Jeju dialect
Encyclopedia
Jeju dialect or Jeju language (제주어; 濟州語) is the dialect used on the island of Jeju
in Korea
, with the exception of Chuja (Chuja dialect is similar to the Jeolla dialect
) in the former Bukjeju County
area of Jeju City
. It differs greatly from the dialects of the mainland, and preserves many archaic words which have since been lost in other Korean dialects
. It has also directly borrowed (not to be confused with a Sprachbund
-like assimilation of) some words from foreign languages, including about 240 words from Mongolian
, 53 words from Chinese
, 50 words from Japanese
, and 22 words from Manchu
. There are also many words which appear to be original formations (possibly from the language of the ancient kingdom of Tamna
).
Another difference is the slightly different intonation of words. The Jeju dialect tends to use more stress on certain syllables.
One large difference between the Jeju dialect and those of mainland Korea is the lack of formality and deference to elders. For example, while a speaker of the Seoul dialect
might say 안녕하세요 annyeonghaseyo ("Hello") to an older person, a speaker of the Jeju dialect would say 반갑수다 ban-gapsuda (lit., "Nice chatting" or "Nice talking"; roughly equivalent to "Howdy"). To many mainlanders, a child saying this to an adult would be appalling, but on the islands, a more "egalitarian" form of speech is used, perhaps a cultural idiosyncrasy
that has hung on after the incorporation of Jeju itself (under the Tamna kingdom, which, though having subjugated itself to Korean states since the 7th century, was not brought under the full centralized control of a Korean state until 1404) into Korea.
In January 2011, UNESCO
addded the Jeju dialect to its Atlas of the World’s Languages in Danger, along with the Koro language in India as a "critically endangered language".
Middle Korean /əːj/ > Jeju /i/ (e.g. Middle Korean /kəːj/ > Jeju /ki(ŋi)/ "crab")
Jeju-do
Jeju-do is the only special autonomous province of South Korea, situated on and coterminous with the country's largest island. Jeju-do lies in the Korea Strait, southwest of Jeollanam-do Province, of which it was a part before it became a separate province in 1946...
in Korea
Korea
Korea ) is an East Asian geographic region that is currently divided into two separate sovereign states — North Korea and South Korea. Located on the Korean Peninsula, Korea is bordered by the People's Republic of China to the northwest, Russia to the northeast, and is separated from Japan to the...
, with the exception of Chuja (Chuja dialect is similar to the Jeolla dialect
Jeolla dialect
Jeolla dialect is used in the Jeolla region of South Korea, including the city of Gwangju.Along with Chungcheong dialect, it is considered non-standard by some Koreans. Perhaps the most obvious difference comes from common verb endings...
) in the former Bukjeju County
Bukjeju County
Bukjeju County was a county in Jeju Province, South Korea until July 1, 2006, when it was merged with Jeju City.-External links:*...
area of Jeju City
Jeju City
Jeju is the capital of Jeju province in South Korea and the largest city on the island of Jeju. Its geographical location is . The city is served by Jeju International Airport ....
. It differs greatly from the dialects of the mainland, and preserves many archaic words which have since been lost in other Korean dialects
Korean dialects
A number of different Korean dialects are spoken in the Korean peninsula. The peninsula is extremely mountainous, and each dialect's "territory" corresponds closely to the natural boundaries between different geographical regions...
. It has also directly borrowed (not to be confused with a Sprachbund
Sprachbund
A Sprachbund – also known as a linguistic area, convergence area, diffusion area or language crossroads – is a group of languages that have become similar in some way because of geographical proximity and language contact. They may be genetically unrelated, or only distantly related...
-like assimilation of) some words from foreign languages, including about 240 words from Mongolian
Mongolian language
The Mongolian language is the official language of Mongolia and the best-known member of the Mongolic language family. The number of speakers across all its dialects may be 5.2 million, including the vast majority of the residents of Mongolia and many of the Mongolian residents of the Inner...
, 53 words from Chinese
Chinese language
The Chinese language is a language or language family consisting of varieties which are mutually intelligible to varying degrees. Originally the indigenous languages spoken by the Han Chinese in China, it forms one of the branches of Sino-Tibetan family of languages...
, 50 words from Japanese
Japanese language
is a language spoken by over 130 million people in Japan and in Japanese emigrant communities. It is a member of the Japonic language family, which has a number of proposed relationships with other languages, none of which has gained wide acceptance among historical linguists .Japanese is an...
, and 22 words from Manchu
Manchu language
Manchu is a Tungusic endangered language spoken in Northeast China; it used to be the language of the Manchu, though now most Manchus speak Mandarin Chinese and there are fewer than 70 native speakers of Manchu out of a total of nearly 10 million ethnic Manchus...
. There are also many words which appear to be original formations (possibly from the language of the ancient kingdom of Tamna
Tamna
The kingdom of Tamna or Tamna guk ruled Jeju Island from ancient times until it was absorbed by the Korean Joseon Dynasty in 1404. This kingdom is also sometimes known as Tangna , Seomna , and Tammora . All of these names mean "island country."There is no historical record of the founding or early...
).
Another difference is the slightly different intonation of words. The Jeju dialect tends to use more stress on certain syllables.
One large difference between the Jeju dialect and those of mainland Korea is the lack of formality and deference to elders. For example, while a speaker of the Seoul dialect
Seoul dialect
The Seoul dialect is the basis of the standard language of Korean in South Korea. It is spoken in the Seoul National Capital Area, which includes Seoul, Incheon, and Gyeonggi. The dialect does not merely mean 'a standard accent'. The exact form of the South Korea's standard accent is that of...
might say 안녕하세요 annyeonghaseyo ("Hello") to an older person, a speaker of the Jeju dialect would say 반갑수다 ban-gapsuda (lit., "Nice chatting" or "Nice talking"; roughly equivalent to "Howdy"). To many mainlanders, a child saying this to an adult would be appalling, but on the islands, a more "egalitarian" form of speech is used, perhaps a cultural idiosyncrasy
Idiosyncrasy
An idiosyncrasy is an unusual feature of a person . The term is often used to express eccentricity or peculiarity. A synonym may be .-Etymology:...
that has hung on after the incorporation of Jeju itself (under the Tamna kingdom, which, though having subjugated itself to Korean states since the 7th century, was not brought under the full centralized control of a Korean state until 1404) into Korea.
Demographics
The Jeju dialect has less than 10,000 fluent speakers, and they are mainly people born in or before 1950.In January 2011, UNESCO
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations...
addded the Jeju dialect to its Atlas of the World’s Languages in Danger, along with the Koro language in India as a "critically endangered language".
Phonemes
There are 9 vowels, ㅣ /i/, ㅔ /e/, ㅐ /ɛ/, ㅡ /ɨ/, ㅓ /ʌ/, ㅏ /a/, ㅜ /u/, ㅗ /o/, ㆍ /ɒ/.Phonological change
Middle Korean /kj/ > Jeju /t͡ɕ/ (e.g. Middle Korean /kjər/ > Jeju /t͡ɕər/ "wave")Middle Korean /əːj/ > Jeju /i/ (e.g. Middle Korean /kəːj/ > Jeju /ki(ŋi)/ "crab")
Vocabulary
Examples:| English English language English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria... |
Jeju dialect (in standard Hangul Hangul Hangul,Pronounced or ; Korean: 한글 Hangeul/Han'gŭl or 조선글 Chosŏn'gŭl/Joseongeul the Korean alphabet, is the native alphabet of the Korean language. It is a separate script from Hanja, the logographic Chinese characters which are also sometimes used to write Korean... ) |
Jeju dialect (in the Revised Romanization of Korean Revised Romanization of Korean The Revised Romanization of Korean is the official Korean language romanization system in South Korea proclaimed by Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, replacing the older McCune–Reischauer system... [RR]) |
Standard Korean Seoul dialect The Seoul dialect is the basis of the standard language of Korean in South Korea. It is spoken in the Seoul National Capital Area, which includes Seoul, Incheon, and Gyeonggi. The dialect does not merely mean 'a standard accent'. The exact form of the South Korea's standard accent is that of... (in standard Hangul Hangul Hangul,Pronounced or ; Korean: 한글 Hangeul/Han'gŭl or 조선글 Chosŏn'gŭl/Joseongeul the Korean alphabet, is the native alphabet of the Korean language. It is a separate script from Hanja, the logographic Chinese characters which are also sometimes used to write Korean... ) |
Standard Korean Seoul dialect The Seoul dialect is the basis of the standard language of Korean in South Korea. It is spoken in the Seoul National Capital Area, which includes Seoul, Incheon, and Gyeonggi. The dialect does not merely mean 'a standard accent'. The exact form of the South Korea's standard accent is that of... (in RR) |
Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| "Welcome!" | 혼저옵서예 | hɒnjeo opseoye | 어서 오세요 | eoseo oseyo | |
| "father" | 아방 | abang | 아버지 | abeoji | |
| "mother" | 어멍 | eomeong | 어머니 | eomeoni | |
| "grandfather; old man" | 하르방 | hareubang | 할아버지 | harabeoji | |
| "grandmother; old woman" | 할망 | halmang | 할머니 | halmeoni | |
| "uncle; middle-aged man" | 아즈방 | ajeubang | 아저씨, 아주버니 | ajeossi, ajubeoni | |
| "aunt; middle-aged woman" | 아즈망 | ajeumang | 아주머니, 아줌마 | ajumeoni, ajumma | |
| "elder brother (of a female)" | 오라방 | orabang | 오빠, 오라비 | oppa, orabi | |
| "daughter" | 똘 | ttɒl | 딸 | ttal | |
| "the wife's father; a man's father-in-law" | 가시아방 | gasiabang | 장인 | jang-in | Jeju dialect gasi- as in gasiabang is a fossilization of the genitive form of Middle Korean gat (or gas, means "wife") |
| "man" | 손아이 | sɒnai | 남자, 사나이 | namja, sanai | |
| "woman" | 지집빠이 | jijib-bbai | 여자, 계집애 | yeoja, gyejibae | |
| "maiden" | 비바리 | bibari | 처녀 | cheonyeo | |
| "not likely" | 가물어 | gamureo | 설마 | seolma | |
| "neck" | 야개기 | yagaegi | 목 | mok | |
| "tree, shrub; wood" | 낭 | nang | 나무 | namu | Stem of the Korean word for "tree, shrub; wood" was namg- in Middle Korean |
| "zelkova Zelkova Zelkova is a genus of six species of deciduous trees in the elm family Ulmaceae, native to southern Europe, and southwest and eastern Asia. They vary in size from shrubs to large trees up to 35 m tall . The leaves are alternate, with serrated margins, and a symmetrical base to the leaf blade... tree" |
굴묵낭 | gulmungnang | 느티나무 | neutinamu | |
| "grass" | 태역 | taeyeok | 잔디 | jandi | |
| "vegetable" | 송키 | songki | 채소 | chaeso | Jeju dialect songki is similar to Manchu Manchu language Manchu is a Tungusic endangered language spoken in Northeast China; it used to be the language of the Manchu, though now most Manchus speak Mandarin Chinese and there are fewer than 70 native speakers of Manchu out of a total of nearly 10 million ethnic Manchus... sogi ("vegetable") |
| "potato" | 지실 | jisil | 감자 | gamja | |
| "puppy" | 강생이 | gangsaeng-i | 강아지 | gang-aji | |
| "cat" | 고냉이 | gonaeng-i | 고양이 | goyang-i | |
| "Siberian roe deer Siberian Roe Deer Capreolus pygargus, also known as the Siberian roe deer or eastern roe deer, is a species of roe deer found in northeastern Asia. In addition to Siberia and Mongolia, it is found in Kazakhstan, the Tian Shan Mountains, Eastern Tibet, the Korean peninsula, and northeastern China... " |
노리 | nori | 노루 | noru | |
| "ax" | 도치 | dochi | 도끼 | dokki | The word for "ax" appeared variously as dosguy, dosgeuy, or in Middle Korean |
| "mountain, hill, (esp.) parasitic cone Satellite cone A parasitic cone is the cone-shaped accumulation of volcanic material not part of the central vent of a volcano. One forms by eruptions from fractures on the flank of the volcano. These fractures occur because of the flank of the volcano is unstable... " |
오름 | oreum | 산 or 뫼, 메 | san or moe, me | Jeju dialect oreum or is similar to Mongolian Mongolian language The Mongolian language is the official language of Mongolia and the best-known member of the Mongolic language family. The number of speakers across all its dialects may be 5.2 million, including the vast majority of the residents of Mongolia and many of the Mongolian residents of the Inner... ūla ("mountain") and Manchu Manchu language Manchu is a Tungusic endangered language spoken in Northeast China; it used to be the language of the Manchu, though now most Manchus speak Mandarin Chinese and there are fewer than 70 native speakers of Manchu out of a total of nearly 10 million ethnic Manchus... alin ("mountain"). Although it rather sounds closer to the literal meaning of oreum itself; oreum literally means "an elevation" or its implied meaning: "an elevated space." |
| "ear of grain" | 고고리 | gogori | 이삭 | isak | |
| "there" | 그디 | geudi | 거기 | geogi | Jeju dialect uses -di instead of -(eo)gi to form locational deictic pronouns |
| "here" | 이디 | idi | 여기 | yeogi | |
| "crab" | 깅이 | ging-i | 게 | ge | |
| "bird" | 생이 | saeng-i | 새 | sae | |
| "radish" | 놈삐 or 무수 | nombbi or musu | 무 | mu | Jeju dialect musu is cognate with Standard Korean muu but derived from a different Middle Korean variant. Note similarity with Manchu Manchu language Manchu is a Tungusic endangered language spoken in Northeast China; it used to be the language of the Manchu, though now most Manchus speak Mandarin Chinese and there are fewer than 70 native speakers of Manchu out of a total of nearly 10 million ethnic Manchus... mursa ("large, white, globular Chinese radish"). The etymology of Jeju dialect nombbi is obscure. |
| "sock" | 대비 | daebi | 양말 | yangmal | Jeju dialect daebi < Japanese tabi ("traditional Japanese socks") |
| "pig" | 도새기 | dosaegi | 돼지 | dwaeji | |
| "pork" | 돗괴기 | dotgoegi | 돼지고기 | dwaejigogi | |
| "chicken egg" | 독새기 | doksaegi | 달걀 or 계란 | dalgyal or gyeran | |
| "lettuce" | 부루 | buru | 상추 | sangchu | |
| "change (at the end of a monetary transaction)" | 주리 | juri | 거스름돈 | geoseureumdon | Jeju dialect juri < Japanese tsuri (id.) |
| "wave" | 절 | jeol | 물결 or 파도 | mulggyeol or pado | Jeju dialect jeol < Middle Korean gyeol (id.); cognate with the second syllable of Standard Korean mulggyeol |
| "purple eulalia Miscanthus sinensis Miscanthus sinensis Miscanthus sinensis Miscanthus sinensis (Chinese silver grass, Eulalia grass, maiden grass, zebra grass, Susuki grass, porcupine grass; syn. Eulalia japonica Trin., Miscanthus sinensis f. glaber Honda, Miscanthus sinensis var. gracillimus Hitchc., Miscanthus sinensis var.... " |
어욱 | eouk | 억새 | eoksae | |
| "early" | 인칙 | inchik | 일찍 | iljjik | |
| "powder of roast grain" | 개역 | gaeyeok | 미숫가루 | misutgaru | |
| "buckwheat Buckwheat Buckwheat refers to a variety of plants in the dicot family Polygonaceae: the Eurasian genus Fagopyrum, the North American genus Eriogonum, and the Northern Hemisphere genus Fallopia. Either of the latter two may be referred to as "wild buckwheat"... " |
모물, 모몰, 모믈 | momul, momol, momeul | 메밀 | memil | |
| "dust" | 몬독 | mondok | 먼지 | meonji | |
| "chick" | 빙애기 | bing-aegi | 병아리 | byeong-ari | |
| "umbrella" | 가사 | gasa | 우산 | usan | Jeju dialect gasa is borrowed from Japanese 傘 kasa ("umbrella, parasol; wide-brimmed hat"), whereas Standard Korean usan is borrowed from Chinese 雨傘 yǔsǎn ("umbrella"). |
| "walking stick, staff" | 몽댕이 | mongdaeng-i | 지팡이 | jipang-i | Jeju dialect mongdaeng-i is cognate with Standard Korean 몽둥이 mongdung-i ("club, cudgel, baton, stick"). |
| "all, everything" | 몬딱 | monddak | 모두 | modu | |
| "kitchen" | 정지 | jeongji | 부엌 | bueok | this form is still used amongst older residents of Jeju whereas younger people now all use "부엌". |
| "much, lots" | 하영 | hayeong | 많이 | mani | |
| "a small quantity; a little" | 호썰 | hosseol | 조금 | jogeum |