Speech Levels and Honorifics
The relationship between a speaker or writer and his or her subject and audience is paramount in Korean, and the grammar reflects this. The relationship between speaker/writer and subject referent is reflected in honorifics, while that between speaker/writer and audience is reflected in speech level.
Read more about this topic: Korean Writing System
Famous quotes containing the words speech and/or levels:
“Good speech need not be behind other’s backs; speech behind other’s backs is not good.”
—Chinese proverb.
“When I turned into a parent, I experienced a real and total personality change that slowly shifted back to the “normal” me, yet has not completely vanished. I believe the two levels are now superimposed, with an additional sprinkling of mortality intimations.”
—Sonia Taitz (20th century)