"Talk Only in Korean": Marriage Immigrant Families and Power Dynamics of Language in Contemporary Korea

• In Event: Sheraton Roundtable Session 23
  In Roundtable Session: Korean Family Language Practices: Transnational Perspectives

Abstract

In this paper, I examine the role of language in the lives of children and parents from marriage immigrant families in Korea. While the non-Korean population has increased exponentially in the last two decades overall (Lim, 2010), marriage immigrants, who came into the country by marrying a Korean national, in particular have generated a lot of public discussion about maintaining “Koreanness,” and language plays an integral role in this conversation. Drawing on the accounts of various stakeholders, including parents, a preschool director, and a social worker that works closely with immigrant parents, I articulate the complexities of using, teaching, and learning the Korean and other languages in the context of contested Korean homogeneity.

Author

• MinSoo Kim-Bossard, The College of New Jersey