Loan Wording in Korean Language

Differing strategies towards loanwords in the Korean language of South and North Korea

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Abstract

The essay discusses variations in the strategies adopted by North and South Koreas towards

word borrowings from other languages. Although Korea was a single country before World

War II, after the split in two sovereign states, their concepts of culture, art and language

underwent some changes. Korean language contains numerous borrowings from Chinese,

Japanese, English and other languages which have increased and enriched its vocabulary.

Dialects spoken in different parts of the country contribute to the size and complexity of the

language. One reason for the presence of foreign words in the language is the fact that Korea

had been invaded and ruled by the neighbouring countries of China and Japan in the past for

a long time. Notwithstanding the split and the ideological differences among themselves, the

two countries have come forward to eradicate the foreign words, revive indigenous language,

and maintain a standard language that would be comprehensible to all Koreans. The essay

discusses the sources and extent of loanwords, the difference in ideologies and its influence

on the methods adopted for ‘purifying’ the language, and the way in which modern elements

are being adapted in the language.

The Korean language is shared by both North and South Korea, but after the Revolution,

policies adopted by each country to develop the language threaten to divide them

linguistically as well. Officially, Pyongyang (North), and Seoul (South) use different

standardised dialects of the Korean language. The last part of the essay highlights the

difference in strategies.