[Korean Version 한국어 버전]
안녕하세요. 여러분의 한국 친구, Lily입니다!☺이번 주제는 "한국어는 영어와 어떻게 다를까?" 에 대해 알아보려고 합니다.
Today, we’re going to explore the topic, "How is Korean different from English?"
I’ll make it clear and fun for you!
Just trust me and follow along~ ๑>ᴗ<๑
1. Linguistic Differences Between English and Korean
There are thousands of languages in the world.
All languages share some common traits: they are composed of a finite set of consonants and vowels, they form syllables and words, and words are arranged to create sentences.
Sentence Structure
- Korean follows a Subject-Object-Verb (SOV) structure.
- English follows a Subject-Verb-Object (SVO) structure.
In both Korean and English, verbs are the central and essential part of a sentence.
However, Korean is context-dependent, often allowing the omission of subjects or objects, leaving only the verb.
Moreover, word order in Korean is relatively flexible, meaning the sentence structure can change without significantly altering the meaning.
Example:
- I go to school. → 나는 학교에 갑니다.
(S V O) → (S O V)
Honorifics
Korean has a system of honorifics that reflects the age, relationship, and social status of the person being addressed. This includes formal (존댓말) and informal (반말) speech, making it a critical aspect of communication.
In contrast, English does not have such an honorific system.
2. Unique Features of the Korean Language
Hangeul
Hangeul is the native writing system of Korean, renowned as one of the most scientifically designed and innovative alphabets in the world.
It was created by King Sejong in the 15th century to make reading and writing accessible to everyone.
Scientific Design
Hangeul’s design reflects the science of phonetics:
- Consonants are modeled after the shapes of the speech organs used to pronounce them (e.g., the tongue, mouth, and throat).
- Vowels incorporate philosophical symbolism based on the sky (•), the earth (ㅡ), and humans (ㅣ).
Phonetic Alphabet
Hangeul is a phonetic alphabet consisting of 14 consonants and 10 vowels:
- Consonants: ㄱ, ㄴ, ㄷ, ㄹ, ㅁ, ㅂ, ㅅ, ㅇ, ㅈ, ㅊ, ㅋ, ㅌ, ㅍ, ㅎ (14)
- Vowels: ㅏ, ㅑ, ㅓ, ㅕ, ㅗ, ㅛ, ㅜ, ㅠ, ㅡ, ㅣ (10)
Syllabic Blocks
Hangeul is a syllabic writing system, where consonants and vowels combine to form syllable blocks. For example:
- ㄱ + ㅏ = 가
- ㄴ + ㅏ = 나
Through its systematic design, Hangeul enables a precise representation of the Korean language while maintaining its distinct cultural identity.