1

A Comparative Study on Idioms of the Human Body Parts in Korean and Malay Languages

Associate Professor. Rou, Seung Yoan

School of Language Studies and Linguistics Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities

National University of Malaysia UKM Bangi, 43600 Selangor Malaysia

Tel:+60389216556, Fax: +60389254577 H/P:+60183996688

korea@ukm.edu.my

Dr. Kim, Keum Hyun

Dept. of Socio-Culture,

Academy of Malay Studies

University of Malaya, Lembah Pantai 50603, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Tel:+60322463438, Fax: +60322463433 H/P:+60123291188

korea@um.edu.my

2

A Comparative Study on Idioms of the Human Body Parts in Korean and Malay Languages

ABSTRACT

The idiom or idiomatic expression is a phrasal combination of two or more words where its figurative meaning is different from its literal

meaning. Most idiomatic expressions reflect the speaker’s culture, customs, and social and historical backgrounds. Hence, without knowing

a target language’s cultural aspects, and also because idioms are expressions whose meanings cannot be inferred from the dictionary

definitions, a foreign language learner frequently faces problems in understanding the actual meaning of these idiomatic expressions. In

the case of Koreans and Malaysians who use idiomatic expressions in their daily conversations, understanding them in their respective

languages is not a problem. However, this might not be the case when these two groups try to learn each other’s idioms. Therefore, this

study analyses the idiomatic expressions related to five human body parts (head, eyes, nose, mouth and ears) in Korean and Malay. In

addition, the study also examines the cultural aspects, purpose and situations in which the idiomatic expressions are used by the speakers

of the respective languages. Data was sourced from dictionaries and books on idioms in both languages and a comparative study was

conducted using the Language Relativism framework of Sapir-Whorf’s. The findings revealed three categories of idiomatic expressions;

those that have the same literal and real meanings in both languages, those that differ in real meanings but are similar in literal meanings

in the two languages, and those that differ in literal meanings but are similar in real meanings in Korean and Malay.

Keywords: idoms, idiomatic expressions, Korean language, Malay language, culture, communication

INTRODUCTION

In the global society, language could be a helpful and valuable tool for global citizens to communicate with people from different cultures.

However, language also could be a source of misunderstandings and conflicts or at the same time barriers for cordial relationship and

effective cooperation for mutual benefits if people from different cultures are ignorant of cultural diversity or lack a shared cultural code.

Claire Kramsch states that different people speak differently because they think differently, and they think differently because their

language offers them different ways of expressing the world around them (1998: 11). Therefore it is highly recommended that one should

learn a second language or other languages not only to communicate with different people but also to share views and understand each

other better. The role of language in communication and in the sharing of culture, then, cannot be underestimated because the study of

language as a source of cultural and historical elements can enable us to understand people’s values, world views and morality.

3

Korean language has become one of most popular languages among Malaysians. It was offered as a foreign language in the

middle of 1980 at two national universities and one college as an elective course. At present, more than 20 public and private universities

including private language institutes and centres are offering it to students. Meanwhile, the Korean government Test of Proficiency in

Korean (TOPIK) which was first held at the National University of Malaysia (UKM) in 2004 had only 28 candidates for the basic level without

any for the intermediate and advanced levels. However, when the 36th TOPIK was held in April 2014, the number of candidates increased

to 219. Surprisingly, 67 out of 73 Malaysians sat for the intermediate level and 10 out of 24 took the advanced level test. This clearly shows

that the number of Korean language learners has increased and that their Korean proficiency level has also improved. Besides being more

proficient in the language, Korean entertainment programmes such as Korean Wave and K-Pop have contributed significantly to

Malaysians’ awareness and knowledge of Korea and its language. As a result, a large number of Malaysian nowadays can give simple

greetings in Korean and talk about Korean culture, history and its economy frequently.

With the acceleration of improved language proficiency and knowledge about Korea, the demands to learn Korean idioms or

cultural idiomatic expressions have been hightened among Malaysians. Because idioms are specific expressions of a country’s historical,

social and cultural backgrounds, it is difficult to understand her idiomatic expressions without knowing these backgrounds. Therefore,

Malaysians studying Korean idioms will find it very difficult in understanding them. However, if Malaysians learn the right meaning of

Korean idiomatic expressions and use them appropreately, it will lead to better understanding between Malaysians and Koreans. Since

idiomatic expressions related human body parts could be considered universal because all human beings have the same body parts, this

study focuses on comparing Korean and Malay idioms or idiomatic expressions related specifically to the head, eyes, nose, mouth and ears.

When we can understand the social and cultural heritage of people by investigating their idioms which have been passed down verbally

and non-verbally for generations, the world becomes a better place for everyone.

STUDIES ON IDIOMS/IDIOMATIC PHRASES

Idiom is an expression whose meaning is not predictable from the usual meanings of its constituent elements (The Random House

Dictionary of the English Language, 1987)1 and in its structural characteristics, idioms or idiomatic phrases are similar in structure to

ordinary phrases except that they tend to be frozen in form and do not readily undergo rules that change word order or substitution of

their parts (V. Fromkin and R. Rodman, 1998: 151). Since the above-defined range of idioms is extremely large, the first meaning is to be

used as specific or narrow sense of idiom in this paper.

Of the many scholars (Kim Kyu Sun: 1979, Kim Mun Chang: 1974, Kim In Han: 1983, Park Kyung Hyun: 1983, 1984, and Hwang

Hee Yeong: 1978) who worked on Korean idioms, Kim Jong Taek (1971) divides them into substantive type idiom and predicative type

idiom. He explains that the former refers to an idiom ending with a word or proverb ending noun whereas the latter refers to two or more

1 Idiom is defined as follows: 1) an expression whose meaning cannot be derived from its constituent element. 2) a language dialect or style of speaking

peculiar to a language. 3) a construction or expression peculiar to a language. 4) a distinct style or character, as in music or art. The Random House Dictionary of the English Language (1968). Fernando suggests three criteria of idioms as follows; (1) Semantic criteria a) the meaning of an idiom is not the result of the compositional function of its constituent part. b) an idiom has a homonymous counterpart which would render it ambiguous unless suitably contextualised. c) an idiom has a compulsory literal semantic counterpart which may substitute with it synonymously in a given context. (2) Syntactic criteria: a) an idiom is syntactic unit consisting of two or more free morphemes. b) an idiom is a syntactic unit manifesting lexical integrity. c) an idiom is not generatable i.e. an idiom is not produced qua idiom by the operation of syntactic rules. (3) Sociolinguistic criteria: an idiom is institutionalized. (1978: 313, 343)

4

words combined to form a morphological structure which allows a syntactic extension. Besides its type, idiom is also known differently to

different researchers. Park Yeong Soon (1985), Choi Kyung Bong and Kim Hye Sook (1993) in their studies referred to Fernando’s (1978)

semantic, syntactic and sociolinguistic criteria and used the term ‘idiom’. Other scholars who used ‘idiom’ include Kim Min Soo (1964), Kim

Jong Taek (1971), Lee Yeong Hee (1982), Kim Seung Ho (1981), Park Yeong Soon (1985), Jung Ok Joo (1984), Park Jin Soo (1986), Huh Yang

(1989), Hong Mi Ran (1989), Choi Kyung Bong (1992), Park Hye Kyung (1993), and Hwang Soo Mi (1994). However as a generic concept,

‘idiomatic expression’ has been frequently used instead of ‘idiom’ (Kim Mun Chang: 1974, Oh Se Yun: 1982, Lee Taek Hwe: 1983). While

many scholars (Lee Yeong Hee: 1982, Park Jin Soo: 1986, Shim Jae Ki: 1986, Ahn Kyung Hwa: 1986, Kang Hyun Hwa: 1987, Na Eun Yeong:

1989, Huh Yang: 1989, Hong Mi Ran: 1989, Lim Ji Ryong: 1992, Hwang Soo Mi: 1994) preferred ‘idiomatic expression’ which is pronounced

as ‘idieom’ in Korean (Kim Min Soo: 1964, Kim Jong Taek: 1971), ‘idiomatic phrase’ has also been used (Kim Hye Sook: 1993, Kim Min Soo:

1964, Lee Taek Hwe: 1983, Na Eun Yeong: 1989). Meanwhile, ‘proverb’ (Kim Min Soo: 1964, Kim Mun Chang: 1974, Oh Se Woon: 1982,

Shim Jae Gi: 1986), ‘narrow-sense idiom’ (Kim In Han: 1983) and ‘broad-sense idiom (Kim In Han: 1983) have also been used in the

literature. Compared to the generic concept as a comprehensive category, the specific concept, as a subcategory, used many different

terms such as ‘idiom’, ‘polysemic words’, ‘compound words’, ‘figurative words’, ‘slang’, ‘proverb’, ‘enigma’, ‘greetings’, ‘maxim’, and

‘aphorism’ in Korean studies.

Studies on Korean idioms related to human body parts can be divided into three groups. The first study idioms on only one part

of the human body such as the ‘head’, ‘nose’, ‘eyes’ and ‘ears’ separately (Kim Mun Chang: 1976, Park Kyung Hyun: 1984, Sohn Yong Joo:

1988, 1990, Lee Kyung Ja: 1980, 1982, 1983, Hong Sa Man: 1985, 1986). The second conduct comparative studies between Korean and

other languages. For example, Lee Sang Do (1999) and Kim Yang Ok (2004) compared Korean and Chinese idioms about the hand and

whole body parts respectively. The third group, which is the most current, study methods of teaching Korean idioms related to human

body parts. While Kim Myung Choon (2007) researched on how to teach Korean idioms to Japanese learners, Lee Yeong Sook (1992) looks

at how idioms are used in teaching Korean as a second language. Unfortunately, her study lacks the strategies in teaching idioms in Korean

language education. Another innovative method of teaching idioms was through the mass media. Choi Gwon Jin and Jeong Hye Ryeong

(2010) used a list of idioms taken from seven Korean textbooks and from TOPIK test papers to conduct the study.

In the Malay dictionary, idiom is a phrase consisting of two words or more and has a different meaning from the meaning of the

composing words (Kamus Dewan 1986: 1113). Malaysians always say that “Bahasa adalah jiwa bangsa” (Language is the soul of the race)

as elements of literature can portray the culture of the society including perceptions and values of its people.2 Zainal Abidin Bakar discusses

the role and functions of idioms and says that in Malay society particularly, ‘Pantuns’ (poems) reflect the soul and values of Malay culture.

“Pantun and ‘peribahasa’ (proverbs) are integral and valuable cultural heritage for the Malay society (1984: 3). Muhammad Haji Salleh

(1986: 3) also added that “pantuns are clearly portraying perfectness and genius of Malay’s literature. Pantuns pertain spirit, arts, wisdom

and good manners of Malays”. Furthermore Muhammad Haji Salleh (2006: 1) emphasizes on idioms as a tool of socialization and mentions

idioms and proverbs were the most significant methods in channelling the values, thoughts of the Malay of the archipelago. Through

wisdom and poetic associations, the lines sketch the people's soul, giving voice to issues faced perpetually for hundreds of years, in fact

2 The Following scholars have proved the importance of literature in understanding culture of society. i) Barnouw, Victor in Culture and Personality, ii)

Senu Abdul Rahman in Revolusi Mental, iii) Abdul Halim Othman & Wan Rafaei Abdul Rahman in Psikologi Melayu, iv) Muhammad Hj. Salleh in

Cermin Diri, v) Wan Abdul Kadir in Budi Sebagai Asas Budaya Melayu, vi) Whiting, John W.M. (et al.), Field Guide for a Study of Socialization.

5

thousands, in matters of practicality and hearts, physically and spiritually, which would later be translated into a mixture of opinions,

values, laws, love and affection and a multiplicity of emotions. The function of pantun and peribahasa should be seen from two major

perspectives, namely the literati/sage as poet and thinker. “Pantuns contain guideline and teaching which guide people to goodness and

peace of life in order to be polite and intelligent” (Mastura Ashari, 2011, 2012: 11). In the Malay world, idiom is a very popular

communication method and is used by all groups and classes of society (Zainal Abidin Bakar, 1983: 32). According to Hasan Muhammad Ali

(1996: 8) the function of idioms i) lend colour and life to an otherwise monotonous essay, ii) refine or introduce a more subtle adjective to

soften the verbs or image which one wishes to convey or use, iii) enhance and entice the recipient of the objective or purpose of such a

word or idea which the speaker uses, iv) lay emphasis on the idea or story being told.

Given the rich data idioms provide, unfortunately, not many studies about idioms and idioms related to human body parts by

Korean researchers have been carried out in Malaysia. One noteworthy study was the “Pengkajian simpulan bahasa mengenai anggota

badan dalam beberapa bahasa: Research on body-related idioms in several languages” in 1993 by academics from Universiti Kebangsaan

Malaysia where Malay idioms on human body parts were compared to five Asian languages; Korean, Thai, Chinese, Japanese and Arabic, as

well as three European languages; English, French and German.

THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK

The theoretical framework of this study is underpinned by Sapir-Whorf’s ‘Language Relativism’. From the perspective of language

relativism or weak language determinism, thought is influenced by language, whatever that language may be. This language relativity

assumes that; firstly, peoples of the world have developed different ways of viewing the world and language differences affect our daily,

automatic thinking, rather than what we are capable of thinking about. Secondly, language differences reflect differences in conceptual

structure and the conceptual system underlying the language that a person speaks will affect the way in which that person thinks about the

world and, accordingly, the way in which that person will reason when solving problems. Thirdly, language can create some aspects of

reality and the more frequent and automatic the word or grammatical form, the more it potentially affects what we observe in the world

and how we reason. Languages make different distinctions in their lexicons. A distinctively sculpted lexicon is the evolutionary product of a

people’s struggle to survive in a specific environment. But of course, the environment itself can be human-made. Whorf says that the world

is presented in a kaleidoscopic flux of impressions which have to be organized largely by the linguistic systems in our minds. Meanings are

not so much discovered in experience as imposed upon it, because of the tyrannical hold that linguistic form has upon our orientation to

the world. Therefore, there is a need to study the treasure of Malay and Korean languages and to examine whether language affects the

perception and reasoning of people.

Language is a guide to ‘social reality’. Though language is not ordinary thought of as of essential interest to the students of

social science, it powerfully conditions all our thinking about social problems and processes. Human beings do not live in the objective

world alone, nor alone in the world of social activity as ordinarily understood, but are very much at the mercy of the particular language

which has become the medium of expression for their society. (Edward Sapir, 1949: 162 in Claire Kramsch, 1998: 85) Based on this theory,

6

it is assumed that analyzing Malay and Korean languages could enhance our understanding of cultures, particularly their values and

attitudes.

ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION

This qualitative study adopted text analysis to examine the differences of perception, world-view and values, particularly about the human

body in Korean and Malaysian society. This research on expressions aims at discerning general perceptions embodied in ideas or thoughts

of Koreans and Malaysians. In line with this aim, the authors had focused idioms of the two societies and each of these categories was then

divided into sub-categories of the head, eyes, nose, mouth and ears. 62 Korean idiomatic phrases and 78 Malaysian idiomatic phrases were

selected. 3 In both languages, the idioms are formed as follows:

Noun Body-related words (head, eyes, nose, mouth, ears) + Adjective Verb (active form) Verb (passive form) Idioms on Head

In Korean as well as Malay idioms on human body parts,4 the word ‘head’5 carries an important function in relation to recognition and

conceptualization. It is used as idiomatic expression in various communicative, cultural and literature context. The word ‘head’ represents

the head of a community. As the leader, ‘head’ therefore, is the person to be respected by members of the community. ‘Head’ does not

mean the physical form but the ‘brain’. It refers to ‘intellectual ability’, ‘thought’, ‘enlightenment’ and ‘understanding’. In most cases, when

the word ‘head’ regardless whether it is used either as ‘head’ or ‘brain’ when combined with various nouns and adjectives, they become

idioms in both languages. From 25 Korean idioms and 18 Malaysian idioms, 7 idioms matched with the following three categories as shown

in Tables 1, 2, 3 below;

Table 1: Idioms with same literal and actual meaning (Head)

Korean idioms

(Meori)

Malay idioms

(Kepala)

Meaning of words Actual Meaning

Korean Malay

Meorireul sikhida Kepala dingin Sikhida (cool down) Dingin (cool) Calm down, patient

Meoriga dolda Kepala pusing Dolda (spin) Pusing (spin) To have a lot problem, to be

crazy

Table 2: Idioms with differnt literal meaning but same actual meaning (Head)

3 Kim Hyung Sook(1996) studied on body-related idioms in Korean dictionary for Idioms and levelled the idioms by its frequency of usages as follows;

hand(155) > eyes(124) > mouth(121) > nose(72) > ears(58) > foot(54) > head(47) > face(36). However only selected Korean idioms were undertaken for the purpose of comparing Malaysian idioms and those idioms that could be categorized are mentioned in this study.

4 According to Mun Jong Sun (1994) Korean idioms on human body parts accounted for 54% in total Korean dioms. 5 It is characterized by most of Korean idioms on human body parts are monosyllabic. For example, human body-related idioms in one syllable are eyes(nun),

nose(kho), mouth(ib), ears(gwi), tooth(i), tongue(hyeo), jaw(teok), neck(mok), hand(son), arm(pal), foot(bal), bone(ppyeo), body(mom), stomach(bae), cheek(bol) etc. human body-related idioms in two syllables are head(meo-ri), face(eol-gul), shoulder(Eo-ggae), chest(ga-seum) and etc. In addition to this, some Chinese words in one syllable are also found as lung(pye), liver(gan), stomach(wi) and intenstine(jang) etc. Lee Yeong Sook (1992: 99)

7

Korean idiom

(Meori)

Malay idiom

(Kepala)

Meaning of words Actual Meaning

Korean Malay

Dol Meori Kepala udang Dol (stone/ rock) Udang (shrimp) Stupid, foolish

Table 3: Idioms with same literal meaning but different actual meaning (Head)

Korean idioms

(Meori)

Malay idioms

(Kepala)

Actual Meaning

Korean Malay

Dol Meori Kepala batu Dol (stone/rock): stupid Batu (stone/rock): do not want to obey

or follow other’s words, advice, order,

stubborn

Meoriga mugeobda Berat kepala Mugeobda (heavy): headache,

feels not well

Berat (heavy): can not think well or

logically

Meoriga gabyeobda Ringan kepala Gabyeobda (light): lighthearted,

carefree

Ringan (light): easy to understand

Meoriga keuda Besar kapala Keuda(big): to be an adult, get to

know well

Besar (big): an arrogant people

It is interesting to note that some idioms are totally different and cannot be matched with each language probably because

these idioms reflected their own unique cultural background. For example, the Malay idiom ‘Kepala arwah (late head)’ which means special

dish or food served before feast ends is not easy to understand without knowledge of the Malaysian culture. Similarly, Korean idioms such

as ‘Meorireul kkakda’, ‘Meorireul eonda’ and ‘Meorireul pulda’ which mean ‘Cut the hair (to be a monk or to be in jail’, ‘Hair to be putted

on the head (a woman to get married, to become a professional gisaeng/Korean geisha’ and ‘Untied hair (to be bereaved)’ respectively are

idioms that reflect the life and culture of the Josun Dynasty (1392-1910). In general, the ‘head’ in Korean and Malay idioms provides us

with the values of the respective societies on how to evaluate the status and the intellectual ability of individual. It represents some

positive perceptions and values such as ‘high self esteem’, ‘intelligence’, ‘individual’s social status’, ‘enlightenment’ and ‘obedience’. For

some idioms, it is also used to symbolize negative perception and values like ‘being obstinate or stubborn’, ‘caprice or being

temperamental’, and ‘learning disability or stupidity’.

Idioms on Eyes

Idioms on eyes refer to human judgement, satisfaction, anger and attention in both Korean and Malay. The Korean word ‘nun’ is usually

combined with colour, height or weight adjectives and various verbs but the Malay word ‘mata’ is combined with nouns. After anaylzing

eight Korean idioms and twenty three Malay idioms, only the following idioms on eyes could be categorized as shown in Tables 4, 5 and 6

below;

Table 4: Idioms with same literal and actual meaning (Eyes)

Korean idioms Malay idioms Meaning of words Actual Meaning

8

(Nun) (Mata) Korean Malay

Maeumeui nun Mata hati Maeum (heart) Mata (heart) Eyes of heart, heartstrings

Nuni mugeopda Berat mata Mugeopda (heavy) Berat (heavy) Sleepy, quickly get sleep,

tired

Table 5: Idioms with differnt literal meaning but same actual meaning (Eyes)

Korean idiom

(Nun)

Malay idiom

(Mata)

Meaning of words Actual Meaning

Korean Malay

Kamak nun Mata betung Kamak (dark, black) Betung (bamboo) Illiterate, foolish

Table 6: Idioms with same literal meaning but different actual meaning (Eyes)

Korean idiom

(Nun)

Malay idiom

(Mata)

Actual Meaning

Korean Malay

Nuni eodupda Gelap mata Eodupda (dark): do not see well,

do not understand well

Gelap (dark): rampage, lose one’s

reason

The Malay idiom ‘Mata jalan (street eyes, marks)’ which means ‘signboard’ is also found in Korean idioms. However, there is no

meaning by itself. It must be combined with verbs like ‘Nun gireul jugo badda (to share the same thought)’ and ‘Nun gireul kkeulda (to be

attracted, draw attention)’. The eyes in both languages display values of ‘the judgment’ and ‘tool of emotions’. It is used to describe

‘disappointment’ and ‘anger’ while it is considered as ‘source of knowledge’ and ‘tool of expression of emotions’. And ‘eyes’ in Korean

idioms are used for describing ‘preference’, ‘individual’s interest’ while Malay idioms about eyes represent ‘origin’, ‘integral element of

something’ or ‘tool of expression’.

Idioms on Nose

Two common meanings are found in Korean and Malay idioms on nose; ‘pride’ and ‘self’. When the Korean word ‘kho (nose)’ and the

Malay word ‘hidung (nose)’ are combined with the word ‘high’, the resulting idiom means ‘arrogance’ in both languages. On the other

hand, when ‘kho’ and ‘hidung’ are combined with ‘cannot be seen’, the idiom means ‘absence’. Since there are not many idioms on nose in

both languages, only two categories out of the eight Korean and five Malay idioms could be identified as shown in Tables 7 and 8 below;

Table 7: Idioms with same literal and actual meaning (Nose)

Korean idioms

(Kho)

Malay idioms

(Hidung)

Meaning of words Actual Meaning

Korean Malay

Khokkeutdo an boida Tidak nampak hidung Kkeutdo an boida (is

not shown)

Tidak nampak (is not

shown)

Absent in the place

Khoga nopda Hidung tinggi Nopda (high) Tinggi (high) Arragont

9

Keun kho dachida Kena batang hidung Keun (big), dachida

(to be hurt)

Kena batang (to be

hitted the bridge of

nose)

Pay dearly

Table 8: Idioms with same literal meaning but different actual meaning (Nose)

Korean idoms

(Kho)

Malay idoms

(Hidung)

Actual Meaning

Korean Malay

Nae khoga seokja Hidung panjang Busy in own business, can not do

other things

To be ashamed

In general, Korean idioms on nose are not combined with nouns but with adjectives and verbs unlike Malay idioms which are

combined with nouns such as ‘Hidung belang (striped nose)’ which means ‘a man who likes to interfere with woman’. The nose in both

languages reflects similar perceptions and values on ‘authority’ and ‘self’ respectively. It is used to represent ‘participation’, ‘power’,

‘arrogance of people’, ‘embarrassment’, ‘humiliation’, and ‘ignorance’. In addition to this, it is found that Malay idioms emphasize ‘high

self esteem’ and ‘desire of people’ and Korean idioms describe the ‘difficult situation’ or ‘belittling other people’.

Idioms on Mouth

Communication and food intake are the main functions of the mouth. Most Malay idioms on mouth are associated with the communicatvie

function whilst Korean idioms are associated with life and communication. Interestingly too, in both Korean and Malay societies, a person’s

character is judged as either trustworthy or depending on the weight of the mouth. Another peculiar finding is that a large percentage of

idioms on mouth are used as negative expressions in both societies. From the data, 23 Malay and 12 Korean idioms on mouth were

analyzed and categorised in Tables 9. 10 and 11 as follows;

Table 9: Idioms with same literal and actual meaning (Mouth)

Korean idioms

(Ib)

Malay idioms

(Mulut)

Meaning of words Actual Meaning

Korean Malay

Ibi mugeobda Berat mulut Mugeobda (heavy) Berat (heavy) Be tacitum, secretness

Ibi deoreobda Mulut kotor Deoreobda (dirty) Kotor (dirty) Like to talk bad things

Table 10: Idioms with differnt literal meaning but same actual meaning

Korean idioms

(Ib)

Malay idioms

(Mulut)

Meaning of words Actual Meaning

Korean Malay

Ibi gabyeobda Mulut bocor

Gabyeobda (light) Bocor (leak) Cannot keep the secret

Mulut berus Berus (brush) Like to speak out

10

someone’s secret

Mulut rambang Rambang (random) Like to speak out

someone’s secret

Mulut tempayan Tempayan (crock) Like to speak out

someone’s secret

Mulut rampas Rampas (seized) Like to speak out

someone’s secret

Ibman salda Same as above Salda(alive) Same as above Like to speak out

someone’s secret

Table 11: Idioms with same literal meaning but different actual meaning (Mouth)

Korean idioms

(Ib)

Malay idioms

(Mulut)

Actual Meaning

Korean Malay

Ibe balin mal Mulut manis Balin mal (sweet word): flattery Manis (sweet): stubborn, good speech

Ibi garyeobda Mulut gatal Garyeobda (itchy): want to speak

out to someone

Gatal (itchy): love to talk about other’s

weakness or something not favour of

others

Additionally, natural environment elements and lifestyle of both Korean and Malaysian societies affect their respective idioms.

In this case, each society’s idioms cannot relate to their literal and actual meanings. The words ‘buaya (crocodile)’ and ‘getah (glue)’ as in

‘Mulut buaya (untrustful words)’, which means words spoken by a liar or bad person, and as in ‘Mulut bergetah (something or matters to

be proven often)’ can be easily found in Malay idioms but not in Korean. In contrast, the Korean idoms ‘Ibe pul-chil hada (to earn for living)’

cannot be understood without knowing the Korean lifestyle. The mouth in Korean and Malaysian idioms is utilized to display ‘credibility’

and ‘social skills’ in the respective societies. It reflects the positive values of ‘trustfulness’, ‘keeping promises’, ‘social skills’ or

‘communication skills’, ‘sociable attitude’ and ‘sustenance of life or livelihood’ while it is also described as the cause of many problems in

relation to ‘curses’, ‘poisonous words’, ‘loquaciousness’ and ‘sweet lips’ when it is used unwisely. One of the most interesting differences

between Korean and Malay idioms is antipathy of value on the idiomatic expressions ‘heavy mouth’. Korean idoms implies positive

perception on a ‘heavy mouthed’ person as a reliable individual who can keep secrets. Meanwhile, Malay idoms insinuates negative value

on ‘heavy mouthed’ person as a unsociable or anti-social individual who is reluctant to communicate or mingle with others.

Idioms on Ears

Idioms on ears in Korean and Malay, refer to the channel of information since they concern people’s words and ideas. Eight Malaysian and

nine Korean idioms were selected for comparison, however, only two idioms could be categorised under the theoretical framework as

follows;

Table 12: Idioms with same literal meaning but different actual meaning (Ears)

11

Korean idioms

(Gwi)

Malay idioms

(Telinga)

Actual Meaning

Korean Malay

Gwiga yeorida Bertelinga lembut Yeorida(soft): believe other’s

words eventhough it is a lie

Lembut(soft): like to help other who is

in trouble

Gwiga yalbda Telinga nipis Yalbda(thin): someone who is

easy to belive

Nipis(thin): someone who is easily to be

offended or angry

The ears in both languages is used to reflect ‘values on conviction’ and it is considered as ‘the channel of knowledge and

information’ and ‘criteria to evaluate the level of being obstinate’. Korean idioms use ears to display ‘the level of hearing ability’,

‘interest’, ’conviction’ and ‘familiarity’ while Malaysian idioms represent ‘the level of sensitivity, dullness’ and ‘keenness of individual to

others’ advices or opinion’. Compared to other idioms on human body parts, the idioms on ears are not found many, consequently as

shown as above, there is few idoms to categorize in Korean and Malay languages.

CONCLUSION

It is impossible for a language learner to master a foreign languge without understanding cultural aspects that are implied in language itself.

Whilst language is used for communication, expression, ideas, values, world view and culture of its people are also expressed by it. As a

result, learning idioms can enhance the process of mastering language as they are used to express emotions, behaviours, attitudes and

situations of society. Incidently, language learners can learn not only language expressions but also its intergral cultural aspects which is a

pre-requisit for cross-cultrural communication in the global era.

The idiom is not simply a phrasal combination of two or more words but an expression that reflects a speaker’s culture, history,

customs and social background. Therefore, Korean idioms and Malay idioms play an important role of representing each country’s culture,

history and customs respectively. In understanding a target country’s language, one should study not only the alphabet, pronunciation,

vocabulary and grammar but also acquire the cultural knowledge of that country. This is because good communication in the true sense of

the word works on the basis of a sound knowledge of the target country lifestyle and customs as well as its people’s way of thinking.

Furthermore, the role of language is to convey ideas and culture and the culure is expressed by the language. Therefore, one cannot

master a language without understanding the culture that is contained in the language itself.

The findings have revealed that idioms are the best part of the language in representing a culture and the learning of body-

related idioms is even more difficult. If a person understands the procedure and the creation of the idioms, that person will be able to

communicate well with the native speaker. Therefore, the education of idioms is not only limited to teaching a language for

communication purposes but also teaching a learner about how to master a culture.

In conclusion, Koreans and Malaysians have developed ways of viewing the world differently and also different language

structures and grammar affect their daily and spontaneous thinking. Eventhough the same components are used in the formation of idioms,

sometimes their meanings may be the same but in many cases they are different. As language differences reflect differences in conceptual

structure, Korean idioms are formed by verbs and adjectives whilst Malay idioms are formed by nouns. In terms of cultural context, some

12

idioms that have the same literal meaning are used by Koreans and Malaysians for the same purpose. Besides similiar idioms, there are

idioms that have different literal meaning but the same actual meaning whereas some idioms have similar literal meaning but different

actual meaning. These significant findings have shown that world view and language affect the formation of idioms related to body parts in

different ways in both the languages of Korea and Malay.

REFERENCES

Ahmad Fuad Mat Hassan, and Zaitul Azma Zainon Hamzah (2010) Pengkategorian Peribahasa Melayu Berdasarkan Aspek Nilai dan

Pemikiran: Satu Analisis Pragmatik, Selangor: Universiti Putra Malaysia.

Albrecht, M.C. (1954) ‘The relationship of literature and society’, American Journal of Sociology, 59 (March): 425-436.

Allport, G. W. (1937) Personality: A Psychological Interpretation, New York: Henry Holt.

Arewa, E.O., and Dundes, A. (1964) ‘Proverbs and the Ethnography of Speaking Folklore’, American Anthropologist, 66:70-85.

Alias Siek (1999) Penglihatan Dunia Orang Melayu dalam Peribahasa, Kuala Lumpur: University of Malaya, Fakulti Bahasa dan Linguistik.

Bahiyah Dato’ Hj Abdul Hamid, and Hafriza Burhanudeen (1998) ‘Men and women in Malay Proverb: An analysis of Malay Gender ideology’,

In Sharifah Zaleha Syed Hassan & Rashila Ramli (eds.) Kedudukan dan Citra Wanita dalam Sumber-sumber Tradisional Melayu,

Bangi: Institut Alam dan Tamadun Melayu, UKM, pp 148-158.

Carroll, John B. (ed.) (1956) Language Thought, and Reality: Selected Writings of Benjamin Lee Whorf, Massachusetts: MIT Press.

Choi, Gwon Jin, and Jeong, Hye Ryeong (2010) ‘A Study on Methods of Teaching Korean Body-Related Idioms by Using Mass Media

Material’, Journal of the International Network for Korean Language and Culture, 7(2): 221-246.

Daillie, F-R. (1988) Alam Pantun Melayu: Studies on the Malay Pantun, Kuala Lumpur: Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka.

Djamanis, Edwar (1985) ‘Memahami dan Menghargai Peribahasa’, Dewan Bahasa, 29 (5): 338-344.

Flexner, Stuart Berg (1987) The Random House Dictionary of the English Language. New York : Random House International Group.

Fernando, C. (1978) ‘Towards a Definition of Idiom: Its Nature and Function’, Studies in Language 2-3: 313, 343, Amsterdam the

Netherlands.

Fisher, J. L., and Yoshida, T. (1968) ‘The nature of speech according to Japanese proverbs’, The journal of American Folklore. 81: 35-43.

Fromkin, Victoria, Rodman, Robert, and Hyams, Nina. (2014) An Introduction to Language. 10th Edition. Wadsworth, Cengage Learning.

USA

Jufrizal Zul Amri, and Refnaldi (2007) ‘Hipotesis Sairp-Whorf dan struktur informasi klausa pentopikalan bahasa Minangkabau’, Jurnal

Lingusitika, 14(26): 1-22.

Jyh, Wee Sew (1996) ‘Symbolisation in Malay: Evidence in Genre and Lexicon’, Proceedings of 4th International Pan-Asiatic Symposium of

Language and Linguistics, I: 114-129.

Kim, Hyang Sook (1996) A Study on body-related idioms ‘Hand’. Mater’s thesis. Faculty of Education, Inha University.

Kim, Jin Shik (1995) A Study on Idiomatic Expression of Eyes (Nun). Gaesin Language and Literature Research, Vol.12: 45-78.

13

Kim, Keum Hyun (1996) Konsep Jadi Orang Dalam Masyarakat Melayu: Satu Kajian Kes di Negeri Terengganu. Master’s thesis, University of

Malaya.

__________ (2012) ‘Cultural Divergence between Korean and Malay Industrial Workers as Reflected in their 'Definition of the Situation’’,

Korea Journal, 52(2): 188-220.

Kluckhohn, C. (1951) Values and Value-Orientation in the theory of action. In Talcott Parsons and Edward A. Shils (eds.) Toward a General

Theory of Action, New York: The Free Press of Glencoe.

Koo, Hyun Jung (2011) On semantic extension mechanisms of Korean idiomatic expressions: the case of ‘head’ in Korean. Discourse and

Congnition, 18(3): 1-22.

Kramsch, Claire (1998) Language and Culture, London: Oxford University Press.

Lakoff, George, and Turner, Mark (1989) More Than Cool Reason: A Field Guide to Poetic Metaphor, Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

Lee, Yeong Sook (1992) ‘A Relation between Idioms and Body Terms in Korean for Second Language Learners’, Korean Languae Institute,

17: 95-117.

Lim, Kim Hui (2003) Budi as the Malay Mind: A philosophical Study of Malay Ways of Reasoning and Emotion in Peribahasa, Jerman:

University of Hamburg.

Makkai, Adam (1984) A Dictionary of American Idioms, N.Y.: Barron’s Educational Series Inc.

Mandelbaum, David G. ed. (1983) Selected Writings of Edward Sapir in Language, Culture, and Personality, California: University of

California Press.

Mohamad Radzi Salleh (1999) Peribahasa dalam Masyarakat Melayu Satu Analisis Pemikiran dan Cerminan Falsafah, Selangor: Universiti

Putra Malaysia.

Mohd. Nor bin Ngah (1985) ‘Islamic World-View of Man, Society and Nature among the Malays in Malaysia’ in Mohd. Taib Osman (ed.)

Malaysian World-View, Singapore: Institute of Southeast Asian Studies, pp 6-45.

Mohd. Taib Osman, ed. (1985) Malaysian World-View. Singapore: Institute of Southeast Asian Studies.

Muhammad Hj. Salleh (1986) Cermin Diri: Esei-esei Kesusasteraan, Petaling Jaya: Penerbit Fajar Bakti.

___________ (2006) ‚ ‘Dalam Daun Ada Bicara: Falsafah Alam Pantun Melayu’, in Rogayah A. Hamid and Jumaah Ilias (eds.) Pandangan

Semesta Melayu Pantun, Kuala Lumpur: Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka, pp 1 - 32

Mun, Jon Sun (1994) A study of Korean Idioms, Master’s thesis, Wonkang University.

Mun, Keum Hyun (1998) A Study on the Education of Korean Idioms as a Foreign Language. Journal of Bilingualism. 15: 207-233.

Overbeck, H. (1925) ‘Malay Customs and Beliefs as recorded in Malay Literature and Folklore, Part II’, Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society,

Malayan Branch, 3(1): 53-57.

Park, Soon Bong (2002) ‘A Comparative Study of Idioms in English and Korean -Centered around Idioms with Human Body parts’, The

Journal of English Language and Literature. Vol.44 (3): 191-216.

Pengkajian Simpulan Bahasa Mengenai Anggota Badan dalam Beberapa Bahasa. 1993. Unit Kemahiran Bahasa Asing. Pusat Bahasa.

Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia.

Perlovsky, Leonid (2009) ‘Language and Emotions: Emotional Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis’, Neural Networks, 22(5-6): 518-526.

Rekeach, Milton (1973) The Nature of Human Values, New York: The Free Press.

14

Rou Seung Yoan, and Kim Keum Hyun (2001) ‘Korean Language and Korean Studies Programs in Malaysia’, Journal of the Korean Society of

Bilingualism. 19: 95-110.

__________ (2010) ‘Role and Importance of Korean Cutural Education in Korean Language Education’, Journal of Korean Language and

Culture. 7(1): 117-144.

Sapir, Edward (1921) Language: An Introduction to the Study of Speech, Harcourt: Brace.

__________ (1985) Culture, language and personality: Selected essays by Edward Sapir, Berkeley: University of California Press.

Shahizah Ismail Hamdan (2012) ‘Producing/reproducing ideology: unearthing multiple perspectives on literature and popular culture’, 3L;

Language, Linguistics and Literature, The Southeast Asian Journal of English Language Studies, 18 (3): 53-60.

Slobin, D.I. (1996) ‘From ‘thought and languge’ to ‘thinking for speaking’’, in Gumperz J.J. & Levinson S.C. (eds.) Rethinking Linguistic

Relativity, Cambridge: university Press, pp 70-96.

Taylor, A. (1934) ‘Problems in the study of proverbs’, The Journal of American Folklore, 47: 1-21.

Tham, Seong Chee (1977) Language and Cognition-An Analysis of the Thought and Culture of the Malays, Singapore: Chopmen Enterprises.

Tktleman, G.Y. (1996) Random House dictionary of popular proverbs and saying, N.Y.: Random House Inc.

Wajir Jahan Karim (1990) Emotions of Culture: A Malay Perspective, Singapore: Oxford University Press.

Whiting, B.J. (1989) Modern proverbs and proverbial sayings, Cambridge, MA: Harvard Univ. Press.

Whorf, Benjamin (1956) Language, Thought and Reality: Selected Writings of Benjamin Lee Whorf, edited by J.B. Carroll, Cambridge, Mass.:

MIT Press.

Wierzbicka, Anna (1985) ‘A Semantic Metalanguage for a crosscultural comparision of speech acts and speech genres’, Language in Society.

14(4): 491-514.

Zaitul Azma Zainon Hamzah, and Ahmad Fuad Mat Hassan (2011) ‘Bahasa dan Pemikiran dalam Peribahsa Melayu’, GEMA online Journal of

Language Studies, 11(3): 31-51.

Zulkifley Hamid (1994) ‘Bahasa Melayu sebagai Penyerlah Hakikat Kehidupan Akal Budi Orang Melayu’, Jurnal Dewan Bahasa. 38(11): 1038-

41.