[KS] Languages in Korea

[Cedar Bough Blomberg]

A study released a few days ago said that only 56% of Chinese people
understand and can speak Putonghua, and of those 56% more than half
said they are more comfortable in another language.  Apparently this
is frustrating to the Chinese gov't which has tried hard to get
everyone to learn Putonghua.

One thing that gets people confused, I think, and makes them more
likely to use the word dialect in China, is the fact that most of
China uses the same written characters.  However, there are (as we can
see on any piece of Chinese paper money) other writing systems,
including Uighr, Tibetan and Mongolian.

Arguably these three are the easiest to say "different language"
about, and Tibetans consider their language to be divided into three
major languages (which are mutually unintelligible, but use one
written system).  One is for the Lhasa area, one is for Amdo, and one
for Kham.  In addition even within Amdo many Tibetans from say Gannan
find it almost impossible to understand Tibetans from Golok.  However
Tibetans themselves have characterized that as a dialectical
difference and generally stick to the "three languages of Tibetan"
story.  Incidentally, the Dalai Lama is from Amdo and before moving to
Lhasa he only spoke that language, so part of his early training was
in the language of the capital region.  Almost all English language
"Tibetan" teaching materials focus on the Lhasa area, and most of the
refugee diaspora is made up of native speakers of that Tibetan
language.

Of course, many people would not even consider Uighrs, Tibetans or
Mongolians (from Inner Mongolia) Chinese, but well, Beijing does, and
these are languages spoken in political entity China.  Other of the
"55 minorities" in China also have their own languages, including the
Hui, Naxi and I imagine, many more.

Many of the Joseonjok (ethnic Koreans from China) who I've met said
that they find many differences between Korean there and Korean here
in Daehanminguk.   I also believe that a lot of re-unification
specialists are given headaches by the language shift between the two
Koreas.  DPRK being quite adamant in their prohibition of borrowed
words and the ROK borrowing esp. tech words without a moments
hesitation. These haven't become mutually unintelligible, but
especially in vocabulary I've heard there is a substantial shift.