Korean language - an ultimate challenge
As some already may know, today is the International Mother Language Day (IMLD), which is being celebrated worldwide, every year on 21st of February, in order to awake linguistic and cultural diversities. We are excited to be celebrating the international language day here in South Korea, sharing the experience with dozens of different nationalities that speak different language. But one of the most interesting (and most needed) languages here during Winter Olympics is of course Korean.
Since multiculturalism is big part of BIG BERRY Empire, this day is definitely something to be celebrated. Although our international team speaks many different languages, Korean is still a big mystery. So, being here in South Korea, we thought it would be a perfect time to discover something new about Korean language.
Welcoming sign at the entrance of Olympic village - both in English and Korean
Signs in Korean language can be seen everywhere in he streets...
Thinking about the languages from the very Eastern part of the world, usually makes our Western heads spin. Seeing all those letters that look more like drawings and which are so much different from our European languages, makes it seem impossible to learn. Thankfully, we had the chance to meet a Slovenian in South Korea, so you can read more about the real experience of language struggles.
Interestingly, we overheard that Korean has one of the easiest writing systems in the world. Korean alphabet, also known as Hangul, was invented in the 15th century. It is made of 24 letters and apparently can be learn in less than 2 hours! We won't state it's true for sure until we try it, though. Luckily, Korean seem to have a lot of loan words deriving from other foreign languages, such as English or German, what makes it much easier to learn.
Mr.B was very often lost in translation...
...and so was the rest of BB team
Korean is a language isolate, which means that it has no genetic similarities to other languages. This is what makes Korean special. In fact, so special that there is a national holiday known as Hangul Day, celebrated on 9th of October in South Korea, which honours the invention of the official Korean alphabet.
We had a chance to get personalised words written in Hangul! In the city of Gangneung Korean calligraphy is written in traditional way, so people could get to know the tradition and language.
Entrance sign in the city of Gangneung written in Hangul
Korean calligraphy is being well appreciated and preserved
BIG BERRY has been written in Hangul
BIG BERRY is constantly spreading and finding new destinations worldwide. We never know when and where the next BB house will be set up, with the whole brand story behind it. That’s why it’s never too much to get familiar with another language. So, we decided to give Korean language a go. At last, regardless all the mistakes and weird sounds we may pronounce, we couldn't find a better way to show the interest and respect for their culture and lifestyle, than trying to speak the language. No matter how funny it may sound, the locals will always appreciate the gesture of trying.
One of the many challenges were also buying the food on the markets or ordering it in restaurants, where most of the signs and menus were in Korean. But, thanks to the body language, kind and helpful Korean people, we managed not to stay hungry.
All the food on the markets is marked only in Hangul
In some of the restaurants, communication is made with signs and gestures
Very often, different signs are engraved in the dining tables. Can you guess what is written on these ones?
Focusing on the complexity of Korean language, we forgot how challenging could be for a Korean person to learn some of the European languages. That’s why we found a South Korean in Slovenia, who shared his experience of living in Europe.
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