EAK102 Ch9 Lecture notes

Korean honorifics

Language has two functions: (1) to convey and/or exchange knowledge and information and (2)
to establish and maintain human relationships by expressing various social/interpersonal
meanings involved in contexts such as speakers’ attitudes/feeling toward the addressee or
referent (e.g., politeness, respect, intimacy, humility, formality, etc.), as well as social variables
involved in interactions (e.g., age, seniority, rank, gender, education background, etc.). The
linguistic elements employed for the second function of language have been associated with the
term "honorifics" or "linguistic politeness."

Korean has a sophisticated honorific system that is operated and manifested by a number of
honorific elements (e.g., address/reference terms, speech levels, humble pronouns, honorific
suffix, honorific case particles, and honorific verbs/words). For example, consider the following
two sentences:

(1) 정우야, 어제 우리 모임에 와 줘서 고마웠어.

“Jungwoo, I appreciated that you came to our meeting yesterday.”

(2) 선생님, 어제 저희 모임에 와 주셔서 고마웠습니다.

“Sir, I appreciated that you came to our meeting yesterday.”

The above two examples are speech acts of gratitude. The referential meanings of the examples
are the same; however, their social meanings are different. For example, in (1), the use of the
first name 정우 with the intimate vocative particle ~야, the use of the plain first person pronoun
우리, the absence of the honorific suffix ~(으)시, and the use of an intimate speech level ~어
indicate that the speaker is likely to address a person either who has equal or lower status, whom
he/she knows well.

The example in (1) can be rude if such an expression is used by a lower person (e.g., a college
student) in a formal situation to a higher-status person (e.g., professor) because the utterance
lacks the proper honorific elements. To make (1) socially appropriate in a formal situation where
one speaks to a person with a higher status, one needs to use the appropriate address term, such
as 선생님 “sir” in place of the addressee’s first name and then should change 우리 to 저희 “the
humble pronoun” as shown in (2). In addition, one should add the honorific suffix ~(으)시 to the
verb 주다 “give,” transforming 줘서 (주어서) to an honorific verb 주셔서 (주시어서), and use
the formal speech level ending ~습니다 to change 고마웠어 “appreciated” to 고마웠습니다.

As illustrated above, the use of honorifics in the Korean language indicates different styles of
speaking that reflect various social meanings and variables involved in the setting. In addition, it
shows how an utterance is said is more important than what is said during the social interaction.

When you use Korean honorifics during conversation, you need to consider who you are talking
to (e.g., the addressee) and whom you are talking about (e.g., the referent). The honorific
elements that are used to indicate your social meanings with the people you are talking to are
called “addressee honorifics,” while those used for the people you are talking about are called
“referent honorifics.” The current unit discusses addressee honorifics, and the subsequent unit
covers referent honorifics.

Addressee honorifics: Speech level endings

Speech level endings indicate your attitude toward your addressee (e.g., respect, intimacy,
humility, etc.) and also signal different styles of speaking and writing (e.g., genre, setting,
formality). Note that the use of speech level endings is mandatory all the time since verb or
adjective stems cannot stand alone. For Korean language learners, choosing an appropriate
speech level ending for every verb and/or adjective is challenging because its selection is
determined by various contextual factors involved in interaction, such as whether the social
status of addressee (e.g., age, occupation, seniority, family relation, etc.) is higher/equal/lower
than yours, how psychologically intimate/familiar you feel toward the addressee, how formal the
conversation situation is, and so forth. In contemporary Korean, there are six speech levels:

(i) The formal speech level (존댓말 ‘honorific speech level’)

(ii) The polite speech level (존댓말 ‘honorific speech level’)
(iii) The intimate speech level (반말 ‘non-honorific speech level’)
(iv) The plain speech level (반말 ‘non-honorific speech level’)
(v) The familiar speech level
(vi) The blunt speech level

While the first four speech levels are used by all Koreans in contemporary Korean, the last two
speech levels, the familiar and the blunt, are used only by some old adults (who are at least 40
years old or above), and their use is on the gradual decline in modern Korean.

9.2 Subject honorifics

1 The subject honorific suffix ~(으)시

When Koreans wish to show respect toward the referent of the subject, they make a predicate
form honorific by attaching the honorific suffix ~(으)시 to the stem of the predicate. The
honorific suffix ~(으)시 is a pre-final ending that comes between the stem of predicate and the
final-ending. ~(으)시 is added after a stem that ends in a consonant, as in 찾으시다 (찾 + 으시 +
다) “look for,” and 시 is added after a stem that ends in a vowel, as in 가시다 (가 + 시 + 다)
“go.”

Dictionary form Polite speech level Formal speech level

가다 “go” 가요 갑니다
가시다 “go” 가세요 (가 + 시 + 어요) 가십니다 (가 + 시 + ㅂ니다)
입다 “wear” 입어요 입습니다
입으시다 “wear” 입으세요 (입 + 으시 +어요) 입으십니다 (입+ 으시 + ㅂ니다)

Various social variables that are ascribed (e.g., age, kinship relations) and/or achieved (e.g.,
occupation, seniority, rank) determine the honorific suffix usage. For instance, Koreans use the
honorific suffix when they talk to or talk about their older family members, older people in
general, people of esteemed occupations (e.g., doctors, lawyers, teachers, etc), senior-rank
personnel, customers/guests (in service or commercial setting), and so forth.

Note that the referent of the subject can be whom they are talking to and/or whom they are
talking about. Thus, when using the honorific suffix ~(으)시, you should consider that the
referent of the subject and the addressee can be the same person or different people. For
example, consider the following two sentences:

김 교수님 지금 어디에 가세요?

“Professor Kim, where are you going now?

In this case, the person you are talking to and talking about are the same person.

철원 씨, 김 교수님 지금 어디에 가세요?

“Chulwon, where is Prof. Kim is going?”

However, in this example, your addressee and the referent of the subject are different people.

2 Honorific verbs/adjectives

As for the following limited number of Korean predicates, you do not have to add the suffix
~(으)시 to generate honorific predicate forms since these predicates have their own
corresponding honorific forms:

먹다 “eat” (not 먹으시다) 잡수시다/드시다

자다 “sleep” 주무시다
있다 “exist/stay” 계시다 (stay)/있으시다 (have)
죽다 “ die” 돌아가시다
말하다 “speak” 말씀하시다
배고프다 “be hungry” 시장하시다
아프다 “be ill” 편찮으시다 ( entire body)/ 아프시다 (specific area)

Meanwhile, note that Koreans do not use the honorific suffix when the subject of the sentence is
the speaker him/herself. In other words, one does not show honor toward him/herself. Consider
the following sample:

A: 어디에 가세요?
“Where are (you) going?”
B: 집에 가요.
“(I) am going home.”

Notice that Speaker A uses the suffix when asking the question to B. However, Speaker B does
not use the suffix in the reply.

3 The honorific particles 께 & 께서

Korean has two honorific particles 께 and 께서. The honorific particle 께서 (the honorific form
of the subject particle 이/가) is used when expressing subject honorification:

남동생이 자고 있어요.
“(My) younger brother is asleep.”
할아버지께서 주무시고 계세요.
“(My) grandfather is asleep.”

Meanwhile, 께 (which is the honorific form of the particle 한테/에게) is used when expressing
object honorification.

남동생한테 연락할 거예요.

“(I) will contact (my) younger brother.”
할아버지께 연락드릴 거예요.
“(I) will contact (my) grandfather.”

4 Object honorification by using “humble verbs”

The following small number of Korean verbs has the corresponding humble forms.

Plain Humble
주다”give” 드리다
묻다 “ask” 여쭙다
보다 “see” 뵙다
데리다 “Accompany” 모시다
말하다 “Speak” 말씀드리다

Koreans use these humble verbs when they honor the object of the sentence (e.g., the person
affected by the action of the verb). For instance, consider the following sentence.

(1) 정한아 내가 이따가 영규한테 줄게.

“Junghan, I will give (it) to Youngkyu later.”
(2) 정한아 내가 이따가 선생님께 드릴게.
“Junghan, I will give (it) to teacher later.”
In both examples above, the addressee is the speaker’s childhood-friend, Junghan. However, in
(1), the object of the sentence is their mutual friend Youngkyu, while in (2), the object is their
teacher. Notice that in (2), the speaker uses 드리다 instead of 주다 in order to honor the object
선생님 (which is also marked by the honorific object particle 께 rather the plain particle 한테).

5 Honorific nouns

A limited number of Korean nouns have corresponding honorific forms:

나이 “age” 연세
말 “speech/word” 말씀
밥 “meal” 진지
병 “illness” 병환
사람 “person” 분
생일 “birthday” 생신
아내 “wife” 부인
이름 “name” 성함
자식; 아이(들) “one’s children” 자제 분; 자녀
집 “house” 댁

6 Using the honorific elements together

Having discussed both the addressee and referent honorific elements, let’s discuss how one
should put these honorific elements together. While the addressee honorifics (speech level
endings) and referent honorifics (the honorific suffix ~으시, honorific verbs/nouns/particles, and
humble verbs) are two separate systems, they work together since the addressee and the referent
can be the same or different. For example, consider the following situations:

First, let’s assume that your addressee and the referent are same people:

Addressee/referent: Grandfather
할아버지, 어디에 가세요?
“Grandfather, where are you going?”

Here, you need to use both the addressee honorifics (e.g., the polite speech level ending
~어/아요) as well as the referent honorifics (e.g., ~으시).

Addressee/referent: Your junior colleague in a company setting.

재석 씨, 어디에 가요?
“Jaesuk, where are you going?”
In this case, 재석 is your junior colleague from your company. Here you speak to him using the
polite speech level ending ~어/아요, but do not use any referent honorific element.

Addressee/referent: Your younger brother

서진아, 어디에 가니?
“Seojin, where are you going?”

서진 is your younger brother. You will speak to him in the intimate speech level (~어/아) and
do not use any referent honorific elements.

Secondly, how about when the addressee and the referent are different people? We can consider
the following four situations:

Addressee: Father (+ Power) & Referent: Grandfather (+ Power)

아버지, 할아버지께서 어디에 가세요?
“Father, where does grandfather go?”

Here, you are asking your father where your grandfather is going. You will need to use both the
addressee honorifics (e.g., ~어/아요) as well as referent honorific elements (께서, 으시).

Addressee: Father (+ Power) & Referent: Younger brother (- Power)

아버지, 상민이는 어디에 가요?
“Father, where does Sangmin go?”

You are asking your father where your younger brother 상민 is going. Note that you still need to
speak in the polite speech level (~어/아요) but without using any referent honorific elements:

Addressee: Younger brother (- Power) & Referent: Mother (+ Power)

상민아, 어머니는 어디에 가시냐?
“Sangmin, where does mom go?”

In this case, you are asking your young brother about your mother. Note that you are using the
plain speech level ending ~니/냐 (non-honorific speech level) and using the honorific suffix
~(으)시 to honor 어머니.

Addressee: Younger brother (- Power) & Referent: Younger sister (-Power)

상민아, 혜원이는 어디에 가냐?
“Sangmin, where does Hyewon go?

Here, you are asking your younger brother about your mutual younger sister, 혜원. Since your
addressee and the referent of the subject are your younger siblings anyway, you are not using any
honorific elements.
Meanwhile, since the primary function of the honorific is to establish, maintain, and reinforce
interpersonal relationships, you do not need to employ honorific expressions, if/when your
addressee is non-specific general audience, and/or when the subject of the sentence is not related
to the interlocutors involved (e.g., talking about famous celebrity, politicians, etc.). Moreover,
the use of honorific elements is not necessary in impersonal writings (e.g., newspaper/magazine
articles, academic papers, and etc.).

Exercise
Circle whether the following statements are True or False:
1. The addressee honorifics (speech level endings) and referent honorifics (the honorific suffix
~으시, honorific verbs/nouns/particles, and humble verbs) are two separate systems. However,
they work together since the addressee and the referent can be the same or different. (T/F)
2. The use of honorific expressions is also required when one addresses non-specific audiences
(e.g., news broadcasts). (T/F)
3. The use of honorific expressions is not required when the subject of the sentence is not related
to the speaker (e.g., talking about a famous celebrity). (T/F)
4. The use of honorific elements is required when writing impersonal essays. (T/F)

Exercise 28.2
Match each noun with the corresponding honorific noun from the following list:
말씀, 댁, 연세, 병환, 부인, 자제분, 생신, 진지, 분, 성함

1. 밥 “meal” 2. 자식; 아이(들) “one’s children”

3. 집 “house” 4. 아내 “wife”
5. 병 “illness” 6. 나이 “age”
7. 말 “speech/word” 8. 사람 “person”
9. 이름 “name” 10. 생일 “birthday”

Exercise 28.3
Change the following expressions into honorific expressions.
Example: 언제 갔어요? “When did he go?”
= 언제 가셨어요?

1. 고등학교 선생님이에요. “He is a high school teacher.”

2. 주말마다 골프를 쳐요. “He plays golf every weekend.”
3. 지금 길을 건너지 말아요. “Do not cross the street now.”
4. 대학에서 한국 역사를 가르치고 있어요. “She is teaching Korean history in college.”
5. 들어와요. “Please come in.”
6. 그 영화 봤어요? “Did you see that movie?”
7. 그 친구를 믿지요? “You believe that friend, right?”
8. 저녁 먹었어요? “Did you eat dinner?”
9. 어젯밤 어디서 잤어요? “Where did you sleep last night?”
10. 지금 서울에 있다 “He is in Seoul now.”
Exercise 28.4
Match each expression with the corresponding humble expressions from the following:
제가 말씀드리겠습니다 / 뭐 좀 여쭈어 보고 싶은게 있는데요 /
제가 모시고 가겠습니다 / 제가 선물을 드렸어요 / 그럼 이따가 뵙겠습니다

1. 내가 선물을 줬어. “I gave the present to her.”

2. 내가 데리고 갈게. “I will take her.”
3. 뭐 좀 물어보고 싶은 게 있는데. “I have something to ask you.”
4. 그럼 이따가 보자. “Then, see you later.”
5. 내가 말할게. “I will tell her.”

Exercise 28.5
Change the following honorific expressions into plain forms.
Example: 진지 잡수셨어요? “Did you eat a meal?”
= 밥 먹었어?

1. 생신이 언제세요? “When is your birthday?”

2. 성함이 어떻게 되세요? “What is your name?”
3. 정말 편찮으세요. “He is really sick.”
4. 연세가 어떻게 되세요? “How old are you?”
5. 어젯밤 돌아가셨어요. “He passed away last night.”
6. 많이 드세요. “Please help yourself to a lot.”
7. 아직 주무시고 계세요. “He is still sleeping.”
8. 어서 말씀하십시오. “Please tell us promptly.”
9. 시장하세요? “Are you hungry?”
10. 많이 부러워하셨어요. “He envied them a lot.”
11. 지금 서울에 계세요. “She is in Seoul now.”
12. 코트는 옷걸이에 거세요. “Please hang your coat on the hanger.”
13. 국에 소금을 넣어서 드셔 보세요. “Put salt in the soup and try it.”
14. 열심히 일하고 계세요. “He is working hard.”
15. 기다리실 거예요. “He will wait for you.”