8/7 Gawee-nulim

DIALOG>> I had a nightmare last night again.

A: Robin, you look tired today.
B: What?
A: I can see dark circles under your eyes.
B: Well, I had a nightmare last night again. A pretty scary one.
A: Oh, poor thing.
B: Anyway, don't say "you look tired" to people. It can be offensive.


RESPONSE>> Talk about gawee-nulim.

Picture this: You wake up in the middle of the night.
ex> He called me in the middle of the night.

You sense a dark presence hovering over you, but you can't really make out what it is.
* sense: ~을 느끼다, 알아채다
* hover over: ~위에 맴돌다, 머물다, = float
* make out: 판별하다, 알아보다, 알아듣다, = figure out
ex> He wrote something here but I can't make out what it is.

You try to cry out for help, but you realize it's impossible for you to move or speak.
* cry out for: ~을 간절히 바라다
ex> The victim cried out for help.
ex> For crying out loud, stop shaking your legs!
 = For Christ's sake, 세상에, 맙소사, (화가 났거나 놀랐음을 나타냄)

You feel as if a ghost were pressing down on you.

It sounds like a scene out of a horror movie, but this phenomenon is in fact very pervasive in Asian culture.
* pervasive: 널리 퍼지는, 골고루 미치는, = common
ex> Witnesses said it was like a scene out of a horror movie.

This somewhat scary condition is called gawee-nulim in Korean, meaning "being pressed down by a ghost."
ex> I'm not angry. I'm just somewhat annoyed.

Gawee-nulim is actually a sleep disorder called sleep paralysis.

Researchers believe that sleep paralysis occurs when your rapid eye movement sleep is inexplicably disturbed.
* inexplicably [inéksplikəbli,ìniksplík-]: 설명할 수 없는 일이지만, 불가해하게
* rapid eye movement (REM): 급속 안구 운동
ex> That restaurant is inexplicably popular among the young people.


@ You talked in your sleep last night.  너 어제밤에 잠꼬대하더라.
You were talking gibberish. I couldn't make out what you said.

1. She was playing the violin in the middle of the night.
2. I can't make out your writing.
3. It was like a scene out of an action movie.
4. This problem is somewhat difficult to me.


Related Topic>>
http://endoscopist-myenglishstudy.blogspot.kr/2012/01/17-sleeping-habits.html

http://endoscopist-myenglishstudy.blogspot.kr/2011/03/35-talk-about-your-sleeping-habits.html