Older generations prefer "agassi,"
while younger people use "jeogiyo" or "boss"
Terms for "wife" and "husband" differ by gender
"Sam-il" favored in Gangwon and Jeju,
"sahul" preferred in Jeolla region
When calling young female sales staff, although the term ‘agassi’ is still widely used by older people, it was found that many also use expressions like ‘here’ (jeogiyo) or ‘boss’.
Older age groups prefer ‘agassi’... younger groups use ‘jeogiyo’ or ‘boss’
Recently, the National Institute of the Korean Language announced the results of the 2024 ‘Korean Language Usage Survey (Vocabulary)’. This survey was conducted to investigate vocabulary usage patterns according to social and regional variables such as generation, gender, region, and class. It surveyed 3,000 men and women aged 15 to 69 nationwide, asking 55 questions related to forms of address and everyday expressions. A notable difference was observed in how people address others depending on age. The biggest difference appeared in the terms used to call young female sales staff. Older age groups preferred ‘agassi’, while younger people tended to prefer ‘here’ (jeogiyo) instead of ‘agassi’. Notably, many respondents also reported using the term ‘boss’. The Institute analyzed that “a social atmosphere favoring gender- and age-neutral expressions is reflected in the forms of address used in everyday conversations among the younger generation.”
Differences in preferred expressions by generation were also evident in everyday language. When emphasizing something fun or unpleasant, people aged 30 and above frequently used modifiers like ‘really’, ‘truly’, and ‘too’, whereas those aged 20 and below tended to use expressions like ‘completely’, ‘the best’, and ‘super’. When responding positively to questions from slightly older people, the most common reply was ‘ne’ (yes) at 55.8%, followed by ‘ye’ (19.9%) and ‘nep’ (14.3%). Younger age groups showed relatively higher usage of ‘nep’, ‘yep’, and ‘neng’.
Differences in terms for ‘wife’ and ‘husband’ depending on gender
Vocabulary differences by gender appeared in situations referring to married partners. When married men introduced their female spouses to friends, the loanword ‘wife’ was most commonly used, followed by ‘anae’ and ‘jipsaram’ (wife). When married women introduced their male spouses to friends, ‘nampeon’ (husband) was used most frequently, followed by ‘sinlang’ (groom). In the Jeju region, ‘sinlang’ was used more than ‘nampeon’. Differences also appeared in terms used to address the parents of one’s spouse. Married women most commonly used ‘abeonim’ (father-in-law) and ‘eomeonim’ (mother-in-law) when addressing their husband’s parents, whereas married men frequently used ‘jangineoreun’ (father-in-law) and ‘jangmonim’ (mother-in-law) when addressing their wife’s parents. The Institute analyzed that “traditional expressions such as ‘jangineoreun’ and ‘jangmonim’ are still maintained in family address terms.”
‘Sam-il’ favored in Gangwon-do, ‘sahul’ preferred in Jeolla-do
Regional differences in vocabulary usage appeared in everyday expressions. When referring to holidays spanning the day before yesterday, yesterday, and today, the Gangwon and Jeju regions preferred the expression ‘sam-il’ (three days), whereas the Jeolla region showed relatively higher usage of ‘sahul’ (three days). The Seoul metropolitan area and Gyeongsang region used ‘sam-il’ more frequently but also used ‘sahul’ similarly. Regional characteristics were also evident in the emergence and use of new dialect words. The new dialect word for sitting cross-legged with one leg bent and the other leg crossed over it, traditionally called ‘yangbandari’, is spreading mainly among younger people and in the Jeolla region as ‘appadari’. Overall, the usage order was ‘yangbandari’ (39.4%), ‘appadari’ (26.6%), ‘gabujwa’ (17.6%), and ‘chaeksangdari’ (13.8%), but among those under 30 and in Jeolla, the new dialect ‘appadari’ was used most. The Institute stated that this shows regional differences exist even in neologisms and that individual regional identities tend to be maintained.
The National Institute of the Korean Language said, “This survey shows that vocabulary choices are influenced not only by regional variables but also by social variables such as age and gender,” and added, “We plan to continue surveying various aspects of Korean language usage among the public to understand the direction of language change and use this as a basis to establish language policies suited to our linguistic reality.”
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