외국어로서의 한국어 교육을 위한 현대 한국어의 상대높임법에 관한 연구

A study on the hearer honorification in contemporary Korean for teaching Korean as a foreign language.

The purpose of this study is to explore the problems and the term of ‘hearer honorification’, it’s classification criterion and the actual classification on the speech level of hearer honorification in contemporary Korean language. Many differences can be discovered in theoretical grammar, school grammar for korean learners, school grammar of Korean as a foreign language, in the use and the definition of hearer honorification, it’s classification criterion, the actual classification on the speech level of hearer honorification etc. Hearer honorification is most often used in the articles and books of Korean theoretical grammar, school grammar for Korean learners, school grammar of Korean as a foreign language since the ROK Ministry of Education s policy in 1985. Accordingly, this study contends that the term ‘hearer honorification’ should be taught for the future Korean language grammar courses. The formality has been often determined as the criterion of hearer honorification for years. Nonetheless, this study argues that the formality is no longer appropriate criteria these days. For each speech of ‘Ajunopim(most respectful level)’, ‘Yesanopim(ordinary respectful level), ‘Yesanadchum(or-dinary disrespectful level)’, ‘Ajunadchum(most disrespectful level)’ etc. representing the degree of respect are all subjective term for speech levels of hearer honorification. In short, these are inappropriate classification criteria. Therefore, this study contends that the level of respect and the seniority based upon the relationship of the speaker and the listener should be the primary determining factor for the classification criteria of hearer honorification in Korean school grammar for both native and foreign learners. In fact, there are many discrepancies in the school grammar for between native and foreign learners in the use of actual classification on the speech level of hearer honorification. This study suggests that the use of the different level of hearer honorification speech in the school grammar for native and foreign learners should be identical. Hence, articles and books of the Korean school grammar as a foreign language grammar should all have the same system of hearer honorification just as domestic ones.