Essays on Writing and Language in Honor - Sino-Platonic Papers

Sinu-Platonic Papms, 27 (August 3 1, 199 1)
.and the latter substantiated them. In the former, Kim brought up eight topics, as summarized
below:(a) any attempt at script refm should wait until after Korea becomes reunified and Korean
science and technology become sufficiently advanced; (b) coinage of new words and recovery of
old words must be based on native elements; (c) use of loanwords must be limited, and spellings
of proper noun loanwords must be faithful to their original pronunciations; (d) Chinese characters
must be abolished, but they need be taught for reading purposes only in order to understand South
Korean publications; (e) words should be spaced properly, and shapes of words should be fured
after the reunification of Korea; (0 unnecessary Sino-Korean words should be removed from
dictionaries, and local agencies must be tightly controlled for correct use of words; (g) a
nationwide campaign should be undertaken for the correct use of the language; and (h) Korean
language education must be improved and strengthened at all levels of schools.
In the 1966 Teachings, Kim elaborated upon detailed procedures of refining vocabulary,
while stipulating the preservation and development of the national characteristics of Korean based
on the speech of Qongyang. This is the notion of Kim's Cultured Speech. Kim's specific
directives on vocabulary refinement procedures are: (a) eliminate from dictionaries those Sino-
Korean words which form synonyms with native words; (b) introduce fine dialectal words into the
standard lexicon; (c) introduce native words for place names if necessary; (d) coin new native
words based on native elements; (e) change, as far as possible, Sino-Korean terms of fruits,
grains, etc. to native words; (f) try to give native names to newborn babies; (g) change new
loanwords to native words, except technical terms; (h) preserve native-like Sino-Korean words;
and (i) have the Korean 1 p g e Assessment Committee (kwuke saceng wiwenhoy) control new
words. Kim restates the need of limited Chinese character teaching to students; calls for the
training of more linguists to develop cwuchey-oriented Korean; encourages research on script
reform; and reemphasizes the need for proper spacing, indicating that the current practice allows
too many spaces.