A Qualitative Inquiry on the Language Identity of Korean-Chinese Graduate Students

This study aimed to explore the language identity of Korean-Chinese graduates by conducting a focus group interview with 14 Korean-Chinese graduate students who have experienced elementary, middle, and high school bilingual education in China and have entered Korea to extend their studies. Based on the thematic analysis, the interview focused on the external aspects of language identity-cultural, linguistic, and environmental-as well as on the internal ones, which involve key themes emphasized by language attitudes (cognition, emotion, behavior), inductively. On the external side, it was found that the Korean-Chinese would make flexible choices about their cultural life and that bilingual education methods differed by regional variables. The internal aspects were grasped by the Korean people's perception of Chinese Korean, Korean, and Chinese. The Chinese Korean language is important in integrating aspects such as maintaining intimacy with community members. However, Korean and Chinese are important tools for participating in cognitive activities. In addition, there was a phenomenon in which the Chinese Korean language was reduced due to the negative recognition of Korean-Chinese in the Korean society, nevertheless, the national pride as Korean-Chinese was still maintained. In conclusion, this paper provides a concrete perspective on the language identity of Korean-Chinese and suggests the possible practical roles of Korean-Chinese in Korea. The Korean language's bilingualism and practical language actions to create social values should be accompanied by active efforts of the Korean-Chinese and by their understanding of Koreans in the Korean society.(Kyung Hee University)