Saturday, December 02, 2006
A Few Examples of Konglish to Correct
Let’s pretend for a moment that you are reading a paragraph written by a Korean student for her English class. See if you can find all the examples of Konglish in this passage:
“Yesterday my friends and I left until 5:30 p.m. and went to Myung-dong so that we could go eye-shopping for some clothes. I actually found a good coat that I could buy second-used, but it will fit me better if I can reduce my weight. After shopping, we Dutch paid at Pizza Hut for dinner. My best friend recently made a boyfriend, and she told us about him. She recommended us to find a Western man, because they don’t have black eyes. I don’t know if I want to find someone who can’t speak my language, though, because that might make me boring. After we finished my feeling was not good so I went home to take a rest.”
Were you able to find many examples? Konglish is so-named because as Korean speakers have begun to learn English, the result was that they began to use certain phrases which native speakers almost never use, or which would have humorous meanings if a westerner heard them. A few examples found in the above paragraph include:
Until-Sometimes Korean speakers who have lived in foreign countries and have studied English for more than a decade still use the word “until” in an improper way. They often say “we will meet until noon” or “we will leave until this afternoon” when they should be using the preposition “at.” The word “until” is a preposition which implies that something has happened for a period of time and then stops. So, unless leaving has been a long process, use the word “at” instead.
Eye-shopping-Many people enjoy looking at different items without actually buying them. Because they usually stand outside the store and look inside through the windows so that they don’t have to deal with salesmen, this is known as “window-shopping.” However, at some point when this idiom was taught to Koreans, it was mistakenly transformed into “eye-shopping.” It’s understandable, because when you go window-shopping you only use your eyes, and not your hands or wallet, but it’s still an important to remember if you want to communicate with native speakers.
Second-used-This bit of Konglish is an example of what can happen when you combine two sayings with the same meaning. When someone else buys an item and then decides to return it, it is then sold at a cheaper price at a different section of the store. You might say that a person who bought such an item bought it used, or bought it second-hand. It would seem that a Korean student of the English language heard the two expressions and mistakenly combined them into one, and this has since become a common saying in Korea.
Reduce my weight-This expression is awkward for two reasons: using the word “reduce” to describe weight loss is too formal. Unless you are describing a business transaction or a scientific event, the word “lose” sounds better. Also, the word “my” is unnecessary, because you cannot lose anyone else’s weight but your own. So, if you notice a friend becoming slimmer, don’t say “Are you losing your weight?” Instead, say, “Are you losing weight?”
Dutch pay-Because of stereotypes which suggest that Dutch people are frugal, the idea of a group of people going out and each paying for their own food or cost of admission has become known as “going Dutch,” but this is often mistakenly called “Dutch paying.”
Make a boyfriend-Because English speakers “make friends” it is understandable that students might think they can also “make” a boyfriend or girlfriend. However, the correct sentence should use “get,” “have” or “meet.” This is perhaps the most humorous example of Konglish. When westerners hear Koreans ask a question like “When will you make a girlfriend?” it may lead them to respond, “I don’t know. Where can I find the parts I need?”
Recommended us-Korean students often say something similar to “I recommend you to see that movie.” The correct sentence is “I recommend that you see that movie,” or “I recommend that movie to you.”
Black eyes-In English, we often say that someone has a “black eye” if they have been struck violently in the face and now have a bruise around the eye. Also, if a person’s reputation has suffered because of an incident, we would say that it “gave them a black eye.” Because most Asian people have very dark eyes, it’s understandable that they would be considered “black.” However, saying that “all Korean have black eyes” may lead westerners to wonder how safe a place Korea is.
Make me boring-An adjective that ends in –ing usually describes the person or thing that is the cause of the feeling, so the boring thing is what causes others to lose interest. The person is “bored,” meaning they are not interested. So, if you say that something has made you boring, that means that it has caused you to no longer be interesting to anyone around you. This sentence can also be shortened a bit, and simply say “it bores me.”
Feeling is not good-This is another example of a sentence that should be shortened. Instead of saying “My feeling is not good” simply say “I don’t feel well.”
Take a rest-This expression may not be considered Konglish because it is common in some places such as Canada and Europe. However, if it is American English you strive to learn, you ought to know that Americans almost never suggest that someone “take a rest.” They will instead say “take a nap,” “get some rest,” “relax,” or simply “rest.”
“Yesterday my friends and I left until 5:30 p.m. and went to Myung-dong so that we could go eye-shopping for some clothes. I actually found a good coat that I could buy second-used, but it will fit me better if I can reduce my weight. After shopping, we Dutch paid at Pizza Hut for dinner. My best friend recently made a boyfriend, and she told us about him. She recommended us to find a Western man, because they don’t have black eyes. I don’t know if I want to find someone who can’t speak my language, though, because that might make me boring. After we finished my feeling was not good so I went home to take a rest.”
Were you able to find many examples? Konglish is so-named because as Korean speakers have begun to learn English, the result was that they began to use certain phrases which native speakers almost never use, or which would have humorous meanings if a westerner heard them. A few examples found in the above paragraph include:
Until-Sometimes Korean speakers who have lived in foreign countries and have studied English for more than a decade still use the word “until” in an improper way. They often say “we will meet until noon” or “we will leave until this afternoon” when they should be using the preposition “at.” The word “until” is a preposition which implies that something has happened for a period of time and then stops. So, unless leaving has been a long process, use the word “at” instead.
Eye-shopping-Many people enjoy looking at different items without actually buying them. Because they usually stand outside the store and look inside through the windows so that they don’t have to deal with salesmen, this is known as “window-shopping.” However, at some point when this idiom was taught to Koreans, it was mistakenly transformed into “eye-shopping.” It’s understandable, because when you go window-shopping you only use your eyes, and not your hands or wallet, but it’s still an important to remember if you want to communicate with native speakers.
Second-used-This bit of Konglish is an example of what can happen when you combine two sayings with the same meaning. When someone else buys an item and then decides to return it, it is then sold at a cheaper price at a different section of the store. You might say that a person who bought such an item bought it used, or bought it second-hand. It would seem that a Korean student of the English language heard the two expressions and mistakenly combined them into one, and this has since become a common saying in Korea.
Reduce my weight-This expression is awkward for two reasons: using the word “reduce” to describe weight loss is too formal. Unless you are describing a business transaction or a scientific event, the word “lose” sounds better. Also, the word “my” is unnecessary, because you cannot lose anyone else’s weight but your own. So, if you notice a friend becoming slimmer, don’t say “Are you losing your weight?” Instead, say, “Are you losing weight?”
Dutch pay-Because of stereotypes which suggest that Dutch people are frugal, the idea of a group of people going out and each paying for their own food or cost of admission has become known as “going Dutch,” but this is often mistakenly called “Dutch paying.”
Make a boyfriend-Because English speakers “make friends” it is understandable that students might think they can also “make” a boyfriend or girlfriend. However, the correct sentence should use “get,” “have” or “meet.” This is perhaps the most humorous example of Konglish. When westerners hear Koreans ask a question like “When will you make a girlfriend?” it may lead them to respond, “I don’t know. Where can I find the parts I need?”
Recommended us-Korean students often say something similar to “I recommend you to see that movie.” The correct sentence is “I recommend that you see that movie,” or “I recommend that movie to you.”
Black eyes-In English, we often say that someone has a “black eye” if they have been struck violently in the face and now have a bruise around the eye. Also, if a person’s reputation has suffered because of an incident, we would say that it “gave them a black eye.” Because most Asian people have very dark eyes, it’s understandable that they would be considered “black.” However, saying that “all Korean have black eyes” may lead westerners to wonder how safe a place Korea is.
Make me boring-An adjective that ends in –ing usually describes the person or thing that is the cause of the feeling, so the boring thing is what causes others to lose interest. The person is “bored,” meaning they are not interested. So, if you say that something has made you boring, that means that it has caused you to no longer be interesting to anyone around you. This sentence can also be shortened a bit, and simply say “it bores me.”
Feeling is not good-This is another example of a sentence that should be shortened. Instead of saying “My feeling is not good” simply say “I don’t feel well.”
Take a rest-This expression may not be considered Konglish because it is common in some places such as Canada and Europe. However, if it is American English you strive to learn, you ought to know that Americans almost never suggest that someone “take a rest.” They will instead say “take a nap,” “get some rest,” “relax,” or simply “rest.”
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