Enhancing Korean heritage learners’ language awareness and understanding of diaspora through linguistic landscape projects

Hee Chung Chun

The State University of New Jersey

Abstract

This paper examines the pedagogical application of Linguistic Landscape in Korean as a Heritage Language (KHL) education. Although previous research affirms that the linguistic landscape enhances learners’ awareness of real-world language use, promotes cultural understanding, and motivates learners through authentic engagement with the target language in their local community, it remains underutilized in the Korean language classrooms. Adopting a project-based learning (PBL) approach, this paper presents a linguistic landscape project conducted by Korean heritage learners in a KHL class at a state university in the United States and discusses how the project fostered their language awareness and understanding of the Korean diaspora. The paper outlines how the project was implemented, examines learners’ observations of the linguistic landscape in the local Koreatown, and analyzes their self-reflections. The results suggest that learners recognize translanguaging between Korean and English, understand the distinct functions of each language, and identify the marketing strategies informing language choices. The project also encouraged learners to reflect on their own identities as Korean Americans, their local Korean American communities, and, more broadly, the Korean diaspora in the United States.

계승어 학습자의 언어 인식 및 디아스포라 이해 향상을 위한 프로젝트 기반 한국어 수업
: 언어 경관 프로젝트를 중심으로

초록

Vol. 40 No. 4 (2022.12)

Journal Abbreviation j. Korea Saf. Manag. Sci.
Frequency Published four times annually in March, June, September, and December
Doi Prefix 10.14353/sjk.
Year of Launching 1993
Publisher The Sociolinguistic Society of Korea

Indexed/Tracked/Covered By