Understanding of Korean Honorifics by L2 Korean Learners in Australia: A Socio-Pragmatic Perspective

Abstract

The Korean language has an established honorific system that reflects the Korean society's hierarchical and relational nature, where respect for elders and individuals of higher social status must be shown through language (Brown, 2015). This cultural aspect poses significant challenges to L2 Korean learners. Taking a socio-pragmatic perspective, this study explored how L1 English speakers living outside the target language society comprehend and apply the honorific system when speaking in L2 Korean. The study was conducted with eight L1 English speakers learning Korean in Australia. All eight participants completed a survey revealing their motivation for, first impression of, and biggest hindrance in learning Korean. Next, seven of them were interviewed concerning how they conceptualised, perceived, and used Korean honorifics. The survey and interview data analysis showed that the participants appeared to have a subjective attitude towards the application of honorifics instead of considering the listener's relational status even when the honorific system had been learned and mastered for a considerable period. Although the participants were learning Korean while living outside the Korean society, which makes it challenging to understand honorifics or establish conversational concepts completely, they recognised honorifics as an important part of the Korean language; however, this understanding was overpowered by their cultural identity as "Australians." The findings suggest that an L2 speaker is not a target-like object unconditionally accommodating socio-pragmatic elements but rather a fluid speaker exercising subjectivity and autonomy.