Korean Linguistics - Volume 21, Issue 2, 2025

Abstract

This study investigates the linguistic, cultural, and pedagogical challenges faced by non-native Korean as a Foreign language (NN-KFL) educators and evaluates a three-year retraining program designed to enhance their instructional competence and professional identity. Based on surveys and qualitative data from consultations and live sessions, the study identifies both common and language-specific difficulties among educators from 29 countries. Findings highlight challenges in explaining grammar, pragmatics, and culture, as well as gaps in Korean proficiency and metalinguistic awareness. The results suggest the need for retraining that addresses both general and L1-specific issues. The study proposes a two-tiered model: foundational content delivered online and targeted one-on-one mentoring. It emphasizes the importance of fostering crosslinguistic insight and intercultural sensitivity to build confidence and pedagogical capacity. By offering a flexible and scalable framework, this research contributes to the professional development of NN-KFL educators and responds to the growing global demand for qualified Korean language educators.

Abstract

This article proposes a Cognitive Grammar account of Korean conventional indirect requests and connective behavior. Sentence-ending particles (SEPs) are analyzed as grounding morphology that links clausal content to the speaker–addressee Ground. Clause type provides a default access path to a speech-act scenario, which may be overridden when an SEP profiles a subpart such as desire, ability, obligation, or intention. Mapping before, result, and after phases to Korean morphosyntax predicts the distribution of declaratives, interrogatives, and intention forms. It also accounts for the agent shift of -ulkeyyo in service talk and the preference for grammaticalized endings over periphrastic expressions. We extend the analysis to Sweetser’s domain shifts to show how -umyen, -unikka, -ese, and -ciman alternate across content, epistemic, and speech-act uses under clause-final anchoring. Integrating Panther & Thornburg’s scenario-based metonymy with CG grounding, the study links grammaticalized endings to speaker–hearer interaction in the usage event.

Abstract

This study presents the first systematic analysis of Fluttering Semi-honorifics (FS; seolleneun banjondae), an emerging style-shifting practice among young Korean speakers. Drawing on interviews, a two-step elicitation experiment, and a brief survey, it examines FS in terms of linguistic form, usage context, and pragmatic function. FS involves multi-sentential alternation between honorific and non-honorific endings, most often shifting from Polite to Intimate. Lexical honorifics and the suffix -si- are rarely used, and Plain forms appear mainly in self-directed speech. FS typically occurs in relationships that are close but not fully intimate, often when younger men address older women. Pragmatically, it reduces social distance while maintaining politeness and manages age or gender asymmetries through confident familiarity. Unlike downward shifts used for rudeness or submission, FS functions as an affiliative strategy that reinterprets honorific hierarchy to reflect changing ideals of intimacy and gender relations in Korea.

Abstract

This study investigates Korean honorific processing, specifically examining whether it is rule-based or lexicon-based. Event-related potentials (ERPs) were measured in a group of twenty native Korean speakers to explore their responses to honorific mismatches. Participants were presented with eight variations of Korean sentences, differing in formality, honorific usage, and address form categories. The results revealed the presence of the N400 effect, indicating sensitivity to honorific mismatches in Korean. However, no P600 effect was observed. These findings suggest that Korean honorific concord relies on a semantic-pragmatic cognitive mechanism rather than strict rule-based processing, as supported by the N400 effect. Notably, the N400 effect was more pronounced when non-honorific verbal marking was combined with honorific address terms and in formal style sentences. These results suggest that honorific concord in Korean is influenced by both social context and grammar rules, particularly among individuals of higher social status in formal situations. Overall, this study contributes valuable insights into the neurological basis of pragmatic concord across diverse languages.

This article reviews Introduction to Korean as a Second LanguageUS$ 190.00