1. Perceptions while working
with Koreans’ English
(It’s not just Konglish)
Robert J. Dickey
KOTESOL Daejeon-Chungcheong
Annual Autumn Symposium
November 24, 2012
Woosong University, Daejeon
3. Role(s) of English in Korea
Course of study
Preparation for overseas travel or study
• Does destination matter?
Interaction with non-Koreans
Work-related
• international materials
• business partners
Entertainment
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4. Teachers’ Perceptions
Qualifications and Background
• Time in Korea / Asia / Abroad
• Time in Teaching (EFL, Asia)
• Educational Background
Teaching Approaches
• GTM/Audio-Lingual (avoid errors)
• Communicative (risk-taking)
• World Englishes
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5. Learners’ Perceptions
Age
Experience with English
• Formal education
• Informal learning / use
Self-monitoring
• Error vs. Mistake
Parent/Employer/Other influence?
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6. Defining Konglish
Literature doesn’t agree
Teachers don’t agree
Koreans don’t agree
How do we deal with it
if we don’t know what it is?
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7. “Growing a Language?”
Suppose
• Languages are born, evolve, decay, die
• Vulgarization is natural (Latin, etc.)
Stages might be
• Contact/Pidgin
• Creole (disputed)
• “ish”
• “ian”
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8. Users’ & Teachers’ Perceptions
When does the local variety become
valid for various purposes?
• Local business & entertainment
• Local media
• Communication with outsiders while
“here”
• International communication
When are there “native speakers” of a
localized variety? 8
9. Literature
From scholarly research to books to
blogs, snippets/photos from local
media, teachers wordlist handouts…
Written in both English and Korean
Distinction 1:
• Historical (linguistic source) or
• Current (Usage)
Distinction 2:
• Is it Korean or English? 9
11. Literature Summary
L1 Interference / Fossilization
Pidgins & Creoles (contact languages)
World Englishes
English as a Lingua Franca
Common-core (simplified) English
• Pronunciation
• Vocabulary
• Structures 11
14. The Literature - Konglish
Kim, J. (2010). Konglish as a second language? [New Perspective]. The Korea Herald, April 9.
Miller, J. (2003). A Word by Any Other Meaning: Konglish. MED Magazine 5.
Park, J-K. (2002). Teaching World Englishes and teacher development. KATE Newsletter 26(2).
Doms, D. (2004). English and Korean speakers' categorization of spatial actions: A test of the Whorf hypothesis.
(Unpublished Masters' Dissertation.)
Kent, D.B. (1999). Speaking in tongues: Chinglish, Japlish and Konglish. KOTESOL Proceedings PAC2, 1999.
Kent, D.B. (2001). Teaching Konglish: Selected resources for students and teachers. KOTESOL Proceedings 2001.
Kent, D.B. (n.d.). "KONGLISH": A Strange Linguistic Practice of Koreans ["The Kent Konglish Dictionary"].
Everest, T. (2002). Konglish: Wronglish? The English Connection 6(5).
Shaffer, D. (2010). English-to-Korean borrowing: Focusing on meaning. The English Connection 14(3).
Nam, J.Y. and Southard, B. (1994). Orthographic representation and resyllabification of English loan words in Korea.
Language and Speech, 37(3).
Kang, Y., Kenstowicz, M., and Ito, C. (2008). Hybrid loans: A study of English loanwords transmitted to Korean via
Japanese. Journal of East Asian Linguistics 17.
Lee, J.S. (2006). Linguistic constructions of modernity: English mixing in Korean television commercials. Language in
Society 35(1).
Shim, R. J. (1999). Linguistic constructions of modernity: English mixing in Korean television commercials. World
Englishes 18(2).
Kim, H. (2009). Linguistic motivation in formation and translation of compound nouns. Discourse and Cognition 16(1).
Min H-S. (2001). A study on the semantics of signboard language in Korea. Korean Semantics 9.
Kim, S-H. (2001). An error analysis of college students' writing: Is that really Konglish? Studies in Modern Grammar 25.
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16. “Korean” Language
Three accepted avenues for inclusion
in “Korean” language
• “Pure”(indigenous) Korean ( 순한국어 )
• Sino-Korean ( 한자어 )
• Adopted Loanwords ( 외래어 )
►Treated as “proper” Korean
How defined?
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17. “Korean” Language (2)
“Pure” Korean developments
►Pre-Hangul (does this matter?)
►Hermit Kingdom era (pre-1870)
►1870-1945 (pre-American influence, words
from Korean linguistic roots)
►1945-current (“modern” words from Korean
linguistic roots)
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18. “Korean” Language (3)
Treated as Korean:
• Sino-Korean ( 한자어 )
►Korean words derived from Chinese
►Words created in Korea from Chinese
Characters
►Words created in Japanese from Chinese
Characters and adopted in Korea
►Japanese words with created “Chinese”
Characters and adopted in Korea
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19. “Korean” Language (4)
Treated as Korean:
• 외래어 ( 단어 ) Foreign linguistic input,
accepted as new Korean
►Foreign origins unknown to some users
►Many are generally understood by society as
“English” (though some words were not)
►Written more frequently in Korean script
►Widely used to replace Korean lexical items
or to fill-in Korean lexical gaps, e.g., “bus”
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20. Korean Language (5)
Not Korean
Words recognized as “foreign”
►Not in dictionary?
►Korea has a government-recognized
language authority
►May be written in either (or both) Korean and
English scripts
►More or less common, depending on age
groups, social level, education, etc.
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21. English in Korea (1)
1880-1940: Missionary English - principally
North American English
1920-1980: Japanized English - principally
British English, Japanese pronunciation
and narrowed definitions, includes words
from other languages treated as English
1945-1990: US Army English - influenced by
American Black Vernacular and (US)
southern dialects plus military terminology
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22. English in Korea (2)
1960-current: classic British/American
Literature
1960-current: contemporary USA music,
radio, movies & TV
1966-1981: US Peace Corps “Educated
American English”
1990-current: Expatriate Teachers
(US,CAN,UK,AUS)
2000-current: Outer Circle Englishes
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23. Historical Summary
A significant amount of so-called
“Konglish” has been adopted as valid
Korean language (loanwords)
Some amount of “Konglish” is high-use
in Korea although not recognized as
valid Korean
Several recognized varieties of English
are circulating in Korea
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24. Survey of Teachers
62 respondents, 56 responses used
Demographic mix:
• Teaching experience
• Asian experience
• Higher education
Diverse responses to
• “How would you define “Konglish”
• Please provide examples
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25. Respondents’ Qualifications
26 Respondents had M.Ed.English,
MATESOL/related, or M. AppLing
19 Respondents had a Master’s in another
field (2 included above)
3 Doctorate English, 3 in other field (3)
28 Certificates (less than 150 hours)
17 Diplomas (more than 150 hours)
24 Licenses/Diplomas to teach
4 no teaching qualification (2 with Master’s) 25
26. Teacher Responses (1)
Definitions coded into 20 Fields
Fields generated from responses and
the literature
• 5 fields for “use in Korean language”
• 15 fields for “use in English language”
►1 field (Decoration) no responses
►10 fields only one response
Many could be merged into “themes”
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27. Coding Fields
Into Korean Into English
Korean w/English inserted K think is English but...
Loanwords into Korean Similar but not always
Direct Transcription of corresponding to
English to Korean: US/UK English
Hangulization (or English Specific to
speaking as writing) Korea
Created English-like Structural borrowing
words for Korean from Korean
Adopted Words 외래어 K thinking in English
language
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28. Coding Fields (2)
Into English Into English
Interlanguage (fossilized English words w/
error) adjusted meanings
Korean Pronunciation of narrowed meanings
English broadened meanings
K In-group formations of Non-standard to Non-
English Asians
Code-mix / -share even Aberration (Non-
within a created word standard)
Adapted Words Inappropriate
Created Words Creative 28
29. Coding Fields (3)
Into English
Ideological Use
K Culture influenced English
Decorative
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30. Teacher Responses (2)
Examples coded into 5 “themes”
• Used in Korean
• Structure from Korean or code-mixing
• Adaptation of Vocabulary use or meaning
• Pronunciation issue
• Error
Definitions considered where examples
were unclear
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31. Teacher Responses (3)
Theme Responses % (56)
Used in Korean: 17 30.4% *
Structure from Korean or
code-mixing: 10 17.9%
Adaptation of Vocabulary
use or meaning: 34 60.7%
Pronunciation issue: 10
17.9%
Error: 5 8.9% 31
32. Teacher Responses (4)
10 / 17 “In Korean” Theme did not indicate
any of the “English” issues.
• Only 3 of those 10 had a higher degree in
TESOL/English/English Education
14 Definitions indicated Konglish “specific to
Koreans”
8/ 13 “Aberrant” Definitions hold higher
degree in TESOL/English/English Educ
5 Definitions indicated Created words
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33. Discussion
Learners enter the classroom with
these words, structures, & sounds
Resource to be developed, as Kent
and Shaffer and others argue
Distinctions to be noted in terms of use
outside intra-Korean usage
Correction as needed for International
Communication
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34. Analysis
Differences in source of Konglish
impact manner of correction
Differentiated terminology perhaps
necessary?
• Engrish or Engrean for Anglicisms
Appreciation of Creativity
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35. The Future
Bilingual future for Korea?
Functional multilingualism?
Heightened general proficiency?
Only for a few?
Test-based?
Role for (imported) native-speakers of
English teachers?
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36. Rob Dickey
Keimyung University
Email: rjdickey@content-english.org
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Editor's Notes
Formal not limited to classroom, can include independent courses of study
Singlish, Singaporean-English, Australian English … define through an accepted local dictionary? Army & Navy?