As you must've known by now, I'm also into K-thing.
So I'm a bit surprised. The more I watch Korean shows, I find that I (as a Javanese) can relate to them quite well.
Java and Korea have lots of things in common.
1. Bow
Korean people bow a lot, don't they? Well, Javanese do that too. I never noticed it before -- maybe because it's already a habit. But one day, after swarming myself with Korean shows, I went to celebrate Xmas in my neighborhood. There, I saw people doing exactly the same as what I watched on screen earlier. My mom said hi to someone, and they bowed to each other.
Days later, I caught myself bowing to an elder at a bakery shop. She just greeted my mom, but I don't know her. I thought to myself, "Oh, I do that too." And then, here's the shocking part.. she bowed back at me. Wow! I didn't expect that.
2. Ngoko-Krama & Banmal-Jeondaemal
People might find it confusing when Banmal becomes an issue for YongSeo couple. Why can't Hyun use Banmal to talk to Yong? What exactly is this Banmal thing?
As a Javanese, I totally understand (well, I hope I don't misunderstand).
When I read that Banmal is the informal speech of Korean, I realized that it's just like Ngoko in Javanese. We use it to talk to same-age friends, to people younger than us, or to those we're already close with.
Jeondaemal, on the other hand, is the formal way of speaking. Just like Krama in Javanese. It is used to talk to older people or to someone we're not close with.
I can't imagine my family talk to older people using Ngoko. My aunt (my dad's younger sister) still talks to my mom with Krama, even though they're so close to each other.
However, I have to admit that Hyun is still a special case, because my mom doesn't use Krama anymore to talk to my dad. Some Javanese wives do speak Krama to their husbands. Maybe because that's what the husbands want. But Yong.. For goodness' sake, Hyun, he NEEDS you to speak Banmal. Can't you hear his song?
Okay, seems like I can't avoid discussing YongSeo in every post I publish.
See you soon, guys.
--to be continued
