tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9424060.post8971496039124797804..comments2023-09-28T02:51:46.723-05:00Comments on Korean Language Notes: What am I doing these days?Gerry Bevershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14311939520870098017noreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9424060.post-43779371494261216792020-02-10T10:36:36.109-06:002020-02-10T10:36:36.109-06:00Could you update how to buy the book now?Could you update how to buy the book now?huannvhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02582393456887684594noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9424060.post-45425142372077785002015-07-21T13:58:07.712-05:002015-07-21T13:58:07.712-05:00Thank you, Kafka. I am still playing with the book...Thank you, Kafka. I am still playing with the book, but I am getting closer. Now I am going through and adding more Korean, something I had not originally played to do. I have found that knowing the Korean translation often helps with understanding. I am not translating every sentence into Korean, just the ones I think help with understanding. Also, some of my explanations are a little wordy, so I am trying to decide if I should shorten them or not. For example, here is a short Chinese sentence with a very long explanation, partly because I am introducing a new grammar item, but mainly because I am trying to anticipate the questions of some beginners.<br /><br />1. 其所言, 有信者, 有不信者 (기소언, 유신자, 유불신자).<br /><br />[As for] what he said (其所言), there were (有) those who believed (信者), [and] there were (有) those who did not believe (不信者).<br /><br />NOTES<br /><br />1. 所 generally means “place” or “thing,” but it also has a relative object pronoun function that results in translations such as “the place that,” “the thing that,” or “that which.” Here, for example, 所言 translates as “the thing that (所) was said (言)” or “that which (所) was said (言),” which means 所 is considered the object of the verb 言. When there is no subject mentioned in an English sentence, the clause will normally be translated in the passive voice, which means the object of the verb is moved to the subject position in front of the verb and a “be” verb is added. That is what happens in the translation “the thing that (所) was said (言).” In Korean it translates quite easily as “말한 것을.”<br /><br />However, when there is a subject, the clause is translated in the active voice. In this sentence, 其 acts as the subject pronoun “he,” so 其所言 translates as “the thing that he said” or “that which he said,” or “what he said.” Notice that when translated into English “the thing that” comes before the subject pronoun “he,” so it does not translate smoothly, meaning it does not translate in sequence. This can be explained by the fact that 其 does not really mean “he,” but rather “his.” <br /><br />As we have already learned, 其 was originally used as a third-person, possessive adjective meaning either “his,” “her,” or “their.” That means 其所言 would more literally translate as “his (其) words that were spoken (所言)” or “his spoken words,” but that seems a little too awkward for a good English translation.<br /><br />Though I see no problem with translating 其所言 as “the thing that he said” or “the words that he said,” it is still important to remember the literal meaning because it will help you understand why the possessive 之 often follows a subject noun in such clauses. For example, you might see 王之所言 (왕지소언), which would translate as “the king’s (王之) spoken words.” (You will see another example of this in Sentence 9.7.) Even if “之” does not appear in such a clause, one should still assume it is there.<br /><br />In Korean, 其 translates as “그의,” so 其所言 would translate as “그의 (其) 말한 것을 (所言)” or “그의 한 말을,” which is a sentence that seems perfectly natural to most Koreans.<br /><br />Also, in this sentence, 其所言 was moved to the front of the full sentence to emphasize it and make it the topic of the sentence, which is why “as for” was added to the translation, to help show it was meant as the topic.<br /><br />As for 信者, remember that 者 translates as “one who” or “those who,” so 信者 translates as “those who believe,” but such short phrases can often be simplified to just one word. For example, 信者 can be translated simply as “believers,” and 不信者 as “non-believers.” <br /><br />In Korean, the whole sentence would translate as follows: “그의 (其) 말한 것을 (所言), 믿는 사람이 있었고 (有信者), 안 믿는 사람이 있었다 (有不信者).”<br />Gerry Bevershttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14311939520870098017noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9424060.post-72142453546241405192015-07-21T00:39:27.643-05:002015-07-21T00:39:27.643-05:00Hello, is there any news about your book? I would ...Hello, is there any news about your book? I would be very interested in getting a copy as well.Kafkahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02334836529077614484noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9424060.post-79387329326648534722015-05-19T15:36:51.800-05:002015-05-19T15:36:51.800-05:00By the way, I know that you know this also, but th...By the way, I know that you know this also, but there are thousands of (useful) 4-character Chinese-based idioms out there. It would be nice of you if you could have some time to post some popular ones.김동령https://www.blogger.com/profile/07181558558938439336noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9424060.post-38034305300698806532015-05-19T15:33:46.203-05:002015-05-19T15:33:46.203-05:00Hi ! I wish you the best on your project, I also...Hi ! I wish you the best on your project, I also wish we could have enough motivation to study these stuff. What I mean is that, some people are busy enough studying Modern Korean alone, I'm worried if they would have some time to study Classical Chinese, and if they do, to what end ?김동령https://www.blogger.com/profile/07181558558938439336noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9424060.post-91926124646047043012015-02-09T20:09:47.957-06:002015-02-09T20:09:47.957-06:00Uh-oh! I am starting to feel the pressure to final...Uh-oh! I am starting to feel the pressure to finally get this done. Thanks, Kuiwon.Gerry Bevershttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14311939520870098017noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9424060.post-82025398100404576492015-02-09T18:58:10.497-06:002015-02-09T18:58:10.497-06:00Great! I look forward to this. Great! I look forward to this. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9424060.post-29911222150728610132015-02-08T23:52:55.249-06:002015-02-08T23:52:55.249-06:00Yes, I will, Sylvain. Thank you.Yes, I will, Sylvain. Thank you.Gerry Bevershttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14311939520870098017noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9424060.post-38817932284577493892015-02-08T21:17:02.122-06:002015-02-08T21:17:02.122-06:00Hi Gerry, Congratulations for nearing the end of y...Hi Gerry, Congratulations for nearing the end of your project. I am interested in acquiring this book when it comes out. Could you please keep me in your list of prospective buyers and update me? Regards, SylvainSylvhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08389524228132796318noreply@blogger.com