Surgery for Kids Learning English in Korea

Mandylion

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I saw a report on the nightly news yesterday (in Japan) on a surgery in Korea that is becoming quite popular.

In order to speak English well, cosmetic surgeons claim slicing a bit of that vertical membrane that holds your tongue to the bottom of your mouth helps kids pronounce sounds in English that require a lot of upward movement (like l,r etc). One of the clinics in the bit said they do about four kids a month on an out-patient system.

The bit was run parallel with a report on the increase in English-based educational toys sales in Japan and the future of English in this country. The report also showcased some pre-school or elementary Korean kids who, quite frankly, had better pronounciation than I often do (it was not clear to me if those kids had had their tongues fixed).

The report was a bit sensational - look at what those crazy Koreans are doing to their kids - and fits right in with the image that Koreans like plastic surgery. But it is disturbing for other reasons.

To me, part of the fun of English is the accents. It is fun to listen to new sounds and dialects of your own language IMHO. By trying to clean up the sounds coming from English and a second language countries, they are trying to turn international English into accent neutral American (I know American has more than one accent, but the ESL world simply loves the accent lacking American). God, how dull that would be (he says being an American himself...)!

And if the thought of having that membrane under your tongue sliced doesn't give you the willies, I don't know what will...
 
seems rather odd to do something like that, i mean americans dont get their tongues cut at birth to speak their own language.
also ive noticed a number of new shows here with hosts who have accents usually from other english speaking countries. seems maybe america is getting bored of the TV standard for bland accents.
 
I'd hate to do this especially to little children
Being a non-english-speaker myself i don't know what i'd have done to my parents if they had my tongue membrane sliced...
Anyway as long as you can make other people understand you i think it's ok...
 
Poor children...

This is another side effect of globalisation, shame on those parents... I mean people should not be imitaters. Everybody is best as what it is.
 
I don't think any elective surgery like that should be done on a child. Not until they're old enough and capable of weighing the pros and cons themselves, should they be able to have something like that done.
 
I Wonder How....

young people can talk that have studs in their tounge &
rings in their lips?? I know I can't speak as clear when I have false teeth in as without them!

Frank

:shock:
 
Definately going to have to disagree with this one. But this just leads me to wonder whats next? Who knows, lets just hope I wont be a testee lol :)
 
Yikes. That second 'apres'(after) photo of Ayu is scary. At least, to me.
 
Lol after that people will start disregarding J-idols ^^
 
Wow, the befores will make u run! :p
 
I think the befores and the afters are not that great... :eek: Well, Hikaru and Kaori made a change for the better, I believe. The rest...well...I don't know. That Ayu picture is still freaking me out!
 
Yeah the ones listed, are definately not the hottest J-Girls I have ever seen. thats for sure! :)
 
dreamer said:
Hum...if it continues like this ..oh my god...maybe the eyes??

EDIT:
I dunno if that's true but look at this and especially the eyes (sorry it's in french)
http://members.at.infoseek.co.jp/jpoptrash/seikei/chirurgie.htm

That's quite impressive. Frankly look at Mai Kuraki, Hikaru Utada, Takako, Nanako and Mikitty... They were all pretty ugly (sorry for the pun) before, and so beautiful after. I really understand that surgery is popular, and frankly I'd rather live in a world where everybody is "remade" and beautiful. It may even reduce animosities between people.
 
True Maciamo, but living in a world where everyone is "Fake" would not be appealing to me at all.
 
playaa said:
True Maciamo, but living in a world where everyone is "Fake" would not be appealing to me at all.

Well, the inside stays "true", so that you don't have to care about physical appearance so much and can concentrate on what people really are (personality, emotions, interests, intelligence...). That is almost an ideal world...
 
Yes, inside is what counts.. Though the world these days are moving more and more towards what you speak of, I wouldnt doubt if it happens.
 
playaa said:
True Maciamo, but living in a world where everyone is "Fake" would not be appealing to me at all.

I have to agree to that. I find the procedures people undergo just to adapt to beauty ideals imposed by I don't know whom quite shocking. Must be sheer horror to know you're kissing or touching silicon or revamped body parts, ugh.

:wave:
 
thomas said:
Must be sheer horror to know you're kissing or touching silicon or revamped body parts, ugh.

I am not even talking about lovers, but the people you see in the street, work with, etc. As for silicon, might be true for breats or nose, but eye surgery for Asians is just sticking some eyelid skins together to "open the eye". I think that is the most common surgery in East-Asia.

Some remake the cheeks (look at Mai Kuraki), but it's mostly removing some fat or muscles. No addition, no silicon. The rest stays original.
 
thomas said:
I have to agree to that. I find the procedures people undergo just to adapt to beauty ideals imposed by I don't know whom quite shocking. Must be sheer horror to know you're kissing or touching silicon or revamped body parts, ugh.

:wave:
Yuck thomas don't say it like that ! :(
Anyway maciamo you know that surgery is expensive so...wouldn't it be better if people spent money on helping the poor rather than on their physical appearence? :?
 

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