Koreanspeaking

Koreanspeaking refers to the use and study of the Korean language by native speakers and learners. It encompasses the standard Korean used in Korea as well as regional dialects and varieties spoken by Korean communities around the world.

Linguistic profile: Korean is an agglutinative, head-final, SOV language. It relies on extensive honorifics and politeness levels that shape verb endings and pronouns. Grammar is marked by suffixation and a flexible word order driven by topic-comment structure. The writing system is Hangul, created in the 15th century under King Sejong, and is the dominant script today, though Hanja has historical influence and remains limited in modern use. Modern romanization standards include the Revised Romanization of Korean.

Dialects and standard language: Korean has regional dialects such as Seoul, Gyeongsang, Jeolla, and Chungcheong. Mutual intelligibility is generally high, with differences in pronunciation, vocabulary, and speech style. The South Korean standard is based on Seoul speech, while North Korea uses a distinct standard. In diaspora communities, Koreanspeaking often coexists with the host language and may involve bilingual or multilingual use.

Social and educational context: In both Koreas, Korean is the official language and central to education, media, and government. South Korea emphasizes a broad English and foreign-language education, while North Korea maintains language policy aligned with ideological aims. Globally, Korean is taught as a foreign language in universities and community schools, and digital media have expanded its reach beyond native-speaking communities.