Korean Linguistics - Volume 19, Issue 2, 2023

This study is a follow-up study of Shin and Jung’s (2016, 2018) research that has examined language shift and maintenance of the Korean community in Australia reflected in the previous Australian Censuses from 2006 to 2016. The present study analysed the 2021 Census and updated the Korean community’s language shift and maintenance with the latest census data. It examined the community’s language shift by various sociodemographic factors such as generation, age, gender, education, and religion and compared the results of the analyses with the previous studies’ findings. The results of this study revealed that in the 2021 Census, the shift to English in the first generation increased from the 2016 Census, possibly due to the restricted migration of Koreans during the COVID-19 pandemic. The results confirmed that the inter-generational language shift (i.e., the increase in language shift by generation) is taking place in the Korean community in Australia, and that it is progressing further. The results showed similar patterns and trends in the extent of language shift by different sociodemographic factors and variable that had been observed in the previous censuses. Language shift was higher in females than in males in the first generation, but the pattern was reverse in age groups younger than 35 years old. Those with certain educational qualifications (e.g., a graduate diploma or certificate) had a higher shift rate. On the other hand, lower shift was observed among those affiliated with the religions/denominations with a strong presence of Korean immigrants in the community. These findings provide valuable insights to the community’s language shift to English and its maintenance of the Korean language regarding its unique temporal and locational circumstances such as the temporary stop of the influx of South Koreans in Australia during the COVID-19 pandemic and its language practice.

This study investigates family language policy (FLP) in three dual heritage and interlingual families in New Zealand. It focuses on the language use of three Korean migrant mothers and their attitudes towards their children’s multilingualism and heritage languages (HLs). Each family’s FLP took a “one person, one language” approach, with the mothers consistently using Korean but occasionally switching to English. All three mothers in this case study showed positive attitudes towards their children maintaining their HLs, and used various strategies to encourage their children’s exposure to the HLs. However, each of the mothers conceptualized the positions of the children’s HLs somewhat differently, which influenced language socialization at home. Moreover, despite their strong commitment to bilingual or multilingual parenting, the mothers had low expectations for their children’s HL proficiency, reflecting the minority status of HLs in the wider society.

Over the past two decades educators and researchers have shown considerable interest in bicultural families and their children in South Korea, largely due to their increasing numbers (Statistics Korea and Ministry of the Interior and Safety of the Republic of Korea, 2021). However, socio-linguistic research on non-Korean parents’ attitudes towards their children’s heritage language (HL) education is comparatively scarce. Accordingly, this study investigates the perceptions of non-Korean parents in bicultural families regarding their children’s HL education and maintenance. The study examines interview data from 32 participants from diverse linguistic and cultural backgrounds, which were collected as part of a wider research project. The results reveal that most non-Korean parents recognise the importance of HL maintenance and development and strived to pass their ethnic language and culture on to their children, although a few parents express indifferent views or appear to be unaware of the importance of HL education. One of the more significant findings to emerge from the analysis suggests dominant optimistic views on HL education and maintenance, despite a perceived lack of appropriate HL support for children and negative perceptions shown by Korean family members and neighbours towards the participants’ ethnic backgrounds. The implications of these results are discussed with regard to the general public’s the perceptions of minority languages and cultures, as well as the views of family members in bicultural families. This paper concludes with some suggestions for ways to improve perceptions of the general public in relation to ethnic minority cultures and bicultural families.