no need for responsibility 00:56

There are days when language learning is tiring and seems to have no end. But then there are days when I learn something especially mind-stimulating about a language and it make my brain really excited. So here's a little something for your mind to chew on and hopefully it'll excite you too.

As wonderful as our English language is, we do not have a grammatical structure for the 'impersonal' as they do in the Latin languages. We are forced to use the word 'one' or 'they' when we construct sentences that detaches a particular person or group from an action. For instance, in a sentence such as "One goes to school" we do not know who exactly has gone to school; nonetheless, a general person has gone to school. In Italian, this type of structure is created through the use of the third person pronoun si + third person singular/plural verb conjugation. So the same sentence would go something like "Si va a scuola."

We had a discussion in class about how in Florence, many young Italians use this structure to free themselves from the feeling of responsibility from actions committed that would otherwise be considered less than acceptable. If a kid skips school, goes to the movies instead, and subsequently his mother finds out, he could reply to her angry words with a "non si è andato al cinema" or literally "one did not go the theater." Of course this sounds strange in English, but apparently in Florence it is perfectly fine. Another interesting point comes from one of our phD candidate's research on Italian writings on World War II, especially those dealing with Hitler or Mussolini. She writes that history books are written in this impersonal form so as to perhaps free the government from full responsibility of all the atrocities that took place.

Now, this brings me to Korean and Japanese (henceforth called KJ), the two languages I love the most and how they construct this idea. In the KJ languages, since pronouns are frequently dropped and only picked up in context, the verb becomes the most important part of the sentence. If one asks "Did you eat?" in KJ you would word the same sentence as "Did Eat?" The 'you' is implied because the question is obviously directed at a person. So it is in the verb that changes happen. Now, Korean and Japanese people hate to take credit for things they do. (Whether good or bad.) So, this impersonal structure we have seen in Italian is achieved in the KJ language through intransitivity. What happens when a kid breaks a cup and is faced with telling his mom the truth? "カップが割れてた" or "the cup had been broken (with an implied meaning of when I found it there)." When somebody makes dinner for all his friends he will say "밥이 다 됐어요" or "the food has been cooked." One really important thing to notice here is that the cup and food in the examples take a subject particle when the subject should be the actual person! Furthermore, it would be strange and awkward socially to take full responsibility by saying "I broke the cup" or "I made dinner for you all." The speakers take no responsibility.

korean proverbs 09:54

원숭이도 나무에서 떨어질 때가 있다. [Monkeys occasionally fall off trees] Meaning everyone makes mistakes.

둘이 먹다가 하나가 죽어도 모른다. [If two people are eating, one will not know if the other dies] When food is so good to the extent that if one were to die, no one would notice.

개구리가 올챙이 적 생각 못 한다. [The frog does not remember his tadpole days] Remember where you come from.

my favorite 4 character proverbs 09:32

竜頭蛇尾 - Literally meaning "dragon head snake tail." This describes someone who starts something off with much enthusiasm, rigor, and energy but fails to "finish the race." Pretty much one has pooped out.

山戦水戦 - One has battled the mountains and rivers. Thus, one has seen and experienced the world.

道成肉身 - Truth changes into flesh and body. In biblical terms, the Word became Flesh.

a new word 06:38

Kachilhada (까칠하다) - to be strict and boring. To be like one of those old, bitter teachers who watched your every move so that they could bust you for doing something.

Well, that's how I felt about my boss for the longest time. It turns out though, she actually likes me. She even brought up the idea of me staying another year! I'm pretty sure I won't take her up on that deal, but it's such a relief to know that she wasn't holding a grudge.

babariman 20:59

This is one of the funniest words I've learned here in Korea so far. 바바리맨 (Babariman) comes from the word "Burberry," the famous British clothing company, and "man." It's someone in a trench coat who likes to flash people. In Asia, rather than streaking in front of a crowd, men like to look conspicuous and flash people when people least expect it. It's also quite interesting that Burberry has become synonymous with trench coats here, similar to how kleenex is to tissue in America.

staying ahead 16:25

This is probably my first negative post since I have been in Korea. There is something called "nunchi" (눈치) here which means something like staying ahead of your friends, family members, co-workers, and acquaintances so as to keep them pleased to avoid any misunderstandings or bad feelings. One has to understand all the niceties of this society as well as people's feelings so that one knows what makes them happy, sad, tick, etc. I heard that it is kind of like a sixth sense. It is a way that Koreans keep harmony within groups even if it means telling a white lie here and there. For me however, I feel like I am walking on broken glass.

My boss has not been the most generous person since the New Year and it seems as though it is getting harder everyday. One of my co-worker was actually on the verge of tears because of all the work that was dumped on her. Now as a Korean, she has this sixth sense and so she is well aware of how to deal with it when it comes to talking to our boss. It is extremely indirect and it actually made cringe when I saw it. I wanted to give my boss a piece of my mind at the time but it probably would have made her cry too.

omija tea 08:43

I find it intellectually stimulating and satisfying when I 'discover' a 'new' word that cannot be accurately described in the English language. It feels as though I have tasted a little more of life.

I was bouncing around Jeju Island this weekend with my two friends Meredith and Seongjik when we happened upon a folk village. A lady gave us a tour and at then end of the tour we were privileged to taste Jejudo Omija Tea. (오미자차) It means five flavored tea. Meredith captured it well when she exclaimed that it was like a rainbow in your mouth.

There is an initial sensation of sweetness and then a shocking tartness. Bitterness and saltiness follow and then a final 떫은 (tteorbun) taste. In the dictionary, this word comes up as astringent and puckery. Obviously, these meanings do little to explain this word. It is that taste one gets when taking a bite out of a persimmon or date that was not as ripe as it could be. It leaves one wanting another bite of something a little more sweet. Eat the peel of an apple without the flesh and you will begin to understand this taste.

blue 00:59

This is another one of those untranslatable words. Sort of. In the Korean Language, the two most commonly used words for blue is 'paran' (파란) and 'pureun' (푸른). The first word 'paran' is the general word for blue. Blue car, blue house, blue crayon. Interestingly, it can be used to refer to somethings that are green as well. One will sometimes hear older people say the leaves, grass, or the green street light are blue! Otherwise, not a difficult word to translate. The second word however requires more thought. When used to describe things, it carrys a connotation of freshness and cleanliness. For instance, a 'pureun bada' (blue ocean) would be roughly translated as a blue, clean, and enviromentally friendly ocean. A 'pureun gil' (blue road) could be translated as a 'good and healthy road to take in life.' It is especially used by companies on billboards these days to avert or at least their attempt to avert global warming and pollution. It resonates with the Koreans very well.

humans are from dirt 18:47

I came by some interesting facts about how the word 'human' in multiple languages mean or are closely related to the word for 'ground' or 'dirt.' I find that fascinating because obviously the first thing that comes to mind is the story of Creation and Adam. Here is my stab at trying to piece together some linguistical history. Most of my information comes from dictionaries.

1) In c.1250 the French word 'humain' came into the English vocabulary and became the word 'human' that we know of today. The French word was derived from the Latin word 'humanus' meaning earthly beings. This word 'humanus' is a direct cognate of the Latin word 'humus' meaning earth or soil and both words had come from an original Indo-European root. In Danish and Swedish, it is pronounced 'human,' in Portuguese and Spanish 'humanos,' and in Persian 'humana.' I am pretty sure in other Indo-European languages, the words are very closely related.

2) The Hebrew word for man is 'adam.' This word for ground is 'adamah.'

3) On the other side of the world, I find out that the Korean word for human 사람 (saram) is very closely related to the word for dirt and soil. First, one must see that the words 사람 (saram) 'human,' 살다 (sarda) 'to live,' 삶 (sarm) 'life', 흙 (heolk) 'soil and dirt' are all cognates of the word 살 (sal) meaning flesh. The word 흙 (heolk) was pronounced 슭 (seolk) back in ancient times. The idea of flesh, life, and human is interestingly bounded to the idea of soil and dirt.

Obviously, this being only a few languages out of a menagerie of hundreds and thousands does not prove anything. But it definitely is something to look more into. And I also thought about citing but this is only a blog so I do not want to spend more time doing that. : P

reminds me of home 06:39

고소하다 (Korean) 'kosohada'

This is one of those really interesting words that really have no translations into other languages. If you were to look this word up in a dictionary, you would get 1) to be tasty, sweet, savory; to have the flavor of a nut. 2) to sue someone. Sounds strange doesn't it?

Kosohada is used to describe the taste of grains, seeds, and nuts, a vital part of Korean food culture. When one takes a bite into roasted sesame seeds, it is said to be kosohada. This word connotes a feeling of home, coziness, and nostalgia. It is like being at home snug next to a fireplace, roasting chestnuts on a cold day.

There is also a colloquial usage that means 'to be pleased to see a disliked person make a mistake or be brought down.' So if one dislikes a certain person and that person fails his/her test or gets rejected by a university or a job, this word can be used to describe that satisfying feeling.