Mixing
Addressing someone on the street you have never met and who is of ambiguous age
Clash Royale CLAN TAG#URR8PPP
up vote
1
down vote
favorite
I was visiting Korea (강ì›Âë„ 춘천시) recently and needed to ask directions to a building on a college campus. (강ì›Â대ՙ굠for those who are interested). I was on foot and I did not immediately see a campus map anywhere, so I decided to ask someone who was walking by where to find the building.
As could be expected, most of the people on the college campus were in their early to mid-twenties. I (being in my early 30s) am likely older than most of them. However, there were a few individuals on campus for whom it was impossible to determine an exact age. The were dressed semi-formally and could have been a young professor. Maybe they were older than me, maybe they were younger.
Because I did not know how to address these people of ambiguous age, I opted to just use wait for a person that was definitely younger than me and ask them where to go.
However, this made me ponder on how I might address someone I did not know (and hence whose name I did not know) on the street if they looked to be roughly my same age. Using a term like "선ìƒÂ님" seems a bit too formal; using a term like "아저씨" feels a bit to demeaning.
How can I address someone who looks to be around my age when I need to speak to them once on the street for information and will likely never know their name?
vocabulary spoken-korean polite
asked 2 hours ago
Vladhagen♦
2,9442932
add a comment |Â
up vote
1
down vote
favorite
I was visiting Korea (강ì›Âë„ 춘천시) recently and needed to ask directions to a building on a college campus. (강ì›Â대ՙ굠for those who are interested). I was on foot and I did not immediately see a campus map anywhere, so I decided to ask someone who was walking by where to find the building.
As could be expected, most of the people on the college campus were in their early to mid-twenties. I (being in my early 30s) am likely older than most of them. However, there were a few individuals on campus for whom it was impossible to determine an exact age. The were dressed semi-formally and could have been a young professor. Maybe they were older than me, maybe they were younger.
Because I did not know how to address these people of ambiguous age, I opted to just use wait for a person that was definitely younger than me and ask them where to go.
However, this made me ponder on how I might address someone I did not know (and hence whose name I did not know) on the street if they looked to be roughly my same age. Using a term like "선ìƒÂ님" seems a bit too formal; using a term like "아저씨" feels a bit to demeaning.
How can I address someone who looks to be around my age when I need to speak to them once on the street for information and will likely never know their name?
vocabulary spoken-korean polite
asked 2 hours ago
Vladhagen♦
2,9442932
1
I personally don't speak panmal to anyone that i don't know regardless of age; how would children learn to be polite if nobody spoke to them politely?
– WEBjuju
1 hour ago
1
I guess I should preface my question by stating that 반맠is clearly not an option here.
– Vladhagen♦
49 mins ago
add a comment |Â
up vote
1
down vote
favorite
up vote
1
down vote
favorite
I was visiting Korea (강ì›Âë„ 춘천시) recently and needed to ask directions to a building on a college campus. (강ì›Â대ՙ굠for those who are interested). I was on foot and I did not immediately see a campus map anywhere, so I decided to ask someone who was walking by where to find the building.
As could be expected, most of the people on the college campus were in their early to mid-twenties. I (being in my early 30s) am likely older than most of them. However, there were a few individuals on campus for whom it was impossible to determine an exact age. The were dressed semi-formally and could have been a young professor. Maybe they were older than me, maybe they were younger.
Because I did not know how to address these people of ambiguous age, I opted to just use wait for a person that was definitely younger than me and ask them where to go.
However, this made me ponder on how I might address someone I did not know (and hence whose name I did not know) on the street if they looked to be roughly my same age. Using a term like "선ìƒÂ님" seems a bit too formal; using a term like "아저씨" feels a bit to demeaning.
How can I address someone who looks to be around my age when I need to speak to them once on the street for information and will likely never know their name?
vocabulary spoken-korean polite
asked 2 hours ago
Vladhagen♦
2,9442932
I was visiting Korea (강ì›Âë„ 춘천시) recently and needed to ask directions to a building on a college campus. (강ì›Â대ՙ굠for those who are interested). I was on foot and I did not immediately see a campus map anywhere, so I decided to ask someone who was walking by where to find the building.
As could be expected, most of the people on the college campus were in their early to mid-twenties. I (being in my early 30s) am likely older than most of them. However, there were a few individuals on campus for whom it was impossible to determine an exact age. The were dressed semi-formally and could have been a young professor. Maybe they were older than me, maybe they were younger.
Because I did not know how to address these people of ambiguous age, I opted to just use wait for a person that was definitely younger than me and ask them where to go.
However, this made me ponder on how I might address someone I did not know (and hence whose name I did not know) on the street if they looked to be roughly my same age. Using a term like "선ìƒÂ님" seems a bit too formal; using a term like "아저씨" feels a bit to demeaning.
How can I address someone who looks to be around my age when I need to speak to them once on the street for information and will likely never know their name?
vocabulary spoken-korean polite
vocabulary spoken-korean polite
asked 2 hours ago
Vladhagen♦
2,9442932
asked 2 hours ago
Vladhagen♦
2,9442932
asked 2 hours ago
Vladhagen♦
2,9442932
asked 2 hours ago
Vladhagen♦
2,9442932
asked 2 hours ago
Vladhagen♦
2,9442932
2,9442932
1
I personally don't speak panmal to anyone that i don't know regardless of age; how would children learn to be polite if nobody spoke to them politely?
– WEBjuju
1 hour ago
1
I guess I should preface my question by stating that 반맠is clearly not an option here.
– Vladhagen♦
49 mins ago
add a comment |Â
1
I personally don't speak panmal to anyone that i don't know regardless of age; how would children learn to be polite if nobody spoke to them politely?
– WEBjuju
1 hour ago
1
I guess I should preface my question by stating that 반맠is clearly not an option here.
– Vladhagen♦
49 mins ago
1
1
I personally don't speak panmal to anyone that i don't know regardless of age; how would children learn to be polite if nobody spoke to them politely?
– WEBjuju
1 hour ago
I personally don't speak panmal to anyone that i don't know regardless of age; how would children learn to be polite if nobody spoke to them politely?
– WEBjuju
1 hour ago
1
1
I guess I should preface my question by stating that 반맠is clearly not an option here.
– Vladhagen♦
49 mins ago
I guess I should preface my question by stating that 반맠is clearly not an option here.
– Vladhagen♦
49 mins ago
add a comment |Â
1 Answer
1
active
oldest
votes
up vote
3
down vote
For strangers being approached in real life, 반맠is never an option. 존댓맠is obligatory, and is mostly մ요체 - informal (as this isn't a business meeting) but polite.
However, whether you need honorificity (e.g. the 시 infix) is debatable. The context would mean that the topic of conversation would never involve the stranger anyway, and that should give you an inkling as to the "right" answer. Remember that "you" is not a concept that is required in Korean grammar (unlike other "pro-drop" languages like e.g. Spanish). So the most natural thing to do is to avoid personal pronouns.
But then of course, how do you call a stranger's attention? That's easy, as there's in effect only one set phrase in common use: 저기요!
answered 52 mins ago
Michaelyus
80116
add a comment |Â
1 Answer
1
active
oldest
votes
1 Answer
1
active
oldest
votes
active
oldest
votes
active
oldest
votes
up vote
3
down vote
For strangers being approached in real life, 반맠is never an option. 존댓맠is obligatory, and is mostly մ요체 - informal (as this isn't a business meeting) but polite.
However, whether you need honorificity (e.g. the 시 infix) is debatable. The context would mean that the topic of conversation would never involve the stranger anyway, and that should give you an inkling as to the "right" answer. Remember that "you" is not a concept that is required in Korean grammar (unlike other "pro-drop" languages like e.g. Spanish). So the most natural thing to do is to avoid personal pronouns.
But then of course, how do you call a stranger's attention? That's easy, as there's in effect only one set phrase in common use: 저기요!
answered 52 mins ago
Michaelyus
80116
add a comment |Â
up vote
3
down vote
For strangers being approached in real life, 반맠is never an option. 존댓맠is obligatory, and is mostly մ요체 - informal (as this isn't a business meeting) but polite.
However, whether you need honorificity (e.g. the 시 infix) is debatable. The context would mean that the topic of conversation would never involve the stranger anyway, and that should give you an inkling as to the "right" answer. Remember that "you" is not a concept that is required in Korean grammar (unlike other "pro-drop" languages like e.g. Spanish). So the most natural thing to do is to avoid personal pronouns.
But then of course, how do you call a stranger's attention? That's easy, as there's in effect only one set phrase in common use: 저기요!
answered 52 mins ago
Michaelyus
80116
add a comment |Â
up vote
3
down vote
up vote
3
down vote
For strangers being approached in real life, 반맠is never an option. 존댓맠is obligatory, and is mostly մ요체 - informal (as this isn't a business meeting) but polite.
However, whether you need honorificity (e.g. the 시 infix) is debatable. The context would mean that the topic of conversation would never involve the stranger anyway, and that should give you an inkling as to the "right" answer. Remember that "you" is not a concept that is required in Korean grammar (unlike other "pro-drop" languages like e.g. Spanish). So the most natural thing to do is to avoid personal pronouns.
But then of course, how do you call a stranger's attention? That's easy, as there's in effect only one set phrase in common use: 저기요!
answered 52 mins ago
Michaelyus
80116
For strangers being approached in real life, 반맠is never an option. 존댓맠is obligatory, and is mostly մ요체 - informal (as this isn't a business meeting) but polite.
However, whether you need honorificity (e.g. the 시 infix) is debatable. The context would mean that the topic of conversation would never involve the stranger anyway, and that should give you an inkling as to the "right" answer. Remember that "you" is not a concept that is required in Korean grammar (unlike other "pro-drop" languages like e.g. Spanish). So the most natural thing to do is to avoid personal pronouns.
But then of course, how do you call a stranger's attention? That's easy, as there's in effect only one set phrase in common use: 저기요!
answered 52 mins ago
Michaelyus
80116
answered 52 mins ago
Michaelyus
80116
answered 52 mins ago
Michaelyus
80116
answered 52 mins ago
Michaelyus
80116
80116
add a comment |Â
add a comment |Â
Sign up or log in
StackExchange.ready(function ()
StackExchange.helpers.onClickDraftSave('#login-link');
);
Sign up using Google
Sign up using Facebook
Sign up using Email and Password
Post as a guest
StackExchange.ready(
function ()
StackExchange.openid.initPostLogin('.new-post-login', 'https%3a%2f%2fkorean.stackexchange.com%2fquestions%2f4855%2faddressing-someone-on-the-street-you-have-never-met-and-who-is-of-ambiguous-age%23new-answer', 'question_page');
);
Post as a guest
Sign up or log in
StackExchange.ready(function ()
StackExchange.helpers.onClickDraftSave('#login-link');
);
Sign up using Google
Sign up using Facebook
Sign up using Email and Password
Post as a guest
Sign up or log in
StackExchange.ready(function ()
StackExchange.helpers.onClickDraftSave('#login-link');
);
Sign up using Google
Sign up using Facebook
Sign up using Email and Password
Post as a guest
Sign up or log in
StackExchange.ready(function ()
StackExchange.helpers.onClickDraftSave('#login-link');
);
Sign up using Google
Sign up using Facebook
Sign up using Email and Password
Sign up using Google
Sign up using Facebook
Sign up using Email and Password
1
I personally don't speak panmal to anyone that i don't know regardless of age; how would children learn to be polite if nobody spoke to them politely?
– WEBjuju
1 hour ago
1
I guess I should preface my question by stating that 반맠is clearly not an option here.
– Vladhagen♦
49 mins ago