The Evolution of Korean Language and Its Global Impact

The Korean language is being studied and traced back in Eurasia to understand its roots and connections with neighboring languages.

### Tracing the Roots of the Korean Language: From Language Experiment to Genetic Discoveries
* 🌏 "Through a language experiment involving people from 25 Eurasian countries residing in Korea, participants rearrange themselves based on the **similarity of basic words**, aiming to find languages considered **similar to their own**."
* Linguists believe that many languages on Earth belong to **common ancestral languages** when traced back to ancient times, forming **language families**.
* 🚗 "A Korean language research team travels to remote areas of the Eurasian continent every year to investigate the languages of minority groups, aiming to **trace the origins of the Korean language**."
* Research on the genetic basis of human language ability focuses on the FoxP2 gene, with the human mutation occurring **180,000 years ago in Africa**.
* 🌾 "Agriculture brought significant changes to language, evolving from **small-scale languages** to **large-scale language groups**."
* 📚 "The Korean Language Positioning Laboratory at Seoul National University conducts unprecedented research by **accumulating data on languages discovered by linguists in Siberia and Central Asia**."
* 🇫🇮 "The connection between Korean and the Altaic language family began with Finnish linguists praising their Uralic language family and classifying Korean as **Altaic**."
* 🇯🇵 "Research in Japan, including the excavation of ancient paddy fields and the discovery of the Yayoi people's cranial group, suggests that the **origin of the Japanese language came from the Korean Peninsula**."

### The Korean Language: A Journey of Identity, Power, and Culture
* 📜 The Korean language's structure dates back to the Three Kingdoms period, with traces of **Goguryeo, Baekje, and Silla languages** found in historical records.
* 🗣 Despite being separated for 700 years, the languages of the Three Kingdoms were fundamentally similar, allowing for **communication**.
* 🇯🇵 The matching numbers between Goguryeo and Japanese suggest a **common origin**, with Korean and Japanese **branching off from the same root**.
* 🏞 The Manchu people, who founded the Qing Dynasty, have forgotten their language, highlighting the **importance of language in preserving identity**.
* 💰 In the UK, English has become an industry, with the English education sector experiencing **rapid growth**.
* 🌍 English is currently the **dominant global language**, posing a **threat to other languages**.
* 🇫🇷 France has strong language protection laws, with the French dictation contest and the Right to Understand organization **promoting the use of French**.
* 🇺🇸 In the US, Korean is gaining value, with Korean being included in the SAT II exam and the US Department of Defense designating Korean as a **strategic language**.
* 🌟 Language is directly linked to culture, and as Korean culture gains strength, the Korean language is **heading towards the world**.

[명작다큐🎖️몰아보기] 한국어의 탄생, 일본어 속 한국어의 흔적, 세계어로서 한국어까지.. 한국어의 모든 것! | 2004 KBS 특별기획 '위대한 여정, 한국어' 3부작

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The Origin and Evolution of Human Language

Humans have gathered in Korea for a language experiment to find similarities between different languages and trace their roots.

A research team in Korea is diligently recording the language of minority groups in Eurasia to understand the origins of the Korean language.

The Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology has studied the genetic basis of human language, revealing that the FoxP2 gene mutation, which allowed humans to speak, occurred 180,000 years ago in Africa.

This mutation led to the formation of large language groups as humans spread across the world, with agriculture also playing a significant role in the evolution of language.

The Link Between Korean and Altaic Languages

William Jones discovered the similarity between Sanskrit and Latin, leading to the theory of a common language ancestor.

The Language Positioning Laboratory at Seoul National University is accumulating data on languages from Siberia and Central Asia, allowing for in-depth analysis.

The connection between Korean and the Altaic language family originated in Finland, with linguists using the National Archives of Finland to explore this relationship.

The modern humans in East Asia used microliths as revolutionary hunting tools, with a consistent manufacturing technique found across Siberia and Hokkaido.

The oldest projectile point was excavated in the Altai region, and from there, people spread to the Korean Peninsula and Japan.

Lake Baikal's sediments have recorded ancient ecological information, providing clues as to why the ancient Siberians left the area.

The Genetic Traits and Origins of Koreans

Siberia's ancient climate drove the migration of Koreans, with 70% of them having genetic traits linked to the northern region.

The origin of the Korean language and the proposal of Dravidian influence by Horace Allen are significant in tracing Korean roots.

The genetic research and comparison of traits suggest that 40% of Koreans may have immigrated from the southern region, contributing to their genetic formation.

The Introduction of Rice Farming to the Korean Peninsula

Rice farming was introduced to the Korean Peninsula 8,000 to 9,000 years ago by the Salonsa civilization from southern Asia, coinciding with the arrival of the southern genes.

The establishment of the Salonsa civilization in the Korean Peninsula is believed to have occurred around 3,000 to 4,000 years ago, during which the SRY 465 gene type, prevalent in the current Korean population, was present.

The research on similar vocabulary between Korean and Japanese has led to the hypothesis that Japanese may have roots in ancient Korean, supported by ancient paddy field ruins excavated in Japan dating back 2,500 years.

The Emergence of the Yayoi People and the Spread of Korean Culture to Japan

A new and distinct cranial group, the Yayoi people, appeared in Japan, with a completely different appearance from the Jomon people.

The Yayoi skeletal remains found in Dohee, 200 km away from Busan, were intentionally buried facing the Korean Peninsula.

The discovery of Bronze Age residential areas in Jeollanam-do reveals the spread of the Songgok-ri residential culture, which is believed to have influenced the Yayoi culture in Japan.

The languages of Goguryeo, Silla, and Baekje were likely the same but developed differences during their 700 years of separation.

The similarity in numbers between Goguryeo and Japanese provides significant evidence of a linguistic connection.

Over time, the Korean language has evolved from common roots, while the Manchu language is struggling to survive, with only a few children learning it in a small school in China.

The Power and Influence of the Korean Language

The Korean language is gaining popularity worldwide, with an increasing number of people wanting to learn it for various opportunities.

The growth of the Korean language is driven by South Korea's rising economic and cultural influence, leading to its widespread teaching and learning globally.

Despite the language's significant user base and global ranking, it still faces threats from dominant languages like English, which has a long history of expansion and encroachment on other languages.

Additionally, efforts are being made to preserve and protect minority languages without scripts, highlighting the importance of linguistic diversity.

The Bible is being translated into over 800 languages, with a significant number of languages in danger of disappearing.

France is actively fighting to protect the French language, imposing fines and having strong laws in place to promote its use.

Meanwhile, the influence of English is growing, with South Korea prioritizing English education and experiencing a significant influx of English loanwords, leading to a linguistic gap between North and South Korea.

Efforts to protect and preserve languages are becoming increasingly important in the face of globalization.

The Impact of Language on Culture and Education

Yonsei University has initiated a program to help North Korean students adapt to life in South Korea, addressing the communication difficulties they face with South Koreans.

Professor Lee Ho-young from Seoul National University is working to preserve the Oroqen language and culture by using the Korean script and plans to publish a book on the oral traditions of the Orochen people in Hangul.

The UK has seen a significant growth in the English education industry, with the government actively supervising and supporting foreign education, leading to a thriving business in English language learning.

The Growing Influence of the Korean Language

The value of the Korean language is increasing in the US, as it is now being taught in about 50 high schools and has been adopted as a foreign language in the SAT II.

The US Department of Defense has allocated $20 million for a Korean language education project at California State University, highlighting the language's strategic importance.

The Korean language is not just a subject of study, but it is also becoming a crucial skill for experts selected by about 80 federal agencies related to US national security.