no title 9
I found an interesting question in someone's (a visitor to...yes, again...anne's blog^__^) blog.
The question was "What does the word '오피스텔' mean in Korean?" The blog owner said probably two words 'office' and 'hotel' are mixed up. I think her guess is right and want to add more to it.
1. 오피스텔 is not a Korean word. It is an loanword from English via Japan. So, 오피스텔 is a phonetic spelling of 'officetel'
The question was "What does the word '오피스텔' mean in Korean?" The blog owner said probably two words 'office' and 'hotel' are mixed up. I think her guess is right and want to add more to it.
1. 오피스텔 is not a Korean word. It is an loanword from English via Japan. So, 오피스텔 is a phonetic spelling of 'officetel'
2. However, there's no English word like officetel. The word is said to root in Engrish (i.e. Japlish). As the blog owner guessed, it is a mixed-up of 'office' and 'hotel' .
3. 오피스텔, also called as 아파텔 'apartel' (apartment+hotel) refers to a building targeting people whose life style does not require a clear distinction between living and work space.
4. News says 오피스텔 was first built in 1985 in Korea.
I think English is everywhere in Korea. But many English words used in Korean's everyday life are those affected by Japanese pronunciation or syntax. So, 오피스텔 case is not uncommon. For example, 에어콘 (air-con, improperly abbreviation of 'air-conditioner') and 애프터 서비스 (after-service. no word is matched. probably after sale service?) are those loanwords absorbed into Korea. Neither is a proper English word.
Here, my point is to think of one of the loanwords frequently found in Korean dramas with you, not to judge right/wrong about use of improperly mixed-up loandwords. Anyway, the comments of 오피스텔 interested me. I wonder whether or not/how much/how this kind of topic is discussed among Korean drama fans.
*I got this picture from an advertisement page of 'officetel'.
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