English on Korean television

Abstract

This study discusses verbal humor in entertainment media and examines polarizing representations of English on Korean television. English is a source of stress as well as a medium of humor. Language anxiety about English speaking skills is frequently focalized and viewed as a personal challenge by Korean celebrities, but they often transform their linguistic 'complex' into humorous talk. This study argues that using English, possibly the most revered and yet the most feared language in Korea, in humor is sociolinguistically significant, embodying attitudinal, emotional, and experiential ambivalence about English in globalization-minded contemporary Korea. The findings of the study suggest that generationconscious ageism regarding English proficiency typically characterizes senior citizens as sociolinguistically underperforming, which sometimes forces them to be in a vulnerable position both in familial and social contexts. Increasing use of English on Korean television divides bilingual viewers and monolingual viewers and whether one can be entertained and humored by television programs may become another Englishrelated stratification variable

Modelling the Englishization of vocabulary in contemporary Korean

“…The Englishization of Korean has been examined in a number of early studies which have focused on syntactic features (Baik, ; Jung, ; Jung & Min, ; Pae, ; Seong & Lee, ) and also on phonological features (Ito, Kang, & Kenstowicz, ; Kang, ; Kang, Kenstowicz, & Ito, ; Tranter, , ). Other studies have investigated the sociolinguistic effects of English mixing in advertisements (Ahn, La Ferle, & Lee, ; Lee, , ; Park, ), in K‐pop (Lawrence, ; Lee, , , ), television programs (Ahn, ; Lee, , , ; Park, , ) and movies (Lee, ).…”

The English Camps as Method of Promoting Fun English at Elementary School Level in Indonesia

“…He sees that the globalization discourse is integrated into English education in South Korea is not new. It is an ambitious move to be called "Kampung Inggris" (Lee, 2011). Because with the presence of a program similar to the English Camp, it has participated in promoting learning spaces but has educational nuances and having fun, which is the nuance of learning that the curriculum stimulator there tells.…”

“…So, methods of learning English are still a foreign issue for the basic education environment. It is different if private primary schools in big cities on average, very adaptable to teaching English as a compulsory language so that various methods such as English camp are easily found in every elementary school unit (Lee, 2011;Lee, 2014). Based on these considerations, the researchers would be to strengthen an opinion that officially fun English camp can be used as an interesting method to be applied in the elementary school environment when English language teaching has become a compulsory program in Indonesia officially and nationally.…”

South Korea's Linguistic Tangle: English vs. Korean vs. Konglish

“…Jamie Shinhee Lee (2014: 33) contends that ‘English is possibly the most revered and at the same time the most feared foreign language in contemporary Korea … affect[ing] academic and professional success and the importance of speaking English is bolstered by the idea of globalization.’ Complicating this fraught relationship is the aforementioned anxiety older Koreans experience over their own English skills, a problem that has intensified ‘due to increasing opportunities of international travel and exposure to English language-medium pop culture products’ (Lee, 2014: 36). Consequently, ‘[c]haracters using English in Korean television dramas are generally polarized into two types: educated successful professionals or undereducated and unsophisticated middle aged or senior citizens aspiring to fit in or promote their social standings’ (Lee, 2014: 34).…”