Throughout
the years of teaching English, one of the most frequently asked questions from
students was “Is it okay to use outdated or dead English words that are not in
use today?” Hmm…..good question! I said to myself ‘How old is considered TOO antiquated when it comes to English
expressions?’ Some of my colleagues in the foreign language institute (back in
Seoul, Korea) said he even felt challenged by a ton of newly coined idioms and phrases. Well, in this fast-paced world
where lots of new chopped or abbreviated
forms of words are replacing the existing ones, it is hard to tell the old from
the new. The point is as long as you do not use broken English or vernacular style of English, you can
still make yourselves effectively understood in the language. Yes! English is a
widely used medium of communication
in the world today. If you wish to get
your ideas across clearly in
English, the first thing you need to think about is how to use expressions
accurately instead of worrying about their possible obsolescence.
Here’s a
list of commonly misued/ broken English expressions in Korea (or so-called Konglish) and the correct expressions
for each.
Broken English Correct English
overeat (오바이트) throw
up/ vomit
remokon (리모콘) remote
Control
hochikis (호치키스) stapler
sel-ca (쎌카) selfie
apart (아파트) apartment
cunning (컨닝) cheating
PD (피디) producer
(not in abbreviated form)
Autobi (오토바이) motorbike
eye shopping (아이쇼핑) window
shopping
one room (원룸) studio or efficiency apartment
Fighting!(화이팅!) Go!
Go! Attaboy!/Attagirl!
hand phone (핸드폰) cell
phone
hamburger
set (햄버거
세트) combo or basket
Expressions
antiquated: outdated or old-fashioned
newly
coined: recently
created/ made
abbreviated
forms: simplified
versions of a word that also includes expressions on the Internet chat
e.g., P.S.= Post Script, D.I.Y.= Do
It Yourself (meaning creating by yourself), A.S.A.P. = As Soon As
Possible, B.Y.O.B. = Bring Your Own
Beverage, LOL = Laugh Out Loud, ROFL =
Rolling On the Floor Laughing, OMG = Oh, My Gosh!/ Oh, My God!, OMW= On My Way, CUL = See You Later, TBT =
Throwback Thursday, FF = Friday Flashback (meaning sharing the old photo/ thing
on the Instagram)
vernacular: the style of language that shows
local color or regional dialect (one
type of modified language)
medium
of communication: the
means/ method of conveying one’s thoughts and ideas
to
get one’s ideas across/ to get across one’s message: to make one’s ideas or points
understood/ to convey one’s message to others
obsolescence: the state of being no longer in
use because something newer or more efficient has been formed
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