Article: Language and power: Korean-Chinese students’ language attitude and practice

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TitleLanguage and power: Korean-Chinese students’ language attitude and practice
AuthorsGao, F1
KeywordsLanguage and power
Korean language
Chinese language
Language
Attitude and practice
Issue Date2009
PublisherRoutledge. The Journal's web site is located at http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals/titles/01434632.asp
CitationJournal of Multilingual & Multicultural Development, 2009, v. 30 n. 6, p. 525-534 [How to Cite?]
DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/01434630903147922
AbstractLanguage is not only a method of communication, but also a mechanism of power. The ethnographic research reported in this article documents how a group of Korean students, who are participating in a bilingual Korean school in Northeast China, construct their language attitude and practice. Research findings indicate that the Korean students value both Korean and Chinese language acquisition, and adopt the two languages for self-empowerment in the academic hierarchy of the Korean school. The positive attitude and practice of Korean students towards Korean and Chinese language studies highlight the politically and economically functional power of Korean and Chinese languages as a means of acquiring a larger benefit from China's economic marketisation, especially increasing business contacts with South Korea. This article argues that the increasing significance of transnationalism for ethnic minorities within globalisation emphasises bilingual proficiency, or even trilingualism in China's reform period which implies the necessity of relevant policy initiations for the increasing needs of language acquisition.
ISSN0143-4632
2011 Impact Factor: 0.603
DOIhttp://dx.doi.org/10.1080/01434630903147922
ISI Accession Number IDWOS:000272556600005
DC Field
Value
dc.contributor.authorGao, F
dc.date.accessioned2010-12-23T08:56:30Z
dc.date.available2010-12-23T08:56:30Z
dc.date.issued2009
dc.description.abstractLanguage is not only a method of communication, but also a mechanism of power. The ethnographic research reported in this article documents how a group of Korean students, who are participating in a bilingual Korean school in Northeast China, construct their language attitude and practice. Research findings indicate that the Korean students value both Korean and Chinese language acquisition, and adopt the two languages for self-empowerment in the academic hierarchy of the Korean school. The positive attitude and practice of Korean students towards Korean and Chinese language studies highlight the politically and economically functional power of Korean and Chinese languages as a means of acquiring a larger benefit from China's economic marketisation, especially increasing business contacts with South Korea. This article argues that the increasing significance of transnationalism for ethnic minorities within globalisation emphasises bilingual proficiency, or even trilingualism in China's reform period which implies the necessity of relevant policy initiations for the increasing needs of language acquisition.
dc.description.naturepostprint
dc.identifier.citationJournal of Multilingual & Multicultural Development, 2009, v. 30 n. 6, p. 525-534 [How to Cite?]
DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/01434630903147922
dc.identifier.doihttp://dx.doi.org/10.1080/01434630903147922
dc.identifier.epage534
dc.identifier.hkuros178356
dc.identifier.isiWOS:000272556600005
dc.identifier.issn0143-4632
2011 Impact Factor: 0.603
dc.identifier.issue6
dc.identifier.openurl
dc.identifier.scopuseid_2-s2.0-77956348588
dc.identifier.spage525
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/10722/130561
dc.identifier.volume30
dc.languageeng
dc.publisherRoutledge. The Journal's web site is located at http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals/titles/01434632.asp
dc.relation.ispartofJournal of Multilingual & Multicultural Development
dc.rightsThis is an electronic version of an article published in Journal of Multilingual & Multicultural Development, 2009, v. 30 n. 6, p. 525-534. Journal of Multilingual & Multicultural Development is available online at: http://www.informaworld.com/smpp/
dc.rightsCreative Commons: Attribution 3.0 Hong Kong License
dc.subjectLanguage and power
dc.subjectKorean language
dc.subjectChinese language
dc.subjectLanguage
dc.subjectAttitude and practice
dc.titleLanguage and power: Korean-Chinese students’ language attitude and practice
dc.typeArticle
Author Affiliations
  1. The University of Hong Kong