Thursday Thoughts

The Invention of the Korean alphabet

So, why are you talking about this?

• Learning Korean for around 4 months now
• Found the story of how 한글 came to be interesting
• My other topic (undergrad dissertation) was much too depressing

How is Korean written, anyway?

• Korean is written with its own script, called 한글 , or hangeul in Latin script
• However it wasn't always written that way...
• Interesting story, at least to me...

Before Hangeul...

• Korean was written with Classical Chinese characters...
• ...which most people in Korea couldn't read.

Suddently, hangeul!

• King Sejong the Great (1410-1450) decided that this was unacceptable

• Wanted all Koreans to be able to read and write in their own language

• "The language of [our] people is different from that of the nation of China and thus cannot be expressed by the written language of Chinese people. Because of this reason, the cries of illiterate peasants are not properly understood by the many [in the position of privilege]. I [feel the plight of the peasants and the difficulties faced by the public servants and] am saddened by the situation.

• Therefore, twenty eight [written] characters have been newly created. [My desire is] such that, each [Korean] person may become familiar [with the newly created written language of Korean] and use them daily in an intuitive way. "

Suddently, hangeul!

• Sejong's reforms were detailed in the 훈민정음 (Hunminjeongeum), meaning the Correct Sounds for the Instruction of the People

Opposition

• Not everyone liked Hangeul
• The elite didn't like how the general population could now read Korean
• Banned a few times in its history

Questions?