KANG MYUNG AE / 강명애

• Q: Indicate your name, age, sex and current location. 

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 Kang Myung Ae (강몡애), 59, female, living in Seogwipo-si (서귀포시), Jeju-do (제 주도), Republic of Korea (대한민국).​

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• Q: Have you always lived in Jeju?

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I have never stayed more than one month out of Jeju.

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• Q: Do you speak Jejueo/ 제주말? 

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On a daily basis, I speak standard Korean for 90% and Jejueo for only 10%.

Even the elderly, older than 80, speak stantard Korean when they are with people than can't understand Jejueo, such as people from the mainland or cities. But elderly people usually speak Jejueo when talking with eachother. 

 

[When I was working at the tangerine farm, I worked with elderly people, some aged mid 60s or others aged mid 70s or mid 80s. When speaking to each other they used Jejueo. However, they used standard Korean when talking with me. Even though they used standard Korean, I sometimes couldn't understand some parts as they used slightly different words or syntax. For example:  for 'tangerine' they said 'mi-kkang (미깡)' instead of Korean 'mil-gam (밀감)'. For 'Did you have a meal?', they said 'bap-meog-eon (밥 먹언) instead of Korean 'bap-meog-eo(t)-ni (밥 먹었니)'. ]

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• Q: How would you define Jejueo? Language? Dialect?

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I think Jejueo is kind of a dialect of Korean language. 

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[In my opinion it is rather difficult to define precisely what is Jejueo. I think it is affected by several languages or alphabet. For example, in Jejueo, 'horse' - in Korean 'mal (말)' - is said 'mol (몰)'. 'Arm' - in Korean 'pal(팔)' - is said 'pul (풀)'. This is the remaining of old Hangul (hangul = korean alphabet). There are other words affected by Japanese. So to define precisely what is Jejueo, you need to look into how Jejueo was formed historically and how it is affected by various elements] 

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• Q: Do you speak Jejueo with your children/grandchildren?

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I speak Jejueo with them if necessary. But, as mentioned earlier, I usually speak in standard Korean. I speak Jejueo more often when I'm talking with my mother-in-law or the village's elders. 

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• Q: Do you want them to learn it? Do you think Jejueo should be taught at school (In Jeju)? Why?

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If their home is in Jeju and if they live here, then I think they should know how to speak Jejueo or Jeju dialect. (*it is not clear why this distinction was made)

Actually, in Jeju island schools, especially in elementary school, we have made efforts to help students learn Jejueo. For almost 10-15 years we have been teaching Jejueo in schools and the "Jejueo contest" has been held several times.

Moreover, in each family, we also try to help students learn Jejueo, correcting the pronunciation, especially with the help of grandparents. 

Some books on Jejueo have been published and distributed to each school or public office. 

If you visit the website of the Jeju Education Office, you can find some material about Jejueo as well. 

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• Q: Could you give us some typical Jejueo words?

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'mol (몰)' = Jejueo for 'mal (말)' = horse

'pul (풀) = Jejueo for 'pal (팔)' = arm

bap-meog-eon (밥먹언) = Jejueo for bap-meog-eo(t)-ni (밥 먹었니)' = Have you eaten?