he did it.]

After causing waves with his statements, Ohno has refused interviews while showing a consistent, hardened expression throughout practice.

Analysts think Ohno’s statement shows that he intends to use scuffles during the remaining races to get favorable judgements.

Notice that SBS News did not use any quotation marks in their report, but other news outlets reporting on the SBS report did. For example, Newsway quoted Ohno as saying the following:

I have never interfered with another athlete by grabbing his arm or leg and holding on for so long.

“나는 한번도 어떤 선수의 팔이나 다리를 이처럼 오랫동안 붙잡아 방해한 적이 없다”

First, both news reports are misquoting Ohno. Ohno did not say he had never "held another athlete's arm or leg"; he said his arm or leg had never been held by another athlete for so long. HERE is what Ohno said:

I definitely don’t think it’s typical, not in my sport. I’ve never had anyone hold onto my leg or arm that long. If it weren’t for that, the outcome would have been much different.

I started to pass one of the Korean skaters on the inside, and he put his left hand over and blocked me. That’s when I lost a lot of my speed.

The (earlier) bump allowed the others to catch up. That’s short track. When I saw those two guys lining up to pass on the final lap, I knew something was going to happen. It was a mistake on their part, and worked in my favor.

Everyone wants to win, and gets caught up in the emotions. All three of those Korean skaters are tough and strong. It was one of the hardest races I’ve skated in.

I do not know what Ohno meant by his hand gesture, but I know it to mean “stop,” as in “stop doing something.”

I do not know why Ohno’s Korean coach said what he did to the Korean media, but since the Korean coach did not make a similar declaration to the English media, I am suspicious. Ohno’s Korean coach seemed to be feeding Korea’s hatred for Ohno, not appeasing it. I wonder if Ohno even knows what his coach told the Korean media?

SBS News was trying to make Koreans believe that Ohno had cheated by grabbing the Korean skater's arm, but it you watch the SBS VIDEO, you will see that it was the Korean who grabbed and held on to Ohno's knee until Ohno finally knocked his arm away. That allowed the Korean skater's teammate to skate around on the outside. Watch the video and judge for yourselves.

How do you say "Uh-oh" in Korean?

Picture from Sports Illustrated site.

How do you say "elk" in Korean?

My dictionary says elk is 말코손바닥사슴. A deer with a horse's nose and hoofs?

UPDATE: 말코손바닥사슴 is the Korean word for "moose," not elk. The word is descriptive since 말코 means "horse nose" and 손바닥 means "palm," which most likely refers to the palm-shaped antlers of the moose. 사슴 means "deer."

Photo of a moose from Wikipedia

The Korean word for elk seems to be 와피티사슴, which comes from the Korean transliteration of "wapiti" (와피티).

Photo of an elk from Wikipedia

.

By the way, can anyone count how many elk are in the following video?

When do Korean children learn to swear and hate Japan?

I am not sure, but the kids using vulgar language to spew hate on Japan in the Gangneung (강릉) dialect in the video below are supposedly in the second grade at the Wansan Elementary School (왕산초등학교) in Gangneung.

민경:	오늘 여게 사람들이 이리 마니 모였으니 내가 가슴에 담아 도던 얘기를 한 마디 할게요. 내가 이 얘기를 안하면요 살아도 산기 아니고요. 내가 쌔가 빠져 죽어도요 눈을 못 감을 정도로 한이 될기래요.
성령:	이런 진생 같은 간나가 꼴깝하고 자빠졌네. 지 나이가 몇 살이라고, 뭔 놈의 한이 우째고 우쨌다고?
민경:	이런 씨 니처럼 맨재기중에서도 찰 맨재기 같은 인간이 우트게 내속을 알겠나? 시상이 우트 돌아 가는 지 알기나 하고 그래 찌꺼래 되나?
성령:	벨희얀한 소릴 다듣겠네야 내 참 그래 뭔 누무 한이 그래 맺혔는지 어디 한 번 니 힘 가지껀 찌꺼래 봐라.
민경:	이런 쿵하면 담 배락에서 호박 떨어지는 소리고 뽕하면 니 똥구영서 똥가루 날리는 소리는 소리라고, 어. 내가 지금부터 얘기해 줄 테니 귓구영을 후비고 똑띠기 들아. 알았싸어.
성령:	알았다.
민경:	저짜 바다 건너 일본놈들이 요새 독도가 지들 땅이라고 복날 개훌기 듯이 우겨된다는데 니는 테레비도 안 보나 이런 판진생 같은 인간아!
성령:	뭐이 우째.
민경:	우째긴 뭘 우째 가들이 그 날리를 치는 바람에 여게 저게서 열통이 터져서 복장을 치는 사람들이 울매나 많은데.
성령:	그 놈의 종자들이 날은 더와 죽겠는데 왜 그 지랄들겠나? 어, 그 전에도 그 난리를 볶아 때리더니 요새 또 그런다 말이야.
민경:	야 그럴 내가 이래 열을 내는게 아니나? 그것들이 아직 된변을 못 봐서 그렇치 내인데 한 번 걷아들리기만 하면 내가 아주 쌕딜가 뭐나 쌕딜을 잡아 빼놀 낄되, 뭐.
민경:	어니야라 뭔 간나가 말을 해도 억쎄 빠지기 시래 쌕딜가, 남사 시럽지도 안나. 여게 사람들이 이래 많은데 그래갔구 시집이나 겠나?
민경:	뭐이 이런 판진생 같은 인간아. 이 판국에 지금 시집이 문제야? 이거는 뭐 똥인지 된장지 천지를 모르고 찌꺼래 되네야. 아이 내가 여복 부애가 났음 거러겠나? 그런 인날 임진왜란 때 말이야. 그것들이 사람들을 마큰다 아주 씰몰살 시킬려고 쳐들어왔던 걸 뭐이 벌써 까먹었부랬나?
설령:	내가 그럴 우트 까먹겠나? 가들이 그 조총이란 걸 갔구 들이 쏴단 걸 내가 까먹을 리가 있나?
민경:	말도마라. 말도마 우리 할머어이가 그러는데 그 총알이란 게 날아가지고 대가빠리에 정통으로 들이 맞으면 뇌진탕으로 히떡가고, 또 그게 누까리에 들이 걸리면 눈까리가 다 박살이 나고 그 뭐나어 배때기에 들이 걸리면 창지가 마카 게 나와 가지고 하이고 뭣이 대뜨번에 쌔싸리가 빠진다더라.
성령:	야, 말이 싹다 마자요. 나도 우리 할아버한테 들었는데요 자들이요 생각하는 것까지도요 울매나 얍쌉한지요 우리들 같지 안타니까요.
민경:	마자요, 마자. 자들이 울매나 얍삽한지요. 뙈놈보다 더 하다니까요. 요새 이 독도문제도요 시시하게 대처해서는 되지도 않아요. 그저 순순히 우리가 대해 주시깐 저것들이 우릴 만만보고 저 지랄들이지 우리가 빡쎄게 나가면 찍소리도 못 할기래요. 아이 내 말이 맞으면 박수를 한 번 쳐주야.
성령:	뭔 간나가 참 억쌔게도 지꺼려 되네야 이 좋은 날 우째 그리서럽그리 둘어대나 여기 앉아 있는 사람들도 그놈의 독도 얘기만 나오면 복장이 터질낀데 왜 그다타나 아이 내 말일 맞아요 안 맞아요.
민경:	알았다 내가 이 얘기 한 마디만 더 하고 내겨갈 끼네.
설령:	뭐이? 여태 찌거려 놓고 뭘 또 지꺼린다고 알았다 알았다 정 그러면 지꺼려 봐 얼른 지끄리고 내려가자 내 배때기 고파 죽겠다.
민경:	아이 시끄루와 그놈의 배때기 고프단 소리는 몸썰나게 해 대내야. 여 앉아 있는 사람들요 내 말을 마저 들어봐요, 야. 그렇다고요. 그짝 나라 사람들이 다 그리 얍삽하다는 게 아니래요. 모르긴 몰라도요 여 강릉에 해마다을 사람들도 있다든데 그 양반들은 안 얍삽해요. 여기 강릉교육관 한마음 축제 오신 여러분들도 그 양반들 만나면 괘찮으니 그 사람들 만나면 반갑게 맞아줘요 알았지요.

I may translate it later.

Have you read "Outline of Classical Chinese Grammar"?

It cost me an arm and a leg (72,000 won), but I bought Edwin G. Pulleyblank's book, "Outline of Classical Chinese Grammar." When it first arrived, I thought I had been ripped off because it was only a flimsy, little 206-page book, including Contents and Index pages. It did not look like it was worth 72,000 won, which is the most I have ever paid for any book, but after reading the first forty pages, I have changed my mind. It was a good investment.

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Though the book is not that well written or organized, it is crammed full of short-and-sweet grammar rules with one or two example sentences for each rule. There is little or no fluff in the book. It seems like Mr. Pulleyblank just gathered up his teaching notes and made a book out of them, which might explain why it is only about 200 pages.

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The book's 597 example sentences, which are numbered, have Chinese pronunciations and English translations, but, except for the grammar point being focused on, there are few if any detailed explanations of the sentences. The reader is pretty much expected to match, on his own, the English translation with the Chinese.

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I wish the book were better organized and had Korean pronunciations instead of Chinese, and I wish that Mr. Pulleyblank had used more punctuation in his English explanations, but the book gives so much insight into classical Chinese grammar that such complaints seem trivial. I am a happy man.

What does 苟且偸安 mean?

Yesterday, I bought a Korean book entitled "이이화의 한문 공부," which teaches the basics of classical Chinese writing. I bought the book not only because it was the only book in the store that taught the basics of classical Chinese, but also because it looked pretty good, at least in the store. However, after getting it home and reading more of it, I noticed a few problems.

One of the problems with the book is that it assumes the reader already knows the Korean pronunciations for the Chinese characters used in many of the book's example sentences. In other words, the book gives you the Chinese sentences and their Korean translations, but it does not give the Korean pronunciations for the Chinese characters. That is not a big problem for me since I know the pronunciations of most of the characters used in the book, but I would still like to have the pronunciations. Another problem is that some of the translations seem to be incorrect. Could such a thing be possible? Is it just because I am a beginner and do not know any better? Consider the following example:

苟且偸安(구차투안)

구차하게 눈앞의 안일함만을 취함 Clumsily take only the peace in front of our eyes.

The Korean is the author's translation of the Chinese, and the English is my translation of the author's Korean, but is it correct?

In Korean, 苟且 (구차) can mean "poverty" or "clumsiness," and 偸安 (투안) means "desire the peace in front of one's eyes" (눈앞의 안일을 탐냄), so the author seems to have just combined and then tweaked the two sentences for his translation, which seems awkward either way. Does "Clumsily take the peace in front of our eyes" make much sense?

Separately, 偸安 (투안) means only "steal" (偸) and "peace" (安), so where did "in front of our eyes" (눈앞의) come from? I think it came from the 且 (차) in the original sentence since 且 can mean "in the future" (장차). In other words, 苟且偸安 (구차투안) may have originally been translated as "[They] clumsily (苟), in the future (且), take (偸) the peace (安)," except that "in the future" was translated as "in front of our eyes" (눈앞의). Later, when 苟且 and 偸安 were separated and placed in the dictionary, the meaning "in front of our eyes" stayed with 偸安 portion. Anyway, that is just my theory.

I think the above Chinese sentence has been mistranslated by Koreans. Why not simply translate it as follows?

"Poverty (苟且) steals (偸) peace (安)."

My translation makes much more sense because, generally speaking, peace and prosperity go together, but poverty tends to lead to unrest, which can be paraphrased as, "Poverty steals peace."

Does 乳以 mean the same as 以乳?

Today, I was reading the 四字小學(사자소학), which was a book that Korean children used to study in traditional Korean schools (書堂 - 서당), when I came across something I did not understand. Why does 以 come after the nouns in lines 3 and 4, but before the nouns in lines 5 and 6?

父生我身(부생아신)	[My] father (父) gave life (生) [to] my (我) body (身).
母(모)鞠(국)吾(오)身(신)	My] mother (母) raised (鞠) my (我) body (身).
腹以懷我(복이회아)	With [her] stomach (腹以) [she] sheltered (懷) me (我).
乳以哺我(유이포아)	With [her] milk (乳以) [she] fed (哺) me (我).
以衣溫我(이의온아)	With (以) clothes (衣) [they] warmed (溫) me (我).
以食飽我(이식포아)	With (以) food (食) [they] filled (飽) me (我).

From what little I know about classical Chinese, the order of the characters was important to determining the meaning of a sentence. Therefore, I suspect that 以 coming before the noun had a different meaning from 以 coming after the noun. However, the only difference I noticed between the two sets of sentences above was that the nouns in sentences 3 and 4 were either a part of the mother (her stomach) or originated from her (her breast milk), but the nouns in sentences 5 and 6 were just general references to food and clothing.

When 以 came after a noun, did it imply that the noun belonged to the subject of the sentence or originated from him or her? In other words, does 乳以 mean "with her milk," and 以乳 mean just "with milk"?

Was 之 (지) used to make causative verbs?

According to THIS WEB PAGE, the Chinese character 來 (내) was used in classical Chinese to mean, "[He] comes," and 來之 (내지) was used to mean, "[He] makes him come." In other words, the 之 (지) seems to have made "to come" (來) into a causative verb. In classical Chinese, was 之 sometimes used to make causative verbs?

I am curious because I want to know if the following translation is correct:

一僧寺 與餠茶粥醬以食之

A temple (一僧寺) gave (與) [us] rice cake (餠), tea (茶), rice gruel (粥) and soy sauce (醬) and had us eat them.

Does the 之 (지) change 食 (식) from "to eat" to "to have someone eat" ( 食之), or is 之 being used as a direct object pronoun to refer back to the food?

What's the problem with "뭐가 불만이냐"

뭐가 불만이냐 means "What's your problem" or "What's your complaint." It is a low form that is usually used among friends. If you use it with someone who is not your friend, you are asking for a fight. The problem with the expression is that 뭐가, strickly speaking, is an incorrect construction since 뭐 is a contraction of 무엇, so it would be like saying 무엇가, which is incorrect. The correct contraction for 무엇이 is 뭬. However, since few Koreans say "뭬 불만이냐," you could just drop the subject marker and say, "뭐 불만이냐." I think I will try to use 뭬.

The following are the correct 1-syllable contractions for 무엇 and its subject and object markers:

• 무엇 = 무어 = 뭐
• 무엇 = 뭣
• 무엇이 = 뭬
• 무엇을 = 뭘

Unfortunately, it is probably too late to save the 뭬 contraction because 뭐가 and 머가 have become so ingrained in the Korean language that it would be difficult to get rid of them now. I think I remember reading that sometime in the past 가 used to be the only subject marker in Korean, which may help explain why 뭐가 is so ingrained.

By the way, if you do use 뭬, do not add the subject marker 가 to it since its meaning already includes the subject marker. Some Koreans even add the object marker 를 to 뭬, which, of course, is also wrong since it would be like saying 무엇이를.

A foreigner teaching Koreans how to teach Korean?

According to a Chosun Ilbo article entitled "American Professor Prepares Korean Language Teachers," American Robert Fouser is teaching Seoul National University students how to teach the Korean language to foreigners, which makes me wonder what exactly he does. For example, does he teach them the English they will need to explain the Korean language or does he teach them language teaching techniques? Or does he teach them both with a focus on dealing with the special problems of teaching the Korean lanaguage?

Mr. Fouser says that Koreans lack a systematic approach to teaching Korean to foreign learners, which I think is true, but I wish he or the article would have given some examples of exactly what Koreans are doing wrong. More on Robert Fouser in ENGLISH and in KOREAN.

Here are some of my suggestions for teaching Korean.

The very first thing that should be taught to foreign learners of Korean is hangeul, which is the easiest thing about the Korean language. Why bother learning Romanized Korean when hangeul can be learned in just a couple of days?

Next, the teacher should give the students a brief summary of how the Korean language works while introducing simple vocabulary words to be used in examples of the language. In other words, the teacher should give a general description of such things as Korean word order and how markers are used to indicate such things as subjects, objects, and verb tense. Korean and English are so opposite each other that without such an explanation many English speakers may waste weeks wondering what the hell is going on. When I first started learning Korean, I wasted about thirty-two weeks wondering what was going on because no one bothered explaining to me the basic concepts of the Korean language. Therefore, I think having a native English speaker teaching a Korean linguistics course concurrently with a native Korean speaker teaching a conversation class would be a good idea. English would be used in the linguistics class, but not in the conversation class.

After teaching hangeul and explaining the basic concepts of the Korean language, I would start piling on the vocabulary while making sure students understand the differences among Korean adjectives and transitive and intransitive verbs. I would have students juggling active and passive voice with every new verb they learn instead of saving passive voice for some future date. If the students were studying in Korea, I would teach them the seven basic Korean sentence patterns from the get-go so that they could start listening for them out in Korean society and start filling in the blanks with the new vocabulary they learn. I also believe in teaching past, present, and future tenses together rather than separately because they will be hearing them all together when they walk outside the classroom if they are learning in Korea.

A Korean language classroom in Korea should just be the staging area for preparing students for the real learning experience outside the classroom. Instead of trying to teach all the language inside the classroom, teachers should focus on teaching the concepts and structure of the language and have the students learn the meaty parts on their own outside the classroom. A sample homework assignment might be to give the students ten questions or statements to ask or say to Koreans outside the classroom, and then have the students record the responses they get. The students could then compare and discuss the responses they get the next day in class. That is more interesting and effective than reading the responses in a book.

Korean language teachers need to start thinking outside the four walls of the classroom.

Why do many Koreans like to eat fish heads?

When you buy a fish at a supermarket in Korea, it usually comes with the head. Moreover, when cooking the fish, Koreans usually cook the whole fish, including the head. My ex-wife, who was Korean, was no exception. She always cooked the whole fish and always ate the head.

I used to think my ex-wife ate the head of the fish so that I could have more of the juicy parts. In other words, I thought she was sacrificing her taste buds for me. I have since learned that many Koreans consider the fish head to be a delicacy, which suggests that my ex-wife's fish-head eating may have been more of a selfish act than a sacrifice.

Today, I came across an old Chinese saying, which suggests that the heads of fish have long been considered a delicacy in Asia:

魚頭一味 (어두일미)
A fish's head is the most delicious

魚(어) - fish
頭(두) - head
一味(일미) - the most delicious

Why not use 먹이 for human food, too?

Koreans generally use 먹이 to refer to animal "food," "feed," or "prey," and 음식(飮食) or 먹거리 to refer to human food, but why can't 먹이 also be used to refer to human food? I am asking because 먹거리 seems to go against grammar rules since -거리 is usually added to nouns, not verb stems. Here are some acceptable -거리 nouns:

• 국거리........foodstuff for soup
• 김칫거리.....foodstuff for kimchi
• 반찬거리.....foodstuff for side dishes
• 저녁거리.....foodstuff for dinner

거리 is a noun meaning "material" or "makings," so if it is used with a verb like 먹다, then people should say 먹을 거리, not 먹거리. However, why not just say 먹이 for both animal and people food? If it is possible to say 쇠먹이 (cattle feed) and 말먹이 (horse feed), why not 사람먹이 (people food)?

On a completely different topic, while looking up one of the above words in my dictionary, I came across 사람 멀미, which means "sickness from being in a crowd." I had heard of 차멀미 (carsickness), 뱃멀미 (seasickness), and 비행기멀미 (airsickness), but had never heard of 사람 멀미 (crowd sickness).

Should Koreans say 세겹살 instead of 삼겹살?

삼겹살 are cuts of pork from around the ribs, which is an area that includes layers of fat (비계). When cut into strips, the strips show what generally look to be three layers of fat and meat, which is why Koreans call it 삼겹살. The name 삼겹살 literally means "three layers of meat." It looks like bacon except that it is usually cut into thicker strips and is not cured or smoked.

Actually, the name 삼겹살 violates Korean language rules, which say that Sino-Korean numbers should not be used with pure Korean words. 삼(三) is the Sino-Korean number for "three," and 겹살 is a pure Korean word meaning "layers of meat"; therefore, the correct name should be 세겹살 since 세 is the pure Korean number for "three." In fact, up until the early eighties, Koreans commonly referred to it as 세겹살. (See this Korean ARTICLE.)

Korean dictionaries still list 세겹살 as a synonym for 삼겹살, so if you are a purist and want to mess with the minds of Korean restaurant employees, order 세겹살 the next time you visit a Korean meat restaurant.

Why do many people say 맞다?

In Korea, when people are discussing an issue and one of them says something that hits the nail on the head, so to speak, you will often hear people respond to the comment by saying "맞다." However, 맞다 is the wrong response because it is an uninflected form.

맞다 is a verb meaning "to be right" or "to be correct," among other things, so when you use it in a sentence, you must use inflection because Korean verbs are inflected in speech. In other words, you cannot use the word straight out of the dictionary. You must say 맞는다 or 맞아 when talking with friends, or 맞습니다 or 맞아요 when talking with others. By not using inflection with 맞다, people are treating it as if it were an adjective, which it is not. In Korea, adjectives can be used in their blunt forms without inflection. For example, if you want to comment with an uninflected word, then you could use the adjective 옳다, which means "right" or "correct." Consider the following examples:

A: 문제는 그가 허락없이 한 거야.
B: 맞아 (맞는다).

A: The problem is that he did it without permission.
B: That's right.
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A: 문제는 그가 허락없이 한 거야.
B: 네 말이 옳다.

A: The problem is that he did it without permission.
B: What you say is correct.

Was a male slave or female slave more expensive?

According to THIS WEB SITE, the poster below was in North Korea's Koryo Museum. The poster says that a female slave between fifteen and fifty years old once cost 120 pil (120필) while a male slave of the same age cost only 100 pil. Female slaves under fifteen and over fifty cost sixty pil while males slaves in the same age brackets cost only fifty pil. If you had the money, you could have gotten a cow for 400 pil.



Matt also has a link to a better picture on HIS SITE.

Is it really correct to say 몇 학년이냐?

몇 essentially means "how many," "how much," or "how long," so if you say, 몇 학년이냐, you are really asking "how many grades." If you want to ask someone "which grade" they are in, it would make more sense to say, "어느 학년," rather than "몇 학년." Consider the following examples:

1. 너는 어느 학년이냐?
   Which grade are you in?
2. 이 학교는 몇 학년 있어요?
   How many grades are there in this school?
3. 그 학교에서 몇 학년 다녔어요?
   How many grades did you attend at that school?

Nevertheless, Koreans probably say 몇 학년이냐 more than they say 어느 학년이냐. I also say 몇 학년, but I may start using 어느 학년.

Why use (으)로서, (으)로써, & (으)로 이하여?

The markers (으)로서, (으)로써, and (으)로 이하여 can all be replaced with (으)로 without any difference in meaning, so why not just use (으)로?

(으)로서 is an adverb marker used to establish status or authority:

• 학생으로서 = 학생으로
  As a student....
• 자식으로서 할 일= 자식으로 할 일
  Something one does as a child
• 학자로서 = 학자로
  As a scholar....

(으)로써 is an adverb marker used to show the purpose, method, or tool used for doing something:

• 약으로써 낫게 할 수 없는 병 = 약으로....
  A disease that cannot be cured with medicine
• 생각만으로써 되는 일이 아니다 = 생각만으로....
  This is not something that can be solved by just thinking about it.
• 석유로써 재산을 모으다 = 석유로....
  make one's fortune in oil

(으)로 인하여 is used to show cause or reason:

• 불결로 인하여 병이 생기는 경우도 있다 = 불결로....
  Some diseases are attributable to lack of cleanliness.
• 그 사건으로 인해서 우리 회사가 유명해졌다. = 그 사건으로
  Our company because famous from that incident.
• 올해 지진으로 인한 피해가 컸다. = 올해 지진으로 생긴....
  The damage from this years earthquake was enormous.

Also, do not use the -으로해서 and -므로해서 makers.

Simplify your life by just using (으)로. Why make Korean more difficult than it already is?

Are you ready for the future--장래 or 장차?

장래 (將來) is a noun that means "the future," and 장차 (將次) is an adverb that means "in the future." Here are some examples of how they are used:

장래 (the future)

• 밝은 장래....................a bright future; bright prospects
• 어두운 장래.................a dark future; gloomy prospects
• 가까운 장래에..............in the near future
• 먼 장래에.....................in the distance future
• 장래의 계획을 세우다...make a plan for the future
• 장래를 점치다..............predict the future

장차 (in the future)

• 장차 어떤 일이 일어날지 아무도 모른다.
  No one can tell what will happen in the future.
• 너는 장차 무엇이 되고 싶니?
  What do you want to be in the future?
• 그렇게 돈을 함부로 쓰면 장차 무일푼이 된다.
  If you spend money so freely, you'll wind up penniless.
• 장차 사용할 수 있도록 이것을 간수해 두어라.
  Keep this for future use.

If you place an -에- after 장래 (i.e. 장래에), it will have the same meaning as 장차, which means "in the future." Never place an 에 after 장차 because it is not needed.

미래 (未來) is a noun that also means "the future," but, according to Mr. Nam Yeong-sin (남영신), there are some slight differences between 미래 and 장래. Mr. Nam says, for example, that 장래 is used to talk about your own future and the future that affects you, but 미래 is used to talk about a more distant future. The future (미래) is infinite, but your future (장래) ends when you die. Accordingly, there is more emotion attached to 장래 than to 미래. Therefore, maybe it would be better to say 먼 미래 rather than 먼 장래, and 장래의 계획 rather than 미래의 계획.

By the way, the American movie "Back to the Future" was translated into Korean as "백 투 더 퓨쳐," which is just a transliteration of the English title. However, if you were to translate it into Korean, I think it should be 장래로 돌아가다. I used 장래 in my translation because it was the future of one person rather than a distance future.

Do you understand "알았어, 알겠어"?

Today, I came across the Korean pop song "알았어, 알겠어," which means, "I understand, I will understand." One of the meanings of 알다 is "to understand." I am posting the lyrics to the song at the bottom of this post because the songwriter seemed to understand the difference between 알았어 and 알겠어. I just hope other Koreans will finally understand it, too.

Even though 알다 has several meanings, including "to know," "to understand," and "to remember," when it is used in the past tense, Koreans usually mean, "I understand." However, when 알다 is used with the future tense (-겠-), the meaning is not as clear, so you have to consider the context in which it is used. Consider the following examples:

1. (보면) 알겠습니다.
   (When I see it,) I will know it.
2. (앞으로 당신 마음을,) 알겠습니다.
   I will understand (your feelings in the future).
3. (하신 말씀을) 알겠습니다.
   I will remember (what you said).

It would be easier to distinguish the meanings of 알다 if Koreans used only 기억하다 for "to remember" and 이해하다 for "to understand," but 기억하다 and 이해하다 are Sino-Korean words that most likely do not have the same traditions and warm feelings as 알다, which is a pure Korean word that has probably been spoken by Koreans for as long as there have been Koreans, so I do not think the meanings of 기억하다 and 이해하다 will completely disappear from 알다 anytime soon. However, with 기억하다 and 이해하다 as options, Koreans, especially younger Koreans, seem to be forgetting about and confusing the different meanings of 알다, especially when it is used with the future tense form -겠.

When Koreans use -겠- with 알다, or any verb, they should try to avoid using it in situations that go against the dictionary definitions of -겠. Consider the following dialog:

A: 오늘 만나자.
B: 오늘 안 돼. 약속 있어.
A: (그래, 알았어.) or (그래, 알겠어.)

A: Let's meet today.
B: I can't today. I have an appointment.
A: (Ok, I understand.) or (Ok, I will understand.)

In a dialog similar to the above, Koreans respond with both 알았어 and 알겠어, but 알겠어 does not make sense because it literally means "I will understand," not "I understand." When you ask the Koreans who respond with 알겠어 why they do it, they often say it sounds more polite, but such "polite" usage is not explained in the Korean dictionaries that I have, which suggests that it is just a misusage of the language.

It seems that 알겠어 has become a trendy, catch-all response for Koreans who do not want to be bothered with Korean grammar. However, since Koreans have a habit of reducing sentences down to just their verbs, I think it is important for them to pay more attention to the tenses used with those verbs and the context in which they are used.

Here is my translation of the lyrics to the Korean pop song "I understand, I will understand" (알았어, 알겠어), which can be heard HERE. Notice that the songwriter used 알겠어 and 이해하겠어 interchangebly:

"알았어 알겠어"
.
알았어 알겠어 이제야 너를 알겠어
수많은 꿈들은 너를 고민하게 했겠지
알았어 알겠어 너를 이해하겠어
수많은 꿈들이 나를 포기하게 했단 걸
.
사랑이란 언젠간 식어가는 거라고
젊은 날의 주체못할 열기일 뿐이라고
늘 넌 말해왔었지 하지만 바보 같은 난
그게 오늘이 될 줄은 몰랐던거야
.
알았어 알겠어 이제야 너를 알겠어
수많은 꿈들은 너를 고민하게 했겠지
알았어 알겠어 너를 이해하겠어
수많은 꿈들이 나를 포기하게 했단 걸
.
추억이란 잊어도 잊혀지지 않는 것
사랑은 떠나도 곪아버린 옛상처처럼
너는 나를 잊어도 추억은 잊지 못 할 걸
우리의 추억에 때론 잠도 못 이루겠지
.
알아 나도 너의 마음을 이해해
사랑과 꿈 사이 많이 망설였단 걸 알아
너에게도 사랑은 단순한 열기가 아닌
죽어서도 잊혀지지 않는 추억이었다는 걸
.
알았어 알겠어 이제야 너를 알겠어
수많은 꾸들은 너를 고민하게 했겠지
알았어 알겠어 너를 이해하겠어
수많은 꿈들이 나를 포기하게 했단 걸
.

"I understand, I will understand"

I understand, I will understand. Now, I will understand you.
Many dreams likely caused you to agonize.
I understand, I will understand. Now, I will understand you.
The many dreams that caused you to leave me.

Love dies over time, you always said,
It's just wild, youthful passion,
But like a fool I never knew
Today it would really happen.

I understand, I will understand. Now, I will understand you.

Many dreams likely caused you to agonize.

I understand, I will understand. Now, I will understand you.

The many dreams that caused you to leave me.

.

It's said memories can be ignored, but not forgotten.

Though the love is gone, and I'm no longer on your mind,

like festering old wounds, memories cannot be forgotten.

Sometimes our memories may even keep us awake.

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I know. Your heart I also understand.

Much you wavered between love and dreams.

Love to you, too, is more than simple passion,

A memory not forgotten, even after death.

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I understand, I will understand. Now, I will understand you.

Many dreams likely caused you to agonize.

I understand, I will understand. Now, I will understand you

The many dreams that caused you to leave me.

Why do Koreans say 모르겠습니다?

When Koreans do not know the answer to a question, they often reply with 모르겠습니다, but why do they say 모르겠습니다 instead of 모릅니다?

Besides being used to refer to the future, -겠 can also be used to guess at something or to speculate. When the subject of a sentence is first person (I), the reply 모르겠습니다 (I guess I don't know) does not make sense because there is no reason to guess about your own lack of knowledge. You either know it or not, so instead of 모르겠습니다, it would be more logical to say 모릅니다 (I don't know) when referring to your own lack of knowledge.

However, you can speculate on someone else's lack of knowledge, so you could use 모르겠습니다 when the subject of a sentence is a third person. Consider the following dialog:

A: 그 사람 6시에 시작하는 걸 알아?
B: 그 사람은 (아마) 모르겠습니다. (그 사람은 모를 겁니다.)

A: Does he know it starts at 6?
B: He probably doesn't know.

In the above conversation, Koreans would normally say 모를 겁니다 when the subject is a third person, but 모르겠습니다 means the same thing and, therefore, should be able to substitute.

I think what has happened is that Koreans used to use 모르겠습니다 only with a third-person subject, but, over time, they started misusing it with the first person (나) until it has now become pretty much standard. However, I would still recommend using 모릅니다 instead of 모르겠습니다 when the subject is first person (I) since 모릅니다 is more logical and works just fine. In other words, when someone asks you a question to which you do not know the answer, it would be better if you said 모릅니다 instead of 모르겠습니다.

How fast do Korean telecasters speak?

According to THIS DOCUMENT, Korean telecasters speak between 330 and 350 syllables per minute (SPM) when reading the news, while THIS PDF DOCUMENT timed six American newscasters speaking at an average rate of 300 SPM. It also said that the normal rate of English speech was 265 SPM.

Also, according to THIS PDF DOCUMENT, people tend to speak faster the more informal the conversation, which might explain why Koreans seem to speak faster when talking with their friends.

Have you heard these homework excuses before?

These videos are fairly entertaining, especially the first one, but there are parts I do not understand. Maybe they are using some expressions I do not recognize, or maybe it is because they are speaking so fast, especially the guy who is dressed up like Superman. I wonder where Koreans rank on the international scale for fast talkers?

What is a problem with many people these days?

모르면서 아는 체하거나 알면서 모르는 체한다.
They pretend to know when they do not, or NOT to know when they do.

I think the above expression describes the source of many of the problems in societies today. I also think the Korean sounds better than the English.

Are Japanese interested in learning Korean?

I found the following video on Matt's blog, Occidentalism. It appears to be a comedy skit of a Japanese man learning Korean. I could get some of the jokes by just listening to the Korean, such as, 코를 성형해주세요 (Please do plastic surgery on my nose), but most I could not understand. I wish I knew Japanese.