Similarly to when The Mouse wanted to go to France, one of the first things she tried to figure out is: what do people wear there, and what is taboo? The Mouse, while only recently becoming more aware of Korean culture, was definitively aware of the fact that Korea, in some ways, is more open than her home country, and in other ways, is less so.
The Mouse has thus learned that,
1. There is a seemingly strict sense of professionalism in schools,
and so
2. What you wear in the classroom is allowed to differ greatly from what you wear on the street.
Okay. The Mouse can handle this. This is something that she has wanted from American culture, but has not always seen from her own teachers. Sometimes this is ok (i.e., The Mouse does not look down on American teachers who dress casually, though she DOES tend to look down on teachers who dress provocatively or otherwise inappropriately (and this applies to both female and male teachers.)), do not do this, or this, and - oh please dear Gods - do not do this.
So the idea is, while in the classroom, dress professionally, or, at the least, business-casual. That is, if you wear a skirt, make sure it is at or below the knees. If you can't handle that, wear pants. Blouses should not show cleavage. No strappy sandals (and apparently, no open-toed shoes, period.), no jeans, no sweats, and PLEASE, none of the stuff in the links above. And don't be showy. Professional does not mean "spoiled rich lady." If you own the gaudy jewelry (which The Mouse does not), leave it at home. Wear it when you're out with the girls or even if you want to show off when you're just walking around the supermarket. That's your business. Don't do it in the workplace. (The Mouse will get to what is not appropriate of teachers even outside the workplace in a later post, as that is a rather loaded issue with a lot of topics that are separate from this. She won't politicize this particular post, since it is just for fun.)
But then what about in public, outside of the workplace? The next question The Mouse asked herself, is whether there is a different standard for what constitutes "provocativeness" in Korean versus American culture. For example:
1. The Mouse, for whatever reason, has always considered super-short skirts more provocative than cleavage. This does not seem to be the case in Korean culture, where the miniskirt is much more accepted than the sometimes-even-taboo cleavage. Oh, and don't wear tube-tops, halter-tops, or spaghetti-strap tops. Showing that much of the shoulders seems to automatically label you a slut in most places in Korea. Just don't do it. But as for that miniskirt - that's perfectly fine.
2. Since the super-extreme is out of the way, let's focus on some less-taboo, but still-shouldn't-do-it bits. Showing a lot of one's back is considered "sexy," and one should not do this when one is in the classroom, or over a co-worker's house for dinner. Again, if you're out with the girls or showing off, knock yourself out. Tattoos seem to be more accepted for men than women, but if one has a tattoo, it is better to cover it up. You might think it's rude to stare, but stare they will. And really, it's no different than you staring at this dude on the bus because he doesn't look like everyone else.
3. In Korea, fashion is a huge thing. But Korean fashion is different from American fashion. For one, I take back what I said earlier: it's actually OKAY to wear that tube top or spaghetti-strap top, but put another layer or three (The Mouse is exaggerating for humor here, not debasing Korean fashion, which she actually loves. Layering is a popular trend in Korea) over it to hide the shoulders and/or the cleavage that it exposes. Shrugs and cardigans are popular in Korea. Use this to your advantage and try to be trendy, rather than slutty. Also, muted colors seem to be fashionable. If you're trendy in Korea, your overall outfit is made up of shades of grey and brown, and your accessories are colorful. There are exceptions to this rule, of course. But I like this particular quote: "Primary colours are for kids, strong pastels for older women." (Another one from The Korean, on distinguishing between Asian ethnic groups).
3.5. Accessories are the key. I said don't be gaudy in the workplace. That doesn't mean you can't be when out on the street, on the subway, with the girls, etc. Remember: muted clothes, showy accessories. Got it? Good. While we're on the topic of color: (I can't find the source here, sorry! This line is taken from somewhere.) "No bright, odd, or eccentric hair dye. Seriously. This is Korea, not Japan."
4. Korean women wear makeup. This will be a bit difficult for The Mouse, since she usually does not, and The Mouse Fiancé prefers The Mouse not to wear makeup. But it seems that in Korea, showing up to work without makeup is equivalent to showing up to work in a dirty, stained sweatshirt and ripped jeans, along with those sneakers that you've owned for ages and ages but they're too comfy to throw out. So yeah. Makeup is a must. The Mouse supposes she can live with a little makeup.
5. I think, aside from those, pretty much the same things that apply in America apply in Korea. Try to look nice but not slutty, especially at work. Put your best, preferably pedicured, classy-shoed foot forward, because the first impression is often the most important.
27 July, 2011
Romanization, continued
After The Mouse's recent post (read: rant) on the Romanization of Korean and how much it destroys the language from a linguistic standpoint, she would like to share this post by The Korean. It also saves her having to explain how characters are added together to create "letters," or syllables, in Korean, which she has done at least three times in as many days.
Thank you again, Korean, for an excellent post ^.^
(Note: The Korean writes by his own whim and, though The Mouse is eternally grateful for everything she has thus far learned from him, the two blogs are in no way related)
Thank you again, Korean, for an excellent post ^.^
(Note: The Korean writes by his own whim and, though The Mouse is eternally grateful for everything she has thus far learned from him, the two blogs are in no way related)
25 July, 2011
Learning Korean Pronunciation from an English Perspective
While she is a linguist, The Mouse finds the Romanization of Korean, though convenient, rather cumbersome, and is in favor of the traditional writing system, since, many times, the Romanization makes less sense to her than the traditional form. She was originally going to learn the characters based on their Romanizations, but after seeing how this was done, went for a phonetic approach instead, and while first learning the alphabet, created a chart that went something like this:
Hangeul / Romanization / IPA (equivalent sound in English or French, or dne where one Does Not Exist)
CONSONANTS
ᄀ / g, k / [k˭] (as in English waking)
ᄁ / kk / [kʼ] (plosive k, dne in English)*
ᄂ / n / [n] (as in note)
ᄃ / d, t / [t˭] (unaspirated t, does not really exist in English, since [t˭] --> [ɾ] in English. As in French thé)
ᄄ / tt / [tʼ] (plosive t, dne in English)*
ᄅ / l, r / [l, ɾ, n, 0] (English lion, cater, noise, or silent, respectively)
ᄆ / m / [m] (English moat)
ᄇ / b, p / [p˭] (English paper, French papier)
ᄈ / pp / [pʼ] (plosive p, dne in English)*
ᄉ / s / [s, ɕ] (English snake, similar to English shell, but palatal - further forward)
ᄊ / ss / [sʼ] (plosive s, dne in English)
ᄋ / ng / [ŋ] (English king)
ᄌ / j / [ʨ˭, ʥ˭] (Similar to English etching, edging, palatal)
ᄍ / jj / [ʨʼ, ʥʼ] (plosive ch, dg - dne in English)
ᄎ / ch / [ʨʰ, ʥʰ] (Similar to English cheese and judge, palatal)
ᄏ / k / [kʰ] (English king)
ᄐ / t / [tʰ] (English token)
ᄑ / p / [pʰ] (English paper)
ᄒ / h / [h, ɦ] (English hike, similar to French rue, glottal - further back)
*A Note on "Plosive" Sounds:
Plosive sounds do not directly exist in English, but can be compared to saying two words back to back, with similar sounds at the end of the first word and beginning of the second word, while trying to stress both sounds.
Plosive k as in as in "cake guru"
Plosive t as in "don't drink"
Plosive p as in "lip balm"
Plosive s as in "Kate's snake"
Plosive j as in "judge Judge"
Linguist's Notes:
[s, s'] --> [ɕ] // _ [i, j]
[s] and [s'] become [ɕ] in the case that they occur before [i] or [j]
Example 시 (Hour, time) - expected pronunciation [si], actual pronunciation [ɕi]
[s, s'] --> [ɕ] // _ [i, j]
[s] and [s'] become [ɕ] in the case that they occur before [i] or [j]
Example 시 (Hour, time) - expected pronunciation [si], actual pronunciation [ɕi]
Stop --> Stop̚ // _#
Stops become clipped in syllable-final or word-final position.
Example: 십 (Ten) - expected pronunciation [ɕip˭], actual pronunciation [ɕip̚ ]
[s, s', ʨ, ʥ, t] --> [t̚ ] // _C or _S
Palatal and alveopalatal sounds become the same sound (clipped "t") when followed by a consonant or when occurring in sentence-final position.
Stops become clipped in syllable-final or word-final position.
Example: 십 (Ten) - expected pronunciation [ɕip˭], actual pronunciation [ɕip̚ ]
[s, s', ʨ, ʥ, t] --> [t̚ ] // _C or _S
Palatal and alveopalatal sounds become the same sound (clipped "t") when followed by a consonant or when occurring in sentence-final position.
Example: 시읏 (the name for the letter ㅅ) - expected pronunciation [ɕi.ɯs], actual pronunciation [ɕi.ɯt̚ ]
[ʨ˭, ʨʼ, ʨʰ, h] ~~> +V // +V_+V
This seems dialectal in many cases, but voiceless affricates [ʨ] and fricative [h] become voiced between two voiced sounds (this usually occurs intervocalically).
This seems dialectal in many cases, but voiceless affricates [ʨ] and fricative [h] become voiced between two voiced sounds (this usually occurs intervocalically).
[l] --> [ɾ] // V_V, or _#, especially in borrowings
ᄅ is generally [ɾ] in syllable-initial position and [l] in syllable-final position, but when it occurs intervocalically, or both at the end of a syllable AND the beginning of the next, it is pronounced as [ɾ], especially in borrowed words.
Example: 몰라요 (I don't know), expected pronunciation [mol.ɾa.jo], actual pronunciation [mo.ɾa.jo]
[l] --> [n]// _#. especially _[i, j]
[l] sometimes --> 0// N #_[i,j]
The second of these is definitely more common, and I feel that perhaps it's dialectal. ㄹ can sound like [n] in syllable-final position especially before [i, j].
More commonly, it becomes mute in syllable-initial position, especially when preceded by a nasal and followed by [i] or [j]
Example 능률 (Efficiency), expected pronunciation [nɯŋ.ɾjul], actual pronunciation [nɯŋ.jul]
EDIT (7 February, 2015) Although The Mouse has encountered the first instance very rarely, contrary to her readings, it actually seems to occur most often following [ŋ], regardless of the vowel following ㄹ
The only examples that come to mind at the moment are two neighborhoods in Seoul, which The Mouse noted on her subway journey today.
종로 - expected pronunciation [ʨ˭oŋ.ɾo] - actual pronunciation [ʨ˭oŋ.ɾo] (It's even romanized as "Jongno," rather than "Jongro.")
충정로 - expected pronunciation [ʨʰuŋ.ʨ˭ɔŋ.ɾo] - actual pronunciation [ʨʰuŋ.ʨ˭ɔŋ.no], also romanized with an "n" rather than an "r."
[j] --> [ɲ] // [p, b, m --> m]_
When occurring after a bilabial consonant, [j] becomes [ɲ]. The bilabial consonant becomes [m]
Example 십육 (Sixteen) - expected pronunciation [ɕip˭juk˭], actual pronunciation [ɕimɲuk̚]
[l] sometimes --> 0// N #_[i,j]
The second of these is definitely more common, and I feel that perhaps it's dialectal. ㄹ can sound like [n] in syllable-final position especially before [i, j].
More commonly, it becomes mute in syllable-initial position, especially when preceded by a nasal and followed by [i] or [j]
Example 능률 (Efficiency), expected pronunciation [nɯŋ.ɾjul], actual pronunciation [nɯŋ.jul]
EDIT (7 February, 2015) Although The Mouse has encountered the first instance very rarely, contrary to her readings, it actually seems to occur most often following [ŋ], regardless of the vowel following ㄹ
The only examples that come to mind at the moment are two neighborhoods in Seoul, which The Mouse noted on her subway journey today.
종로 - expected pronunciation [ʨ˭oŋ.ɾo] - actual pronunciation [ʨ˭oŋ.ɾo] (It's even romanized as "Jongno," rather than "Jongro.")
충정로 - expected pronunciation [ʨʰuŋ.ʨ˭ɔŋ.ɾo] - actual pronunciation [ʨʰuŋ.ʨ˭ɔŋ.no], also romanized with an "n" rather than an "r."
[j] --> [ɲ] // [p, b, m --> m]_
When occurring after a bilabial consonant, [j] becomes [ɲ]. The bilabial consonant becomes [m]
Example 십육 (Sixteen) - expected pronunciation [ɕip˭juk˭], actual pronunciation [ɕimɲuk̚]
VOWELS
ᅡ / a / [a] (as in English pot)
ᅢ / ae / [ɛ] (English get)
ᅣ / ya / [ja] (French piano)
ᅤ / yae / [jɛ] (English yellow)
ᅥ / eo / [ʌ] (Similar to English fun)
ᅦ / e / [e] (French étude)
ᅧ / yeo / [jʌ] (Similar to English young)
ᅨ / ye / [je] (French papier)
ᅩ / o / [o] (French faux)
ᅪ / wa / [wa] (English water)
ᅫ / wae / [wɛ] (English wet)
ᅬ / oe / [we, ø] (French ouais, yeux)
ᅭ / yo / [jo] (French bibliothèque)
ᅮ / u / [u] (English stoop)
ᅯ / wo / [wʌ] (Similar to English one)
ᅰ / we / [we] (French ouais)
ᅱ / wi / [ɥi] (French nuit)
ᅲ / yu / [ju] (French Sioux)
ᅳ / eu / [ɯ] (Similar to English put, but less round, though still tense.)
ᅴ / ui / [ɰi] (No English or French equivalent. put + seat)
ᅵ / i / [i] (English seat)
One might see now (particularly with vowel pronunciation) why The Mouse is so happy that she knows French. One might wonder why The Mouse would hesitate to use similar sounds in English for certain examples (e.g. "you" for ᅲ / yu / [ju]), and that is because English sounds [i, e, u, o] naturally have off-glides for most speakers - [j] on front vowels [i] and [e], and [w] on back vowels [u] and [o], and thus they are not quite the same as they are pronounced in Korean, since Korean vowels do not contain off-glides, and instead are "pure vowels," or more-tensed vowels, which exist in French but not in English.
The Mouse Fiancé, on the other hand, is very good at mimicking sounds, and is also having an easy time with it. There are still a few that give The Mouse some trouble in linking the Hangeul to the pronunciation, but for the most part she finds this easier than linking the Romanizations to the pronunciation, because the Hangeul is more systematic. Related sounds are more likely to LOOK related, at least to The Mouse, who has a strong background in phonology, and tends to see the resemblance more quickly in the Hangeul characters than in some of the Romanized equivalents (particularly with oe, ui, eu, eo, yeo, wo, wi, g/k, t/d, and p/b, the latter three of which are more distinguishable from their aspirated counterparts in Hangeul).
The Mouse Fiancé, on the other hand, is very good at mimicking sounds, and is also having an easy time with it. There are still a few that give The Mouse some trouble in linking the Hangeul to the pronunciation, but for the most part she finds this easier than linking the Romanizations to the pronunciation, because the Hangeul is more systematic. Related sounds are more likely to LOOK related, at least to The Mouse, who has a strong background in phonology, and tends to see the resemblance more quickly in the Hangeul characters than in some of the Romanized equivalents (particularly with oe, ui, eu, eo, yeo, wo, wi, g/k, t/d, and p/b, the latter three of which are more distinguishable from their aspirated counterparts in Hangeul).
Overall, The Mouse would rate this a very easy and systematic alphabet to learn, but would love to hear some feedback from her non-linguist friends.
The Korean Language
The Mouse Linguist is very glad that her degree is in Linguistics, since learning the Korean alphabet based on phonology is much easier than based on Romanization.
The Mouse Linguist finds the Korean alphabet rather interesting from a linguistic perspective, since it makes use of distinctions which are not made in her native language, but the knowledge of French has helped The Mouse somewhat.
The Mouse learned the alphabet in a day while bored at work, but made the note cards so that her recognition and pronunciation upon recognition will increase in speed. She can write her name in Korean with almost no thought now:
밸턴 린시 안
- though she is aware that her second given name is a particle of negation. It is perhaps best to leave this out when writing her name.
The Mouse Linguist finds the Korean alphabet rather interesting from a linguistic perspective, since it makes use of distinctions which are not made in her native language, but the knowledge of French has helped The Mouse somewhat.
The Mouse learned the alphabet in a day while bored at work, but made the note cards so that her recognition and pronunciation upon recognition will increase in speed. She can write her name in Korean with almost no thought now:
밸턴 린시 안
- though she is aware that her second given name is a particle of negation. It is perhaps best to leave this out when writing her name.
Ignorant Americans
The first thing The Mouse Linguist did when she discovered she was going to Korea is...
Start learning about Korean language and culture.
There is only one thing The Mouse absolutely detests about her home country, and that is the tendency of Americans to criticize and poke fun at foreigners who do not speak English well, when they themselves, upon traveling to other countries, rarely take the time and effort required to learn even a little bit about the language and culture. Especially in the era of technology in which we live, where a simple Google search can tell you a lot about the culture in just about any country of the world, she finds it unacceptable that Americans feel it is okay to visit other countries and, upon offending someone, think "Oh, I'm American. I didn't know," is an excuse.
Now, The Mouse Linguist herself will even admit there have been times she has come across a foreigner in the US and has found it frustrating when there is a huge language barrier, but The Mouse Linguist tries to be patient. Perhaps this is because she is a Linguist, and tends to understand accents better than her fellow Americans, but she will especially be patient and try to help when it is obvious that the foreigner is TRYING and just obviously does not have a good grasp on the language yet, something that The Mouse has not seen from many of her co-workers in the customer service industry.
But the point here is that The Mouse refuses to be the Ignorant American, the one who uses being an American as an excuse to be ignorant. This is unacceptable to The Mouse. She would rather learn a little about the culture and language now, than learn later when she mistakenly offends someone, because to her, "I'm American" should never be an excuse to be ignorant. She has more pride in herself and in her country than that.
Start learning about Korean language and culture.
There is only one thing The Mouse absolutely detests about her home country, and that is the tendency of Americans to criticize and poke fun at foreigners who do not speak English well, when they themselves, upon traveling to other countries, rarely take the time and effort required to learn even a little bit about the language and culture. Especially in the era of technology in which we live, where a simple Google search can tell you a lot about the culture in just about any country of the world, she finds it unacceptable that Americans feel it is okay to visit other countries and, upon offending someone, think "Oh, I'm American. I didn't know," is an excuse.
Now, The Mouse Linguist herself will even admit there have been times she has come across a foreigner in the US and has found it frustrating when there is a huge language barrier, but The Mouse Linguist tries to be patient. Perhaps this is because she is a Linguist, and tends to understand accents better than her fellow Americans, but she will especially be patient and try to help when it is obvious that the foreigner is TRYING and just obviously does not have a good grasp on the language yet, something that The Mouse has not seen from many of her co-workers in the customer service industry.
But the point here is that The Mouse refuses to be the Ignorant American, the one who uses being an American as an excuse to be ignorant. This is unacceptable to The Mouse. She would rather learn a little about the culture and language now, than learn later when she mistakenly offends someone, because to her, "I'm American" should never be an excuse to be ignorant. She has more pride in herself and in her country than that.
The Mouse Linguist is Going to Korea!
This seems as good a place as any to start, since it is the reason why The Mouse has started this blog in the first place. The Mouse Linguist was born and raised in Baltimore City, Maryland, and is a recent graduate with honors from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County with a BA in Applied Linguistics. She minored in French. The Mouse has been looking for a job since she started her last semester there, but mostly with no luck. She looked into a program for teaching English in France, but it was costly, as The Mouse would have had to pay for plane tickets to France, rent, food, and utilities in France for The Mouse and The Mouse Fiancé. Coming out of a four-year university in the United States with no student loans to pay back, and a car to pay off, means that The Mouse Linguist is effectively broke, and has only been able to start saving money now (but again, not much, since The Mouse has a car payment).
The Mouse Fiancé found a program called ESL Park, for teaching English in South Korea, and The Mouse immediately applied. She has been accepted to the program, but now must go through all the necessary processes and paperwork to obtain a visa to work in Korea, and so she and The Mouse Fiancé will not be leaving for Korea until October. This blog is both to help her keep track of this process and all things related to it, including her beginning stages of learning about the Korean language, people, and culture, and to take the reader on this journey that The Mouse is experiencing, because she is both thrilled and terrified, as she has never been out of the country before.
The Mouse Fiancé found a program called ESL Park, for teaching English in South Korea, and The Mouse immediately applied. She has been accepted to the program, but now must go through all the necessary processes and paperwork to obtain a visa to work in Korea, and so she and The Mouse Fiancé will not be leaving for Korea until October. This blog is both to help her keep track of this process and all things related to it, including her beginning stages of learning about the Korean language, people, and culture, and to take the reader on this journey that The Mouse is experiencing, because she is both thrilled and terrified, as she has never been out of the country before.
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