English is a silly language, it's so true.
With it's "i before e except after c or when sounding like a as in neighbor and weigh", English has so many exceptions to its' rules, is bombarded with idioms and slang, and like any other language it too is also always changing. I'm six years out of date with its' slang and need to update my vocab. Is "stoked" still being used?!
Koreans seem to have this idea that English is a luxury language, a language that automatically ups the value and status of whatever it's attached to. Moreover, they seem to think it's so funny when they speak a couple of English words. A lot of Koreans giggle like school girls when they speak English but when foreigners speak Korean we think nothing of it really beyond hoping we pronounced it correctly and Koreans clap and praise us.
What's really funny to me though is their misuse of the English language, especially when it's on products, commericals and whatnot. Take the above picture as a prime example. Someone went and named these pencil-thick buisquit sticks "Dick Sticks". Way to kill the subtlety of these phalic symbols... hahaha. I wonder if this was someone being a smart bum about the situation or what... hahaha.
The other day a new commerical aired for the first time. I can't remember the details of it but I recall it including a current Korean girl band group advertising chicken. The only English they used in the whole commercial was "Oh my God" of which they repeatedly said over and over. I gringe whenever I hear this commerical. Being from a religious family and upbringing, saying such a phrase in my house would be greeted with frowns, a good whack on the butt and my mom or dad telling me "don't use the Lord's name in vein".
I never really thought about language in much depth prior to moving to Korea but now it's something I find great amusement... and much shock... in.
QUESTION OF THE DAY...
Who thought language could ever be so fun?
QUOTE OF THE DAY...
I know that you believe you understand what you think I said, but I'm not sure you realize that what you heard is not what I meant.”
-- Robert McCloskey
As the story has it, one day I headed to the opposite side of the globe – the Flipside. I arrived in Korea February 16th, 2005 and thought I’d do a year, then leave. I was wrong. I stayed, launched my first company, Flipside Fitness, and then opened Korea's largest boxing club, Hulk's Boxing (now called Hulk's Club).
After 11.5yrs in Korea, I then picked up one day and returned to Toronto, Canada. But then I left again.
Now I live in the Philippines where I am the CEO and head coach of Empowered Clubhouse, the Philippines' first and only boxing clubhouse exclusively just for women. I also am the founder of the Lil' Sistas Project, CEO and designer of Slay Gear and Baa Baa Black Sheep .Ph.
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