[Daily Thousand Characters] Professor Shin Ji-young's "Language Sensitivity" Class <3>

Editor's NoteAn increasing number of companies are standardizing forms of address in the workplace. Regardless of rank, everyone from interns to executives now often attaches the honorific "Nim" to each other's names. Depending on the industry and existing organizational culture, some companies use nicknames or English names instead of real names, or limit titles to just two or three levels, resulting in slightly different guidelines. Why are so many companies paying such close attention to how employees address each other? Professor Shin Ji-young explains, "When a company refers to an individual as '○○○-nim' instead of 'Assistant Manager ○○○' or 'Department Head ○○○,' it is not only an effort to establish a horizontal organizational structure, but also a linguistic expression of recognizing individual characteristics and embracing diversity." Professor Shin further asserts, "Workplace culture cannot change through language alone, but without a change in language, workplace culture will never change." (970 characters)

The reason why changes in forms of address have such a significant impact stems from the unique characteristics of the Korean language. Only by understanding these features-and thus the meaning that address terms hold in Korean-can members of an organization endure considerable discomfort and willingly participate in such changes. Unfortunately, it appears that most companies implementing new address systems have not sufficiently conveyed the sociolinguistic significance of these terms to their employees. While some organizations have successfully established new systems, others have attempted change only to revert to their previous forms of address.

So, what exactly is it about the Korean language that is so closely tied to forms of address?

The answer lies in the distinctive use of second-person pronouns. Korean is one of the languages in which it is difficult to directly call someone "you." In situations that require politeness, Korean belongs to the language types where using second-person pronouns like "neo" (you) or "dangsin" (you) is to be avoided. This is quite different from English, where "you" can be used regardless of the conversation partner. English speakers can address their grandmother, mother, or boss as "you" without issue. Languages like Korean are rare in this respect, while the English type is far more common globally.

(Omitted)

Then what about addressing someone by name? In Korean culture, calling someone by name alone is also considered impolite. If you address someone you have just met by their name only, it has the same effect as calling them "neo" or "dangsin." Just as with second-person pronouns, addressing someone by name alone essentially declares, "I do not consider you worthy of polite address." If you are in a relationship where you can use just the name, you could just as well use "neo."

Ultimately, since neither "neo" nor "dangsin" nor just the name can be used, a separate term is required. These are the forms of address and reference terms. This is precisely why so many different forms of address and reference exist in Korean.

- Shin Ji-young, , Influential, 18,000 KRW