Is Korean Language Scientific ? By Jon HuerKorea Times ColumnistOne of the constant elements in the pride of Korean heritage is the reference to the Korean Language being the most - scientifically - superior among world languages . They point out the logical manner in which the system is constructed and the variety of ways Korean can be called upon to perform . Indeed , the simple way its written system is developed , which can be mastered by anyone within a short time , is a marvel of ingenuity . However , when a foreigner actually tries to learn the Korean language in its fullest utility , as a written and spoken system of communication , a nightmare quality begins to haunt the learner . In his nightmare , the foreigner soon learns the most awful truth about the Korean language : That there are actually two Korean languages , one formal - written and the other colloquial - spoken ! It is common to observe that virtually all advanced cultures have formal communication that is different from the daily street variety . Legalese English is quite different from conversational English and that much is commonly understood . But it is a matter of degree : English used in court is not that much different from conversational English , and the overlap is extensive enough to prevent any type of unbridgeable gap between the two . Much of the court language is archaic and professionally restricted , to be sure , but the difference is nothing like the gap between Korea ' s Chinese - based language and its street variety . It is one of the most aggravating experiences for foreigners who make a gallant attempt to understand Korea is that the spoken Korean , which is what the foreigner intends to use in his daily life in Korea , has nothing to do with the formal , mostly written , Korean . The latter is the heavily Chinese - based version that members of the Korean elite use mostly in courts , politics and on the evening news . The spoken variety is the ordinary street - level colloquial Korean used by commoners in family and interpersonal relations in everyday life . The two types of Korean are so different from each other that one might as well say Korea actually has two completely different languages . The upper - echelon Korean is virtually 90 - percent Chinese , very little of which is understood by the lower - echelon Koreans . The language is so turgid and heavy with jaw - breaking Chinese that only the highly educated people can comprehend much of what is said . What aggravates this further is that this upper - class , Chinese - based language is written in Korean , which guarantees that few will ever understand it . Some time ago , a group of us was confronted by a sign written in Korean marking a forest in the area we were hiking through that seemed to forbid trespassing . None of the 10 or so Koreans we asked , some of them obviously college - educated types , understood what the sign meant . It is almost as if all the elite members compete with one another to see who is going to be most impossible to understand by ordinary Koreans ( and more so by foreigners ) . Most foreigners find this part of their Korean acculturation almost insurmountable . On the other hand , lower - level Korean , spoken mostly in the daily run of life in Korea , is equally impossible for foreigners to understand . While interesting and versatile , and in some ways much more appealing than the technically frigid Chinese - Korean , this variety of Korean varies so much and in so many unpredictable ways , most foreigners never master spoken Korean . on this level , the Korean language varies endlessly , depending on so many factors that are impossible to control : Regions , ages of speakers , relations of speakers and listeners , occupations , familial positions , social titles , and so on , ad infinitum . Within family situations , in intimate relations , among peers , and on the street among the masses , this variety of Korean is spoken in its incredible variations and permutations and combinations . Even those who have been in Korea for decades , many of them studying Korean , are constantly surprised and dismayed by the appearance of new endings and new ｅxpressions they have never heard before . The gap between the two languages in Korea grows ever wider . The younger reporters on TV or on the radio , especially , feel compelled to use as many Chinese words in their lines as possible to show off their education . Whenever there is a Chinese substitute available , they seem to prefer to use a Chinese word or phrase , rather than Korean . Their tendency is quite reminiscent of average American scholars , mainly in education and social science , who favor Latin - based words when plain English words would suffice , to show the world that they are above - average . Both the Korean and American upstarts heavily lace their language with Chinese and Latin respectively , only to demonstrate their linguistic prowess . It is just more severe with the Korean upstarts simply because Chinese words , by nature , can appear alien in their endless variety of combinations and permutations , even to educated Koreans . As competition grows over who can cover up their insecurity with Chinese words better , and much of it unnecessarily , the gap between two languages in Korea widens . Into this gap between the two languages in Korea enters , to complicate the matters , a third variation : The English words and phrases that are neither truly English nor linguistically Korean . In the media and in daily conversational Korean , tons of new words from English creep into usage . Words like " out , " " cool , " " pick - up , " and " happy " get mixed with colloquial Korean to muddle up the issue further . The educated class , especially , is prone to mixing up their language with these English - originated words that make Korean - savvy foreigners cringe at their strangeness and doubt Korea ' s claim to possess the most scientifically - superior linguistic system in the world . By its very nature , science opens itself to anyone who is willing to follow its logical steps and procedures . In essence , there is no secret in science that is understood only by the inner circle . In truly scientific systems , there are no inner and outer circles . But the Korean language is generally considered the most secretly - guarded code system among the world ' s major languages . There is no way an " outsider , " who is not born into this circle , can crack the code of the Korean language , no matter how long one devotes oneself to its mastery . Its grammar and syntax are capable of so much situational variation and impromptu adaptation that only the native can get the feel of the language . Anyone who is encouraged by the scientific claim and tries to learn the language soon finds that he is merely scratching the surface after years of devoted study . If Korea is serious about its ambition to be an advanced nation characterized and united by a middle - class medium of communication , it must seriously consider developing a national language that would be functional , rational , and democratic for the middle masses of Korea . As Korea ' s middle - class expands , it will be imperative that its communicative system be something that all middle - level Koreans can understand and use , in writing and speech . As it stands , Korean society is divided between two languages that are almost as impossible to bridge as the two languages in China . Korea is already a rigidly divided society : Some go to college and work for companies and some don ' t go to college and work as laborers . The new government seems to be determined to narrow the economic gap between the two classes . But it would behoove Koreans to seriously consider the language divide as well . The writer can be reached at jonhuer @ hotmail . com