This paper explores the McCune-Reischauer, Revised, and Yale Romanizations to establish whether the Yale Romanization of Korean, the current standard in linguistics, is truly suitable for this...Show moreThis paper explores the McCune-Reischauer, Revised, and Yale Romanizations to establish whether the Yale Romanization of Korean, the current standard in linguistics, is truly suitable for this field in the Netherlands. The author looks at this issue from a pronunciation accuracy perspective, by having linguistics students and professionals at Leiden University read out phrases in the three transcription systems and quantifying their struggles in pronouncing the different romanizations. Additionally, a survey has been conducted, which asked participants from 3 Dutch universities to choose a preferred transcription system after listening to a Korean word. Both methods found that McCune-Reischauer was pronounced the most accurately and was most preferred by linguistic students. Yale Romanization was the least accurate and least preferred. The author thus argues that while Yale Romanization certainly has its distinct benefits, it is critically lacking in pronounceability and legibility, and is therefore not suitable for all parts of linguistics in its current state.Show less
South Korea’s growing economic status and power over the last century has brought more attention to the increasing presence of the country in the global arena. One of the prime examples of South...Show moreSouth Korea’s growing economic status and power over the last century has brought more attention to the increasing presence of the country in the global arena. One of the prime examples of South Korea’s rising presence on the global stage is the transnational phenomenon known as the Korean Wave. As K-pop and K-dramas continue to spread across the world, the Korean language is making its way to increase its spread at a similar pace. Therefore, at the centre of this paper stands the following research question: How does the spread of Hallyu serve as a tool of soft power for South Korea to promote the Korean language around the world?Show less
