The -리다 ending is employed among very old folks in place of -을게요. 내가 내일 가리다.
I will go tomorrow. 이따가 잠깐 들르리다.
I will stop by later for a minute.
NOTE: The spoken form of 들르다 is 들리다; see 8.3.
The -으마 ending has the same meaning as -리다, but is casually used by adults to a much younger person to whom they are close.
내가 하나 사서 보내마. I’ll buy one and send it to you.
아기는 내가 으마.
Let me piggyback the baby. The -거라 ending for commands -너라 if the verb is 오다, as in 가거라,
보거라, and 오너라, sounds somewhat archaic but may be used by older adults to a much younger person e.g., a grandparent to a grandchild. It is otherwise
heard mostly in historical dramas.
Finally, the following styles -나이다나이까, -
느니라, -시옵소서 are archaic and are reserved for historical dramas, poemsproverbs, and prayers.
손님이 찾아오셨사옵나이다. A guest is here to see you. 마님, 부르셨나이까?
Ma’am, did you call me? 한 우물을 파야 하느니라.
You must dig just one well. Focus your efforts. 부디 굽어살피시옵소서.
May God help us.
2 Honorifics
As explained in the previous chapter, the styles associated with sentence endings signal formality or psychological distance between the speaker and the hearer.
Coexisting and interacting with these contrasts is a system of distinctions relating to the status of the person being
TALKED ABOUT
, particularly the referent of the sentence’s subject and occasionally the direct object.
2.1 Subject honorification: the suffix -시
The suffix -시 으시 after a consonant, is attached to the verbal root to show deference toward the referent of the subject.
When -시 combines with 어 in the 해요 style, they become 세; when it occurs with -었, contraction yields -셨.
할머니께서 좀 편찮으신 거 같으세요. My grandmother seems to be a little sick.
사장님께서 한국으로 출장가셨습니다. The boss went on a business trip to Korea.
Use of -시 is mainly sensitive to considerations of age and social standing, although the setting and the genre have some role to play as well. A somewhat
parallel phenomenon involving the use of the special subject marker -께서 is discussed in 2.4.
2.1.1 -시 in statements and questions
–
general guidelines
In general, -시 is used to indicate respect toward the referent of the subject when that person is older andor has a higher occupational or social status. However,
several subtleties and special considerations must be taken into account.
• Usually, -시 is called for if you or the hearer has a personal relationship to the referent of the subject a grandparent, a teacher, a boss, etc..
• Use of -시 is unnecessary for other people, even those who are older or have a higher social status including colleagues, neighbors, and even the president of
the country – unless the person is within hearing range or the setting is formal. • When the speaker and the hearer have different relationships to the referent of
the subject, there is no single rule as to whose viewpoint should be adopted.
For example, when speaking about a close friend to the friend’s student, one may choose to use or not use -시:
이 교수가교수님이 오늘 못 온다네요오신다네요. I heard that Professor Lee cannot come today.
It is perhaps more common and appropriate for speakers to take the hearer’s position and to use -시 where the hearer would be required to use it. However,
speaking from the hearer’s position is not always more appropriate. If, for example, the referent of the subject is the speaker’s professor but the hearer’s
studentdaughter, the speaker should retain hisher own perspective and use -시.
• You may not have to use -시 when talking to your parents especially your mother about themselves. The use of -시 in this case usually indicates
conservatism. 엄마, 어디 가요?
Mom, where are you going? However, when you are speaking to someone outside your immediate family,
you should use -시 if the subject refers to your parents. 엄마 어디 가셨는데요.
My mom went somewhere. • Romantic partners and extremely close friends generally do not use -시 for
each other, regardless of age. • When age conflicts with social standing or occupational position, mutual use of
-시 is expected. So, a social superior uses -시 for an older subordinate when the subject refers to himher, and a social subordinate uses it for a younger
superior under those same circumstances. The more formal and hierarchical the work environment is, the more obligatory is use of -시 for a superior despite
age differences.
• -시 is not used in news broadcasts or in written material such as newspapers,
magazines, books, and so on that are intended for a general audience see 2.6 and 9.1.
한국을 방문하고 있는 클린턴 대통령은 암스트롱에게 전화를 걸어 승리를
하한다고 전했다. 동양일보 President Clinton, who was visiting Korea, called Armstrong and congratulated
him on his victory. Tong’yang Daily Press • In formulaic greetings such as 안녕하십니까 or 안녕하세요, -시 is used
regardless of the age and social standing of the subject when a formal ending is called for.
