Language ideologies, heritage language use, and identity construction among 1.5-generation Korean immigrants in New Zealand

ABSTRACT

This article explores language ideologies, heritage language (HL) use, and identity construction among 1.5-generation Korean immigrants in New Zealand. Drawing on interview data, the study shows how language ideologies and identities influence these immigrants’ language use and investment. All participants reported speaking Korean with their parents and adult members of their ethnic community, considering the use of English with these interlocutors to be inappropriate. The participants associated Korean language with their ethnocultural identities and viewed proficiency in their HL as essential in claiming Koreanness. The majority also reported ‘mixing’ Korean and English with siblings and friends, a practice they perceived as part of a shared ‘Kowi’ (Korean-Kiwi) identity. The participants’ investment in HL use and maintenance was strongly tied to gaining cultural capital as Koreans in New Zealand; at the same time, they showed a lack of investment in further HL development. Constructing their identities as diasporic subjects, they did not regard native-like Korean fluency or advanced literacy skills as necessary or contributing to their socioeconomic capital. Based on the findings, this study offers implications for school administrators and policy makers in terms of how to support immigrants’ HL development for the benefit of individuals, families, communities, and the nation.

KEYWORDS:

• Heritage language use
• language ideology
• identity
• investment
• Korean immigrant
• New Zealand

Acknowledgments

I am grateful to the editor and anonymous reviewers for their insightful comments on earlier drafts of this manuscript. I would also like to thank Gary Barkhuizen, Stephen May, and Lehyla Heward for their helpful feedback, as well as Laurie Durand and Alec Redvers-Hill for their editorial assistance. All remaining errors are my own.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by Core University Program for Korean Studies through the Ministry of Education of the Republic of Korea and Korean Studies Promotion Service of the Academy of Korean Studies (AKS-2017-OLU-2250001).

Notes on contributors

Mi Yung Park

Mi Yung Park is a Senior Lecturer in Asian Studies, School of Cultures, Languages and Linguistics, University of Auckland, New Zealand. Her research interests include language ideology, heritage language maintenance, and language and identity. She has published her work in such journals as International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism, Language and Education, Language and Intercultural Communication, International Multilingual Research Journal, Language Awareness, Classroom Discourse, and Journal of Pragmatics.