That is the hope that recently drove one mother to take her six-year-old
son for surgery aimed at ridding him of his Korean accent when speaking the
language of choice in global business.
Driven by a desire to give their kids an edge in an increasingly
competitive society, a surprising number of South Koreans have turned to the
knife in a seemingly drastic bid to help their offspring perfect their
English.
"Those who have a short frenulum (a strap of tissue linking the tongue to
the floor of the mouth) can face problems pronouncing some characters due to a
disturbance in lateral movements of the tongue," said Bae Jung-ho, an oral
surgeon at Seoul's Yonsei Severance Hospital, who operated on the six-year-old
last month.
Bae said it takes about five minutes to complete the operation, called a
frenotomy, which slices 1 to 1.5 cm (about half an inch) off the frenulum to
make the tongue more flexible.
"There is a razor-thin risk of complications and, unless it is the best
option possible, we don't recommend it."
Bae said that he had received many inquiries about the operation, mostly
for children aged between 12 months and 10 years. Of these, only 10 to 20
percent had led to surgery.
The doctor said he performed the surgery, which costs 150,000 won (76
pounds), once or twice per month.
For a tangible improvement for those with ankyloglossia -- the medical term
for those with a short frenulum -- months of language training is needed even
after surgery.
"It takes time to see pronunciation actually improve as picking up a
language or saying it properly is a complicated process to master," he added.
EXCESSIVE ENTHUSIASM
Using surgery to enhance your looks is already very common in South Korea
(news
- web
sites), where many resort to plastic surgery to make their eyes bigger,
noses shapelier and even their calves slimmer.
In the case of tongue surgery, many psychologists, professors and native
English speakers argue that there are many downsides.
Dr. Shin Min-sup, a professor at Seoul National University who specialises
in issues of adolescent psychiatry, is worried about the trend for surgery and
also for pushing young children too hard to learn languages.
"There's the potential for life-damaging after-effects," Shin said.
"Learning a foreign language too early, in some cases, may not only cause a
speech impediment but, in the worst case, make an child autistic."
"What's wrong with speaking English with an accent anyway? Many parents
tend to discount the importance of a well-rounded education," Shin said.
Robin Bulman, an American living in Seoul who has an adopted five-year-old
Korean daughter, felt that surgery might hurt a child's self-confidence.
"I think it's gross. Mutilating children's tongues is not the solution. If
a parent takes his child into the surgery and then, if the child is still
unable to speak unaccented English, what would that do to the child's
self-esteem?"
Bulman says her daughter speaks perfect English, admittedly with a strong
Montana accent.
"If there's just some real problem with Koreans speaking English, a
physiological problem with their bodies, how can a pure Korean child speak
perfect English?"
GROWING FOREIGN PARTICIPATION
You would be hard-pressed to find a country that is more feverish in its
attempts to learn English than South Korea. From toddlers to students to
office workers, learning English has become a national obsession.
The focus on English surged after the 1997-98 Asian financial crisis rocked
South Korea's economy, Asia's fourth-largest, throwing a record number of
people out of work.
Financial markets were subsequently flung open and foreign investment
flowed in, creating a need for communication.
"English is now becoming a means of survival," said Cha Kyoung-ae, a
professor who teaches English at a local university.
"Entering a college, getting jobs and getting promoted -- many things hinge
heavily on your mastery of English.
"The surgery may be an extreme case but it reflects a social phenomenon,"
said Cha. "When it comes to language, money and prestige speak louder."
Many Koreans believe an early start in English could give their children an
edge and so do not hesitate to send them overseas or at least to evening
classes.
Central bank data show that spending for overseas study by South Koreans,
including those who leave purely for a language course, jumped to $1.43
billion in 2002 from $960 million in 2000. The number of people leaving the
country to study is also on the rise. Nearly 344,000 Koreans departed last
year, up sharply on a figure of about 200,000 in 1999.
