It was pointed out in Lesson One that Korean nouns usually, but not always, correspond to English nouns. Correspondence of vocabulary is one thing, and correspondence of sentence patterns is another. Korean sentences in general are less specific than English sentences. A key spot where this difference shows up is in what strikes us as “omission of pronouns” from Korean sentences, particularly subjects and topics.
As emphasized already in section 5.1., it is especially important to be cautious about addressing the second person, i.e., saying you. The person you are addressing may be called, respectfully, 선생님, or 김선생님 ; or you may use a professional title, like 박사님 you (who are a Ph.D.) or 김박사님 you (Dr. Kim). (All of these can also be used for the THIRD person, so that a given sentence containing such an expression is, out of its context, ambiguous). Korean nouns are used in sentences in one of the following four positions.
a. Before particles
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- A particle after a noun shows its grammatical relationship to the rest of the sentence.
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b. Before the copula
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- A noun (call it N) plus the copula means “is (the same thing as) N”, in the formula X is N or It is N
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c. Before another noun
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- See below for explanation.
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d. By itself (absolute)
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- Korean nouns are sometimes used by themselves, with nothing but a pause after them, in absolute position, usually at the beginning of sentence, like a toipic. You will learn more about this later.
Nouns are used to modify or describe other nouns. Such noun-noun phrases as 김선생님 and 김복동 are quite familiar to you. Names of nations (영국 England, 한국 Korea) combine in such phrases as these:
- 영국사람
Englishman (England-person) - 한국말
Korean (Korea-language)
You have seen instances of the latter phrase, 한국말, in turn being used to modify a third noun:
- 한국말 책 (선생, 학생)
Korean language book (teacher, student)
Some nouns are used more frequently as modifiers of other nouns than by themselves. Then there is a special group of nouns used only before other nouns. These are PRE-NOUNS, and you have learned the following in this lesson:
무슨 (담배) what kind of (cigarettes)?
어떤 (or 어느)[것] which (thing)?
이 [것] this (thing)
그 [것] that (thing)
저 [것] that (thing), yonder
Another special group of nouns are used only after such pre-nouns (or after other modifying elements); these we can call QUASI-FREE NOUNS, since they seem to be free to do everything except start a sentence:
(그) 것(that) thing
(그) 곳(that) place
(그) 분(that) esteemed person