Language maintenance and ethnic identity among Korean heritage speakers in the Pacific region (Australia, New Zealand, and Hawaii)

This study investigated heritage language (HL) maintenance and ethnic identity among Korean heritage speakers in the Pacific region (Australia, New Zealand, and Hawaii), an understudied population in the field. It focused on patterns of language use and factors (i.e. age at immigration (AI), self-ra...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of multilingual and multicultural development 2024-11, Vol.45 (10), p.4364-4383
Main Authors: Jee, Min Jung, Park, Mi Yung, Cheon, Sang Yee
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Activities of daily living
Asian cultural groups
Cultural heritage
Cultural identity
English language
Ethnic groups
Ethnic identity
Ethnicity
Grandparents
Heritage language
heritage language maintenance
Immigrants
Immigration
Korean heritage speakers
Korean immigrants
Korean language
Language
Language maintenance
Language proficiency
Language usage
language use
Minority groups
Polls & surveys
Regional differences
Regions
Relatives
Self concept
Self evaluation
self-identification
Siblings
Sociolinguistics
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Summary:This study investigated heritage language (HL) maintenance and ethnic identity among Korean heritage speakers in the Pacific region (Australia, New Zealand, and Hawaii), an understudied population in the field. It focused on patterns of language use and factors (i.e. age at immigration (AI), self-rated language proficiency, and frequency of language use) influencing Korean heritage speakers' self-defined identity. A total of 167 Korean immigrant adults aged 18-40 completed an online survey regarding their HL (i.e. Korean) and majority language (ML) (i.e. English) use in everyday contexts (e.g. with family members and at work), their self-rated HL and ML proficiency, and their sense of identity. The survey results showed high HL use with parents/grandparents at home, high self-rated HL proficiency, and a strong sense of identity as Korean, among participants across the three locations. However, as with other ethnic minority communities, they tended to use ML more than HL in most of their daily activities, and with their siblings and friends, indicating a perceptible shift towards ML. This supports the findings of previous studies conducted in North America. Notably, this study found that AI was significantly correlated to the participants' self-identification. Regional differences were discussed, along with recommendations for future research.
ISSN:0143-4632
1747-7557
DOI:10.1080/01434632.2023.2170386