Hello, annyeong haseyo !
I was reading about Korean language and learned that apparently up to 70% (according to higher estimates) of written Korean vocabulary comes from Chinese loanwords. Obviously this is very dependent on the type of writing, where the writing is found, the time period, etc. and can have significant variance.
In Iran, we speak Persian, whose modern form is estimated to be as high as 50% Arabic loanwords (again highly dependent on the previously listed factors), but there have been many efforts and works to “purify” the language of such loanwords, most famously done in the Shahnameh of Ferdowsi, and done by many academicians such as Ahmad Kasravi in the 20th century. Now, because of modern politics and the resentment of the Islamic dictatorship, there are renewed efforts to decrease the amount of loanwords from Arabic language and replace them with “secular” and “pure” equivalents (e.g. Salaam -> Dorud, Khoda Hafez -> Bedrud, etc.).
My question is, do such efforts exist in Korea or have they been attempted in the past? If so, are they popular or successful?
Thanks!
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