I like the sound of that...

As I've mentioned before I really like how the Korean language sounds. Now that I've been listening to it for over a year you'd think I would actually understand much of it. You would be wrong.

I still do not understand the language but I certainly hear and appreciate how expressive it is. This is not a language where the speaker uses a monotone or straight face. Rather this language is full of mouth open 'Whaaas,' inhaled 'Slllllll' sounds, and perfectly timed 'Tsk-Tsks.' In general I think they move their mouths more vigorously than Americans.

Just watching and hearing the sounds that Son Ye-jin makes when she scolds Hyun Bin in Crash Landing on You is a treat. Her eyes, her face, and especially her voice clearly expresses her feelings so wonderfully you cannot possibly misinterpret what she is saying.

So forget dubbed shows. Turn on subtitles and put the volume up and enjoy the wonderful sounds; I bet you'll love it.

Pat here. Is this where I tell everyone my husband and I watched four episodes of an American sci fi show before we realized we were listening to it in KOREAN? I kept telling him that the language being spoken sounded like a lot of my Kdramas. Duh.

We both noticed the mouth movements of the actors didn’t mesh with what they were saying, and the cognitive dissonance was jarring. It’s another reason to watch Kdramas in Korean…even though you may not understand a word.

Judy has included a pic here of the CLOY actors, Son Ye Jin and Hyun Bin. Apparently Hyun Bin, the male lead, had to learn to speak with a NORTH KOREAN accent for his role. Having watched this show three times, I’d have to say I can’t tell the difference between North Korean and South Korean accents. That’s how far I am from understanding the nuances of this complicated language.