Even the simplest of Korean sentences can be said in, say, ten different ways, not in terms of rephrasing (as in any language) but using the exact same words. They slightly shift things (especially sentence endings) around to adjust desired levels of politeness, formality, and intimacy. These shifts are explicit in Korean and are a big part of the Korean language, important in day-to-day use. This is one reason why Korean is ranked by the U.S. State Department as "Category 5" (the hardest languages for Americans to learn).
When a Korean is speaking to me, he or she will often shift to a certain form of polite speech. Words shifted to a polite register sound different from the basic forms of the words I know, so in the heat of the moment it causes confusion. Each split second of slight confusion can easily add up to losing track of the point. They're trying to make me feel good (being polite), but it actually makes me feel...bad. I wish they'd stop being so polite!
This reminds me of something in New York City. In visits there I saw lots of signs that said things like this: "Accumulation of Refuse on the Premises is Prohibited". Why not just say "No Trash"!? In this case, this over-formal language is just not a good idea because many people will frankly not understand it.
When a Korean is speaking to me, he or she will often shift to a certain form of polite speech. Words shifted to a polite register sound different from the basic forms of the words I know, so in the heat of the moment it causes confusion. Each split second of slight confusion can easily add up to losing track of the point. They're trying to make me feel good (being polite), but it actually makes me feel...bad. I wish they'd stop being so polite!
This reminds me of something in New York City. In visits there I saw lots of signs that said things like this: "Accumulation of Refuse on the Premises is Prohibited". Why not just say "No Trash"!? In this case, this over-formal language is just not a good idea because many people will frankly not understand it.
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