If you read Korean, and you’re an English teacher (or even if you’re not), check out this column in AsiaToday (which I’ve never heard of). A true classic. (HT to Mithridates)
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English Books on Korea... and More!
English Isn’t Sex
This entry was written by Robert Koehler, posted on September 13, 2007 at 8:05 pm, filed under Asides, Stupid Foreigner Tricks. Bookmark the permalink. Follow any comments here with the RSS feed for this post.
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9 Comments
I think this guy misses the point. Korean women who date Western men are not simply selling their bodies for free English lessons. They’re attracted to someone from a different culture who may seem exotic and exciting. It’s the same reason why American girls might be interested in the French exchange student in the States, who might seem sophisticated or romantic because of his accent. And, notice the double standard - nobody cares about Korean guys sleeping with foreign girls - no, there are TV shows to encourage that. And, add to that the huge number of mail order brides from China and SE Asia coming here to marry Korean men - nobody complains about those couples. The author of that opinion piece should undergo some self-reflection to come to grips with his own sexist and racist assumptions about what constitues a “proper” couple.
Wow. Wow.
There were many choice lines, but this one was particularly interesting:
영어와 성을 섞어가며 배운 영어는 실력이 아무리 는다고 하더라도 좋은 영어가 아니다.
I agree–short, breathless exhortations to (your name here) do not fluent English make.
“It’s the same reason why American girls might be interested in the French exchange student in the States, who might seem sophisticated or romantic because of his accent.”
One of the reasons guys out in the Prairies hate Quebecers is because the girls there are suckers for the Quebecois accent, whereas girls from Quebec won’t even give them the time of day. Just don’t count on any of these guys to admit it.
“One of the reasons guys out in the Prairies hate Quebecers is because the girls there are suckers for the Quebecois accent, whereas girls from Quebec won’t even give them the time of day. Just don’t count on any of these guys to admit it.”
SomeGuy,
my very own personal reason for resenting, well, not the Québécois / Québécoises, but rather their political leaders is the fact that all traffic signs in Western cities such as Victoria, Calgary or Edmonton have to be, by law, in spite of their really tiny francophone populations, in English AND French, whereas in the région métropolitaine de Montréal with its approximately 20 pc of resident anglophones bilingual signs are not permitted.
Ma raison pour ne pas trop aimer les Québécois / les Québécoises est le fait que dans les grandes villes de l’ouest comme Victoria, Calgary ou Edmonton, tous les panneau doivent être bilingues anglais / français, tandis que dans la région métropolitaine de Montréal avec une population qui comprit une vingtaine de pour cent d’anglophones il est interdit de mettre en place des panneaux bilingues, pour des raisons déshonorants et chauvinistes de la part du gouvernement québécois.
pardon:
raisons déshonorantes
Vive le Québec Libre!
Which, once translated for consumption west of Québec, reads:
Good fucking riddance!
#4,
Your point is moot. A significant number of Francophones reside outside of Quebec. The signs that you mention, if they do exist, are for their benefit, not the visiting Quebecers as a few bigoted Anglos would want us to believe. Don’t get it? Well, most road traffic signs are subject of municipal and provincial law. Therefore, road traffic signs are not in the two official languages in every road and municipality as you try to suggest since, well, New Brunswick is the only officially bilingual province in Canada. In my experience, bilingualism is at best spurious outside of New Brunswick.
Re #7 & #4, I see a few bilingual signs within a couple kilometers of Vancouver International Airport, but otherwise there just aren’t any bilingual traffic signs in my part of the country. On the other hand, the Chinatowns in both Victoria and Vancouver have bilingual road signs–in English and Chinese.
Oops–I meant “street,” not “road” signs(!).