Heritage Language Development of Korean American Youth in the Church

• In Event: Exploring Fugitive Literacies With Youth of Color in Out-of-School Spaces

Abstract

Maintaining heritage language is highly related to ethnically minoritized students’ identity and cultural heritage (Brown, 2011). However, under the hegemony of English, Korean American youth’s heritage languages are devalued and regarded as inferior to the mainstream language (Fillmore, 1991; Song, 2016a). Furthermore, there are limited chances for Korean American youth to practice their heritage language as there are few people to talk to in Korean (Kwon, 2022). This makes Korean American youth vulnerable to losing their heritage language, and the transition to the mainstream language takes place in a very short period of time (Kwon, 2022). In this paper, I want to investigate how Korean American youth, who mostly use mainstream English for communication, practice their heritage language and culture in an out-of-school context, specifically church.

Employing religious literacy and translanguaging as two main theoretical frameworks, I will explore how Korean American youth navigate and develop their heritage language and culture. Translanguaging (Garcia & Li, 2014), a dynamic approach to language use, encourages individuals to fluidly switch between languages, embracing their multilingualism as a valuable resource. Additionally, religious literacy plays a significant role in shaping the cultural identity of Korean Americans, as religion serves as a pillar of their heritage and community (Ek, 2008).
In this study, 11 to 16-year-old Korean American youth who primarily speak English will be recruited. For each participant, three unstructured interviews (Glesne, 2016) will be conducted, focusing on their linguistic and cultural identities, their thoughts on their heritage language and culture, their practice of their heritage language and culture in the church, and their visions or desires to be supported and successful in and out of school contexts. I will utilize ethnographic techniques, such as field notes, reflection notes, and unstructured interviews, and the collected data will be coded to figure out how Korean American youth practice their heritage language and culture in church (Glesne, 2016).
There are three expected findings. First, the church would facilitate Korean American youth's practice of their heritage language and culture since it can provide a safe and comfortable environment wherein the youth can interact with people from their community (Ek, 2008). Second, Korean American youth’ heritage language practices will be entwined with translanguaging since they employ both languages, Korean and English, in a variety of contexts (Song, 2016b). Third, the youth can broaden their language repertoires in their first language, which they may not ordinarily commonly utilize in their daily talks, and build their own biliteracy by navigating their Korean and Western identities.
By examining how Korean American youth engage with their heritage language and culture, we can gain insights into their processes of identity formation, linguistic development, and cultural preservation. This exploration aims to shed light on the complex and nuanced ways in which Korean American youth navigate their multicultural identities, ultimately contributing to a deeper understanding of the experiences of this vibrant community.

Author

• Hye-In Yang, Michigan State University