March 29, 2024
Evergreen

Tense times to best friends: A look at the inter-Korean dictionary project

Linguists involved in ongoing dictionary project reflect on conflicts, but also a growing bond

After almost seven years of meetings, linguists from South and North became ddak-chingu (best friends). They would mix informal and honorific speech – a rarity among Korean speakers – and sometimes kick each other playfully.

After particularly exhausting meetings, they would play the "train game" with the North Korean song "See You Again" playing in the background: more than 70 linguistic experts playing, following each other shoulder to shoulder.

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