Join the Centre for Korean Research (CKR) and the Department of Asian Studies for a lecture by Dr. Eunseon Kim, Lecturer and Convenor of the Korean Language Program at the Australian National University, as she draws from her research on language standardization to explores the ideologies behind language policy and attitudes in South Korea.
Speaker Bio:
Dr. Eunseon Kim is Lecturer and Convenor of the Korean Language Program in the School of Culture, History and Language at the Australian National University. Her research interests include language ideology, the history of linguistic thought, and metalinguistic discourses, with a particular emphasis on Korean linguistic etiquette. She explores how speakers shape the cultural values of language in society in order to project identity, to establish group membership, and to engage with political issues. She received her Ph.D from UBC in 2019. Her doctoral dissertation traced the historical construction of the prevalent Korean language ideology of Korean honorifics as the hallmark of hierarchy.
Abstract:
This chapter explores the ideologies underpinning language policy, practices, and attitudes in South Korea, with a particular focus on the standard Korean language. South Korea is generally known as a monolingual nation, and language standardization has been its long-term national project. This chapter traces the development of standard language ideologies (SLIs) from the late 19th century through the colonial period to post-liberation policies in South Korea. It aims to revisit the widespread notions of standard language (p’yojunŏ) in South Korea by critically analyzing metalinguistic phenomena within the policymaking and implementation processes. It investigates the textual manifestations of SLIs within discursive practices and language policies, encompassing debates on the necessity of standard language, controversies regarding codification, post-liberation policies, and recent developments in SLIs in South Korea. What did language standardization mean to different groups of social actors? How did their interests and values shape standard language? What impact did language standardization have on the language, speakers, and society? By exploring these questions and how standard language emerged and evolved into a normalized product, this chapter reveals the significant roles and representational power of language as a key resource for constructing and regimenting a homogenous model of a nation-state. Finally, this chapter concludes with a summary of the legacy of Korean language standardization and explores potential future directions for language policy.
