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North Korean dialect | ||
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 Language Learning Forum : Advice Center |  | |
| japkorengchi Senior Member Hong Kong Joined 6679 days ago 334 posts - 355 votes  | Message 1 of 25 14 May 2007 at 10:53am | IP Logged | |||||
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Does anyone know about the differences between South Korean and North Korean dialects? Are they mutually intelligible to a large extent? Perhaps North Korean is the only foreign dialect I am interested in learning. Do you think it's worthwhile to spend several more hundred hours to acquire it? Basically I have no chance to use it unless I work in an embassy or work as a diplomat.. 2 persons have voted this message useful | ||||||
| virgule Senior Member Antarctica Joined 6839 days ago 242 posts - 261 votes Studies: Korean | Message 2 of 25 15 May 2007 at 12:33pm | IP Logged | |||||
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The dialects are mutually intelligible. Much more difficulty arises from cultural differences, and the fact that in the north there are no English loan words, whilst there are tons of them in the south. All defectors I have read about say that the loan words are initially quite confusing.
Let's also not forget that both in the north and the south there are a number of dialects. The dialect of the Kangwon province, doesn't really stop at the border... it's a divided province, so to speak. Also bear in mind difference in speech when comparing people from an educated background and those without. You can get North Korean learning material (check out Naenara or this shop for example). Whether it is worth it, that's a question only you can answer. It depends on your motivation to learn the language, and what you want to get out of it. 1 person has voted this message useful | ||||||
| japkorengchi Senior Member Hong Kong Joined 6679 days ago 334 posts - 355 votes | Message 3 of 25 15 May 2007 at 8:16pm | IP Logged | |||||
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I am interested in North Korean because I want to help the North Koreans. It is all because of the favours I received from Korean people that I feel indebted to the Peninsula. It has nothing to do with money or women actually. Yet I am wondering even if I could speak North Korean I might not have the chance to visit its country, and would not have the opportunity to make use of this knowledge in a government organization.
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| virgule Senior Member Antarctica Joined 6839 days ago 242 posts - 261 votes Studies: Korean | Message 4 of 25 16 May 2007 at 3:59am | IP Logged | |||||
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Most people can visit North Korea if they want. It's usually a matter of applying for a visa. Holidays are fairly expensive, given the country's economic situation. What is more (as you probably know), almost nobody is allowed to roam freely, as you could do in the free world...
Anyway, learn Korean, and don't worry about the accents. You will be understood whatever educated speech you use; for more regional accents (e.g. Jeju) it might be more difficult, but probably not impossible to communicate. Accents, in my opinion, are something you might want to consider at a quite advanced level, if at all. If anything, I would work on passively understanding North Korean accents (e.g. listen to radio broadcasts). 1 person has voted this message useful | ||||||
| jstele Bilingual Senior Member United States Joined 6654 days ago 186 posts - 194 votes Speaks: English* Studies: Korean* | Message 5 of 25 25 May 2007 at 9:43am | IP Logged | |||||
South Koreans can understand North Koreans for the most part. Whenever I watch programs featuring North Koreans, there are rarely subtitles, so that must be the case. Of course, there are differences in vocabulary, but the gist is understood. North Korean sounds really antiquated and square to my ears. North Korean sounds more monotonous and South Korean fluctuates more in terms of intonation. The North Korean accent is not considered a prestige accent. Some people may look down on you because it sounds really antiquated. People may take you for a North Korean if you perfect the accent. Some South Koreans look down on North Koreans. There have been cases of discrimination against them in South Korea. I think it's better to learn the South Korean dialect because that is the one most of the world is exposed to. Edited by jstele on 25 May 2007 at 9:44am 3 persons have voted this message useful | ||||||
| japkorengchi Senior Member Hong Kong Joined 6679 days ago 334 posts - 355 votes | Message 6 of 25 25 May 2007 at 11:39am | IP Logged | |||||
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The North Korean accent is, in my opinion, similar to the situation of British and American English. The Northern accent should be considered the traditional and prestigious accent but because of the balance of economic power the Southern accent is valued nowadays. American English also dominates the game in this fashion.
If North Koreans can understand my South Korean accent I will stay happily with my South Korean and visit North Korea if possible. 1 person has voted this message useful | ||||||
| jstele Bilingual Senior Member United States Joined 6654 days ago 186 posts - 194 votes Speaks: English* Studies: Korean* | Message 7 of 25 25 May 2007 at 10:12pm | IP Logged | |||||
You can't make the comparison because Korean did not originate solely from North Korea. The differences arose due to regional as well as political factors, most notably the separation into North and South, Communism, exposure to the outside world, etc. English was BROUGHT to America from England.
An equal argument could be made for South Korean. The language did not start from North Korea and migrate to the South. What should be considered a prestige accent really is a matter of opinion and I don't think it's anyone's place to decide what the prestige dialect should be in South Korea unless they are South Korean. South Koreans don't consider North Korean to be nontraditional. They acknowledge it to be as Korean as South Korean. The reason the world values the South Korean accent more is pragmatic. South Korea is the country they have greater access to, unless they are a communist country. So it makes sense for them to learn South Korean. South Koreans value their own language for a different reason, of course. Of course, it is their own language. For those who are prejudiced toward Northerners, they may associated the language with poverty because the North Koreans who come are defectors. And a lot of people just thinks it sounds so awkward. There is no difference in intonation and rhythm, compared to the South. I think the Southern dialect sounds more vibrant and human, not so wooden and mechanical as the North. Foreigners who learn/ have learned North Korean are mostly from communist countries. I know of an Albanian diplomat who learned North Korean when Albania was still a communist country. I also know of an Eastern European who studied in both North and South Korea. He came from a formerly communist country. Even if North Korea were a democratic and prosperous nation, it would still sound awkward and antiquated to me. There's nothing wrong with the language, but it's not pleasant to my ears. South Korean sounds more graceful and eloquent to me. Edited by jstele on 25 May 2007 at 10:27pm 1 person has voted this message useful | ||||||
| virgule Senior Member Antarctica Joined 6839 days ago 242 posts - 261 votes Studies: Korean | Message 8 of 25 26 May 2007 at 5:25pm | IP Logged | |||||
Perhaps it's worth differentiating different Korean dialects rather than trying to approach this using contemporary political divisions (North/South). Out of interest, how does the Kangwon dialect sound to you? Trying to keep with the original topic, someone interested in learning Korean for work with North Koreans surely should learn the pronunciation of the north...! Yes, in general there might be a pragmatic reason to study the pronunciation from Seoul, but in the individual case there might be a point for not doing so. Having said this, given the similarities, I wouldn't exclude South Korean material from consideration, but simply complement my material with something where I could learn more about the northern pronunciations. [edit: additional comment] Edited by virgule on 26 May 2007 at 5:30pm 1 person has voted this message useful |
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