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~(이)야말로: Emphasizing a Noun Over All Others
Vocabulary
Nouns:
평화 = peace
요소 = element, factor
인재 = talented person
몸짓 = gesture (body language)
외교 = diplomacy
손길 = helping hand
분석가 = analyst
수필 = essay
죄책감 = sense of guilt
필수적 = necessary, needed
가능성 = possibility
Verbs:
돋다 = to bud, to sprout
다루다 = to handle, to treat
찡그리다 = to frown
상징하다 = to symbolize, to represent
진흥하다 = to promote
주유하다 = to refuel
선불하다 = to pay in advance
발달하다 = to develop
우러나다 = to brew
Adjectives:
여유롭다 = to be leisurely, to be relaxed
진솔하다= to be honest, to be frank
Adverbs and Other Words:
한없이 = endlessly, infinitely
For help memorizing these words, try using our mobile app.
Introduction
In this lesson, we will see the nuanced meaning that ~(이)야말로 can add to a sentence. Let’s get started!
~(이)야말로: Emphasizing a Noun Over All Others
Let’s look at the following sentence:
기술의 발달이 사회 변화를 이끌어요
= The development of technology is what drives social change
There is nothing wrong with this sentence. The speaker is simply stating their thoughts or opinion. You can add nuance to this sentence by attaching ~(이)야말로 to the subject, for example:
기술의 발달이야말로 사회 변화를 이끌어요
Adding ~(이)야말로 emphasizes that particular noun – above all others. By context, you can assume that the speaker and listeners were probably talking about what drives social change prior to this sentence being said. Other speakers in the room probably mentioned other drivers of social change. However, the speaker uses this sentence to say, above all other things, it is truly the development of technology that drives social change.
It is hard to translate this nuance to English. Here are two of my attempts:
기술의 발달이야말로 사회 변화를 이끌어요
= The development of technology is truly what drives social change
= Above all else, the development of technology is what drives social change
It is also possible to attach ~(이)야말로 to the object of a sentence. Let’s look at a plain sentence to start:
저는 슬픔을 극복해야 해요
= I must overcome my sadness
There is nothing wrong with this sentence. The speaker is simply stating their thought or opinion. You can add nuance to this sentence by attaching ~(이)야말로 to the object, for example:
저는 슬픔이야말로 극복해야 해요
Here, the speaker stresses that, above all else, it is their sadness that they must overcome. It is hard to translate this nuance to English. Here are two of my attempts:
저는 슬픔이야말로 극복해야 해요
= My sadness is truly what I must overcome
= Above all else, it is my sadness that I must overcome
It might be good to note that 말 in ~(이)야말로 is not technically the word 말 to mean “speech” or “words.” Although you have been learning about the versatility of 말 in the past three lessons, (Lesson 163, 164, 165), 말 is not related to these as ~(이)야말로 is a particle on its own.
Below are many more examples. I have not separated them based on their function in the sentence to give you practice in recognizing both of them:
몸짓이야말로 말보다 더 강한 메시지를 전달할 수 있어요
= Gestures can convey a stronger message than words
외교야말로 국가 간의 평화를 유지하는 핵심 요소예요
= Diplomacy is truly the key to maintaining peace between nations
손길이야말로 어려움에 처한 사람들에게 가장 큰 위로가 돼요
= A helping hand is truly the greatest comfort for those in difficulty
분석가야말로 기업의 성공을 위해 필수적인 인재예요
= Analysts are truly essential talents for a company’s success
수필이야말로 작가의 진솔한 생각이 담긴 문학 형식이에요
= Essays are truly a literary form that contains an author’s sincere thoughts
죄책감이야말로 사람을 가장 깊이 반성하게 만드는 감정이에요
= A sense of guilt is truly the emotion that makes people reflect the deepest
새싹이 돋는 봄이야말로 자연의 아름다움을 가장 잘 보여줘요
= Spring, when new sprouts emerge, is truly the season that best showcases nature’s beauty
찡그린 표정이야말로 감정을 숨기기 어려운 순간을 보여줘요
= A frowning expression is truly a moment when it’s hard to hide emotions
문화를 진흥하는 것이야말로 국가의 정체성을 지키는 길이에요
= Promoting culture is truly the way to preserve a nation’s identity
여행 전 주유하는 것이야말로 시간을 절약하는 좋은 습관이에요
= Refueling before a trip is truly a good habit that saves time
선불 결제야말로 예산 관리를 쉽게 해주는 방법이에요
= Paying in advance is truly a method that makes budget management easier
차 한 잔을 우리는 시간이야말로 하루를 여유롭게 만드는 순간이에요
= The time it takes for a cup of tea to brew is truly a moment that brings relaxation to the day
한없이 넓은 하늘이야말로 인류의 끝없는 가능성을 상징해요
= The endlessly vast sky is truly a symbol of humanity’s limitless potential
정부는 외교야말로 신중하게 다루어져야 한다고 강조했어요
= The government emphasized that diplomacy is truly what must be handled carefully
죄책감야말로 극복하기 어려운 감정이에요
= A sense of guilt is truly the most difficult emotion to overcome
어머니는 찡그린 얼굴야말로 제가 고쳐야 한다고 말씀하셨어요
= My mother said that a frowning face is truly what I must fix
That’s it for this lesson!