CNN
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There’s by no means been a greater time to be informed Korean.
It’s some of the fastest-growing languages on this planet, outpacing historically fashionable competitors like Chinese in a couple of markets – reflecting the worldwide phenomenon many name the “Korean wave.”
In 2022, Korean was once the 7th most-studied language at the finding out app Duolingo, in keeping with the corporate’s annual language file. And it’s seeing specific luck in portions of South and Southeast Asia, because the most-studied international language within the Philippines, and now not a ways off the highest spot in Thailand, Indonesia and Pakistan.
Although Chinese – which for years has been regarded as because the trade language of the longer term – stays the second one maximum spoken language on this planet, thank you partially to the sheer dimension of China’s inhabitants, it has sat in 8th position on Duolingo for the closing a number of years, lagging in the back of Korean.
Korean is the second one most-studied Asian language on Duolingo, handiest narrowly in the back of Japanese, in keeping with the language file. Duolingo, which has greater than 500 million customers across the world, ranks Korean forward of Chinese, Russian and Hindi, and in the back of Italian. English and Spanish nonetheless sit down conveniently within the most sensible two spots.
This upward push in pastime, professionals and academics say, is because of the Korean wave, or “hallyu” – the proliferation of Korean tradition across the world.
The closing 20 years have noticed South Korean exports sweep the sector, from Okay-pop and Korean TV dramas to good looks merchandise, model and meals. The nation has turn into a world cultural juggernaut – such a lot in order that the Oxford English Dictionary added greater than 20 phrases of Korean foundation in 2021, announcing in a commentary, “We are all riding the crest of the Korean wave.”
This phenomenon has been aided by way of South Korea’s personal authorities, which has labored to unfold the rustic’s cultural affect via track and media for the reason that Nineties. Now, the Korean language may well be the following export to move international.
“Compared to the time I started my career, the perceptions of Korea as a nation, Korean culture and society, and the Korean language have gone through a significant, positive change,” mentioned Joowon Suh, director of the Korean Language Program at Columbia University. “Now it is perceived more modern, advanced, marketable, cooler, and hipper.”
For a long time, East Asian language research in a foreign country have most commonly been restricted to Mandarin Chinese and Japanese.
But that started to modify up to now decade after primary hits by way of Korean artists and administrators, akin to Psy’s 2012 track “Gangnam Style,” the 2019 mystery “Parasite,” the 2021 Netflix display “Squid Game,” and the emergence of BTS, certainly the most important international stars of Okay-pop.
Figures display a surge in pastime towards the language in the similar duration.
The selection of scholars enrolled in Korean categories at upper schooling establishments within the United States leapt from 5,211 in 2002 to almost 14,000 in 2016, in keeping with information analyzed by way of the Modern Language Association.
This leap is hanging given Korean isn’t simple for non-native audio system to be informed. The US State Department lists Korean as a “super-hard language,” that means it’s “exceptionally difficult” for English audio system and takes on reasonable 88 weeks to reach skilled running talent.
Modern Korean follows a phonetic alphabet referred to as Hangul, that means the syllables are usually pronounced as they’re written – not like non-phonetic languages akin to Chinese, which makes use of symbols to constitute particular meanings.
Suh, the Columbia teacher, mentioned she first started noticing a upward push in pastime round 2015 – however it has speeded up within the closing 3 to 4 years. The selection of Columbia scholars enrolling in Korean lessons larger by way of 50% from the 2017 to 2021 instructional years, she mentioned.
Other fashionable languages have noticed numbers both plateau or drop during the last decade. US scholars enrolled in Chinese categories, as an example, jumped considerably from 2002 to 2013, a duration marked by way of China’s large financial enlargement and international affect.
But enrollments in Chinese had dipped by way of 2016, in keeping with the Modern Language Association – coinciding with the deterioration of US-China members of the family, and the worsening belief of China within the West because of its alleged human rights abuses.
“Students’ interest in foreign language learning in US higher education tends to depend more on the perception or reputation of a country in terms of economy and geopolitics, such as China, Russia or Portugal,” mentioned Suh.
Similarly, within the United Kingdom, the selection of upper schooling scholars taking Korean lessons tripled from 2012 to 2018, in keeping with the University Council of Modern Languages – in comparison to only a 5% build up for Chinese, and a decline in numerous European languages like French and German.
Korean’s newfound reputation was once no coincidence, with South Korean government leaping on the likelihood to advertise their language at the again of its extra a hit exports.
“It is the Hallyu that has persuaded Asian countries at the societal level that Korea is really part of the developed, western world,” mentioned John Walsh in his 2014 ebook at the phenomenon. This shift in belief has in flip boosted the federal government’s talent to pursue “national interests in the areas of diplomacy, investment, education and trade,” he wrote.
Over the decade, the Ministry of Education has despatched Korean academics in a foreign country, together with a number of dozen to Thailand in 2017 to show the language at center and prime colleges.
In newer years, a lot of international locations together with Laos, Myanmar and Thailand have formally followed Korean as a international language of their faculty curricula, underneath agreements signed with the Korean schooling ministry, in keeping with South Korean information company Yonhap.
Meanwhile, the King Sejong Institute, a government-founded Korean-language emblem, has established 244 finding out facilities international, in keeping with its website online.
These efforts goal to “keep the interest of Korean language abroad, which has become widely popular with the Korean Wave,” mentioned the schooling ministry in a 2017 press unencumber.
“In the long term, Korean language courses in the local school curriculum will serve as a step to foster Korean experts, and thereby strengthening friendly relationships between Korea and other countries,” it added.
Suh cautioned that the Korean wave runs the chance of oversimplifying nuances of Korean tradition and society, akin to regional variations or elegance conflicts, whilst glorifying “anything (Korean) without fully understanding its history.”
But, she added, this simplification may just if truth be told receive advantages the South Korean authorities because it expands its affect, as one thing “any rising soft power might have to go through.”
Experts say scholars come to the desk with more than a few causes for pursuing the Korean language – even though sure developments have emerged amongst regional and ethnic traces.
“The Korean wave is an important factor for non-heritage students,” mentioned Suh, referring to these with out Korean ethnicity or heritage who’re merely desirous about Korean cultural merchandise like films and Okay-pop.
Meanwhile, scholars of Korean descent generally tend to take Korean categories for extra “integrative” causes, she mentioned – as an example, short of to are living in South Korea, to raised connect to their communities and households, or to discover their very own Korean identities.
Jiyoung Lee, an accessory teacher at New York University’s Department of East Asian Studies, pointed to the upward thrust of social media platforms like Instagram and TikTook. These have facilitated global cultural exchanges and “largely influenced” the selection of Korean inexperienced persons, she mentioned.
But Lee, who in the past taught Korean in Indonesia and South Korea, additionally spotted variations amongst scholars in numerous portions of the sector.
US scholars generally tend to be informed Korean “because they are more interested in enjoying culture … and want to talk to their favorite singers or actors,” she mentioned.
By distinction, scholars in Southeast Asia most commonly find out about Korean to get a task in South Korea, or at a Korean corporate of their house nation, she mentioned, noting the selection of Korean manufacturers “establishing themselves not only in Southeast Asia but also in various countries.”
For example, the Korean leisure large SM Entertainment is increasing into Southeast Asia with new Singapore headquarters. Meanwhile, the Korean comfort retailer chain GS25 has greater than 180 retailers in Vietnam, and is about to damage flooring in Malaysia this 12 months, in keeping with Yonhap.
The growth of Korean trade and popular culture will also be pushing younger Southeast Asians to go back and forth to South Korea. Southeast Asians make up greater than 40% of international scholars in South Korea, and 30% of international citizens within the nation total, in keeping with the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.
Jeffrey Holliday, who teaches Korean linguistics at Korea University in Seoul (with categories taught in English), mentioned more or less 40% of his scholars are alternate scholars, most commonly coming from america. These scholars have a tendency to be undergraduates, handiest in Seoul for a couple of semesters, and just about all are avid lovers of Korean popular culture akin to Okay-pop, he says.
Meanwhile, his international graduate scholars – who have a tendency to be learning there full-time and are in quest of jobs in Korea – in large part hail from China and Vietnam.
“To me it’s so surprising because when I was in college (in the US) from 1999 to 2003 … there was no-one learning Korean who wasn’t a heritage speaker. I was the only one who wasn’t Korean American,” he mentioned.
“Whereas now, these students come here, they’re very focused, very determined – they really want to learn Korean and they’re here for that.”
Correction: A prior model of this tale misstated the striking of Japanese at the Duolingo file. It is probably the most studied Asian language at the platform.
