Native Korean and Sino-Korean words

9.2 Loan words

Western loan words often end up contrasting with already existing native Korean andor Sino-Korean words with similar meanings. When this happens, the loan words are generally associated with a more modern version of the concept. Native Korean Sino-Korean Loan words 춤 무용 댄스 dance 가게 상점 마트 store, mart 빵집 제과점 베이커리 bakery 술집 주점 빠, 클럽 drinking bar NOTE: 빵 is a borrowing from Portuguese, but since it has been in the language for so long, it is considered native Korean. In some cases, loan words are used to denote things for which there is no Korean word – 껌, 커피, 버스, 잼, 택시 are examples of this. In other cases, Korean words may be pushed aside by their borrowed equivalents – 사진기 by 카메라, 사증 by 비자, 포도주 by 와인, 정구 by 테니스, and so on. Unless they have become fully Koreanized, foreign expressions tend to be more casual and colloquial. 파킹 ‘parking’ and 컨셉 ‘concept’ may be common among younger people when speaking casually, but they are to be avoided in formal writing and speech. The following samples show just how freely fashion magazines use loan words these days. 떠나자, 1 2 일 호텔 뷰티 여 . 최근 내 시선을 사로잡은 것은 웨스턴 조선의 홈스파 앤 푸드 패키지. 해외 리조트의 고 스파에서 사용하는 제품으로 홈스파도 즐기고 맛있는 음 도 먹는데다 피트니스 클럽에서 운동처방도 받고 스트레칭, 필라테스 등의 웰빙 클래스도 수강할 있는 짧은 웰빙 여 이다. Let’s go for an overnight hotel beauty trip. What caught my eye recently is the ‘Home Spa and Food’ package from the Western Chos ŏn. It’s a short ‘well-being’ trip where you can enjoy the home spa using high-quality products that are used in overseas resort areas and enjoy delicious food. Furthermore, you can also get advice on your exercise plan from the fitness club and take ‘well-being’ classes such as stretching or pilates. 새롭게 오픈한 일 퓨전 레스토랑은 수준 의 음 맛만큼이나 인테리어 시 고 스러워 트렌드 세터들까지 자주 찾을 만큼 벌써 입소문이 났다. The newly opened Japanese fusion restaurant has an interior as great as its excellent-tasting food. So, it has already become well-known through word of mouth, attracting even the trend setters. 9.2.1 Innovations in loan words Loan words often have a somewhat different meaning in Korean than in their language of origin, either because only one sense of the word was borrowed or because its meaning shifted after borrowing . For instance, 플라스 means only hard plastic while 비닐 ‘vinyl’ means only soft plastic. So when Koreans visit American supermarkets for the first time, they misunderstand what the cashier means by a plastic bag Here are more examples of this sort. 린스 rinse conditioner 스킨 skin toner 팝송 pop song western pop songs 빌라 villa townhouse 콘도 condo time share 커닝 cunning cheating on an exam 서비스 service complimentary; free of charge 미팅 meeting blind date 부킹 booking pairing-off with a partner in a club 스킨십 skinship romantic touch 팬티 panty panties; boxers; briefs 런닝셔츠 running shirts short-sleevesleeveless undershirt 키친타월 kitchen towel paper towel 이태리타월 Italy towel scrubbing cloth for skin 콤비 combi sports coat 잠바 jumper windbreaker, jacket 파스 PAS medicated plaster , hotcold patch 사인 sign autograph; signature In addition, English loan words are sometimes combined in novel ways see 10.5. 백미러 back mirror rearview mirror 핸드폰 hand phone cell phone 에스라인 S-line curvaceous body 커트라인 cut line passing score on an exam 골인 goal in kicking a goal in a game 오픈게임 open game game played before the main event 애프터 서비스 after service after-sales service 모닝콜 morning-call wake-up call 비닐하우스 vinyl house greenhouse 원룸아파트 one-room apt a studio; flat; efficiency 오토바이 auto-bi motorcycle 썬팅 sun-ting window tinting 캠핑카 camping-car recreation vehicle RV Sometimes, parts of loan words are combined with other words to create new words: 오피스텔 office-hotel a place where one can do office work and sleep 웰빙버거 well-being burger healthy burger 9.2.2 Phonetic changes to loan words A loan word’s pronunciation is refashioned to fit the sound pattern of Korean. The following changes are particularly common. • The sound ‘f’ becomes ㅍ: 팬 fan 카페인 caffeine 유니폼 uniform • The sounds ‘j,’ ‘z,’ and sometimes ‘s’ become ㅈ: 엔진 engine 비자 visa 카지노 casino • The sounds ‘l’ and ‘r’ merge into ㄹ at the beginning of a word: 로션 lotion 레이저 laser 라이벌 rival • The sound ‘sh’ becomes ㅅ: 샴푸 shampoo 샤워 shower 시트 sheet • The sound ‘th’ becomes ㅅ in most cases exception: 베드 Macbeth: 스릴 thrill 헬스 health 스미스 Smith • The sound ‘v’ becomes ㅂ: 베테랑 veteran 비타민 vitamin 인터뷰 interview • Sequences of consonants are broken up with vowels usually 으: 클럽 club 스탠드 stand 토스트 toast 드라이브 drive 스카프 scarf 유니폼 uniform • A vowel usually 으, but sometimes 이 is added to words that end in sounds such as ‘s,’ ‘z,’ and ‘ch’: 키스 kiss 치즈 cheese 스포츠 sports 스위치 switch 이미지 image 가스 레인지 gas range Addition of the extra vowel is optional for words that end in the sounds ‘p,’ ‘t,’ ‘k,’ or ‘g’: 테입테이프 tape 컷커트 cut 케익케이크 cake • Words that end in the sound ‘t’ are spelled with a final ㅅ: 라켓 racket 에티켓 etiquette 인터넷 Internet If the final ㅅ is followed by a suffix that begins with a vowel, it is pronounced as if it were ‘s’ rather than ‘t’: 인터넷 [인터넫] vs. 인터넷을 [ 인터네슬]. • The sounds ‘p’ and ‘b’ are neutralized into ㅂ; the sounds ‘k’ and ‘g’ are neutralized into ㄱ: 캡 capcab 백 bagback Because of this, Koreans may mistake ‘Doug called’ for ‘Duck called’ and Americans may hear 크랩버거 as ‘crap burger’ rather than ‘crab burger’ • The sound ‘r’ is dropped after a vowel exceptions: 코르크 ‘cork,’ 레퍼토리 ‘repertoire’: 코트 court 디저트 dessert 포크 fork 마트 mart 포스터 poster 레저 leisure Because of these various changes, different borrowed words can end up with the same pronunciation in Korean: panfan 팬, passionfashion 패션, coatcourt 코트, folkfork 포크. 9.2.3 The grammar of loan words Most loan words are nouns that, like Sino-Korean nouns, can be converted into verbs by adding -하다, -나다, and so on as the need arises. 웰빙하다 live a healthy life-style 헬스하다 exercise in a health club 오바하다 overreact; overinterpret 드라이브하다 go for a drive 이메일하다 do e-mail 다운로드하다 download 폼나다 look stylish 펑크나다 appointment gets broken NOTE: The in e-mail addresses is called 골벵이, which is a type of fish that looks similar to the symbol. Words that are adjectives in the original language tend to become nouns in Korean, and are then converted into descriptive verbs with the help of -하다. 쿨하다 be cool 스마트하다 be smart 시하다 be sexy 유머러스하다 be humorous 10 Word formation A language’s vocabulary is a work in progress. New words are constantly being added, sometimes through borrowing from other languages but more often by making adjustments to currently existing words.

10.1 Compounding

A particularly common strategy for word formation in Korean involves com- bining two or more elements to create a compound word. 10.1.1 Compound nouns A very large number of Sino-Korean compounds consist of two roots. These roots are often bound – that is, they cannot be used as words on their own. 주차 駐車 운전 運轉 교통 交通 Many longer compounds can be created by combining two-item compounds with other words. 주차: 주차위반 parking violation 불법주차 illegal parking 주차금지 No Parking 주차난 parking difficulties 운전: 운전면허 driver’s license 음주운전 driving while intoxicated 초보운전 beginner’s driving 대리운전자 designated driver 교통: 교통사고 traffic accident 교통체증 traffic congestion 대중교통 mass transit 교통신호 traffic signal 속도: 속도위반 speed violation 제한속도 speed limit 경제속도 economical speed 속도계 speedometer 보험: 생명보험 life insurance 자동차보험 car insurance 의료보험 medical insurance 보험료 insurance premium The meanings of these long compounds can usually be predicted from their component parts: 불법주차 not-law-park-car illegal parking 음주운전 drink-alcohol-move-turn driving while intoxicated