E305/505 Korean Language and Culture

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Discussion questions on greetings

  1. What is the general belief about greetings?

    What does it mean by "... greetings have no propositional content or referential value"?

    Park (2006) called various kinds of greetings as "phatic" expressions. What does he mean by that?

    Are greetings totally contentless? What are the views of Duranti (1997) and Park (2006) on this matter?


  2. Different disciplines have different perspectives on greetings.

    What are the perspectives each discipline takes, i.e.the perspectives of ethological studies, ethnographical studies, and speech act theorists?


  3. What are the differences among the most recognized greetings in English, "Hello!" "Hi!" and "How are you (doing)?"

  4. Duranti discusses six criteria for identifying greetings across languages. Think about whether what you assume to be greetings in English meets those criteria.


  5. Among the six criteria, one refers to the location of greetings within a given social encounter. As a universal criterion, what would that typical location be?

    Why such location? Any functional motivation?

    Can you think of any greeting that may not satisfy this criterion?

    Duranti apparently excludes closing salutations or leave takings from greetings. What is his justification? Do you agree with his argument?

    How does Duranti's discussion fair with Park's discussion on Korean?

  6. Greetings are considered to be reciprocal recognitions. What does it mean?

  7. Park (2006) discusses two characteristics of phatic expressions? What are they? How can those characteristics of phatic expressions contribute to their social functions?

  8. Greetings usually take a special conversation-organizational form. What is that special organizational form?

    Could this criterion apply to any kind of communication?

    Is there any occasion where a greeting or greetings may not have this special conversation-organzational form?


  9. Some linguistic expressions are informative and thus creative and unpredictable. Some expressions are highly formulaic such that its occurrence and content are predictable and thus not so informative. How are greetings measured in this formulaic-creative scale?

    Can you think of greetings that may deviate from a general assumption about greetings in the formulaic-creative continuum?

    Duranti illustrates his points about this formulaic or creative nature of greetings through Samoan "Where are you going?" greeting. What are the differences between "How are you?" in English and Samoan "Where are you going?' greeting?



  10. Greetings are said to establish a spatio-temporal unit of interaction. What does it mean?


  11. You would use different greetings to different group of people. That is, greetings would reveal how the other party is treated in terms of group identity and the degree of bondedness and intimacy. Can you tell which group of people are designated in a given greeting? Which greeting implies what kind of group identity? Which part or aspect of the greeting is the identification indicator?


  12. The most commonly used greeting in Samoan, the Malo greeting, seems to be very Samoan culture-specific greeting. What makes it a greeting?




  13. We will go over the following greetings in Korean. Think about these greetings in terms of what Duranti discusses as universal properties of greetings and as Somoan-specific properties. See the summary of Korean greetings.
    1. A: 안녕하세요 Annyôngha-se -yo? [Lit. Are you in peace?]
    be:in:peace-HONORIFIC-POLITE:ENDING(PE)
      B: 안녕하세요 Annyônghaseyo?
    2 A: 밤새 안녕하셨어요 Pamsae annyôngha-sy -ôss -ôyo?
    during:the:night be:in:peace -HONOR-PAST-POLITE:ENDING
    [Lit. Were you in peace during the night?]
      B: (네) 안녕하셨어요 (Ne,) annyôngha-sy-ôss-ôyo? [(Yes,) Did you sleep well?]
    2' A: 밤새 안녕히 주무셨어요 Pamsae annyônghi cumu-sy -ôss-ôyo?
    during:the:night peacefully sleep-HONOR-PAST-PE
    [Lit. Did you sleep well during the night?]
      B: (그래) 잘 잤니 (Kûlae) cal ca -ss -ni? [(Acknowleged) Did you sleep well?]
    be:so well sleep-PAST-INTERROGATIVE
    3 A: 식사하셨어요 siksaha -sy -ôss -ôyo? [Lit. Have you eaten?]
    have:meal-HONOR-PAST-PE
      B: (네) 식사하셨어요 (Ne,) Siksaha-sy-ôss-ôyo? [(Yes,) Have you eaten?]
    4 A: 안녕히 계세요 Annyônghi kye -se -yo. [Lit. Stay in peace.]
    peacefully exist-HONOR-PE
      B: (네) 안녕히 가세요 (Ne,) Annyônghi ka-se -yo. [Lit. Go in peace.]
    peacefully go-HONOR-PE
      A: (그래) 잘 있어 (Kûlae) Cal iss -ô. [Lit. Stay in peace.]
    well exist-INFORMAL:ENDING
      B: 잘 가 Cal ka [Lit. Go in peace.]
    well go-INFORMAL:ENDING(IE)
    5 A: 안녕히 주무세요 Annyônghi cumu-se -yo. [Lit. Sleep in peace.]
    peacefully sleep -HONOR-PE
      B: 안녕히 주무세요 Annyônghi cumu-se -yo. [Lit. Sleep in peace.]
    peacefully sleep -HONOR-PE
    5' A: 잘 자 Cal ca.
    well sleep:IE
      B: 잘 자 Cal ca.
    well sleep:IE
    6 A: 수고하세요 Sukoha -se -yo. [Lit. Take the trouble (to do it)]
    take:trouble-HONOR-PE
      B: (네) 안녕히 가세요/계세요 (Ne,) Annyo^nghi ka/kye -se -yo
    be:so peacefully go/exist-HONOR-PE
    6' A: 수고하세요 Sukoha-se-yo. [Lit. Take the trouble (to do it)]
      B: (네) 수고하세요 (Ne,) Sukoha-se-yo. [Lit. Take the trouble (to do it)]
    7 A: 수고하셨어요 Sukoha -si -ôss -ôyo.
    take:trouble-HONOR-PAST-PE
    [Lit. You have taken the trouble (to do it)]
      B: (네) 수고하셨어요 (Ne,) Sukoha-si-ôss-ôyo.
    8 A:

    (여기까지 오시느라) 수고 많이 하셨습니다 (yôki-kkaci o -si -nûla) suko manhi hasi -ôss -ûpnita
    here-to come-HONOR-because pain(hard:work) much-HONO-PAST-DEFERENTIAL

    [Lit. You have taken pain (trouble) in coming here.]
      B: 아니 뭘요 Ani, mwô-l -yo? [Lit. What are you talking about?]
    No what-OBJECT-PE
    9 A: 어서 오세요 ôsô o-se -yo [Lit. Come right in!]
    right:away come-HONOR-PE
      B: 안녕하세요 Annyôngha-se-yo.
    10 A:

    감사합니다 kamsaha-pnita/komap-sûpnita
    thank -DE /be:grateful-DE

    Thank you/I am grateful.

      B: 아니 뭘요 Ani, mwô-l-yo? [Lit. (No,) What are you talking about?]
    No what-OBJECT-PE
    (B': 별 말씀을 pyôl malssûm-ûl.) [Lit. You're saying special words.]
    special saying -ACC
    10

    새해 복 많이 받으십시오 Saehae pok manhi pat -ûsi-psio
    new:year blessing much receive-HONOR-DE
    [Lit. Receive much new year blessing.]

    Park (2006) discusses a number of patterns of Korean greetings. What are they, and how do those patterns manifest Korean culture?