In normal situations, when a junior speaks to the senior, the junior is expected to speak formally to a senior, using the particles associated with formal language use, even if they are very close. When a child speaks to their parents, they speak in a polite formal way, using particles and words associated with it. When a child speaks to the grandparents, they use the honorific polite formal way of speaking, again, using words associated with it. It's very difficult to explain in English what this means but I will try. For instance, if a child uses the same words which he used it on his parents to his grandparents, it will be deemed as very rude. This is because the words used on his parents is only polite enough up to the parents' seniority level but not enough to reach the grandparents seniority level. It is similar to saying "please enjoy your meal" with different number of "please" in front depending on the person's seniority level.
In a nutshell, they have different forms of verbs, conveying the same meaning, which they use depending on their seniority level. Hence, if a person of lower seniority speaks in an "incorrect" fashion deliberately, it can be easily inferred as he does not respect his listener.
On top of this, they also respect one another through their actions such as bowing. The person with lower status bows to the person of higher status first. This is common and usually seen in dramas. One thing which I only heard of when I was in Korea is their drinking etiquette. On one occasion while my friends and I were drinking, I realized that my Korean buddy always turn to his side when he drinks. So I asked him and he told us that when drinking with a senior, the junior must never drink with his front facing his senior. Hence, explaining why my buddy turned to his side when he drinks with us. Also, one does not fill up your own glass, others will do so. Additionally, one has to look out for empty glasses and fill them up.
Thus, Korea's way of respecting their seniors has been infused not only in their behavior but also their language usage. I thought this is very interesting because I never came across cultures which uses both their actions and language to show their respect for others in the daily life. Having said that, I think it could be quite difficult to master their language, given their many different forms of similar word.
Therefore I feel that even though globalization has allowed us to experience different cultures, there are still some which we can only experience it when we are in that country itself. Also, I feel that it may not be possible to export a culture entirely to another place because through generations, some practices may be lost. Furthermore, when in a new place, others' culture may influence the incoming culture and cause some modifications to it. Hence, the way to fully experience the culture will be to visit the country itself, though some may be too expensive to go to.
In a nutshell, they have different forms of verbs, conveying the same meaning, which they use depending on their seniority level. Hence, if a person of lower seniority speaks in an "incorrect" fashion deliberately, it can be easily inferred as he does not respect his listener.
On top of this, they also respect one another through their actions such as bowing. The person with lower status bows to the person of higher status first. This is common and usually seen in dramas. One thing which I only heard of when I was in Korea is their drinking etiquette. On one occasion while my friends and I were drinking, I realized that my Korean buddy always turn to his side when he drinks. So I asked him and he told us that when drinking with a senior, the junior must never drink with his front facing his senior. Hence, explaining why my buddy turned to his side when he drinks with us. Also, one does not fill up your own glass, others will do so. Additionally, one has to look out for empty glasses and fill them up.
Thus, Korea's way of respecting their seniors has been infused not only in their behavior but also their language usage. I thought this is very interesting because I never came across cultures which uses both their actions and language to show their respect for others in the daily life. Having said that, I think it could be quite difficult to master their language, given their many different forms of similar word.
Therefore I feel that even though globalization has allowed us to experience different cultures, there are still some which we can only experience it when we are in that country itself. Also, I feel that it may not be possible to export a culture entirely to another place because through generations, some practices may be lost. Furthermore, when in a new place, others' culture may influence the incoming culture and cause some modifications to it. Hence, the way to fully experience the culture will be to visit the country itself, though some may be too expensive to go to.
