The Names of Korean Family Members

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

The general "you" forms are decided by kinship-- kinship is very important in Korean society because the Korean people are of one race. The Korean society is a family oriented society. In the Korean language, the titles of relatives vary according to their position, which were influenced by Confucianism. When a younger family members addresses an older family member, the word he uses will vary depending upon their positions in the family. Between brothers and sisters, the younger person cannot address the older person by his name: the younger person has to choose the appropriate form of address. The forms of address in the work place are different from that family members. Now, only simple and courteous address forms are in use in Korean society, instead of complicated, impartial forms.