# people make words and words make the people



## Bilmemki

Hi everybody. 
I have a question. The _National Institute of the Korean Language _(국립국어원), on its English-language website and in other English-language sources, has a motto, or slogan, that says: "people make words and words make the people". Is that used also in Korean? If so, how do you say that in Korean?

감사합니다....


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## pcy0308

As for the motto of the _National Institute of the Korean Language _(국립국어원), it seems "우리말이 우리의 미래입니다", which is translated more or less literally to "our language is our future". It is the first phrase that shows up when you access its Korean page, so safe to say, it probably is its slogan. As for "people make words and words make the people", you could interpret it literally as "사람이 언어를/말을 만들고, 언어가/말이 사람을 만든다". Hope this helps.


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## Bilmemki

Thank you very much, pcy0308. 
Does that mean that the slogan that I quoted is used by the Institute only in English? If so, I wonder why.
But many thanks!


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## pcy0308

Hello Bilmemki,
As different as the two may sound, at the end of the day, the message intended and conveyed is pretty much synonymous. They may be phrased differently but are both emphasizing the importance of the language and its essence in shaping what Korea and Koreans were, are and *will be*. Though the Korean version of Institute's slogan seems to explicitly emphasize "미래" (the future), it still is referring to the socially constructive, identity-shaping, nation-defining significance and influence of the language, i.e. the very same aspect its English counterpart underlines, so the same goes for the slogan that appears in the English version of the website. Hope this helps.


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## Bilmemki

Hi pcy0308,
Yes, I can see that. I had only wondered whether a more literal equivalent was also used, perhaps elsewhere, and your reply implicitly answers that question.
Many thanks!


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