Today I want to get into Korean dialects! South Korea while being small in size, is quite big in population and history of culture to build their own dialectal variences. I’ll cover the major dialects, where they are from, any notes about them, the pronunciation differences, and then some interesting slang or expressions!
What is a Dialect?
A dialect is a specific version of language that develops from distance, cultural influence, and historical events. Dialect changes can include grammar, vocabulary, and pronunciation. Dialects include enough of these changes to distinguish themselves, and with enough changes or population or influence one can become a fully new language!
Distinct English dialects you’d probably recognize are Standard American, Southern American, Australian, AAVE (African American Vernacular English), British English, etc.
Korean dialects have their own quirks and little changes like those! Learning about them will help you better understand the Korean language, and especially connect with Koreans. Satoori (사투리) is the Korean word for dialect so when you hear someone speak in a dialect, often you’ll hear the word Satoori come up as well.
